keto_dietKetogenic dieting may be new to you, but it has been around for a while, under different names. And there have been other diet programs that are similar in their goals and popular for a time like the Atkin’s Diet, the South Beach and the Paleo diet.

So what makes the ketogenic diet different? The first difference is there are three different types:

  • Standard Ketogenic Diet
  • Cyclical Ketogenic Diet
  • Targeted Ketogenic Diet

While all three are closely related, they are different in regards to their limits and they each have their own timing for consumption of carbohydrates. For all intent purposes, when the ketogenic diet is mentioned, typically it is referring to the Standard Ketogenic.

Here we will provide an outline that will explain the ketogenic diet exactly is how it works and why this diet works.

What Is This Ketogenic Diet Anyway?

A ketogenic diet is simply a diet that makes the body go into a state of ketosis. This is where your body burns fats instead of burning carbs for fuel. The proper ketogenic diet requires a high consumption of fat, ample amounts of protein, and low carbs. Because our body is used to making glucose out of the carbs we consume and use that for an energy source.  By limiting our carb intake sufficiently, our body goes into ketosis meaning our livers begin to break down our fat cells into fatty acids & ketones which are used as an energy source.

Why Does This Diet Work?

Just like any diet works, the ketogenic does by limiting your calorie intake, it is the fundamental weight loss science. This creates a caloric deficit and then more energy is burned than what is consumed.

How Do You Do A Keto Diet?



To be successful at keto dieting, you will need to learn how to properly balance your macronutrient ratios (check this list of macronutrients). The general recommendation for ketogenic dieters is to consume sixty percent of their macronutrients from fats, thirty-five percent from proteins, and five percent from carbs. You can check this in this post.

A beginner of a ketogenic diet should limit their carb intake to twenty grams a day and then as they become adjusted to being ketosis, the carb intake should be limited to a maximum of fifty grams a day.

During the first week or so, you need to be obsessively accurate in recording every bite of food or drink of liquid that you consume.

There are many helpful programs online and a keto app for your smartphone to help with this. In time, your will develop a clear understanding about how many carbs each type of keto foods has and how to adjust your eating habits to a low carb way of eating.

How to Make a Keto Diet

If you’ve heard or read about ketogenic diet and not sure how to go about getting a menu planned, we have some helpful information and tips here. Once you have these basics down, you can customize it to your own likes, tastes, and what works best for you.

Guidelines for Your Keto Meal Plan

Remember, we all have various needs, so while this is a good basic guideline.  You can find out more information related to these steps in this ketogenic diet plan. We get some information and put here. You will want to adjust it for your needs, and you can change it as you progress.

How to Make a Keto Diet

How to Make a Keto Diet

Step One: Define the number of calories needed daily

There are several online tools that you can use to help you with this. It is an important first step for a keto diet or any type of diet. This type of tool gives you the number of calories needed to maintain a healthy weight loss.


For a female in good health:

For a female weighing 120 pounds and is 5 foot 6 inches tall at the age of 29 years old with an exercise routine of three to five times a week would need 2085 calories per day.


For a male in good health:

A male weighing 175 pounds and 5 foot 9 inches tall and 36 years old that exercises six to seven times a week 4425 calories per day.

Step Two: Define the number of calories needed to lose weight

These numbers are based on the average size adult in good health. You need 3500 caloric intake to burn one pound of fat. So a female that weighs 120 pounds and is active would need 2775 calories per day for maintenance minus 1000 calories deficit means she needs 1775 calories per day.

For a 36-year-old male that weighs 175 pounds and is very active would need 4425 calories per day for maintenance minus 1000 calories deficit means he would need 3425 calories per day.

Again, these numbers are nothing more than a guideline and every person will need to adjust accordingly.

How to Find Your Needed Calories

At the start of the week, weigh yourself and then weigh again at week’s end. If you lose two pounds or more, increase your calories by ten percent for the following week. And likewise, if have lost under two pounds, reduce your calorie intake by ten percent.

Step Three: Determine The Amount of Protein Needed

For the Ketogenic diet to be a success, protein is a must in the right amount. Too much can get you off track just like too many carbs can. The recommended amount of protein is ten to thirty-five percent proteins. This needs to be adjusted by your activity level, age, height and weight, and sex. Too much protein can cause muscle loss and too much protein will turn to glucose, which will throw your diet out of whack.

Step Four: Determine The Amount of Carb Needed

The recommended about of daily carb intake is five percent or so, but that can be hard to achieve. 1 gram of carbs has 4 calories so if you intake seventy-five calories with each gram being four calories that is 18.75 grams per day. You don’t have to stay exact, most people round down or up to the closest for ease of calculating.

Since we are talking about net carbs, you can deduct one gram of carbs per gram of fiber. For example, raspberries contain the highest amount of fibers in fruits which make them a good choice for a ketogenic diet.

You can find some good ideas in this excellent ketogenic diet food list. It’s a simple one, but worth….

Step Five: Defining Your Macros

After you know the amount of carbs & proteins that you need, you can deduct how much fat is needed. This is a basic formula:

  • 1 gram of carbs equals 4 calories
  • 1 gram of proteinsequals 4 calories
  • 1 gram of fat equals 9 calories

The basic rule is to keep your macros approximately at seventy-five percent, fats at twenty-five percent, carbs and protein at five percent.  For an active person increasing the carbs is okay, however, if you are on a strict low carb diet, you may need to exercise more.