Wine Country CrossFit

There are many ways to lose weight, and the Ketogenic Diet has proven enormously successful for lots of people. You may also know we are seeing enormous change in the gym with our Step By Step Macronutrient Coaching Program. While we don’t necessarily advocate the keto diet in-house,  we want you to know that macronutrient counting can work with keto. Read on for more info!

Are you feeling overwhelmed about the idea of tracking your daily macros on the ketogenic diet? Our quick guide will walk you through what you can do to make keto work for you in the long run. 

What Are Macros?

Macros is the short form for macronutrients, and they’re the main food types that make up our diet. Carbohydrates, protein, and fat are the three main macronutrients because they make up a large portion of what we eat. On the ketogenic diet, you’ll be required to get at least 60-75% of your daily macros from fat, 20-30% from protein, and the rest from carbs to get into and sustain ketosis [1]. 

How to Calculate Macros

You can use online keto calculators to find out your daily macros [2]. Most of them calculate your macronutrient requirements by analyzing certain things such as your height, weight, age, weight goal (lose, maintain, or build muscle), body fat percentage, and physical activity level. Some of them are more advanced than others, so try a few of them to determine which one suits you best. 

TIP: Use a body fat percentage calculator to find your body fat percentage. Alternatively, you can also use this keto calculator because it has a one-click visual guide next to the body fat percentage option. It also has an option where you can calculate your daily macros depending on how many meals you’ll have. 

Tick the sedentary lifestyle option if you’re not very physically active and you wish to lose weight. Some keto calculators allow you to decide how much caloric deficit or caloric surplus you’d like to aim for. Caloric deficit refers to how many calories you’ll be reducing, and it’s best not to exceed 30% for that. Caloric surplus refers to the calories you need to add to gain weight, and 15% is a reasonable limit for that.

Now with that in mind, here’s an example of daily macros worked out using the above keto calculator. This is for a 5”4 female (36 years old) who weighs 170 lbs and is someone who’s living a sedentary lifestyle. The caloric deficit was put as 20%. 

Calories: 1130    Fat: 91.7 g Protein: 59.3 g    Carbs: 17 g

The total calories and macros can be divided by two or three depending on how many meals you’ll have each day. 

How to Track Your Daily Macros On Keto

Here are some tips on how you can track your daily macros. 

Meal prep

Starting a new diet can be overwhelming, and you may often find yourself wondering what groceries to buy and what to cook for each meal. Meal prepping can save you from that. 

If you’re unfamiliar with meal prepping, it is when you plan and cook several days worth of meals ahead of time. This means you would only have to cook once or twice a week. Meal prepping is incredibly useful for anyone wanting to lose weight on keto, especially for busy individuals. 

Another huge benefit of meal prepping is that you know exactly how much of each macronutrient (fat, protein & carbs) is going into each meal box. You can take your keto meals to work or anywhere without having to worry about going above your carb limit.

A 2017 study found that meal planning was associated with a healthier diet and decreased obesity in French adults [3]. 

Read food labels

It’s important to read food labels when you’re on keto because even foods labeled as ‘healthy’ or ‘low fat’ could contain a lot of sugar and additives [4]. Speaking of food labels, some popular fast food restaurants have customizable macronutrient information available on their websites. So if you choose to have a Mcdonald’s hamburger without the bun or a subway salad, you can check the macros for your foods on their websites. 

Food scale

Buying a food scale is not a must, and you can undoubtedly track your daily macros without it. However, having one can help reduce some tension if you want to avoid mistakes at all cost. You’ll be able to put the exact amount of carbs, protein, and fat into each of your meals. Even if you don’t meal prep, you could still use the food scale to accurately measure and eat the right amount of macros for each of your meals. 

Is it practical? No. Is it useful? Yes, especially when you’re a beginner on the keto diet, and also if you’ll be making a lot of low carbs baked items. 

Use a weight loss app

Use a weight loss app to track your food and water intake on the go. Many weight loss apps have a scanning option where you can scan food labels, a photo option to take pictures of your foods when you’re in a rush, and a vast database to help you find the macros of foods quickly [5]. Some of them also have a built-in community where you can interact with other people, join weight loss challenges, and support each other to lose weight. 

One study found that support for healthy eating and exercise from friends, family, and coworkers predicted improved weight management in adults [6]. 

Conclusion

Meal prepping and using a weight loss app are some of the most reliable ways to track your daily macros. A keto calculator can help you figure out exactly how much of each of the macronutrient you need to have. Having a food scale is not a must, but it can also help in your beginning days on the keto diet.