Should you count the calories on the Keto diet?

If you have subscribed to the high carbohydrate and fat ketogenic diet, you already know which foods you should avoid, but should you also limit your calories? To a certain extent, yes.

"Counting calories is not usually necessary in the keto diet, because its composition of macronutrients – high in fat, moderate protein, carbohydrate – suppresses appetite, resulting in a spontaneous decrease in calories. caloric intake, "Franziska Spritzler, RD, Certified Diabetes Educator Huntington Beach, California, told POPSUGAR. "It allows you to get a calorie deficit and lose weight without being hungry. However, not everyone feels the appetite suppressant effect of the keto diet and it is quite possible to eat more calories than necessary to lose weight. "

Desiree Nielsen, RD, author of Deconvene your diet, agrees, noting that even if you follow a well formulated ketogenic diet, if your goal is weight loss, you need to pay attention to calories. "A ketogenic diet will encourage you to burn fat to give you energy, but if you eat enough, your body will not need to release its own fat reserves to do it," she said. she declared.

Nielsen suggests working initially with a dietitian to develop a meal plan based on your energy needs; This will ensure that you hit your macros without insisting on calories. Then, if your weight loss stagnates, you can talk to your dietitian about the need to reduce 100 to 200 calories of fat a day. "In weight loss, you usually do not want to reduce your protein intake too much because it's necessary to keep your muscle mass dry," she said.

Spritzler also recommends tracking your calories and macros if you have been following the keto diet for several weeks without losing weight. "There are many applications available in food journals, including MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, SparkPeople and KetoDiet Buddy," she said.

If your goal is to improve your overall well-being rather than losing weight, Nielsen suggests focusing on the quality of your food rather than calories: "A really healthy ketogenic diet means getting enough vegetables to low carbs and lots of healthy vegetable fats olives, avocados, nuts, seeds and olive oil. "