So I tried one of those keto macro calculators that tells me how many calories I should have a day and how many grams of protein I need based on my energy expenditure and how much of a calorie deficit I want to create. I plugged in the numbers and it told me I needed 120+ grams of protein a day. I get nowhere near that! I used to drink protein shakes back in the day but gave them up because of the artificial sweeteners. I really can’t imagine eating enough meat to get that kind of protein. Obviously, I don’t eat beans/legumes. I don’t eat soy. Are any of you required to eat this much and if so, how do you manage that much? I bought some collegen peptides to try but a serving only has 18 grams. I have also ordered some grass fed, unflavored whey protein from amazon.com (couldn’t find anything like that in the stores - again everything has artificial sweeteners in it). I already have an egg everyday. Any tips?
Keto Calculator - protein requirement question
Not sure how the calculator got 120 grams.
Advice here is that you want between 1 and 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of lean body mass (weight when you are ripped).
Closer to 1 gram if you are relatively sedentary (walk, gym a few times a week, etc.) vs. closer to 1.5 if you are really focused on building muscle (gym many times a week with a big focus on lifting heavy to build muscle).
So 120 grams a day would imply you have a 120 kilogram ripped body (264 pounds) or an 80 kilogram (176 pounds) ripped body and are focused on adding muscle.
I usually eat more than that in one meal. I’ll eat 4-5 eggs, some ham for instance. Or shrimp, mussels, canned fish. I prefer higher protein, lower fat meals, though. For me, fat is less satiating than protein.
A large egg has 6 grams of protein so, 20 eggs are needed to hit 120 grams of protein.
Are you thinking total weight vs. protein grams contained?
I am about 174 and have about 14 pounds of body fat I need to get rid of to be in the fit range according to my DXA scan last month. I am 5’7 (used to be 5’8 but apparently I’ve shrunk over the years) This is the calculator I used https://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/
160 lean body mass is 70 relaxed lifestyle grams and 100 gym rat grams or protein - 120 sounds high.
That’s based on my calorie expenditure a day which is average of about 2400 - I exercise over an hour each day.
I just recalculated and its 104 - I was writing from memory - apparently the 20 from the carbs stuck in my head. BUT 104 is still pretty high for me and I need to figure out how to up it without going over the calorie deficit I am putting place for myself.
I reviewed their link you supplied (thanks).
I like that site generally - lots of good advice - but their high end protein recommendation is 2.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight - I feel that is too high (my opinion based on all I have read and listened to). Protein shakes are just about the only way to accomplish that - for that reason alone I feel it is obvious that amount is too high.
The amount of exercise time is sort of unimportant - more important is the workout type.
An hour that contains cardio, weight machine usage, walking, Zumba, dance, etc. should stick with 1 gram per kilogram.
An hour that contains compound full body movements (barbell squats, dead lifts, snatches etc.) along with pushups, pull-ups, planks etc. should move up to 1.5 grams per kilogram.
If you alternate these it seems like upping your protein intake on the heavy days would make sense - but not on rest days or cardio, Zumba, dance etc. days.
Sorry, eggs weren’t the best example. Here’s a lunch I would eat now, although these are my notes from November 12 of last year:
Lunch on 11/21/17, started slightly before 10am, ended 10:16am
37 hours fasting, Body by Science in the morning around 5:30-6am
I can anchovies (drained): 50 calories, 2g fat, 8 g protein, 600 mg O3
1 can sardines (drained): 200 calories, 9.4g fat, 28 g protein, 1,300 mg O3
1 can pink salmon (no bones, skin) (drained), 5.3 ounces: 159 calories, 2.7 g fat, 32 g protein, 954 mg O3
Mussels, 8.2 ounces: 187 calories, 4.7 g fat, 35 g protein, (3g carbs)
Shrimp, 10.4 ounces: 243 calories, 0g fat, 59 g protein
Totals: 839 calories, 18.8 g fat (169.2 calories, 20% by cals), 162 g protein (648 cals, 77% calories)
162 grams of protein in one meal.
Here’s my blood glucose that day:
The rise in blood glucose around 11am is likely due to the carbs in the meat.
I’ve eaten up to 200 grams in one meal.
I prefer higher protein to higher fat, though I know I’m an outsider because of that.
Also, I’ll usually eat half a pound or so of ham, which adds another 50 grams or so of protein.
Thanks for that update.
I suggest that when you answer a post like this that you make it clear that you are not following traditional keto macros (75+ percent fat, about 20 percent protein and less than 20 grams of carbs) and are instead high protein.
When I read it, it seemed like you would have to have been at a very high overall calorie intake to make it fit with regular keto macros percentages.
Sorry - nope, I do not use those because because they all have different definitions of sedentary, active etc.
I really just use a regular calculator - 1 gram per kilogram of lean body mass when I walk, run, relax etc. and 1.5 grams per kilogram of lean body mass when I lift heavy (sadly, not as often as I’d like).
120g is what I get for being a 6’1" man, based on Dr. Phinney’s numbers. I would think that for a 5’7" woman that would be a little lower.
As Rob noted above, the calculator that I found on line is estimating too much at 104. I mistyped, it should have read 104.
Ok - so you should be eating somewhere between 11 and 18 ounces of protein-rich food a day, with 14oz being the midpoint. That is roughly equivalent to your 104 grams, based on 7g of protein per ounce of protein-rich food.
That’s a couple of eggs, few strips of bacon, and maybe a 6 to 8 ounce piece of salmon, beef, or chicken.
That’s from recommendations on this page:
https://blog.virtahealth.com/protein-ketogenic-diet/
Not saying it’s right, but looks reasonable to me.
Calculators are all just guides anyway and all give different results. Just keep your carbs below 20g and stop stressing yourself out over numbers made up by someone’s computer.
Not to stir up trouble, but won’t a caloric deficit cause your metabolic rate to go down in compensation? The standard recommendation Dr. Phinney gives is to eat to satiety, thereby allowing the body to dictate caloric intake.
Personally, I love this approach, because I wouldn’t have the foggiest idea how to go about figuring out my metabolic need, especially since it fluctuates from day to day. I love the simplicity of keeping carbohydrate low, making sure to get enough protein, and then filling in with fat to eliminate hunger. If I had to go hungry, or worse, calculate my caloric intake, I couldn’t do it. 