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The Best Way To

Calculate Your Keto
Diet Macros
Yep, there's a formula for that.

BY NICOLE BLADES MAY 8, 2019

CLAUDIA TOTIR / GETTY IMAGES

All you really need to now about the keto

diet is fat equals good, carbs equals
bad...right?

If only. While, yes, the keto diet focuses

on keeping your daily carb intake low
and boosting the good fats in your diet, it
can get a little more complicated than
that—especially if you're following the
keto diet to a T and, you know, actually
counting your keto macros—a.k.a. how
many grams of carbs, fats, and protein
you get each day.

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TBH, counting your macros is hard

regardless of the eating plan (math,
amiright??), but it gets even more
complicated when your entire diet
depends on it (too many carbs and not
enough fat means no ketosis—and less
weight loss).

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Here's how to break down your keto

macros, so you have the best chance of
seeing those sweet, sweet keto diet
results.

So what do macros on
the keto diet look
like?

Real talk: Hard numbers or percentages

on the keto diet are tricky because there
are so many differing opinions about the
“right way” to do keto, and little research
to back up the varying methods, says J.
Wesley McWhorter, a registered dietitian
at UTHealth School of Public Health in
Houston. “Keto diets have morphed into
a variety of macro levels with ranges of
up to 20 percent carbohydrates, 10 to 30
percent protein, and 50 to 90 percent
fat."

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Okay, but how does

that break down in
grams of protein, fat,
and carbs?
There's a simple equation to help you
Xgure out how many grams of carbs you
should be eating on, say, a 1,600-calorie-
a-day keto diet, but Xrst you need to
know that:

▶ Carbs have four calories per gram.

▶ Fat has nine calories per gram
▶ Protein has four calories per gram.

Let's also say you're aiming for a

standard keto diet of 10 percent carbs
—"which is low enough for most people
to get into nutritional ketosis," says
Amanda Maucere, a registered dietitian
nutritionist at Lung Health Institute in
Tampa, Florida—20 percent protein, and
70 percent fat.

Just use these simple equations to Xgure

out how many grams of carbs, protein,
and fat you should be aiming for:

▶ Carbs: Calories per day (1,600) x

percentage of calories from carbs (.10)
/ Number of calories per gram in
carbohydrates (4) = 40 grams of carbs
per day
▶ Protein: Calories per day (1,600) x
percentage of calories from protein
(.20) / Number of calories per gram in
protein (4) = 80 grams of protein per
day
▶ Fat: Calories per day (1,600) x
percentage of calories from fat (.70) /
Number of calories per gram in fat (9)
= 125 grams of fat per day

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Tracking your carbs is likely the most

important part of the keto diet—but you
can have a little more eexibility when it
comes to your protein and fat macros.

When it comes to your protein intake, in

general, it's a good rule to eat about half
of your ideal body weight, says Maucere.
“For example, if you feel your best at 150
pounds, you’d want to eat around 75
grams of protein a day,” she says (which,
tbh, is very close to the 80 grams of
protein you'd get from the equation
above).

The rest of your diet

should consist mainly Keto For Carb
of fats, but even that Lovers
varies based on your
amazon.com
energy needs, says $24.95
Maucere. "I typically
SHOP NOW
tell my patients to eat
enough fat to feel
satiated between meals," she adds. For
some, that might mean far less than the
125 grams of fat per day calculated
above.

That's...a lot of math.

Is there an easier way
to keep track of this?
I get it; tallying all those grams and
percentages can get a bit daunting (no
one said there’d be math on this portion
of the test!). You can try apps like Cron-
o-meter (Maucere's favorite), old school
notebooks, etc. But remember: “The best
method of tracking macros is always
going to be the one you can commit to
and stick to on a regular basis,” says Jen
Oikarinen, a registered dietician and
clinical dietitian at Banner University
Medical Center in Phoenix.

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KETO FAQS

‘Keto Crotch’ Is A Thing You

Should Know About

What's The Dirty Keto Diet?

What's With Intermittent

Fasting On The Keto Diet?

If counting is really not your jam, you

can also just eyeball your macros: “A
typical keto plate would have a palm-
sized portion of meat, one or two Xstfuls
of vegetables, and as much fat as you
need to achieve satiety,” says Maucere.
To Xgure out what satiety looks like for
you, she suggests going with one or two
thumb-sized portions of fat to start and
building from there. “So, a meal may
look like a small piece of steak with a
good-sized portion of green beans and
chopped walnuts.”

Of course, even more important than

counting your keto macros, McWhorter
says, is paying attention to the quality of
food you put in your body. “Even if you
hit your ‘macro goals,’ but you are not
including fruits, vegetables, legumes,
nuts, seeds, and whole grains, you could
be in trouble.” Remember that all of
these food groups are full of Xber and
beneXcial in Xghting diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, and promoting
satiety and weight control.

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" # $ % &

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