A calorie is a unit of energy. When something contains 100 calories, it describes how much energy your body could get from consuming it. Calorie consumption dictates weight gain/loss.
If you burn an average of 1,800 calories and eat 2,000 calories per day, you will gain weight.
If you do light exercise that burns an extra 300 calories per day, you'll burn 2,100 calories per day, putting you at a deficit of 100 calories. Simply by eating at a deficit, you will lose weight because your body will tap into stored resources for the remaining energy it needs.
That being said, it's important to get the right balance of macronutrients every day so your body has the energy it needs.
Macronutrients (macros) are molecules that our bodies use to create energy for themselves - primarily fat, protein and carbs. They are found in all food and are measured in grams (g) on nutrition labels.
Read our Macros Guide for more information.
Most low carb recipes write net carbs when displaying their macros. Net carbs are total carbs minus dietary fibre and sugar alcohols. Our bodies can't break them down into glucose so they don't count toward your total carb count.
Note: Dietary fibre is sometimes listed as soluble or insoluble.
On a keto diet, about 65 to 75 percent of the calories you consume daily should come from fat. About 20 to 30 percent should come from protein. The remaining 5 percent or so should come from carbohydrates.
You can use our keto calculator to figure out exactly how many calories and which macros you should be eating every day!
It asks you for basic information like your weight, activity levels and goals and instantly tells you how many grams of fat, protein and carbs you should be eating each day.