Figure out Keto Ratios

July 10, 2017

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History of Keto Ratios

In the old days (1920’s) they put kids on a ketogenic diet to prevent and cure epilepsy. This is pre epilepsy drugs days of course. Today , if someone has stubborn seizures they will still put them on a keto diet because it works. A keto diet can also be helpful in reducing body fat. What  makes a diet keto is the ratio between fat and protein + Carbs. Let me show you what I am talking about.

Keto ratio example

• For a 1:1 ratio you would need
• Fat 20 gm: protein + carb gm equaling 20
• That is a 1: 1 ratio. Lets abbreviate that F: P + C    equals a  1:1  ratio

Now that will not get most people into ketosis which is the state of the body burning ketones. Burning ketones or fatty acids is the most efficient fuel your body can use. You can compare burning fat to driving a Prius and burning glucose(carbohydrates) to a big diesel truck blowing smoke. That smoke will clog up your body eventually and cause your chronic disease eventually.

Ideal keto ratios

Ideally you want to get to a 2: 1 ratio. An example of that would be
40 gm fat : 20 gm total of protein plus carbohydrate
This ratio will put most people into ketosis. If you want to speed up the process all you have to do is up the ratio. Kids with epilepsy start out at 4:1 ratio.

Protein and keto ratio

Now protein is like the fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. You don’t want too much or too little. You want it just right. Here is how you calculate your protein intake.

Take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2.2. This gives you your weight in kilograms. Take that number and multiply it by 0.80. The resulting number is how much protein you can have in a day total in grams. This is an approximation and if you are one of my clients we will actually figure out your lean body mass which is what I am doing above. Your protein intake should be anywhere from 0.7 gm per kilogram to 1.2 gm per kilogram of lean body mass.

If you are working out heavy, are pregnant, or growing (puberty) you need more protein and having the mTor pathway active is good because it is anabolic. If you are not doing one of the above having an active mTor is a risk factor for cancer. I typically will measure IGF-1 to see how anabolic you are. I like my levels to be below 100 ng/ml. I am currently at 89 which is just perfect.

Calories and keto ratio

Once you have calculated your protein you need to figure out how many calories you need a need to live. I use this calorie calculator which is reasonable. It calculated that I need 2400 calories per day to live. If my protein needs are 74 gm now I can figure out my carbohydrate quantity based on what ratio I want to use.

Example ratio 2:1

200 gm fat to 100 gm of carb and protein. 100 gm minus 74 means I can have 26 gm of carb on this ratio. One gram of fat gives you 9 calories and one gram of protein or carb will give you 4 calories. 1800 calories from fat plus the 400 calories from protein and carb gives me a total of 2200 calories in a day.

What keto ratio do you need

Once you are in ketosis and are metabolically flexible you can ease down towards the 1:1 ratio which is easier to manage. I try to stay around 1.5: 1. I do cycle in and out of ketosis all the time. I do intermittently fast frequently which aids in staying in ketosis. The nice thing about being a fat burning machine is that you just are not that hungry.

Why I use Cronometer for keto calculations

I use an application called cronometer which you can sign up here for free. This is a great application because it will help you figure out all your macros. Go to the profile tab and input all your data. It will figure out your protein, carb, and fat dietary needs. It is not quite a 2:1 ratio so just keep in mind you may need to add fats to your diet. If you go to the diary tab and keep track of your foods you will know exactly where you are at all the time. It is on that page that you can see all your nutrient needs.

Coaching for keto lifestyle

I know this has been a long blog post. That is why it is easier to hire a coach to help you with all this. Also, if you have any medical problems make sure you consult your primary care provider before starting on any diet plan. If you have any questions join our facebook group and ask away.

 

Here are some of my favorite food to help boost my ratios

 

Food	ratio	fat	protein + carb	calories
Avocado	4:1	21	5	227
¼ cup Macadamia nuts	5:1	25	4	240
5 tbps heavy WhippingCream	7:1	27	4	255
2 tbsp Butter	23:1	23	1	200
3 tbsp Almond Butter	1.8:1	26	14	288

Keto Calorie example ratios that I frequently use

keto ratio	F:C+P	TOTAL CALORIES FOR THE DAY
1:1	180g:180g	2340 calories
2:1	200g:100g	2200 calories
3:1	180g:60g	1860 calories
4:1	200g:50g	2000 calories

Last 2 options are pretty all protein and fat days because there is no room for carbs.

Remember I use an application called cronometer and it is through this that I can  figure this  out what foods I can eat.