Macros And Keto: Where Should Your Macros Be?

The ketogenic diet is a regimented way of eating that involves a high-fat, low-carb, and moderate-protein intake. The keto diet can be an effective way to lose weight without hunger, cravings, and muscle loss, but it can be challenging to follow. To achieve ketosis, a fat-burning state, the diet requires a specific macronutrient breakdown. Macros, or macronutrients, are energy-supplying nutrients, including fat, protein, and carbohydrates, that the body needs in large amounts. The standard keto diet typically consists of 5% carbs, 70-80% fat, and 20-30% protein. However, the exact macro ratio may vary depending on individual needs and goals. Tracking macros is essential to ensure adherence to the keto diet and can be done through food journals or macro tracker apps.

Macronutrients and calories

The keto diet is a very regimented way of eating, with little room for cheating. It is an effective way to lose weight without hunger, cravings and muscle loss, but it can be tricky to follow. The key to success is understanding keto macros. Macros, or macronutrients, are the energy-supplying nutrients – fat, protein and carbohydrates – that the body needs in large quantities.

The keto diet focuses on a high-fat, low-carb, moderate-protein intake. The macro breakdown typically includes restricting carb intake to 5% to 10% of your calories. This means your fat intake increases to 55% to 70% of your calories, and the remaining 20% to 30% of your calories come from protein.

For example, on a 2,000-calorie diet, you'll eat less than 50 grams of carbs each day. This restriction cuts out several nutrient-packed foods like fruit and whole grains.

The keto diet is different from other weight loss plans because it changes the way your body uses energy. Normally, your body burns glycogen for fuel, which comes from dietary carbohydrates. The keto diet encourages your body to use byproducts of fat metabolism, known as ketones, for fuel instead. This causes your body to enter a fat-burning state called ketosis, which suppresses your appetite and may make it easier to eat less.

To achieve ketosis, you need to significantly increase the percentage of fat in your diet, while cutting out most carbs. On a typical keto plan, you'll get your calories from roughly 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates.

However, it's important to note that not all calories are created equal. For example, protein burns more calories due to its thermic effect, and it is also highly satiating, which leads to fewer calories consumed.

How to calculate your macros

To calculate your keto diet macros, you must first establish your estimated TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Your TDEE accurately measures how much energy you expend each day, both at rest and when exercising.

You can then use this information to calculate your calorie needs, which are determined by your fitness goal. If you want to lose weight, you need a calorie deficit, whereas weight gain requires a calorie surplus.

You can then build your macro goals accordingly. It is recommended that you keep your carb intake to less than 20 to 50 grams per day to promote ketosis.

You can then calculate your protein needs, which are important for supporting your lean body mass and other essential bodily functions. This will depend on your activity level and fitness goal.

Finally, your keto fat needs can be calculated based on your remaining calories.

Tracking your macros

There are two main ways to track your macros: through a food journal or a macros tracker app. All the apps serve the same primary function – to show you the percentage of calories you've consumed from each macronutrient based on the food you've tracked that day.

Food journaling requires a few extra steps but is equally effective. You can use the information on a food's nutrition label and valuable tools like the USDA Nutrient Analysis Library to determine the nutrient content of generic and branded foods, as well as fresh produce.

Micronutrients

While macros are important, it's also crucial to remember the value of micronutrients. Potassium, calcium, and vitamins C and B are just a few of the micronutrients that are essential to support optimal health.

Keto flu

When starting a ketogenic diet, you may experience some side effects known as keto flu. These can include brain fog, lack of energy, lack of strength during workouts and cravings.

The keto diet is suitable for short-term fat loss but is difficult to sustain long-term. After reaching your initial weight loss goals, you should transition to a normalized set of macros.

Carbohydrates

On a keto diet, carbohydrates should make up only 5% of your total daily calories. For most people, this works out to be 20-30 grams of carbohydrates per day, but the exact amount can vary depending on factors such as age, activity level, goals, and daily calorie consumption. It is important to note that not all carbs count towards this total. Carbohydrates that don't produce energy, like certain types of fibre, are not included in the totals.

To calculate how many grams of carbohydrates you should consume daily on a keto diet, you can use the following equation:

> Calories per day x percentage of calories from carbs / Number of calories per gram in carbohydrates = Grams of carbs per day

For example, if you consume 1,600 calories per day and aim for 10% carbs, the calculation would be:

1600 x 0.1 / 4 = 40 grams of carbs per day

It is important to track your carb intake when on a keto diet, as consuming too many carbs can prevent you from achieving ketosis and hinder weight loss.

Fats

On the keto diet, it is recommended that 70-80% of your calories come from fat. This equates to around 156-178 grams of fat per day for someone consuming 2,000 calories. It is important to note that fat is the most energy-dense nutrient, supplying nine calories per gram. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor fat intake to ensure it aligns with your calorie goals.

To achieve this high fat intake, it is recommended to consume fatty cuts of meat, eggs, fatty fish, whole raw milk, avocados, nuts, and MCT oil. Additionally, cooking with fats like lard, tallow, butter, coconut oil, and olive oil can help increase fat intake.

It is worth noting that not all fats are equal. Prioritising keto-friendly foods that are whole or less processed is essential. For example, unsaturated fats like liquid vegetable oils are recommended over saturated fats found in beef, butter, cheese, and fried foods, which can negatively impact cholesterol levels.

Furthermore, it is important to remember that the keto diet is not just about fat intake. To achieve ketosis, the body also needs to be in a state of low carbohydrate and moderate protein consumption. Therefore, balancing fat intake with the other macronutrients is crucial to ensure the keto diet is effective and safe.

Protein

The amount of protein you need on a keto diet depends on your activity level and fitness goals. As a general guideline, it is recommended that:

• For a sedentary lifestyle or minimal activity, aim for 0.6g/pound of body weight per day.
• For moderate exercise 2 or more days per week with a goal of fat loss, aim for 0.9g/pound of body weight per day.
• For intense exercise 3 or more days per week with a goal of muscle gain, aim for 1.1g/pound of body weight per day.

For example, a 150-pound individual who exercises moderately several days a week and wants to lose weight would need about 135 grams of protein per day. To get this amount in calories, simply multiply the protein intake by four, as protein provides four calories for every gram.

It is important to note that consuming more protein than your calculated amount should not negatively affect your body, unless you have impaired kidney function. Protein helps maintain a healthy weight and supports essential metabolic processes. On the other hand, too little protein can lead to impaired immune function and poor skin, hair, and nail health.

When following a keto diet, it is recommended to keep your protein intake to around 20-30% of your total daily calories. This translates to about 0.8-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, depending on your goals and activity level.

In summary, ensuring adequate protein intake is crucial for a well-rounded keto diet. By taking into account your activity level and fitness goals, you can determine the optimal amount of protein to include in your diet.

Weight loss

The keto diet is an effective way to lose weight without experiencing the same hunger, cravings, and muscle loss that other weight loss plans can cause. The keto diet changes the way your body uses energy, burning fat instead of glycogen for fuel. This is called ketosis, and it suppresses your appetite, making it easier to eat less.

To achieve ketosis, you need to significantly increase the percentage of fat in your diet and cut out most carbs. A typical keto plan consists of around 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbohydrates. However, it's important to note that keto is not just another low-carb diet; it also requires moderate protein intake. This is because the body can convert protein to glucose, and too much protein may prevent you from reaching or maintaining ketosis.

To calculate your keto macros for weight loss, you need to determine your calorie needs based on your weight, height, age, and activity level. This will give you your basal metabolic rate (BMR). For weight loss, you need to create a calorie deficit, which means consuming fewer calories than your body burns.

Once you know your calorie needs, you can determine your macro ratios. For weight loss, a good starting point is a macro ratio of 60% fat, 30-35% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrates. You can adjust this ratio slightly to find what works best for you.

To calculate the number of grams of each macro you need per day, multiply your total daily calories by the percentage of that macro, then divide by the number of calories per gram for that macro. For example, if your daily calorie intake is 2,000:

• Fat: 2,000 calories x 0.6 (60%) = 1,200 calories from fat. 1,200 calories / 9 calories per gram = 133 grams of fat
• Protein: 2,000 calories x 0.3 (30%) = 600 calories from protein. 600 calories / 4 calories per gram = 150 grams of protein
• Carbohydrates: 2,000 calories x 0.05 (5%) = 100 calories from carbs. 100 calories / 4 calories per gram = 25 grams of carbs

It's important to remember that keto can be challenging to follow, and it may take a couple of weeks for your body to adjust to this new way of eating. Additionally, keto may not be suitable for everyone, and it is always recommended to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new diet.

Frequently asked questions