Keto Calculator for Ketogenic Diet

Daily Macronutrients in Keto Diet

In order to determine the exact quantity of daily proteins, carbohydrates and fats necessary to maintain your body in ketosis, as per the principles of the Keto diet, the daily calorie intake must first be calculated. Then, according to the macronutrient percentage ratios (for example: 25:5:70), exact quantities in grams can be retrieved and customized based on your target, whether that is maintaining, losing or gaining weight.

The daily calorie recommendation is customized on your age, gender, weight and height, based on the Mifflin-St Jeor BMR formulas.

• BMR (Females) = 10 x Weight (kg) + 6.25 x Height (cm) - 5 x Age (years) + 5
• BMR (Males) = 10 x Weight (kg) + 6.25 x Height (cm) - 5 x Age (years) - 161

The basal metabolic rate determination can be further customized by accounting for the activity level, so that the daily calories can be accurately estimated (the BMR value is indexed based on the activity level variable to determine the TDEE – total daily energy expenditure). The activity level options are:

• No or little exercise/sedentary;
• Easy exercise (2-3 times/week);
• Moderate exercise (4 times/week);
• Active exercise (5 times/week);
• Very active exercise (5 times intense/week);
• Day by day exercise;
• Day by day intense exercise/twice daily;
• Daily exercise and physical activity/job;

Once the (age, gender, weight, height and activity specific) total daily energy expenditure in calories is known, the macronutrient percentages are applied, to determine the daily protein calories, daily carbohydrate calories and daily fat calories.

The ketogenic diet may be described as high in fat, adequate in protein and low in carbohydrates so taking 60 to 75% of calories from fat, 15-30% from protein and 5-10% from carbs.

To retrieve the grams of protein, carbs and fats, the following rules are applied:

• 1 gram of protein = 4 kcal;
• 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 kcal;
• 1 gram of fat = 9 kcal.

With respect to your weight targets:

• To lose weight you will need to be in calorie deficit – it is recommended to stay within 10-20% calorie deficit for moderate weight loss; Going past 30% deficit could lead to metabolic damage in the long run.
• To gain weight you will need to be in calorie excess – a 5 to 10% calorie excess should be enough for a moderate weight gain.

Staying in ketosis means your body will use fat as energy and accelerate your natural weight loss and this requires an accurate monitoring of your carbohydrate levels.

Some of the benefits of the keto diet may include balancing your metabolism, boosting productivity and mental focus, reducing risks of age-related diseases and improving physical performance.

In the keto diet, a rule of thumb would be to stay under 50 grams of carbs a day or even below 30 grams for weight loss. For example, the 50 grams of carbs could be made out of 10-15g of vegetables, 5-10g of nuts and seeds and 5-10g of fruits.

Protein intake should be between 0.6 and 0.8 grams per lb of lean body mass in the case of sedentary people and 0.8 and 1.0 grams per lb for active people.

References

Boison D. New insights into the mechanisms of the ketogenic diet. Curr Opin Neurol. 2017; 30(2):187-192.

Masood W, Annamaraju P, Uppaluri KR. Ketogenic Diet. [Updated 2020 Jun 22]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan.

Paoli A. Ketogenic diet for obesity: friend or foe? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014; 11(2):2092-107.

Ting R, Dugré N, Allan GM, Lindblad AJ. Ketogenic diet for weight loss. Can Fam Physician. 2018; 64(12):906. PMID: 30541806; PMCID: PMC6371871.

Bueno NB, de Melo IS, de Oliveira SL, da Rocha Ataide T. Very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet v. low-fat diet for long-term weight loss: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Nutr. 2013; 110(7):1178–87.

Van Gaal LF, Vansant GA, De Leeuw IH. Factors determining energy expenditure during very-low-calorie diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992; 56(1 Suppl):224S-229S.