What Is This Post For?

This information is for those like me who prefer to understand the beginning, the end, and the in-between. It is for those who like a few facts and figures behind explanations and a bit of knowledge behind their faith.

The questions I will answer are:

• What figures do I base an average day on?
• How did I come up with the numbers for a keto day?
• Why did I come up with those numbers for a keto day?
• Why do I choose the recipes I do for a keto day?
• Why do I choose one food over another for my recommendations?

To have all these questions answered - read on.

The Calories Needed Per Person Per Day

There are many variations when it comes to the number of calories required per person per day, and these variations depend on quite a few things:

• gender
• height
• current weight
• exercise level
• muscle mass
• stress levels
• personal health
• the subjective view of the doctor giving the personal opinion...

So, here's a mess! I'm not going to argue with the medical community, and I'm not a computer algorithm whizz. I can't run after people counting each footstep and heartbeat – that would be very creepy, and I could get arrested. There is no way I can cover every possible calorie allowance for every possible person. A dilemma… What do I do?

I go with the averages – an average person with an average life and average... everything. Problem solved!

Average Calorie Requirement

Decision made: I took the most common statement of average calorie consumption per day for women and men to maintain their current weight.

For women, this was 2000kcal, and for the men, the average was 2500[1]. Please keep in mind this is an average. These figures are too high for those leading a sedentary life. In contrast, this figure is too low for those who are more than moderately overweight or highly active. Also, this is the calorie consumption needed for weight maintenance. I assume those on the keto diet would be on it to lose weight and not for weight maintenance. With this in mind, what do we eat to lose weight?

The Magical Formula of Weight Loss

While many diets report magical results, no effort, hormonal rebalancing, etc. Every diet in the history of diets, be it keto, low fat, low carb, Atkins' or whatever, works on the same principle - the magical weight loss formula. Which is… Wait for it…. Ta-da!

Calories In v. Calories Out

I know, I know! You are thinking. 'Is she having me on?' I know this already!

Yes, I'm sorry. I know you know this. But there is an illusion that 'going keto' means you can eat lots of calories and still see those pounds/kilos melt away. I hate to burst the bubble, but this is not the case. You must maintain a calorie deficit to lose weight; the calories you eat must be less than the calories your body needs.

The diet you choose, including keto, isn't so much a magical way to gain a calorie deficit but the best way for you to maintain your own deficit, week after week.

The keto diet's possible advantage over some other diets in satiety and hunger suppression. These properties make it a successful diet for so many people.

Average Calorie Deficit

For an average person to lose weight on any diet, the day must contain less than our average values of 2000kcal for women and 2500kcal for men. But how much less?

A generalised theory is that 450g or 1lb of fat is equivalent to 3500 kcal. So, to shed 450g/1lb of fat, you must have a calorie deficit of 3500kcal.

Now, strictly speaking, you could lose that at 100 kcal per week, but it would take you 35 weeks to do it. Most people, including me, will lose all hope well before the 35 weeks are done.

However, research shows that losing weight slowly and consistently is the safest and most likely to succeed. Unfortunately, the recidivism rate for those subjecting themselves to extreme dieting is very high and extreme dieting is fraught with health dangers.

Let's say we drop 500 kcal per day, 7 days per week. That makes a 3500kcal deficit over one week and a whole pound of fat - just the right amount of weight to lose per week.

Now, I'm going to add an extra tidbit of information for you, which can be awesome to know if you tend to overeat on the weekend! This amount of calorie deficit is over the space of a week. You can overdo the calories some days and cut back on other days. If you have an overall deficit of 3500 kcal at the end of a week, you will lose 450g/1lb of fat, even if some days happen to be a little fuller than others.

For this website, I have to go with averages, so I kept it to a 500kcal deficit for each day, but if you want to change this to allow for an indulgence day, go right ahead.

So, to summarise, the calorie deficit per day for a keto day for this website is 1500kcal for women and 2000kcal for men.

Chosen Keto Macros

Whilst generally low carb, the keto diet still has a lot of wriggle room for variations. You can go extreme or not so extreme, higher protein or not so high protein, higher or lower fat. There are 10% carbs and carbs below 20 grams, and there are 75% fat and carbs below 25 grams.

While having something for everyone, regardless of age, my website specifically aims at those over 40, like me. While this decade of life, like others, has its absolutely fantastic points, it also comes with a few minus points. Unfortunately, losing weight is a bit more tricky and putting it on is substantially easier. There can also be other health and lifestyle factors creeping in that were not there years ago.

Protein In The Keto Diet

Keto-advocating doctors disagree about the exact amounts of protein you need on a keto diet, and various theories abound. One sure thing is that consuming protein has its own benefits - namely, the 'I had dinner!' feeling.

I use protein amounts at the higher end of the spectrum because as we get older, we need more protein. Women closing in on menopause are also recommended to keep a slightly higher protein level in their diets. Health-wise, your body needs all the good that protein provides.

Another thing to consider is the psychological aspect. We, generation-whatever-we-are, in our 40s, are also the generation which grew up under the old health regime. Remember that now ancient and defunct food pyramid? The one with a massive block of agricultural grains at the bottom while the fats were a teeny tiny triangle at the top? Fat is bad, carbs are good, grains give you a healthy heart etc. Well! Wasn't that a load of rubbish? The height of culinary health was a pasta salad. (I used to hate pasta salads, by the way.) And, err… someone declared pizza to be a vegetable… But the thing about childhood conditioning… It's hard to get away from it. Even with all evidence now to the contrary, we still shy away from too many steaks. We choose chicken breast meat over a juicy leg. We still see any food called a salad as healthy (you'd be shocked at the 'extras' that come in those not-so-healthy salads). And that excess of oil or that blob of fat… We shudder to include it in our diet when perhaps we should.

Some of us go in the opposite direction and take the keto diet as a license to overload. Those low-fat diets have kept everyone so hungry that it's hard not to overdose on keto, allowing many wonderous fatty food possibilities. Too much of a good thing is not such a good thing.

The Final Macros

The upshot of all this psychology and health is a final keto formula used for every keto day in a post that runs high in protein and not as high in fats [2].

So, based on this demographic, the keto macros are:

• 5% carbs
• 25% Protein
• 70% Fat

These amounts make for the most flexibility and chance of success for those above 40 who want to lose weight.

What's That In grams?

Below, I put all the percentages into something readable from a nutritional label point of view. I calculated these percentages into grams from 1500 calories for women (I will get to the men in a moment).

First, we need to assign each percentage its own allotment of calories from the allowed 1500 per day.

• 5% carbs from 1500 is 75 calories
• 25% protein from 1500 is 375 calories
• 70% fat from 1500 is 1050 calories

Now we have the calories for each group, we need to convert those calories into grams to pick and choose recipes easily. It's important when choosing to know some essential information, like how much 1 gram from each group is in calories.

• 1 gram of carbohydrate makes 4 kcal
• 1 gram of protein makes 4 kcal
• 1 gram of fat makes 9 kcal

The next step is to divide the calorie amount by the grams to find the number of grams of each food group.

• 75 calories / 4 = 19g of carbohydrate
• 375 calories / 4 = 94g of protein
• 1050 calories / 9 = 117g of fat

[Please note: These values are rounded up and down for ease of use.]

The rounded amounts make 1505 calories. So, following these numbers, you will have a diet of 1505 calories. Still, things in life and recipes are rarely that exact, so when I talk of the calories for this diet, I round it down to 1500.

I promised to get around to the guys, so here we are. Men have a more considerable amount based on larger bodies to power through one day.

The 2000 calories assigned are converted to grams like this:

• 5% carbs from 2000 is 100 calories / 4 = 25g of carbs
• 25% protein from 2000 is 124 calories / 4 = 125g of protein
• 70% fat from 2000 is 351 calories / 9 = 156g of fat

Other Included Factors For a Keto Day

But! I don't just stop at the macros because that would be far too easy… cough, cough! What's life without a challenge or two?

Firstly, I try to consider other day-to-day considerations within your keto day. The first is that usually there are two of you. Obviously, same-sex marriages can use the same diet plan, but for those in male/female partnerships, both of you get the same menu, and men need to add the 'little extra'. That way, you don't have to make completely different meals and compete with each other in the same kitchen, thus avoiding fisticuffs and bloodshed.

Secondly, I don't just recommend putting a side dish with a main dish willy-nilly. Each day is worked out based on your kitchen having a standard kitchen set up of a four-ring hob, one oven with a grill and a microwave. No 'meal' will ever involve any appliance clash. If the main dish requires cooking at 200°C until it is served, so will the side dish, unless it's done on the hob.

Thirdly, I tried to make a variety of days for you to choose from. Some posts include recipes for off-work days, others are lazy brunch days, while others involve packed lunches for going-to-work days.

Final Thoughts

I'm going to say again that these figures are the average for the average. Keep in mind that you might need something more personalised.

I will make one point because both my husband and father have failed when dieting because of this. Suppose you are struggling to lose weight without any medical problems behind it. In that case, the first and the best thing you can do to help yourself is to measure and record everything. And I do mean everything! I know it's a pain, I really do, but try it, just for a week. People often tend to underestimate things. That extra dab of butter was 100 kcal. That sausage weighed more than you thought and was another 150 kcal. You didn't notice the right portion size and ate twice as much for another 300 kcal. You nibbled on that cheese in the fridge; how many extra calories was that?

These little things add up. 99% of the time, you are not losing weight because you have eaten more than you thought. Always keep in mind that magical formula for weight loss.

Calories in v calories out