KETO DIET

Easy Ways To Get In More Fat While On Keto

Being amongst the keto community for a while now, I’m usually asked a handful of the same questions over and over. One of the top 3 questions I see asked most is how to get more fat on keto.

Which I usually reply…

Why?

Somewhere along the line, people were led to believe there was a magical percentage of fat they needed to hit. After all, when you think of a keto diet you also think of a diet that’s high in fat.

And relatively, it has a high fat intake. 1 But do YOU need to need to eat more fat on YOUR keto diet? I’ll assume yes for now, but I’ll also explain why maybe you don’t need to.

How to get more fat on keto?

An easy way to get more fat on your keto diet is by substituting leaner cuts of meat and whole foods with their higher fat equivalent. An example:

Whole eggs vs. egg whites
Ribeye vs. Sirloin
Full fat cheese vs. low-fat cheese

It shouldn’t be hard at all to add sources of fat to help you hit your fat macros on a ketogenic diet, unless…

You’re a vegan
You’re purposely trying to limit your protein intake

But back to the question I posed earlier.

Do YOU need to add more fat to YOUR ketogenic diet?

To solve this, I must explain things further, so you have a better understanding. This way, you can decide if you still want to add more fat to your diet.

This article isn't meant to explain how much fat you should eat. If you want to learn just how many grams of fat on keto you should be eating, give my other article a visit.

Main reasons people get lost

I find there are a few reasons people conclude they need more fat:

Trying to eat a percentage of fat they read was “correct”
Told to stay away from foods high in protein because it would convert too much to “sugar”
And “adding fat leads to burning fat”

I’ll briefly address these issues one by one.

Trying to stick to a percentage

There are two things wrong with sticking to a percentage based ketogenic diet.

The original ketogenic diet was based on percentages optimal to prevent seizures for epileptic children.
A percentage doesn’t take into account your specific caloric needs based on your body weight, more importantly, your lean body mass (LBM). 2

Told to stay away from high protein

There is often this myth that excess protein gets converted to sugar on a ketogenic diet. That somehow when we eat something like a big juicy steak, the excess protein will magically be converted to chocolate cake.

Oh, how I wish…

They call this process of converting excess protein to sugar gluconeogenesis, and it happens whether you’re eating a diet high in protein or low in protein. Basically, it’s a process in your body that is happening all the time… WHEN IT NEEDS TO.

Eating fat burns more fat

Let that sink in for a second.

Somehow, with guiding ourselves, we always believe we are unique snowflakes. I fell for it too so you’re not alone. It’s not that I’m eating too much, it’s because I'm not eating enough fat.

Eating fat doesn’t lead to more weight loss. Eating less leads to weighing less. Meaning, the number one determinant in weight loss is being in a caloric deficit.

Let's picture a scenario… If you had a dog that was overweight and the vet told you that he or she needed to lose weight for health reasons… what would you do? Feed it more fat? Reduce its carbohydrate?

No, you would feed it less.

CAN YOU EAT TOO MUCH FAT ON KETO?

To answer this question. Yes.

You are more likely to overeat fat on a ketogenic diet than protein or carbohydrates (assuming you are keeping carbohydrate intake low). And guess what eating too much fat will lead to?

Best-case scenario, you’re still seeing progress and eating too much fat leads to slow weight loss. At the very worst, well, you might see your weight creeping in the wrong direction.

Calories absolutely do matter , even on a ketogenic diet. Fats have the highest number of calories per gram at 9 calories versus carbohydrates or protein which have 4 calories per gram.

So even if you keep “insulin” low by limiting your carbohydrates (even no carbohydrates), but you’re overeating fat and protein, you can (and will) gain weight.

In 2018 alone I purposely gained 30 pounds (14kg) eating between 0 and 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. Purposely in the sense that my main goal was to put on muscle by combining a keto diet and bodybuilding.

So, there are still certain circumstances where you may look to eat more fat on your keto diet, let’s go over that, shall we?

HOW TO EAT MORE FAT ON KETO

After reading that, if you still believe you need to eat more fat, then keep reading.

Whether you are trying to gain muscle or really do need to eat more fat because your protein intake is already adequate 3, there are plenty of easy ways to get in more fat without guzzling oil.

Remember, I said after your protein intake is already adequate, and you still require additional calories to hit your target. This means you are eating at least 0.8 grams per pound of lean body mass, but more about that on the keto macro calculator if you are interested.

The easiest way to eat more fat I alluded to above is to eat fattier cuts of meat. If you are eating lean sources of protein, the easiest switch you can make is opting for fattier cuts.

Think ribeye, NY strips, 80% or greater ground beef, chicken legs and thighs with the skin, salmon, etc.

If you are looking for something even FATTIER, I also occasionally order 55% ground beef from U.S. Wellness Meats. They sell 100% grass-fed beef and pasture raised meats that are shipped directly to your doorstep. A lot of fat renders from it, but it’s oh so tasty!

Last, another easy way to add in additional fat is to cook with fats such as coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, etc.

WHAT ARE GOOD FATS FOR KETO

What are healthy fats for keto? Well, I would say good fats for keto can take on a few definitions:

Foods that balance your omega 6 to omega-3 ratio
Foods rich in certain fats (MCT’s, CLA)
Fat sources that offer other benefits

Balance your omega 6 to omega-3 ratio

They say your average American eats on average a 16 to 1 ratio of omega 6 to omega-3’s. Contrast this to the recommended ratio of 4 to 1… that’s quite the difference.

Excessive amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today’s Western diets, promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects.

The easiest way to improve your omega-3 to omega 6 ratio is by replacing some omega 6’s in your diet with omega-3 fat sources.

Good sources of omega-3 fat sources include fatty fishes like salmon, mackerel, and sardines. Other great sources that are keto-friendly include flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts.

If none of those fat sources strike your fancy, then I would recommend supplementing with a quality fish oil supplement.

I recommend the following fish oils based on 3rd party lab testing. Basically, the below supplements are more likely to meet what they say is on the label.

My recommended fish oil supplements:

5 of my favorite healthy fats for keto

If you’re looking to increase your healthy fats on keto, why not eat fat sources that offer other sources of nutrition and health benefits as the ones listed below.

Avocados

Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fat, but they also contain tons of fiber and rich in potassium.

Plus, who doesn’t love guacamole? Or a side of avocados with pork or turkey bacon and eggs for breakfast?

Cheese

If you’re wondering can you have cheese on keto? That would be my next recommendation so thanks for asking.

Cheese is a good source of fat that is also high in protein, a great source of calcium on keto, and contains the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K2. Even better if you can stick to cheese from grass-fed cows.

Dark chocolate

Yepp, chocolate! But actual chocolate… not “milk chocolate. The chocolate itself is high in fat but is also rich in antioxidants, iron, magnesium, and even fiber.

I would try to stick to 70% and above, but I stick to 85% or higher. Since they load most chocolate bars with added sugars, you must find one that uses a sweetener like stevia or monk fruit. I listed a few below:

Zero sugar added chocolate:

Whole eggs

Eggs really are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. Think about it, you’re eating an entire chicken in one small package.

Egg yolks, where all the goodness lies, are filled with a bit of practically every nutrient we need. Not only that, yolks are filled with plenty of antioxidants and choline which is good for the brain.

I know what you’re thinking, you’re worried about all the saturated fat and cholesterol… they have brainwashed you in the past to think dietary saturated fat and cholesterol is evil, but I assure you it’s not bad as you might think.

If you’d like to have a better understanding of saturated fat and cholesterol, I’d recommend checking out David Feldman’s website cholesterol code. You may also try searching his name and listening to a podcast as he discusses cholesterol more in-depth.

Nuts

High in healthy fats and in fiber, nuts are a tasty treat you can eat on a ketogenic diet.

Just be mindful as nuts contain carbs and are calorie dense… they also might be a trigger food for you, I know they are to me. Give me a jar of peanut butter and it’s game over.

Some of the lowest carb and most nutritious nuts include pili nuts, macadamia nuts, and brazil nuts. Also, refer to the image below for net carbs of various nuts for those following a ketogenic or low-carb diet.

Fat bombs

While not my favorite way to add in more fat because they are easy to overeat and get out of hand… adding in little fat bombs or treats are great if you can control yourself. I’m also fond of a product from fellow keto bodybuilder keto savage the keto brick.

Here’s one of my favorite and simple to make fat bomb recipes.

Closing thoughts on how to get more fat on keto

If you were wondering how to eat enough fat on keto, you might see how it isn’t as hard as you may have thought. A few simple swaps and maybe an addition or two should provide ample amounts of fat.

Also remember, you might not need to add in as much fat as you think. Sticking to an arbitrary percentage calculated originally for epileptic children isn’t probably what’s optimal for you.

Instead of asking how to get more fat on keto, most people should ask IF they need more fat to begin with.

While I know you want an exact number of how much fat to eat, it takes experimentation to find out what is optimal for your own body. However, a simple rule of thumb is if you’re not losing weight on keto… then dial your fat back.

Questions or comments? let me know in the comments down below. If you found this article useful, I’d appreciate if you shared it on social media or pin it on Pinterest.

Does Keto Workout Without Exercise [Yes and No]

If by work, you’re asking if you can you lose weight without exercise, then yes.

Weight can be lost on a keto diet without any type of formal exercise. However, weight loss may be slower, and the risk of muscle loss increases, which lowers a person's metabolic rate. Including exercise, especially resistance training, can speed up weight loss and help preserve muscle.

And what most dieters want without realizing it, is fat loss, not simply to lose weight.

This will be explained in a bit.

keto without ecercise weight loss vs fat loss — Lots of fat AND muscle loss vs. fat loss

There are extreme cases when someone may be severely overweight or obese and combining a keto diet and exercise is simply not a feasible option. In this case, it is recommended that the individual loses enough weight to be able to safely combine their ketogenic diet and exercise.

Individuals with an extreme amount of weight can generally get away with not exercising and also without sacrificing too much lean body mass. At higher levels of body fat, the risk of muscle loss is decreased, not completely removed. Conversely, the leaner you are, the higher the risk of muscle loss as you lose weight.

There are many people in the keto diet space with amazing transformations that did not initially add in any exercise. However, I find that many, if not all of them, have now started incorporating exercise.

After reaching out to a few individuals who had gone through a keto diet, it was unanimous that if they had to do it all over again, they would have incorporated exercise from the very beginning.

Weight loss vs. Fat loss

Weight loss and fat loss are often used interchangeably, but they are not one and the same. Whether you realize it or not, fat loss is what you and most dieters wish to accomplish.

Weight loss is easy, don’t drink water for a couple days and you’ll drop a few pounds. Although, when you start drinking water again the weight will quickly return. Obviously, this isn’t ‘real’ weight loss.

keto without exercise losing weight vs fat

As I stated before, the goal with any diet is primarily to lose FAT, not just weight. While dieting, the ideal scenario would be for lean body mass to remain the same or even increase.

Lean body mass, which includes your muscle mass, is all your weight minus your fat mass.

This includes: bone, body water, minerals, muscle glycogen, organs, etc.

Therefore.

Total bodyweight = Fat Mass + Lean Body Mass

You may have heard of the term bodyfat % thrown around somewhere. Bodyfat percentage is calculated by taking your fat mass and dividing it by your total bodyweight.

Bodyfat percentage = Fat Mass / Total Bodyweight

A sample body composition estimation

Sara weighs 175 pounds and finds out her body fat is 30%. She has:
175 lbs * 0.30 = 52.5 lbs of fat
175 – 52.5 = 122.5 lbs of lean body mass

The ultimate goal with dieting is not simply to lose weight, but to decrease your bodyfat percentage. Therefore, a decrease in bodyfat can be accomplished through:

A reduction in fat mass
An increase in lean body mass
Ideally a combination of both

This is why using the scale as the only measure of progress is not the most ideal. The scale cannot differentiate between the type of weight lost (or gained) on a diet.

I’ve found this often leaves many dieters wondering why they haven’t lost any fat despite starting a keto diet and introducing exercise for the first time into their lives.

People who start exercising after a long hiatus or for the first time often gain a couple of pounds from increased water storage in the muscles. This weight gain is temporary and shouldn’t be confused with true fat gain.

How To Track Progress

Scale

While the scale often doesn’t paint a clear picture of what kind of weight is gained or lost, it still serves as a great tool IN ADDITION to the others mentioned.

Weight on the scale will fluctuate day to day, so the best way to use the scale is to weigh yourself daily. Ideally, you would weigh yourself at the same time every day, preferably first thing in the morning, similar to when to test for ketones.

Add each of the weigh-ins from the week and divide that number by 7 (assuming you weighed in all 7 days). Compare the weekly or preferably every other week averages and notice the trend.

Tape measure

Like using the scale, do this preferably first thing in the morning after going #1. You don’t have to do this daily, but rather do this preferably once a week on the same day each week.

Hopefully, you have a significant other or someone that can do this for you, if not, I recommend this tape measure which is handy to take measurements on your own.

Progress photos

Every four weeks take a front and side photo, ideally under the same conditions (pose, distance from camera, lighting, angle, time of day, etc.).

Sometimes it’s easier to see visual changes when putting photos side to side. Four weeks allows enough time to see noticeable changes when doing a comparison.

So Does A Keto Diet Work Without Exercise

Ya ya ya… it DOES.

BUT.

By now you realize that a keto diet can work without exercise but may not be the most ideal when it comes to retaining or even gaining lean body mass, which SHOULD be your goal.

That said, the old adage reigns true that fat loss does indeed come down to around 80% diet.

But, in my experience, many struggling dieters find themselves in situations where they’ve lost a lot of both muscle and fat, and as a result, feel “skinny fat.” Basically, they’ve ended up just a skinnier version of their fat selves.

Many people who end up losing weight without resistance training suffer from not being able to lose weight from those pesky stubborn areas like their belly, lower back, hips, and thighs.

Having additional lean mass isn’t only a vanity thing either. Lean body mass also helps you with:

Losing more fat
Having a faster metabolism
Achieving a healthier and leaner body
Contributes to stronger bones
Helps battle disease
Helps protect against insulin resistance

Have I sold you yet on the benefits of including exercise in your fat loss efforts?

So what exercise do I recommend?

Keto Diet and Exercise

Often when people refer to exercise they are generally referring to either weight training or cardio.

Both forms of exercise have their place in the grand scheme of things, but the two serve entirely different purposes from a body composition standpoint.

To oversimplify it, cardio helps with determining how much weight is lost while resistance training will help determine what weight is lost. i.e. fat vs. muscle.

Knowing that, you can best implement both forms of exercise to attack your fat loss goal from different angles.

Doing so not only allows you to reach your goals much quicker, but you have more tools at your disposal for sustaining the lost weight and optimizing your body composition to your liking.

That said, if I HAD to choose only one form of exercise that would best serve you in your fat loss efforts, it would without a doubt be resistance training / weight lifting over cardio ten out of ten times.

Keto Diet And Weight Training

The primary form of exercise that will be most beneficial to retaining and possibly gaining lean body mass is going to be resistance training. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to run out the door and become a bodybuilder.

And ladies, I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE YOU, that you won’t get big and bulky by lifting weights.

I know the gym may be intimidating for many, but there is a myriad of ways you can perform resistance training. One of the simplest ways to start is with bodyweight exercises like pushups, squats, pullups, lunges, etc.

There is also a myriad of gyms such as planet fitness or boot camps like The Camp and Fit Body Boot Camp that promote non-intimidating environments.

These types of gyms and boot camps are generally more welcoming to beginners and intermediates of all shapes and sizes.

Boot camps or even CrossFit gyms are also great as they have built in support systems/communities along with coaches you could look to or ask questions should you have any.

Whichever route you do decide, the primary goal here is to progressively do more over time. This could be something as simple as doing pushups on your knees and building up enough strength to do full range of motion pushups.

Or maybe it’s doing one pullup the first week and building up to two pullups in week two, so on and so forth.

Resistance training doesn’t always necessarily mean having to lift weights in the gym. Weights are just a tool to provide the stimulus your body needs.

Objects like exercise bands, TRX systems, or simple door gyms are all sufficient when it comes to different tools that allow you to progressively overload your muscles in different ways.

For more info on different forms of progression I wrote a full guide on how to gain muscle on a ketogenic diet. You can also learn more about how to lose weight on keto in the ultimate guide I wrote which goes more in depth on the subject matter of fat loss and how to track, adjust, and achieve your goals.

What about cardio?

Cardio On A Ketogenic Diet

Performing cardio is great for working your muscles, primarily that of your heart and lungs. That said, cardio is not a replacement for resistance training but can be a great compliment to it.

Weight loss, in the most general of sense, comes down to expending more calories than we consume.

There are three primary ways of accomplishing this:

Diet
Cardio
Diet + Cardio

The loss of one pound of fat requires that 3,500 calories be burned in excess of what we consume (food intake).

Therefore, the typical dieting advice to dieters is to restrict caloric intake by 500 – 1000 calories per day which theoretically should yield a 1-2 lb. fat loss over the course of a week.

500 calories * 7 days = 3500 calories = 1 lb of weight loss
1000 calories * 7 days = 7000 calories = 2 lbs of weight loss

Assuming we are aiming for one pound of fat loss per week the easiest way would be to cause a negative calorie balance of 500 calories per day. Given the three primary ways listed above it could look like the following:

Diet – 500 calorie reduction in food intake per day
Cardio – Burn 500 calories per day doing some form of cardio
Diet + Cardio – 250 calorie reduction in food intake and 250 calories burned through cardio.

All of the above methods should result in roughly the same amount of weight loss, so how you go about creating the calorie deficit is usually left up to the individual.

Certain people may find it easier to eat less while others rather eat more food and increase their activity.

Often times, smaller individuals especially females may find that they need to increase their cardio to see any significant weight loss without reducing their calories to such low levels that may lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

And not to mention… hunger.

Granted, we are on a diet and hunger should be expected, but if you are eating too few calories I would typically recommend you increase food intake AND increase your movement or cardio to create the calorie deficit.

Cardio, while not required, can be a great way to increase your calorie deficit for losing weight without decreasing your food intake further.

However, cardiovascular activities don’t generally provide enough of a stimulus to affect lean body mass to any significant extent making it not a suitable replacement for resistance training and preserving or gaining lean body mass.

Additional Reasons To Exercise On A Keto Diet

If you haven't been sold on including at least some low-intensity exercise on a keto diet, here are a few other reasons you need to know.

It's The Fastest Way To Lose Weight

We've established that you can lose weight without exercise on keto or low carb, but let me rephrase it to sound more appealing. Most people, including myself, and I'm guessing you as well, want to lose weight AS FAST as possible.

Even if it's a light walk or two a day, including exercise will make you lose weight that much faster.

For example, just walking 3 miles a day burns an extra 300 calories on average. If we multiply 300 calories over the 30 days in a month, that's close to an additional three extra pounds you can lose every month with minimal effort.

Increases Energy Levels

There's a reason they call it runners high, and that's because exercise can help boost energy levels.

Next time you may feel like taking a nap, going for a walk might do you better. Not only will you feel more refreshed and awake, but you'll be burning additional calories.

Workouts are good for the body and the mind.

Win-Win.

Decrease In Body Fat Percentage

When people talk about body fat percentage, it's a percentage of how much fat weight you have relative to your total body weight.

The best and fastest way to decrease your body fat percentage is to:

gain muscle without gaining fat
maintain muscle while losing fat
gain muscle while losing fat

Notice how everything includes gaining or maintaining muscle? Well, that can only happen WITH exercise. It doesn't matter if you follow a low carb high fat diet if you don't have an exercise plan to go along with it.

Conclusion

To definitively answer your question of does a keto diet work without exercise, if weight loss is your only goal, then yes. In the end, diet will determine how much weight you lose, but exercise, specifically weight training, will help determine what weight is lost.

And remember, we’re after fat loss not just ‘weight’ loss.

When implementing a keto diet and weightlifting, you may not lose as much ‘weight’ compared to diet + cardio or diet alone, but the ratio of fat to muscle loss will be much more in your favor, you’ll look much better, and you’ll set yourself up for further progress over the long-term.

How Many Calories On A Keto Diet?

How many calories should you eat? Do calories really matter on a ketogenic diet? Should I count calories? Yes, no, maybe? Here are my thoughts on how many calories you should eat on a ketogenic diet and how it can impact you.

Have you ever tried to lose weight? How about gain weight? If so, you’ll know that it’s difficult because there is so much conflicting information out there on the internet.

And as it pertains to the ketogenic diet it might even be more confusing since some say calories don’t matter. So, what do you do?

How many calories on a keto diet? How many calories on a keto diet you should eat will come down to how slow or how fast you want to lose or gain weight. This, combined with how many calories your body individually burns will determine how many calories on a keto diet you should eat.

First, let’s briefly address the elephant in the room.

You’ll often hear people throw around the argument of calories in vs. calories out and The First Law of Thermodynamics when it comes to losing or gaining weight – which states, energy cannot be created nor destroyed in an isolated system.

That’s all fine and dandy, and being a physics major, I definitely believe in the Laws of Thermodynamics.

The thing is… our bodies are far from being isolated systems.

It’s in my experience that calories DO matter , but it may not be as black and white as others have made it out to be. This article isn’t about disputing whether or not a calorie is just a calorie, so we’ll save that for a future discussion ya?

In a general, a calorie is a calorie and energy in vs energy out is quite logical so for arguments sake we shall assume it’s true as of now, but the nutrients of the food and your individual body’s biochemistry ultimately decides how your body will express (burn or store) those calories.

But back to the topic at hand…

Should You Count Calories On A Ketogenic Diet?

Many people have found success by counting calories while others get by just fine without. Which begs the question – should you even bother counting calories and If so, how many calories should you eat on a ketogenic diet to reach your desired goal?

The best answer I can give you is… it depends.

When it comes to counting calories, most people have trouble estimating what they eat, so keeping a diary is very helpful.

In some cases, people who claim they can’t lose weight by cutting calories tend to underestimate their food intake by 47%, and overestimate their exercise levels by 51%.

That’s quite the discrepancy if you ask me.

Another study says that people keeping a food diary six days a week lost about twice as much weight as those who kept food records one day a week or less.

Keeping a food diary or food log can have certain benefits such as:

More mindful eating
Identifying eating habits
Accountability

In short, if only to get a baseline, counting calories will give you a better idea of the calories you’re taking in and allow yourself to make adjustments as you see necessary.

How Many Calories Should You Eat On A Ketogenic Diet

How many calories you should eat varies based on a multitude of inputs and outputs, a few of them being:

the level of your metabolism
activity levels
state of health
food composition

Before we discuss how many calories you should eat on a ketogenic diet for your desired outcome, maintenance calorie requirements should be determined.

How to determine maintenance calories

Maintenance level calories is simply the number of calories that you would consume in order for you to maintain your current weight.

Basically, how many calories you need to eat on a ketogenic diet (or any diet for that matter), to maintain your current weight.

Two ways to determine your maintenance level calories would be via food diary (your food log) or one of the various calculation methods discussed below.

Food diary method

This method requires keeping a food journal over a period of time, usually a week or two…

Though longer would be preferable and likely more accurate.

During this period, you would record every portion of food consumed, then calculate the number of calories based on what you jotted down.

If your weight was stable during this period then you can get a general baseline of what your maintenance calories are. If you gained or lost weight then you either ate more or less than your maintenance calories.

The food diary method, however does come with it some drawbacks.

Most people will not take the time to consistently record their food intake and studies show that the simple act of recording your food causes many to change their eating patterns and become more mindful about what they consume.

(as mentioned previously)

Calculation method

Utilizing the calculation method, we must look at the different components of one’s daily caloric requirement. They are:

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
– How many calories it takes to simply stay alive. If you were to do absolutely nothing but lay in bed and sleep all day, this is how many calories you would burn. This makes up roughly 60% of your calorie requirements.
NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)
– Energy expended for everything we do that is NOT sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise. This may include such activities as performing yard work, typing on your computer, and even fidgeting.
EA (Exercise Activity)
– Self-explanatory, but energy expended during actual exercise.
TEF (Thermic Effect of Food)
– About 10% of your daily energy output comes from actual digestion of your food.

When you add all of these up, the final tally represents the estimated caloric intake needed to maintain your bodyweight. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)

Maintenance Calories = (BMR + NEAT + EA + TEF)

You can use our easy plug and play keto macro calculator to determine this number.

The it's too easy to be true method

Ok, I know I said there were two methods, but another very basic way to estimate your daily maintenance calories is to simply multiply bodyweight in pounds by 15 or 16 as laid out in our Keto Quick Start Guide which is available below if you don’t have it already.

Women should generally stick to 15 while males will want to gravitate toward the 16 number. These values tend to correspond pretty closely to what you would get utilizing the calculation method above.

Which brings us back to the big question. How many calories should you eat on a ketogenic diet?

Setting Calories On A Ketogenic Diet

Now that we’ve established our maintenance calories, the number of calories it requires us to maintain the same weight, we will dive into the main concept of what determines whether or not you lose or gain weight…

Energy balance.

ENERGY BALANCE = Calories In vs. Calories Out

Simply put, when energy balance is positive (calories in exceed calories out), weight goes up. When energy balance is negative (calories out exceeds calories in), weight is lost.

While calories IN is generally easy to determine the calories OUT part tends to vary based on a myriad of factors as stated in the introduction.

Truth is calories out is a moving target that varies based on everything from how active you are, how much you eat and even the composition of your food (fat vs. protein).

This is what makes the whole calories in vs. calories out equation a little over simplified, but in theory still applies.

How Many Calories Should You Eat To LOSE Weight On A Ketogenic Diet?

Typical advice to most dieters seeking to lose weight is to reduce calorie intake by 500-1000 calories per day which should theoretically yield a 1-2 lb fat loss over the course of a week.

Typically, it requires 3,500 calories below one’s maintenance calories to burn one pound of fat.

ex 500 calories per day x 7 days = 3500 calories (1lb)

When starting a fat loss diet, we recommend restricting your calories to no more than 10-25% below maintenance levels (as calculated above).

The leaner you are the closer towards 10% you should be and the more fat you have to lose the higher you can generally get away with before protein (muscle) loss is a concern.

I know what you’re thinking, and for you hardcore type A personalities like me I get you!

You’re probably thinking, the more I restrict calories the faster the fat will come off, right?

And we all want immediate results…

Because c’mon, who wants to diet forever?

I hear you, but patience will serve you not only in the short term, but long term as well.

While this does seem like sound logic according to the energy balance model of calories in vs. calories out, excessively low-calorie intake tends to be countered in the body by reducing metabolic rate and energy levels which slows fat loss.

So as a general rule, the total daily deficit, created through calorie restriction and/or exercise should not exceed 1000 calories total per day. This deficit can be achieved through a reduction in calories, an increase in exercise, or preferably a combination of both.

Based on our simple maintenance calorie calculation of 15-16 calories per pound, reducing calorie levels by 20% would place you at 12-13 calories per pound as a good starting point for fat loss.

Some individuals may need to reduce calories further while others can increase calories if they find themselves losing TOO much weight.

Just be mindful of your rate of weight lost as to avoid muscle loss and metabolic slowdown. A 1 – 1.5 lbs of fat loss per week seems to be a sweet spot when it comes to sustainable fat loss while preserving muscle mass.

This can vary for very overweight / obese individuals since they have more fat to lose.

How Many Calories Should You Eat To GAIN Weight On A Ketogenic Diet?

While I want to say a good 80% of readers are looking to lose fat. There are a good number of you asking about muscle gain. Inevitably, there will be a point where one switches from fat loss into muscle building and this section is for you.

I’m going to assume you’re performing weight training as it is a requirement to stimulate muscle growth.

A good starting point, opposite of our calorie recommendation to lose fat is 20% calories over maintenance.

Again, based on our simple maintenance calorie recommendation of 15 – 16 calories per pound of bodyweight, this has most individuals at an intake of 18 – 19 calories per pound of bodyweight per day.

If you’re looking for a more concrete number as our 500 – 1000 calorie deficit recommendation for fat loss, we recommend a 250 – 500 calorie surplus for muscle gain.

Reason being, unlike the 3500 calories required to lose a pound of fat, it takes roughly 2800 calories to build a pound of muscle.

If you'd like to get into the nitty gritty, I've created two articles that go into detail on how to bulk on keto without gaining fat and a ketogenic diet bodybuilding guide.

To Sum It All Up

How many calories on a keto diet will vary based on your goals and starting point.

First, we must establish our total daily energy expenditure (maintenance calories), which includes our basal metabolic rate (BMR), exercise (EA), every day movement (NEAT), and even digestion of the food you eat (TEF).

With the over simplistic calculation method this puts most people at 15 – 16 calories per pound of bodyweight.

For a more accurate calculation you can track using a food diary over the span of a week or two possibly with a longer time frame (1 month), which is likely to yield more accurate results.

The even more accurate method is the calculation method which you can use our convenient calculator below to plug in the variables.

When it comes to fat loss, a good rule of thumb to avoid metabolic slowdown is to stick with one of the follow:

An initial deficit of 10-25% below your maintenance
500 – 1000 calories below your maintenance
Multiply bodyweight by 12 – 13 calories per pound

When it comes to muscle gain, a good rule of thumb to avoid excessive fat gain is to stick with the following:

An initial increase of 10-20% above your maintenance
250 – 500 calories above your maintenance
Multiply bodyweight by 18 calories per pound

Lastly, these are general recommendations and starting points. Tracking changes in body composition will give you the best indication of whether to increase or decrease calories to fit your goals.

General Recommendations

Fat loss: 1 – 1.5 pounds a week with leaner individuals leaning (no pun intended) towards the lower end.

Better yet, you can set fat loss as a percentage of bodyweight between .5 – 2.5% with 2.5% reserved for the very overweight.

Muscle gain: .5 – 1 pounds a week with a heavier bias towards the lower end to minimize fat gain while putting on muscle.

Would love to hear your thoughts or maybe if a lightbulb went off. Let me know by leaving a comment down below.