Keto Macro Calculator

Macronutrients (macros) are the three main nutrients your body needs: fat, protein, and carbohydrates. On keto, you shift the ratio dramatically toward fat. Most people aim for roughly 70% of calories from fat, 25% from protein, and 5% from carbs (about 20g net carbs per day). Getting these ratios right is what keeps your body in ketosis.

Most people stay in ketosis at 20g net carbs per day or less. Some people (especially those who are very active) can go up to 30-50g and maintain ketosis. This calculator lets you adjust your net carb target from 15g to 50g so you can find what works for you. I recommend starting strict at 20g for the first month, then experimenting from there.

Net carbs = total carbs minus fiber (and sugar alcohols, if applicable). Fiber doesn't raise your blood sugar or trigger an insulin response, so it doesn't count toward your daily carb limit. All of my recipes on KetoFocus list net carbs in the nutrition info so you don't have to do the math yourself.

This calculator sets protein based on your lean body mass (your weight minus fat). The standard recommendation is about 0.9g per pound of lean mass. If you're over 56, the calculator automatically increases your protein to help with muscle maintenance. Protein is a goal you want to hit every day, not a limit to stay under.

No. Here's the simple rule: protein is a goal (hit it daily), carbs are a limit (stay under), and fat is for satiety (eat enough to feel satisfied, not stuffed). If you're trying to lose weight, you don't need to add extra fat to hit your number. Your body will burn its own stored fat instead.

By default, this calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR, which research has shown to be the most accurate for most people. If you enter your body fat percentage, you can switch to the Katch-McArdle formula (labeled "Advanced"), which uses your lean body mass for an even more personalized estimate. Both are significantly more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict equation.

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns in a day, including exercise and daily activity. This calculator shows your TDEE and then applies your deficit or surplus to determine your target calories. Understanding your TDEE helps you see exactly why your calorie target is what it is.

The most accessible options are a smart scale with body composition sensors, skin calipers (cheap and surprisingly accurate with practice), or a DEXA scan for the gold standard. Many gyms offer body composition testing too. If you're unsure, 25% is a reasonable default for most people starting keto.

A 20% deficit is the sweet spot for most people. It's aggressive enough to see consistent progress (about 1-1.5 lbs per week for most) but not so extreme that you feel miserable or lose muscle. Going above 25% tends to backfire because it increases hunger and makes the diet harder to stick with long term.

This calculator is specifically designed for a ketogenic diet. The macro ratios (high fat, moderate protein, very low carb) won't be right for a standard diet. The BMR and TDEE calculations are universal, but the macro split and net carb targets are keto-specific.

Recalculate every time you lose or gain 10-15 pounds, or every 4-6 weeks if you're actively losing. Your TDEE changes as your weight changes, so macros that were perfect at 200 lbs won't be right at 180 lbs. This is actually one of the most common reasons people hit a plateau.

The most common reasons: eating too many calories (even keto foods have calories), hidden carbs in sauces and seasonings, not tracking accurately, or your macros need recalculating after weight loss. Try tracking everything for one strict week. If you're still stalled, increase your deficit by 5% and make sure you're hitting your protein target.

This is critical, especially in the first few weeks. Aim for 5,000mg sodium, 3,000mg potassium, and 300mg magnesium daily. Low electrolytes cause the "keto flu" (headaches, fatigue, cramps). I add salt to everything, eat avocados for potassium, and take a magnesium supplement before bed.

If you're doing regular strength training, you may benefit from the higher end of protein intake. This calculator already accounts for lean body mass, but you can set your activity level to "Very Active" to increase your overall calorie target. Hitting your protein target is the most important macro for body composition, regardless of your other goals.

Absolutely. They work really well together. Use the "Meals Per Day" dropdown to set your eating pattern. If you do 16:8 intermittent fasting, set it to 2 meals. For OMAD (one meal a day), set it to 1. The calculator will show you how to split your macros across fewer, larger meals.

Use a food tracking app like Cronometer or Carb Manager. Enter your macro targets from this calculator, then log your meals. Every recipe on KetoFocus has complete nutrition info including net carbs, so you can log them quickly. After a few weeks, you'll be able to estimate portions without tracking every bite.

This is one of the biggest keto myths. Gluconeogenesis (converting protein to glucose) is demand-driven, not supply-driven. Your body only converts protein to glucose when it needs to, not just because you ate more protein. Don't fear protein. Undereating protein is a much bigger problem than overeating it.

A plateau is when your weight stalls for 2+ weeks despite following your macros. Common fixes: recalculate your macros (your TDEE dropped with your weight), try a small increase in deficit (5%), cut out dairy for a week, or add a 24-hour fast once a week. Sometimes the scale lies and you're still losing fat but retaining water. Measure your waist instead.

Calories still matter, even on keto. Ketosis helps regulate hunger (which naturally reduces intake for most people), but you still need a calorie deficit to lose weight. If you're not seeing results, calorie tracking for a few weeks usually reveals the issue. You don't need to track forever, just long enough to calibrate your portions.

Use the per-meal targets from this calculator as your guide. Each meal should roughly hit those numbers. Browse the recipe feed below to find recipes that match. I like to batch cook 2-3 proteins on Sunday, prep low-carb veggies, and mix and match throughout the week.

Katch-McArdle is a BMR formula that uses your lean body mass instead of just height and weight. The formula is BMR = 370 + (21.6 x lean mass in kg). It's more accurate for people who know their body fat percentage, especially very lean or very overweight individuals where standard formulas can be off. Select "Advanced" in this calculator to use it.

Your BMR decreases with age (roughly 1-2% per decade after 20). This calculator accounts for that automatically. More importantly, protein needs increase after 55 because your body becomes less efficient at using protein for muscle maintenance. This calculator automatically bumps your protein if you're 56+.

Yes. Select "Build Muscle" as your goal and the calculator switches to a calorie surplus (5-20%). Focus on hitting your protein target and following a progressive strength training program. The surplus doesn't need to be huge. A 10% surplus with consistent training and adequate protein is the sweet spot for lean gains.

Research on long-term keto is still evolving. Many people follow keto for years with excellent health markers. The key is food quality: eating whole foods (meat, fish, vegetables, nuts, healthy fats) rather than just chasing macros with processed keto products. Get regular bloodwork and work with your doctor, especially if you have existing health conditions.

Keto often raises LDL but also tends to increase HDL and lower triglycerides, which is actually a favorable shift. The LDL increase is often driven by large, buoyant particles (Pattern A) rather than the small, dense ones (Pattern B) associated with heart disease risk. That said, if your LDL goes very high, talk to your doctor. Individual responses vary significantly.

For lean muscle gain with minimal fat gain, a 5-10% surplus is ideal. This calculator caps the surplus slider at 20% to prevent excessive calorie intake. A 10% surplus with 0.9g protein per pound of lean mass is the evidence-based sweet spot. More surplus doesn't mean more muscle. It usually just means more fat gain.

For most people, keeping macros consistent every day is the simplest and most effective approach. If you're an advanced athlete, you could add 200-300 calories on training days (from fat or protein). But for the average person doing keto for weight loss or general health, daily variation adds unnecessary complexity.

You can, but be aware: your body prioritizes burning alcohol over fat, so fat burning pauses until the alcohol is processed. Stick to zero-carb options like spirits with soda water, dry wines, or low-carb beer. Avoid cocktails with sugary mixers. Also, most people find their alcohol tolerance drops significantly on keto.

"Dirty keto" means hitting your macros regardless of food quality (think fast food bunless burgers and pork rinds). "Clean keto" focuses on whole, nutrient-dense foods like grass-fed meat, wild fish, organic vegetables, and quality fats. Both can produce ketosis, but clean keto is better for long-term health, nutrient intake, and how you feel day-to-day.

Click the "Copy Link" button below your results. This creates a unique URL with all your calculator settings encoded in it. Send it to a friend, save it as a bookmark, or share it with your nutritionist. When anyone opens that link, the calculator will load with your exact settings.