Why You Might Still Need to Count Calories on a Keto Diet | Livestrong.com (2024)

FAQs

Do you still need to count calories on keto? ›

The general consensus is that strict calorie counting on keto is unnecessary because ketosis, which results from eating very few carbohydrates, teaches your body to burn fat at a greater rate. Moreover, the keto diet in and of itself has a satiating effect that leads to decreased hunger (*, *).

If you restrict calories too much — to less than 1,200 per day for the average adult — this can also slow your weight loss goals. Because when you don't eat enough it can send your body into starvation mode, where your metabolism slows down and you may stop losing weight.

And you can also eat too few calories, which will slow down your metabolism, putting the brakes on your weight loss. The reason for the original advice about not counting calories had to do with the fact that a low-carb approach concentrates on managing blood sugar and insulin.

Ketogenic diets generally don't give rules for calories, although they might give suggestions. For example, the Atkins 20 Diet — one of the most well-known ketogenic diets — recommends that women aim for 1,500 to 1,800 calories a day, while men aim for 1,800 to 2,200.

When trying to lose weight, it's critical to create a calorie deficit. This can be achieved by either reducing the number of calories that you consume or by expending more calories through increased physical activity. If you switch to a keto diet and don't watch your calorie intake, you're unlikely to drop pounds.

Can you lose weight on a keto diet without counting calories? Yes, it's possible to lose weight on a keto diet without counting calories. By focusing on consuming whole, nutrient-dense foods like avocados, olive oil, and fatty fish, you can naturally control your appetite and promote weight loss.

On a keto diet, fat should make up 55–60% of a person's daily intake. If a person does not consume enough fat on a keto diet, they may not feel full. This can lead to snacking and consuming more calories than a person needs, resulting in weight gain. Additionally, fat is an important component of a person's diet.

If you don't reach your protein or fat goals on keto, you may experience decreased energy levels, muscle loss, and difficulty sustaining ketosis. It's essential to prioritize protein intake for muscle maintenance and include healthy fats for satiety and energy.

When carbohydrates aren't available, your body relies on fat for energy. Protein is the main building block for muscles and tissues. In a pinch, protein can also be converted to glucose and used for energy. The keto diet forces your body to use fat as its main energy supply instead of glucose, a process called ketosis.

Eating processed carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, potato products, and sugar can drive up insulin levels in the body and lead to weight gain.

Can too many calories kick you out of ketosis? ›

Consuming too many carbs can kick your body out of ketosis — and it takes several days to 1 week to get back into it. In the meantime, your weight loss may be disrupted.

If you love carbs and want to lose weight, there's good news, as long as you eat a low-calorie diet, the pounds will come off no matter what you eat. That said, overloading on carbohydrates is detrimental to your health, as is getting your carbs from the wrong sources.

The most significant guideline is that you have to monitor your carbohydrates carefully. The typical balance in a keto diet is 70-80% fat, 10-20% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrate intake. Calorie counting isn't a must on a low-carb diet like keto.

A very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) is characterized by low daily caloric intake (less than 800 kcal/day), low carbohydrate intake (<50 g/day) and normoproteic (1–1.5 g of protein/kg of ideal body weight) contents.

Most ketogenic diet guidelines recommend limiting your total carbohydrate intake to 15-30 grams or 5%-10% of your total calorie intake a day. Eating more than 50 grams of carbs may disrupt ketosis. With keto diets, however, carb restrictions vary from person to person.

Research shows that ketogenic diets are effective at promoting weight loss — though they may be no more effective than other weight-loss diets. The ketogenic diet relies on a very low carb routine. Carbs are typically restricted to 20–50 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet. Instead, you'd eat mostly fat and protein.

To lose weight, a person needs to burn more calories than they consume. People who consume too many calories may gain weight, even if they are in a state of ketosis. It is, therefore, important that people keep track of the number of calories that they consume.