Macro Calculator

Starting a ketogenic diet? 

Let’s help you figure out exactly what to eat.
Simply provide your details, and we’ll craft a personalised keto nutrition plan tailored just for you.

Keto Macro Calculator

Results

Calories:

Protein: g

Fat: g

Carbs: 20g

How do I use the calculator to get my macros?

Follow these easy to follow instructions:

  1. Select your age from the dropdown.
  2. Select your gender male/female.
  3. Select your height unit from the dropdown. You can input centimeters or feet/inches.
  4. Enter your height.
  5. Select your height unit from the dropdown. You can use kilograms, pounds or stones/ounces.
  6. Enter your weight.
  7. Select your activity level. You can select sedentary (less active), Moderate (active) or very active.
  8. Select your goal from the dropdown. You can select losing weight, maintain or gain weight.

That’s it! It’s that simple!

Why do you need to input your Age/Gender/Height/Weight?

Many people follow a ketogenic diet with a specific goal in mind. Our objective is to ensure the calculator provides accurate results that anyone can confidently use.

The keto calculator is based on the Mifflin-St Jeor Formula, which research has shown to be more reliable than the Katch-McCardle or Harris-Benedict formulas. This method requires information such as gender, height, weight, and age to determine the appropriate daily calorie intake.

Why do you need my activity level?

This helps us determine the minimum number of calories your body burns in a day. Our keto calculator uses this information to estimate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). By combining this figure with your body fat percentage, we calculate how many calories you’ll need to reach your goals.

 

Your BMR represents the calories your body uses at rest, including those needed for basic functions like eating and digestion. Together with your activity level, this forms your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), which is the total calories you burn each day. If you track your calories using a heart rate monitor or other tools, you can enter a custom activity level in the calculator for a more precise macro breakdown.

What is a calorie deficit or surplus?

A calorie deficit or surplus refers to the balance between the calories you consume and what your body needs. A surplus happens when you eat more calories than your body requires, while a deficit occurs when you eat fewer calories than your body needs.

 

If your goal is weight loss, you’ll generally aim for a calorie deficit. A typical deficit range is 10-20%, which is manageable for most people. Larger deficits of 20-30% might lead to faster weight loss but can be challenging due to increased hunger. Pushing beyond a 30% deficit can risk long-term issues, such as slowing your metabolism.

 

On the other hand, building muscle requires a calorie surplus. To gain lean muscle mass, you’ll need to consume more calories than your body burns. A surplus of 5-10% is often recommended, as it supports muscle growth while limiting fat gain. Exceeding a 10% surplus can lead to unnecessary weight gain from excess fat rather than muscle.

Why are the carbs low?

The ketogenic diet offers several scientifically backed benefits. Generally, it’s recommended to keep net carbs under 30g per day. For those aiming to lose weight, staying at or below 20g net carbs daily is often advised.

The primary goal of the keto diet is to reach a metabolic state called ketosis. This is achieved by significantly reducing carbohydrate intake.

How much protein should I eat?

Getting the right amount of protein is essential on a keto diet. Too much can reduce your ketone levels, while too little may lead to muscle loss. Striking the right balance is key.

 

For those with a sedentary lifestyle, aim for 0.6g to 0.8g of protein per pound of lean body mass. If you’re more active, increase this to 0.8g to 1.0g per pound of lean body mass. For muscle building, aim for 1.0g to 1.2g per pound of lean body mass. Consuming more than this usually isn’t necessary based on available research.

 

It might seem tricky at first, but it’s actually straightforward. Protein intake is simply a ratio. For example, if you have 100 lbs of lean body mass and want to build muscle, you’d need 100g of protein daily (based on 1.0g per pound).

If you’re still unsure, don’t stress. A keto calculator can determine your protein needs based on your activity level, making it easy to get started.

Calories, do they matter? I'm already low carb!

After learning about the keto diet and its ability to help burn fat, you might wonder why a keto calculator is necessary. Many supporters of low-carb diets argue that cutting carbs is the key to fat loss. But is this the full story?

Research has shown that, regardless of whether you follow a high-carb or low-carb diet, weight loss occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body needs. Similarly, weight gain happens when you eat more calories than your body burns.

Because calorie intake plays such a crucial role in weight management, using a keto macro calculator can significantly improve your chances of success on the diet. It’s a practical tool designed to help you stay on track and reach your goals effectively.

Will I get results without the macro calculator?

By focusing on keto-friendly foods and cutting out carbohydrates, many people naturally reduce their calorie intake and begin to lose weight steadily. While this approach can be effective initially, it may increase the risk of hitting a weight loss plateau, leaving you unsure about how to proceed.

 

A more reliable and structured way to manage your diet is by using a macronutrient calculator, such as the Keto Health and Lifestyle Keto calculator. This tool helps you determine the ideal daily intake of fat, protein, carbohydrates, and calories needed to achieve your weight loss goals.

To stay on track with your nutritional needs, we recommend using a calorie-tracking app like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer.

 

By using a keto calculator, you can calculate the exact amounts of each macronutrient (fat, protein, and carbs) required to:

  • Improve your chances of achieving your desired results.
  • Enter and maintain a state of ketosis.
  • Keep your keto diet on track, especially when tracking macros.
  • Eliminate the guesswork around how much to eat.
  • Fully enjoy the benefits of keto dieting and ketosis.

This approach ensures you can follow your keto journey with confidence and precision, helping you reach your goals more effectively.

What do the macro calculator results mean?

Let’s begin with calories. A calorie is a unit of energy that shows how much energy you get from food. Monitoring calorie intake is key when aiming to change your body composition.

If you consume fewer calories than your body requires to maintain your current weight (a calorie deficit), you’ll lose weight. On the other hand, eating more calories than your body needs (a calorie surplus) will lead to weight gain.

Notice the focus is on “weight” gain or loss rather than “fat.” Adjusting calorie intake will affect the number on the scale, but whether this reflects fat loss depends on other factors, including the macronutrient breakdown determined by your keto macro calculator.

During weight changes, you may lose or gain fat, muscle, and water. The proportion of each depends largely on the macronutrient content of your diet—specifically the amounts of fat, protein, and carbohydrates you consume. For more details on these nutrients, you can check out our guide to macros.

When using the keto calculator, you’ll receive specific ratios of fat, protein, and carbs based on the details you provide. Generally, carbohydrate intake should be kept low to help you enter ketosis and enjoy the benefits of the keto diet. Reducing carbs to this level often results in a significant drop in water weight for many people.

Protein is crucial for maintaining or building muscle. Consuming less protein than recommended may lead to muscle loss, while eating the right amount supports muscle maintenance or growth, especially when paired with resistance training.

As you reduce carbs, fat intake becomes the variable to adjust your calorie consumption. This can help you lose, maintain, or gain weight. By eating the correct amount of protein alongside the right balance of calories and fat, you can increase the percentage of weight lost as fat.

To determine how many calories you should consume from each macronutrient, first convert the macro amounts from your keto calculator into calories. Use these simple conversions:

  • 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories (approx)
  • 1 gram of protein = 4 calories (approx)
  • 1 gram of fat = 9 calories (approx)

By following these guidelines, you can tailor your diet to your goals while making the most of your keto plan.

What should I do if my protein is higher than my fat?

The proportion of protein in your diet may seem unusually high, while fat appears noticeably lower than the typical keto guidelines. This can happen for two main reasons:

  • Not converting grams to calories: It’s important to calculate macronutrient percentages based on calories, not grams. The standard keto diet recommendations are calorie-based. Since one gram of fat provides five more calories than one gram of protein, ignoring this difference can create confusion. Once you factor this in, your calorie percentages should align more closely with standard keto recommendations.

  • Higher protein needs due to goals or activity levels: Even after converting grams to calories, you might notice a higher protein intake (over 30%) and lower fat intake (under 60%). This is common for people following keto who engage in strength training. It’s unlikely to disrupt your progress on the diet.

The main effect of consuming more protein is that it can reduce ketone levels. If maintaining deeper ketosis is important to you, consider lowering your protein intake to the lower end of the suggested range or further reducing carbs.

As long as your carb intake is low enough and your protein levels align with your body composition and activity goals, you should still experience the benefits of keto. Your macro percentages don’t need to match the standard recommendations perfectly for the diet to be effective.

Is the calculator 'net carbs' or 'total carbs'?

Total carbohydrates shown on food labels don’t provide an exact measure of the carbs your body processes. The number listed as “total carbs” includes dietary fibre, sugars, and sugar alcohols present in the food or drink. In contrast, net carbs refer to the carbohydrates your body digests and converts to energy at four calories per gram, influencing your ketone levels.

 

By recommending net carb intake, we give you a straightforward guide to how many carbs to consume to enter ketosis. Dietary fibre and most sugar alcohols usually have little to no impact on ketone production or your body composition.

For instance, if we advised consuming 50 total carbs instead of 20-30 grams of net carbs, your actual net carb intake could range anywhere from 0 to 50 grams. Consuming 0 grams of net carbs typically leads most people into ketosis within the first week, with ketone levels deepening over time. However, eating 50 grams of net carbs daily makes ketosis more challenging for many and limits sustained ketone production.

 

By sticking to a clear net carb limit, you can reliably reach ketosis and adjust your intake to optimise ketone levels if needed.

  • If you live in Europe, Australia, or Oceania, the carbohydrate content on food labels already reflects net carbs. This means you don’t need to subtract fibre from the listed amount, as it’s already accounted for.

What about fibre intake? Does the macro calculator have this option?

Our keto calculator provides recommendations for your daily intake of carbs, fat, and protein. When it comes to fibre, a common guideline is to aim for 14 grams for every 1,000 calories you eat.

To meet your daily fibre needs, try:

  • Adding more low-carb vegetables to your meals
  • Including keto-friendly bread as part of your diet
  • Using fibre supplements if needed

If your current net carb limit makes it hard to get enough fibre, focus on consuming enough to maintain regular bowel movements at least once a day.

After the Keto macro calculator results, what do I do?

After using our keto calculator to estimate your macros, we suggest exploring our keto guides, recommended Keto recipe books, food list, carb tracking tips, and other helpful blog posts.

There you’ll find inspiration for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert options that fit your keto plan. It’s also a good idea to review our keto food list to clearly understand which foods to include and avoid.

 

Once you’ve planned what to eat, you may wonder about portion sizes for each meal. Since this varies based on individual goals, we recommend using a calorie tracking app alongside our carb tracking guide. This will help you calculate the macronutrients in your meals. By consistently tracking, you’ll learn what adjustments are needed to stay on track and meet your goals.

How to get macros on the Keto diet

The easiest way to stick to your macros on a keto diet is to eliminate non-keto foods and focus on eating foods that are keto-friendly. Here’s a quick guide to help you get started:

Foods to Avoid:

  • Grains: Wheat, corn, rice, cereals, and similar items.
  • Sugar: Honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, and other sweeteners.
  • Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges, and others with high sugar content.
  • Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, and similar starchy vegetables.

Foods to Include:

  • Meat and Eggs: Options like fish, beef, lamb, poultry, and eggs.
  • Low-Carb Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, and other green vegetables.
  • High-Fat Dairy: Hard cheeses, cream, butter, and similar full-fat options.
  • Nuts and Seeds: Choices such as macadamias, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.
  • Avocados and Low-Sugar Berries: Include avocados, raspberries, blackberries, and other berries with a low glycaemic index.
  • Keto-Friendly Sweeteners: Stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, and other low-carb alternatives.
  • Healthy Fats: Coconut oil, fatty salad dressings, and fats like lard or tallow.

By focusing on these food groups, you’ll find it easier to hit your keto macro targets while enjoying a variety of meals.

Protein: How to get your recommended intake to meet your macros

Meeting your protein requirements on a keto diet can be simple by including a quality protein source in every meal. Here’s a list of popular protein options to incorporate into your keto meals:

  • Wild-caught fatty fish
  • Shellfish
  • Whole eggs
  • Red meat
  • Pork
  • Poultry
  • Organ meats
  • Less common meats
  • Bacon and sausage (ensure no added sugar, maltodextrin, or dextrose)
  • Nut butters
  • High-protein cheeses
  • Low-carb protein powders

Most people following a keto diet can meet their protein needs with 2–3 meals a day that include one or more of these options. If your recipes don’t provide enough protein, simply add one of the high-protein foods listed above.

 

Here are some practical ideas to increase protein intake:

To maximise protein with minimal calories or fat:

  • Mix unflavoured protein powder into a keto-friendly sauce or dressing (note: this may alter the texture).
  • Include lean proteins, such as white meat chicken, turkey, or lean fish, in your meals.
  • Add egg whites to your dishes.
  • Make a quick protein shake using a low-carb protein powder.

To boost both protein and fat in your meals:

  • Use higher-fat meats like bacon, sausage, or fattier cuts of meat.
  • Serve whole eggs alongside your dish.
  • Sprinkle on high-protein cheeses, such as parmesan, mozzarella, or cheddar.
  • Snack on high-protein nuts or nut butters, like almond or peanut butter.

These simple adjustments can help you stay on track with your keto goals while keeping meals satisfying and nutritious.

Fat: How to get your recommended intake to meet your macros

Starting the keto diet can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to incorporate such a large amount of fat into your meals.

How do you manage to eat so much fat while still enjoying your food? The key is understanding which keto-friendly foods are available to you.

Here’s a list of high-fat keto foods to help you reach your fat goals:

  • Avocados
  • Fatty fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel)
  • Bacon and other fatty cuts of meat
  • Butter or ghee
  • High-fat cheeses (e.g. cream cheese, mascarpone)
  • Egg yolks
  • Lard or tallow
  • High-fat nuts (e.g. macadamias, pecans, Brazil nuts)
  • Mayonnaise
  • Coconut oil, butter, or cocoa butter
  • Olive oil, avocado oil, macadamia oil
  • MCT oil
  • Sour cream or heavy cream

To meet your daily fat and protein targets, combine high-fat foods with protein-rich options during meals. For example, a meal of fatty fish or a marbled steak paired with high-protein cheese and low-carb vegetables is both easy to prepare and keto-friendly. When your focus is simply on adding more fat, consider incorporating oils, animal fats, butter, or high-fat dairy into your snacks or meals.

 

Here are some practical ways to boost your fat intake:

To increase both fat and protein:

  • Include fattier meats like bacon, pepperoni, or ribeye with your meals.
  • Add whole eggs or just the yolks to your dishes.
  • Sprinkle high-protein cheese (e.g. cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan) over your food.
  • Enjoy a keto smoothie or milkshake with added MCT oil.

To maximise fat intake:

  • Use mascarpone, heavy cream sauces, or cream cheese to top your meals.
  • Slice avocado as a side or snack.
  • Eat fat bombs when you need a quick fat boost.
  • Add extra oil (like olive or avocado oil) or animal fat to your dishes.
  • Snack on high-fat nuts like macadamias, pecans, or Brazil nuts.
  • Include keto dressings as a finishing touch.

By incorporating these foods into your diet, you can meet your macros without sacrificing flavour or variety.