Protein Requirements For Weight Loss On A Ketogenic Diet
While on keto, upping your protein intake can help with weight loss as protein is the most satiating macronutrient.
A 2005 study put subjects on a weight maintenance diet that was either low in protein or high in protein . Those on the high protein diet spontaneously ate around 441 calories less with no real effort to reduce calories.
Researchers believe that the calorie reduction may be related to the impact that a high protein diet has on leptin a hormone that inhibits hunger.
Although it is understood that protein helps with weight loss, the exact amount needed to optimize weight loss is still up for debate and depends on a variety of factors.
Active people may benefit from eating between 1.8 – 2.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight when trying to lose weight.
For people who are sedentary and overweight, 1.2 – 1.5 g/kg may be more appropriate to promote weight loss while keeping calories under control.
If a person weighs 250 lbs, this translates to 135-170 grams of protein per day. If your goal with keto is weight loss, a focus on protein intake will make achieving that goal much more accessible.
If your main goal is weight loss, you still need to watch your calorie intake, even if the calories are coming from protein. Excess calories will lead to weight gain, no matter what the source.
Get The Rest Of Your Calories From Fat
Once you calculate your protein and carbohydrate intake, subtract that amount from your total daily calories.
Those remaining calories should come from healthy fats.
To find the number of calories per macronutrient:
- Protein = 4 calories per gram
- Carbohydrates = 4 calories per gram
- Fats = 9 calories per gram
Heres an example:
Assume your goal is to eat 150 grams of protein per day and 30 grams of carbohydrates with a 2,100 daily calorie allowance.
- 150g protein x 4 = 600 calories
- 30g carbs x 4 = 120 calories
- 2,100 = 1,280 calories
- To find your fat intake = 1,280 / 9 = 142g of fat
The macronutrient breakdown for this example comes out to:
- 150 grams of protein
- 142 grams of fat
- 30 grams carbohydrates
If you dont see the results you want with the keto diet, using this approach may help you overcome any obstacles youre experiencing.
Heres an example:
Lets assume your goal is to eat 150 grams of protein per day and 30 grams of carbohydrates with a 2,100 daily calorie allowance.
- 150g protein x 4 = 600 calories
- 30g carbohydrates x 4 = 120 calories
- 2,100 = 1,280 calories
- To find your fat intake = 1,280 / 9 = 142g of fat
The macronutrient breakdown for this example comes out to:
- 150 grams protein
- 30 grams carbohydrates
Why Eating Too Much Protein On Keto Is A Myth
Many keto dieters beginners and experts alike believe that eating too much protein can increase the amount of blood sugar present in the blood through a metabolic pathway called gluconeogenesis.
Gluconeogenesis is the creation of new glucose in the body from non-carbohydrate sources such as lactate, pyruvate, and protein.
Its name has the following three components:
Gluco: Meaning glucose.
- Genesis: Meaning origin or creation.
GNG is literally the creation of glucose from anything but carbohydrates.
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Your body uses compounds like lactate, amino acids , and glycerol to create glucose when no carbohydrates are present.
By this very definition, its safe to assume that gluconeogenesis should be avoided at all costs. After all, when glucose is present, it means your body cant produce ketones and use it as the main fuel source.
But some glucose is required for us to live.
In fact, your cells use gluconeogenesis to ensure you dont die when there are no carbohydrates present in your system.
The three main responsibilities of GNG include:
- Preventing hypoglycemia
- Fueling the tissues that cant use ketones
- Replenishing glycogen stores
Do not consume lower amounts of protein to avoid gluconeogenesis. Too little protein is worse for your health than too much.
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Youre Not Drinking Enough Water
Due to the restriction of carbs, you lose a lot of water in the body. So, make sure that you drink more water to prevent dehydration.
A common side effect of the ketogenic diet is constipation, but it is preventable. Dr. Sudano says that for every gram of carbohydrates you consume, your body holds four grams of water. Overall, this effect can be a good thing because your body is going to shed excess water weight. The problem occurs when you lose water that your body needs for vital functions like digestion.
Make sure to up your water intake if youre feeling stopped up. Start by drinking 64 ounces of water a day, and then increase it if youre still not regular after a few days.
Keep your water bottle on you at all times, as its easy to get sidetracked and forget to drink. Dont let your thirst be the only indicator to have some water. If youre thirsty, it means that youre already getting dehydrated, and we want to avoid going down this path.
If your urine is on the yellow side, then drink up! It means that you are not drinking enough water. You want it to be light or pale yellow.
Dont Forget The Basal Insulin
While there has been a lot of focus on what we can do to not have too much insulin, we need to remember that insulin has a number of important roles including:
People with type 1 diabetes demonstrate happens if we dont have enough insulin. Not only would we not be able to store the energy we eat as fat and muscle, the brake comes off the liver and all the stored energy in our body comes flowing out in the form of excess glucose and ketones .
The image below is the same child, J.L., in the 1920s before and after receiving insulin therapy. In a healthy person, insulin suppresses the fuel flow from the liver to healthy levels.
In someone on a standard western diet, basal insulin represents about 30% of the total daily dose. Basal insulin drops to about 50% for someone on a low carb or keto diet. But you can never drop your insulin requirements to zero. You always need this basal to stop the uncontrolled flow of fuel from your liver into your bloodstream.
We focus so much on the effect of the food we eat but we forget that its also the excess fuel on your body floating around in our bloodstream that also plays a massive role in the insulin demand on our pancreas.
Focusing on obtaining the nutrients you need without too much energy seems like common sense to me.
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Will One Cheat Day Ruin Ketosis
In a nutshell, yes. A cheat day with over 50 grams of carbs will surely knock you out of ketosis. Furthermore, eating high glycemic index foods like white rice, chips, and pastries on cheat days will cause blood sugar spikes.
Its a good idea to plan your meals to maintain some degree of control while still enjoying the experience. Heres how to do a cheat day on keto the right way.
Adequate Amounts Of Protein Is Optimal On Keto
Just because protein may create some glucose, does not mean its bad for the keto diet. Our bodies are smart enough to create just the right amount of glucose to survive via gluconeogenesis, without any complications.
Many ketogenic dieters who are experiencing negative side effects may benefit greatly from increased protein consumption.
You should never worry about eating too much protein on keto. In fact, eating too little can be more problematic.
If you arent experiencing the full health benefits of the ketogenic diet, increasing your protein intake while regularly monitoring the change in your overall body composition should help you blast through any keto plateaus youve fallen victim to.
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Lower Risk Of Heart Disease
One of the side benefits of reaching a healthy weight and having lean body mass is that you lower your risk for heart disease. Inflammation is the real cause of heart disease, not cholesterol .
If you have high blood pressure, then reducing your carbohydrate intake and sugars have been shown to reduce blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors such as inflammation and raised triglycerides.
A high protein diet may reduce blood pressure and reduce triglycerides and inflammation which are the real cause of heart disease, not cholesterol.
Do You Need More Protein
Protein is an essential nutrient that the body needs to function properly. There are different types of protein. You need some protein to maintain your muscle mass. And you need protein to help with energy metabolism and for your brain function. You also need protein to stay healthy. High protein diets have been used to help people lose weight. There are different types of protein, but it can be tough to determine which is right for you. In general, protein recommendations range between 0.8 grams to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight. If you weigh 70 kilograms, thats the equivalent of 70 grams to 140 grams of protein a day. So, how do you get enough protein? Start with fish, which is usually a good source of protein. Meat, eggs, beans, and nuts can also be a good source. Be careful with how much protein you eat. A high protein diet can have side effects such as stomach issues. People with kidney disease may need to avoid high protein diets.
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Why Does Your Keto Calculator Only Calculate Net Carbs
Total carbs is not a precise indicator of the carb content of a food. When you see total carbs on a food label, the number beside it represents the cumulative total of grams of dietary fiber, sugar, and sugar alcohol that are in that food item or beverage. Net carb content, on the other hand, relates to the carb content of the food that is digested at four calories per gram and impacts your ketones levels.
For example, if we told you to eat 50 total carbs rather than 20-30 grams of net carbs, you could be eating anywhere between 0 and 50 grams of net carbs. At 0 grams of net carbs, most people will get into ketosis within the first week and experience deeper levels of ketosis as the weeks progress. On the other hand, while eating 50 grams of net carbs per day, many people will struggle to get into ketosis and sustain higher ketone levels.
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How Do I Eat All Of The Fat That The Keto Calculator Recommends
When you are first starting the keto diet, eating so much fat may seem like a daunting task.
How are you supposed to consume all of that fat and enjoy it at the same time? By knowing what keto-friendly options are available to you.
Here are some high-fat keto foods that you can eat to meet your fat needs:
For more high fat and/or high protein keto meal and snack ideas, check out our keto recipes.
Can Run The Numbers For Me
I realise all this data can be confusing if nutrition is not your hobby.
Head over to Nutrient Optimiser where we will help you identify the ideal macronutrient ranges to suit your goals, as well as a shortlist of optimal foods and meals. The table below shows how we can determine the optimal approach for you based on your metabolic health, waist to height ratio and goals.
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Tips For Eating Less Protein On A Keto Diet
Since increasing carbs too much might kick you out of ketosis, your main option is to increase fat.
Consider eating more low-carb nuts, like pecans or macadamia nuts. Coconut products can also be added to bump up your calories from fat, without adding too much protein.
Alternatively, you can opt for a vegetarian-based keto diet, which will decrease your protein consumption but may increase your carbs.
Unless you have a serious reason for limiting your protein intake while on keto, you would probably actually benefit from eating more protein, not less.
Can Too Much Protein Get You Out Of Ketosis
Weve been discussing the effect of protein on ketosis. You already know that a protein-rich meal stimulates insulin secretion 10. When insulin goes up, the process of ketogenesis goes down 11.
So yes, too much protein can kick you out of ketosis.
Heres the kicker:
As it turns out, people who have Type 2 Diabetes are more prone to experiencing insulin spikes after eating protein. On the other hand, if youre generally healthy and your blood sugar levels stay within the normal range, you can tolerate protein better.
Theres a lot of confusion around gluconeogenesis. Eating more protein will not activate gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis wont put you out of ketosis.
We also want to address a common concern with protein consumption on keto, and thats gluconeogenesis. Theres a lot of confusion around gluconeogenesis. A lot of newbie keto dieters think that gluconeogenesis is a bad thing because it interferes with ketosis. But does it really hinder ketosis?
Gluconeogenesis is a metabolic process where your body makes glucose from non-carbohydrate sources. These non-carb sources include lactate, amino acids, and glycerol 12.
This metabolic pathway is important since your brain and red blood cells depend on glucose for fuel. However, as your body produces ketones which are your alternative fuel sources, your brain can now use ketones. Thus, it saves blood glucose for your red blood cells 13.
So heres the short answer:
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How Much Protein To Eat On A Keto Diet
How much protein you need on a keto diet depends on your unique body and goals. Using the example of a 140-lb person, you would multiply that number by 0.6 to get your minimum protein amount .
You can then do the same for your maximum protein intake by multiplying by 1 , which gives you an ideal intake range. In this case, would be between 84-140 grams of protein per day.
You can also use an automated keto macro calculator. Its quick, easy, accurate, and takes your unique measurements into account.
Youre Having Too Many Cheat Meals
Unfortunately, on a keto diet, you cant really have a cheat meal like you may be able to do on other diets.
This is because a cheat meal will typically be high in carbs. This will take you out of ketosis and then you will have to start all over again to get your body back into it.
However, it is impossible to completely ignore your cravings. This will make you most likely to binge. So if you do want to have a cheat meal, be smart about it.
You can try having low-carb versions of your favorite meal, such as cauliflower crust pizza. Or, if you want to order it from your local pizza store, choose thin crust over thick or deep pan. This way, you can indulge, while still staying as low-carb as possible.
If you do cheat, keep in mind that just a single transgression is likely to throw you out of ketosis, and youll have to begin the process again. It can take a minimum of two to four days to get back on track , so ask yourself if the pizza is worth it before you indulge.
For different ideas, try looking online for some keto recipes. Youd be surprised which foods have keto-friendly recipe adaptations. Theres even a way to make Reeses Peanut Butter Cups compliant with keto!
If youre up for a challenge, see how much weight you can lose on the 28-Day Keto Challenge.
Another way to have a cheat meal on the ketogenic diet is to actually make the meal is worthwhile. Dont just mindlessly snack, but really just eat something that youre craving and enjoy every bite of it.
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How To Calculate Protein Needs Based On Body Weight
While it would arguably be more accurate to uselean body mass to calculate our protein intake, every method of body fat measurementoffers a margin of error. For simplicitys sake, we will be using totalbodyweight in our recommendations.
If you know or have a general idea of your body fat percentage the more accurately you can determine your personal protein requirements.
While we do recommend measuring body fat via more accurate methods such as skinfold calipers, DEXA scan, or even bioelectrical impedance, we understand that these are not always accessible to everyone and have provided a visual illustration below to help you best guesstimate.
With that said, a recentstudy concluded that 0.82g/lb or 1.8g/kg is the upperlimit at which protein intake benefits body composition. After the .82g/lb ofprotein, additional protein intake ceased to provide any measurable benefits.
This would give your average male carrying ~20% body fat anestimate of 1g of protein per pound of LBM.
Example: 180-pound male at 20% body fat
1g ofprotein per pound of LBM
180 x .20 = 36 pounds of fat
180 36 = 144 pounds of LBM
.82gof protein per pound of total bodyweight
.82 X 180 = 147.6
That gives us a net difference of 3.6g of protein which isnegligible in the big scheme of things.
Based on these findings, my general recommendation would be to set protein at .8g/lb of protein for individuals who are not exercising upwards of .9g/lb for individuals who are exercising.