So I have tried several keto calculators to determine macros. The middle seemed to be 100 protein 30 carbs 130 fats. I used the urine strips and have been in Ketosis a few times I’ve checked but don’t seem to stay there consistently. I’ve been following this for two weeks and haven’t seen much change.
Should my macros be lower? I’m 5’7” 148lbs, 41, work out daily.
Is there a better way to measure macros?
Thanks in advance!
The rule of thumb is 20 net carbs. If you are only eating that many carbs, it would be nearly impossible for you not to be in ketosis. You can only get a guesstimate of the proteins macro, since it is based on lean body mass and activity level. To measure those accurately would probably require more expensive and more sophisticated testing than we have available for home use.
Ideally, the easiest measure of the fats macro is whether you’re hungry. A calculator can only give you a guesstimate of your RMR and TDEE. The difference between your TDEE and your carbs and proteins intake should come from fats, but can either be from consumed fat or from stored body fat. A calculator has no way to tell how much stored fat is being used to satisfy that need from day to day.
So all we have is guesstimates for macros.
That’s why I see keto as simply “Minimal carbs. Adequate proteins. Fats as needed (for satiety).”
Maybe the questions you should be asking are:
There are better and worse ways to measure ketosis. For example, ditch any urine testing strips. But, given that the body supposedly creates and uses ketones more efficiently as it gets more used to using them, I’m not sure there is a reliable way, or reason, to measure ketone usage.
I know some people manage their ketone levels. I just don’t see that as useful. More ketones isn’t necessarily better. It may just mean more ketones are being wasted. That’s actually what the urine strips are testing for – one type of ketone body being produced in excess and excreted as waste. Ketoacidosis typically only occurs in type 1 diabetics, in an absence of insulin, because insulin is a hormone involved in telling the body to stop producing ketones.
At 5’7" and 148, you are at a good weight. I’m the same height and probably 170-175 (I don’t weigh myself), and think I look decent.
When I first started out, I went to ketokarma.com and used their free macro calculator. For the first month or so, I tried to meet or exceed the fat and protein macros because I needed some gauge of how to do this. I had a lot of weight to lose, so I needed to keep the carbs as low under 20 as I could. I would suggest you loosely follow the macro calculations and ditch the keto strips. If you keep your carbs low enough, you will be in ketosis. After you get the hang of what to eat, you don’t have to follow macros anymore. You may not feel like eating as often as before and this will also allow you to eat sensible keto while not having to count macros.
Good luck.
You eat enough protein to maintain/gain lean muscle, if you’re starting out ~20g carbs is safe and fat to satiety. Does work out mean lifting? If so go with at least 1g/lb body weight. Throw the urine strips in the trash and don’t expect a ton of change in 2 weeks. That’s unrealistic.
Try this calc, it’s geared towards ketogenic lifters. The more info you give it the more accurate.
One more follow up. It seems that carbs are in everything, including veggies and nuts. Any tips on still eating my greens And nuts while keeping carbs below 20g?
We can’t possibly know your energy need, it’s too individual, can’t be calculated. I don’t think you need to eat less, it’s possible but it’s not so much food, I would be patient for a while, 2 weeks is a very short time.
If 30g carbs works for you, okay, it’s too much for many people.
100g protein sounds good to me. Eat as much fat as you need for satiation (or a bit more protein if that works better, some people feels way better with somewhat less protein, in extreme cases much less but 100g sounds quite good in general, just knowing your stats). If you end up eating too much fat that way (I easily massively overeat fat if I choose wrong, not satiating sources for me) or too little, change something. Not every fat and protein source are the same satiating, timing may matter and so on.
In moderation?
I can’t do that, I simply avoid plants as much as I can, I still go over 20g carbs easily if I am not super careful with dairy (and I always get a lot of carbs from eggs) but that’s fine.
But many people eat vegetables and nuts on keto. Even I eat half a pickle or something but I spend <1g carbs on vegetables on a normal day 
Much more fits but carbs still easily added up, vegetables are quite carby - of course, many are lower-carbs but you still can’t eat them galore. If you plan a day and change the amounts, you can see how much you can afford. Many new ketoers eat plants all the time, even vegetable dishes (I quickly learned to stop eating them, I mean business when I eat, not tiny amounts), fruits too, lactose, carby snacks (like nuts)… It’s hard that way. Focus on your normal, very very low-carb food (meat, eggs, lactose-free cheese are quite good) and add some plants here and there, carefully.
Honestly, if you’re doing both CrossFit AND Olympic lifting, I wouldn’t worry about going over 20g. 20g is the safe start point for many and where many HAVE to be, people who lift and work out hard can achieve the same thing at higher carbs. I eat (average) of around 60-80g (net) daily and have no issues loosing when I tweak the numbers to do that. I lift heavy 5-6x week and cardio usually 3x. As long as you’re not obsessed with ketone readings or anything I wouldn’t worry about it.
I’m actively cutting right now, these are my averages for the last 2 weeks
This isn’t a one size fits all by any means! Especially those of us that lift.
This is good advice.
@Kali11 My ex was your height, and at 148 pounds looked emaciated (he was a dancer in a very demanding show at the time). He looked thin but normal when he weighed around five pounds more.
What is your goal weight? You can’t have much excess fat to lose, so fat loss is going to be slow. Exercise is less important than diet for changing your body composition, and if you eat a well-formulated ketogenic diet, you may well gain muscle and bone density while losing fat, which means that your scale reading may either remain stable or increase somewhat. If you find your clothes fitting more loosely, that would be a sign that your ketogenic way of eating is helping you, regardless of what your scale is telling you. The primary benefit of exercise is to promote metabolic health and to promote muscle growth, not fat loss per se.
If you limit your carbohydrate intake to 20 g/day, your protein to 1.0-1.5 g/kg lean body mass/day (possibly up to 2.0 g, if you are trying to build muscle), and fill in fat to satisfy your hunger, you should be fine, without having to calculate macros.
I would like to be back to 135. I’ve been pretty on target, tracking just to be sure I wasn’t overeating. But, I actually think clothes are fitting worse and weight hasn’t budged much. Honestly, I feel like I currently have more pudge around my mid section when I normally don’t have much. I’m eating fat bombs to get to fat levels and a protein shake with spinach to still get greens. I’m feeling so sluggish even taking an electrolyte supplement. Working out has been a little less intense, I feel kind of exhausted. The urine strips (I know they’re now great) showed Ketosis at the end of week one but nothing since. Yesterday marked 3 weeks.
Am I doing something wrong?
I think you are doing something wrong. Those keto stix should be showing ketosis - it actually is a pretty accurate way to measure ketones in the beginning to even know if we are in ketosis. (Later things get more complicated.) I think you need to keep your carbs below 20g/day. And I use “cronometer.com” to calculate my macros. Its free and great. Another thing- I dont know if you really need fat bombs and protein shakes with spinach to get the greens. That sounds like work. Keto isnt work. Keto is a way of living. Not just for 10 lbs- but forever. It is about enjoying our food. I eat steaks and hamburgers, keto waffles and pancakes. I roast vegetable ( anything that grows over the ground and not under it has less carbs) and smother them in butter. I make a really mean sauce béarnaise. Oh and my mac and cheese made with cauliflower is divine, as is my ceasar salad dressing. Cronometer usually says that I have under my top calorie count per day - so I eat around 1500-1600 for my couch potato lifestyle. In maybe 6 months I have lost 18lbs. With me- it doesnt go fast and I truly envy those who can lose 20 lbs in 3 weeks - but I am happy if the scale moves downward. I think if you want to lose 10 lbs FAST, then you have to be in ketosis and that means carbs under 20g. Try it and see - but remember that the first lbs you lose might be water and not fat burning. It is all about insulin. When we stop the insulin from flowing in our veins, the magic begins. So the less carbs the better. And without the insulin I find myself with a loss of appetite. That helps too. But I surely would not make myself a protein shake with spinach. What a waste of calories for no pleasure!!! I prefer my cauliflower mac and cheese oozing with cream and cheddar and some bacon and onions. Good luck to you on this journey. Sometimes it feels like screwing my head on backwards because I now eat things that were VERBOTEN all my life.( And as an aside- my blood glucose is now comfortably out of the prediabetic range, and my blood fats have never been lower- in spite of sometimes eating 4 eggs a day and bacon and butter!)
There’s no reason to “get to fat levels”, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. Fat (and proteins) should be used to satisfy hunger.