Content Review Process

The review here is a factual and arithmetic one, not a clinical one. It covers:

• ▸The formula matches its published source. Mifflin-St Jeor, Katch-McArdle, the activity multipliers, and the net-carb math are checked against the references they came from, and then written out in full on the methodology page so you can check them too.
• ▸The arithmetic is tested, not assumed. The shared energy and macro math runs under an automated test suite, so a change to one calculator cannot quietly move the numbers on another.
• ▸Food values trace back to USDA FoodData Central. Database entries are not transcribed from other keto sites, and the net-carb figure on a food page is computed the same way the net carb calculator computes it.
• ▸Physiology claims carry a citation. An article that makes a claim about ketosis, electrolytes, or metabolism names the peer-reviewed paper, NIH fact sheet, or clinical reference it rests on, in a reference list on the page.
• ▸The wording stays non-prescriptive. Results are framed as estimates and starting points. No page promises an outcome, a rate of loss, or a health result, and no page tells you to change a medication.
• ▸Every calculator carries its disclaimer. All 18 calculators carry the medical disclaimer on the page itself, below the result you came for, rather than parking it in a legal page you would have to go looking for.

Everything above verifies that the site says what its sources say. None of it makes the result right for you. Specifically, this process does not:

• ▸Involve a clinician at any stage, before or after publication
• ▸Assess whether a ketogenic diet is appropriate for your health, your history, or your goals
• ▸Account for any medical condition, diagnosis, or symptom you have
• ▸Check whether a dietary change interacts with a medication you take
• ▸Diagnose anything, or offer treatment for anything
• ▸Replace an appointment with a registered dietitian or a physician who knows your history

A calculator on this site knows your height, weight, age, sex, and what you told it about your activity. It does not know anything else about you, and it cannot ask.

Get a qualified healthcare provider involved before you start, not after something goes wrong, if any of the following apply to you:

• ▸Diabetes, type 1 or type 2. Cutting carbohydrate sharply changes blood glucose quickly. If you take insulin or any medication that lowers blood sugar, doses may need adjusting, and that adjustment belongs with your prescriber rather than a calculator.
• ▸Kidney disease or reduced kidney function. Protein and electrolyte targets that are unremarkable for most people are not neutral here, and our electrolyte tool does not know your kidney function.
• ▸Cardiovascular disease, or a history of heart attack or stroke. A large shift in dietary fat and in sodium intake is a conversation to have with the clinician managing that condition.
• ▸Liver disease, pancreatitis, or a metabolic or endocrine disorder. These change how fat and energy are handled in ways no population-average formula accounts for.
• ▸Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Energy and nutrient needs are different, and restrictive eating during either is a medical decision, not a calculator setting.
• ▸A history of disordered eating. Calorie targets, macro tracking, and daily weighing can be genuinely harmful in this context. If tracking has been a problem for you before, please talk to someone before using these tools.
• ▸Any prescription medication. Blood pressure medication and diuretics are the ones most often affected by the fluid and sodium shifts of early keto, but the general rule holds for anything you take daily. Ask the person who prescribed it.

A registered dietitian is usually the right first call for the food side of this, and they are easier to get an appointment with than most people assume. A physician is the right call when medication is involved.

If you experience adverse effects while on a ketogenic diet, including but not limited to extreme fatigue, heart palpitations, muscle weakness, or signs of electrolyte imbalance, discontinue the diet and seek medical attention. This is not a case for adjusting a number in a calculator.

Some limits are worth calling out individually, because they are the ones most likely to matter in a medical context:

• ▸Energy formulas are population averages. Measured metabolic rate in a real person can sit well above or below what a predictive equation returns, and conditions such as thyroid disorders move it further.
• ▸The calorie floor is a guardrail, not a safe minimum. Targets are floored at 1,500 calories for men and 1,200 for women so an aggressive deficit cannot produce an absurd number. That floor is a limit on the arithmetic. It is not a statement that eating at it is appropriate for you.
• ▸The electrolyte guidance assumes an otherwise healthy adult. Sodium, potassium, and magnesium targets are not adjusted for kidney disease, heart failure, blood pressure medication, or potassium-sparing diuretics, all of which change the answer.
• ▸Weight-loss projections are arithmetic, not prognosis. They extrapolate a deficit forward in a straight line. Real loss is not linear, water weight dominates the first two weeks, and expenditure itself shifts as you lose.
• ▸Ketosis estimates are inference, not measurement. The estimator infers a likely timeline from your inputs. It does not measure anything, and a blood ketone meter remains the only reliable confirmation.

The full arithmetic behind each of these is published on the methodology page, including what the formulas can and cannot see.

If something on this site is factually wrong, especially anything touching health, tell us and we will fix it. Email hello@meketo.com with the page and the source you think is correct. Confirmed errors are fixed at the source and ship with the next deploy, and the process behind that is set out in our editorial policy.

The site’s full medical disclaimer, including the complete list of conditions that warrant a conversation with your physician first, is on the disclaimer page.