How to calculate keto macros
Calculating your keto macros starts with your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), the number of calories your body burns in a day based on your size, age, sex, and activity. From there you apply a calorie adjustment for your goal (a deficit for weight loss, a surplus for muscle gain, or maintenance), set protein and net carbs in grams, and let fat fill the rest.
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the calories your body needs at rest. If you enter your body fat percentage, it uses the Katch-McArdle formula instead, which works from lean mass and can suit people whose body composition is far from average. BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor to arrive at TDEE.
Protein is set at about 0.8 g per pound of lean body mass (1.76 g per kg). Net carbs are set by your chosen variant: 25 g a day for standard, dirty, and targeted keto (and cyclical keto days), 20 g for lazy keto, and 0 g for carnivore. Fat then fills the remaining calories, with a floor of 20% of calories; if your protein and carbs leave less room than that, calories are raised and the result says so. Fat provides 9 calories per gram and protein and carbohydrates 4 each, which is why the fat gram total can look small next to its share of calories.
What are the right keto macro ratios?
A standard ketogenic diet usually lands around 65 to 75% of calories from fat, 20 to 30% from protein, and 5 to 10% from net carbohydrates. What drives ketosis is the low carbohydrate intake: with little glucose coming in, the liver turns more fat into ketones, a state called nutritional ketosis (blood ketones of roughly 0.5 to 3.0 mmol/L). The percentages are a result of the gram targets, not the other way round.
Fat is high because carbohydrates are low. On a typical diet, 45 to 65% of calories come from carbohydrate; on keto those calories mostly come from fat instead. Protein is anchored to lean mass rather than a percentage, so it stays the same when you cut calories, which is when it matters most for keeping muscle. The idea that normal protein intake stops ketosis through gluconeogenesis is overstated.
Net carbs are total carbohydrates minus fiber and, depending on the type, sugar alcohols (erythritol fully, others at half). Fiber is not digested into glucose, so it does not count toward the daily limit. For most people, keeping net carbs at or below about 20 g a day leads to nutritional ketosis within a few days, though the time varies with activity and what you were eating before.
Keto macros by diet variant
Standard Keto Macros (SKD)
Standard keto is the baseline: 25 g of net carbs a day in this calculator, protein from lean mass, and fat for the rest. It is the most studied form of the ketogenic diet and a sensible starting point for most people. No timing rules or refeeds, just consistent targets every day. Some people raise carbs later if they find they stay in ketosis with more.
Lazy Keto Macros
Lazy keto tracks one number: net carbs, at or under 20 g a day. Protein and fat targets exist but are not tracked daily. It trades precision for simplicity and suits people who find macro tracking tedious. Weight loss still depends on total calories, so it works best when portions stay sensible.
Targeted Keto (TKD) Macros
Targeted keto is for people who train hard. You eat standard keto every day, then add 15 to 30 g of fast-digesting carbohydrate about 30 minutes before high-intensity sessions. The calculator suggests a starting dose of about 0.3 g per kg of bodyweight within that range, a site convention rather than a researched standard. The idea is that the carbs are used during the workout, so ketosis resumes soon after. It offers little to people who do not do intense exercise.
Cyclical Keto (CKD) Macros
Cyclical keto runs 5 to 6 strict keto days and 1 to 2 higher-carb days each week. On carb-up days, protein stays at the same grams, fat drops to about 20% of calories, and carbohydrate fills the rest. The carb-up days are meant to refill muscle glycogen for people doing high-volume training. It is the most complex variant and suits experienced keto dieters who already know how their body responds.
Carnivore Macros
The carnivore diet removes all plant foods, so net carbs are close to zero and calories come from meat, fish, eggs, and some dairy, with protein set at 2.2 g per kg of lean mass (about 1.0 g per pound), the top of the site-wide range. It is the most restrictive variant and has no fiber. Some people try it for autoimmune or gut conditions, but the evidence so far is very early (surveys and case reports), so do it with your doctor involved if you have a medical condition.
How to hit your keto macros daily
The most effective habit for hitting keto macros is tracking with a food scale, not measuring cups. Volume measurements introduce significant variability - especially for calorie-dense foods like nuts, nut butters, cheese, and oils. A kitchen scale that reads in grams costs under $15 and eliminates the most common reason people stall: eating more than they think.
Build your tracking around whole, single-ingredient foods as much as possible. Eggs, fatty cuts of meat, fish, leafy greens, avocados, cheese, butter, and heavy cream are all naturally keto and easy to track accurately. When you eat mixed or processed foods, check the net carb count carefully - many "low-carb" products contain hidden sweeteners that add up quickly.
Meal prepping 3 to 4 days ahead removes a lot of on-the-spot decisions. Batch-cook protein (ground beef, chicken thighs, salmon) and keep simple snacks (hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, macadamia nuts) ready for when hunger arrives unexpectedly. Being hungry with nothing suitable to hand is one of the most common ways a plan falls apart.
When to recalculate your keto macros
Recalculate your macros after losing or gaining 10 or more pounds. Your TDEE falls as you lose weight, so the intake that produced a deficit at 200 lbs may be close to maintenance at 175 lbs. Refreshing your numbers every 10 lbs keeps your targets matched to your current body rather than the one you started with.
Also recalculate when your activity level changes a lot. Starting a new training program, taking a physically demanding job, or going from sedentary to active (or back) can shift your TDEE by several hundred calories a day. Outdated numbers are a common reason for stalled progress.
If you've been consistently hitting your current targets for 3-4 weeks without seeing expected progress, recalculate and consider dropping calories by 100-150 kcal rather than making a large adjustment. Smaller, incremental changes are easier to sustain and less likely to trigger the increased hunger that comes with rapid calorie reductions.