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I use the simplest keto calculator available, using IDEAL body weight NOT current body weight – as many calculators do.
First, determine your ideal weight. There are many ranges and charts available, but I use the simplest version from nursing school many years ago. We use ideal weight because we want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. If we use current weight for our calculations, then our macro goals will be set to sustain our current weight.
Start with your current height — females are allowed 100 pounds for first 5 feet and 5 pounds per inch over that. Males are allowed the same 100 pounds for the first 5 feet and 6 pounds per inch over.
Example: a 5’5” female would have an AVERAGE ideal weight of 125 lbs, while a male of same height would have average ideal weight of 130lbs. (Let me offer this one tidbit: I understand that many people freak out with these weights, but they really are ideal for the heights. Google images of people from 1950 – BEFORE the low fat craze. People were much thinner and were perfectly healthy. We’ve become desensitized to body weights for lots of reasons, but it has skewed our perspective of what a body should look like.)
Now that you’ve calculated your ideal weight, we will use that number to identify our protein needs per day. At 5’5”, a female’s average ideal weight would be around 125 lbs. Convert that to kilograms using the standard conversion factor, 2.2.
Math would look like: 125/2.2 = 56.8. So your weight in kg is 56.8. For people of average daily activity, the recommendation is 1 gram of protein per 1 kg if body weight.
So, protein needs would be approx 56.8 grams per day — divided into 2 or 3 meals per day, based on lifestyle and personal choices.
For our way of eating, we calculate our protein needs and then use that to determine our fat needs – approx double the protein goal. So you would need about 114 grams for fat per day.
Carb grams are counted as total carbs bc fiber carbohydrates DO impact some people’s glucose levels. Max carb goal should be 20 grams per day or 6-7 per meal.
I hope I’ve kept this as easy and simple as possible. Yes. There are many keto calculators but most do NOT account for metabolic disorders or they are athlete-based, resulting in very high protein intake and excess proteins will be converted into glucose in the absence of carbs — not good for anyone with insulin resistance or diabetes.
Would someone just make up two small charts for men and women with all that done….Please….I’m not sure I do it correctly. 5ft 6in woman…Not I am not lazy just math illiterate….
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For 5’6”, your average ideal weight would be 130 lbs or 59 kg. So your protein needs would be 58 grams per day, divided into 2 or 3 meals. And you fat would be about double.
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I think most people can understand the grams part; it’s converting the grams into ounces of protein required that is tricky for me. If I’m supposed to have 58 grams of protein per day, how many ounces does that translate into?
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On average, 1 ounce of meat contains approx 7 grams of protein. So for a macro goal of 58 grams, you’d need approx 2.5 ounces of meat per meal for 3 meals a day. Or 29 grams in each of 2 meals per day – 4 ounces…
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Using an app like LoseIt or Cronometer helps with this concept a lot.
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Would you help with this too? I don’t understand anything beyond adding and subtracting. I am a female 6’1″ tall. What should these numbers be for me? Thank you for helping, I can’t seem to do this right on my own.
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Nikki, sure! At 6’1”, average ideal weight would be approx 165 lbs or 75 kg. Protein needs would be about 75 grams per day, divided into 2 or 3 meals. Fat needs would be about 150 grams per day. And total carbs would be less than 20 grams per day. Does that help? Do you use an for tracking intake?
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Yes, this is very helpful, thank you so much! What is it that you are asking about tracking intake? Is there a word missing from that sentence?
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Do you use an app like Cronometer or LoseIt to record your food intake?
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No, I don’t even know about them?
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My fave is Cronometer. But LoseIt is popular. Lots of others. But using one will help to know what macronutrients are in the food you consume.
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Okay, I will have to look into them then. Thank you very much for helping me with this, I appreciate it.
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You’re so welcome!
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Yes! Thank you! I’m so astonished by the calculators and charts who tell you to eat 3/4 times your weight in protein without even considering how most amino acids do turn preferably into glucose rather than ketones!!! If I ever dare going on like 100g protein per day sure as the sun in the sky I’m going be out of ketosis immediately after
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I am completely confused. I am 4’10, going with the 5′ because that is as low as this goes. So I think I should be : 15 protein, 30 fat per meal (45/90 per day) I am doing this in support of my hubby who is diabetic who is 5′ 8″ and I think he should be : 22 protein, 66 fat per meal (67/134 per day) and always only 20 carbs per day? I just want to be sure I have it right so we get the best results :)maneelam@live.com
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Looks good to me!
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At 4’10” I would have thought 100-2×5 =90lbs IBW = 41kg etc.
And if hubby’s protein is 22, then double that for fat should be 44, not 66.
FWIW
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Where did 22 grams of protein for a whole day come from? I think re-reading article might be helpful. That is not nearly enough protein for ANYONE
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I’m 74 years old and 64.5 inches tall. My ideal weight is 120 pounds. I walk 30-45 minutes per day and also take some fitness classes each week. Is my exercise considered “average daily activity” or should my protein grams be slightly higher?
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The only reason to increase protein ins if you’re exercising many hours a day every day.
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I’ve been diagnosed with Diverticulosis for the last year and now recently diabetes. Because I need to have a high fiber diet to avoid chronic constipation I’m supposed to eat wholegrains which affect my gut acid reflux and raises my blood sugar.The fiber I get from my veg is not enough to sort my constipation so I’ve no option but to take prescription laxitives which I hate. Any suggestions please.
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Ina, e-mail me at KetoNurses@gmail.com
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