Keto Macro Calculator

The ketogenic diet is a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that shifts the body’s primary fuel source from glucose to ketone bodies — a metabolic state called ketosis. Precisely hitting the macro targets is important for staying in ketosis and achieving the intended metabolic effects.

Standard Keto Macro Ratios:

• Fat: 70–75% of total daily calories
• Protein: 20–25% of total calories
• Carbohydrates: 5–10% of total calories (typically 20–50g net carbs per day)

Calorie-to-grams conversions:

• Fat: 9 calories per gram
• Protein: 4 calories per gram
• Carbohydrates: 4 calories per gram

Formulas: Fat (grams) = (Total Calories × 0.72) / 9 Protein (grams) = (Total Calories × 0.23) / 4 Carbs (grams) = (Total Calories × 0.05) / 4 Net Carbs = Total Carbs − Fiber

What each variable means:

• Total Calories: your daily caloric target (from a TDEE calculator); for weight loss, use TDEE − 500 kcal; for maintenance, use TDEE
• Net Carbs: the carbohydrate grams that impact blood sugar; fiber and most sugar alcohols are subtracted
• Protein target: should be adequate to preserve muscle mass; aim for 0.7–1.0 g per pound of lean body mass
• Fat: fills remaining calories after protein and carbs are set; not a fixed ceiling, it’s your satiety lever

Worked example: Person: TDEE 2,200 kcal, goal: weight loss at 1,700 kcal/day.

Fat = (1,700 × 0.72) / 9 = 1,224 / 9 = 136 g fat/day Protein = (1,700 × 0.23) / 4 = 391 / 4 = 97.75 ≈ 98 g protein/day Carbs = (1,700 × 0.05) / 4 = 85 / 4 = 21.25 ≈ 21 g net carbs/day

Verification: (136 × 9) + (98 × 4) + (21 × 4) = 1,224 + 392 + 84 = 1,700 kcal ✓

Ketosis reference: Most people enter ketosis within 2–4 days of restricting carbs below 20–30g net carbs per day. Blood ketone levels of 0.5–3.0 mmol/L indicate nutritional ketosis. Test with blood ketone meters (most accurate) or urine strips (convenient but less precise after adaptation).