How to Calculate Keto Macros (With Free Calculator)
Macros — your daily targets for fat, protein, and carbohydrates — are the foundation of keto. Get them right and the rest of the diet largely takes care of itself. This guide walks through the calculation by hand, then shows how to verify with a calculator.
The 7 steps
Follow these in order — each step builds on the previous one.
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Step 1 — Calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR)
Use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: For men, BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5. For women, BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161. This gives you the calories your body burns at rest.
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Step 2 — Apply your activity multiplier
Multiply BMR by an activity factor: 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for lightly active (1–3 days/week), 1.55 for moderate (3–5 days/week), 1.725 for very active (6–7 days/week), 1.9 for athletic. The result is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the calories you burn in a typical day.
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Step 3 — Set your calorie target based on goal
For weight loss, eat 500 calories below TDEE (≈1 lb of fat loss per week). For maintenance, eat at TDEE. For muscle gain, eat 250–500 calories above TDEE. Don't drop below 1,200 calories (women) or 1,500 calories (men) without medical supervision — extreme deficits stall metabolism and cause muscle loss.
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Step 4 — Set net carbs
For strict keto, cap net carbs at 20g per day. For moderate keto, 30–50g. New keto dieters should start at 20g until fat-adapted (2–6 weeks), then experiment with raising the ceiling. 20g of net carbs equals 80 calories from carbohydrates (4 calories per gram).
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Step 5 — Set protein
Aim for 0.6–1.0g of protein per pound of lean body mass (or 0.8–1.0g per pound of goal body weight). For most adults this works out to 80–150g of protein per day. Protein has 4 calories per gram, so 100g of protein equals 400 calories.
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Step 6 — Calculate fat as the remainder
Fat fills the calories left after carbs and protein. Subtract carb calories and protein calories from your total daily target, then divide by 9 (calories per gram of fat). Example: 1,800 daily calories − 80 (carbs) − 400 (protein) = 1,320 calories from fat = 147g of fat per day.
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Step 7 — Verify and log
Plug these numbers into Keto Kit (or any keto tracker) and log every meal for 1–2 weeks. Adjust based on real-world results: if weight isn't moving, lower fat by 10–20g/day. If you're constantly hungry, raise fat. If you're losing muscle, raise protein.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about how to calculate your keto macros.
Do I need to weigh my food on keto?
For the first 2–4 weeks, yes — a kitchen scale and tracker app catch the hidden carbs and portion-size errors that break ketosis. After 4 weeks of consistent logging, most people can eyeball portions accurately.
Should I eat the same macros every day?
Daily averages matter more than perfect daily hits. Most keto trackers (Keto Kit included) target a 7-day average. Hitting your weekly average within 5–10% is sufficient for steady progress.
How often should I recalculate?
Recalculate every 10–15 pounds of weight change, after major activity-level changes, or every 3 months if your weight is stable. As you lose weight, your TDEE drops; failing to recalculate is the #1 cause of weight-loss stalls.
Related guides
How to Start Keto in 7 Days
The ketogenic diet sounds intimidating but boils down to a small number of high-leverage choices: keep carbohydrates under 20–50 grams a day, eat enough fat to stay satisfied, manage your electrolytes, and give your body 2–4 days to enter ketosis. This guide walks through the first seven days in order.
How to Break a Keto Stall in 14 Days
A real keto stall (3+ weeks of zero scale movement) almost always has a measurable cause, not a metabolic one. Diagnostic work resolves most stalls. Drastic measures (cutting calories aggressively, extended fasts, eliminating major food groups) rarely do, and often make things worse. Work through the steps below in order over 14 days. Most stalls resolve by step 4.
How to Test if You're in Ketosis
Ketosis is the metabolic state at the foundation of keto, but it's invisible. You can't tell from the scale or the mirror whether you're actually in it. The four ways to test (blood, breath, urine, subjective signs) vary in accuracy, cost, and convenience. The breakdown below compares them and tells you which to use when.
Last updated: 2026-04-30. This guide is a tracking and education resource, not medical advice. Consult a doctor before starting keto if you have a medical condition.