A Guide on How to calculate 80/20 carnivore diet macros

Did you know that on the 80/20 carnivore diet, 80% of your daily calories come from fat and just 20% from protein? Understanding how to calculate 80/20 carnivore diet macros is the key to successfully maintaining this high-fat, ketogenic approach using only animal-based foods.

Quick Summary

This article explains the caloric principle behind the 80/20 carnivore diet, providing a detailed, step-by-step method for calculating daily fat and protein intake in grams. It outlines the specific food sources needed to achieve this high-fat ratio and provides practical examples for different calorie targets.

Key Points

• Caloric Ratio: The 80/20 carnivore diet specifies 80% of calories from fat and 20% from protein, not meal volume.

• Calorie Conversion: Remember that fat provides 9 calories per gram, while protein provides 4 calories per gram, which is vital for the calculation.

• Personalized Goals: Start by determining your total daily calorie needs based on your body weight, activity level, and health objectives.

• Fatty Food Emphasis: Hitting the high fat ratio requires prioritizing fatty cuts of meat and adding animal fats like tallow or butter to meals.

• Tracking Aids: Use a digital food scale and a tracking app to accurately measure food and monitor your macronutrient percentages, especially when starting.

• Iterative Process: The calculation is a starting point; listen to your body and adjust your fat and protein intake over time to optimize your energy levels and satiety.

• Avoid Excess Protein: Consuming too much protein can trigger gluconeogenesis, potentially interfering with ketosis on this high-fat diet.

The 80/20 carnivore diet is a high-fat variation of the standard carnivore diet, where the ratio of macronutrients is based on calories, not food volume or weight. This means a significant portion of your energy is derived from fat, a key aspect that supports ketosis and satiety. Achieving this precise ratio is not intuitive and requires some basic nutritional calculation. By following a clear, step-by-step process, you can easily determine your daily fat and protein targets in grams.

The Fundamental Calculation Formula

The core of the calculation lies in understanding the caloric density of fat versus protein. Fat provides 9 calories per gram, while protein provides 4 calories per gram. This difference is the most crucial factor in ensuring your meals align with the 80/20 caloric ratio. For example, a single gram of fat is calorically more than twice as dense as a gram of protein. This is why achieving an 80/20 caloric split does not mean eating four times as much fat by weight as protein.

Step 1: Determine Your Daily Calorie Goal

First, you need to establish your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) to know how many total calories you should consume. There are many online calculators that can provide a good estimate based on your height, weight, age, and activity level. For instance, a person aiming for a 2000-calorie daily intake for weight maintenance would use this as their starting point. It is highly recommended to consult a healthcare professional to determine the appropriate calorie target for your specific health goals.

Step 2: Calculate Calorie Breakdown

Once you have your target daily calorie intake, you can break it down into the 80% fat and 20% protein portions.

• Target Fat Calories: Multiply your total daily calories by 0.80.
  • Example for a 2000-calorie goal: 2000 kcal x 0.80 = 1600 kcal from fat.
• Target Protein Calories: Multiply your total daily calories by 0.20.
  • Example for a 2000-calorie goal: 2000 kcal x 0.20 = 400 kcal from protein.

Step 3: Convert Calories to Grams

Now, convert the calorie amounts into grams using the caloric density values for each macronutrient.

• Target Fat Grams: Divide your target fat calories by 9.
  • Example for a 2000-calorie goal: 1600 kcal / 9 = approximately 178 grams of fat.
• Target Protein Grams: Divide your target protein calories by 4.
  • Example for a 2000-calorie goal: 400 kcal / 4 = 100 grams of protein.

Step 4: Plan Your Meals Around the Macros

With your daily gram targets, you can strategically plan your meals. Since the 80/20 carnivore diet is restrictive, focusing on fatty cuts of meat and adding extra animal fats is essential. Here are some practical tips:

• Prioritize fatty cuts: Choose ribeye, beef brisket, pork belly, and ground beef with a higher fat content (e.g., 80/20 or 70/30).
• Add extra fats: Incorporate butter, ghee, beef tallow, or lard into your cooking to easily boost your fat intake.
• Utilize fattier parts: Enjoy the skin on chicken thighs and cook with the rendered fat. Seek out bone marrow for its rich fat content.
• Monitor and adjust: For the first few weeks, use a food scale and a tracking app to ensure accuracy. As you become more familiar with the macros of different foods, you can rely more on intuitive eating.

Achieving the 80/20 Ratio in Practice

Successfully implementing the 80/20 macro ratio on a carnivore diet requires careful food selection and preparation. Simply eating lean meat and hoping for the best will not suffice. The composition of your meals must be intentional to hit the high-fat target.

Food Sources for the 80/20 Carnivore Diet

• Fatty Ruminant Meats: Ribeye, brisket, short ribs, and ground beef (80/20 or higher fat).
• Pork: Pork belly, pork shoulder, and bacon without added sugar.
• Poultry: Chicken thighs and wings with the skin on.
• Fatty Fish: Salmon, mackerel, and sardines are rich in healthy fats.
• Added Animal Fats: Beef tallow, pork lard, butter, and ghee are pure fat sources to use in cooking.
• Eggs: Especially the yolks, which are a good source of fat and nutrients.

High-Fat Carnivore vs. Standard Carnivore

Aspect	High-Fat (80/20) Carnivore	Standard Carnivore (e.g., Leaner)
Target Ratio	80% calories from fat, 20% from protein	Higher protein percentage, lower fat (e.g., 60/40)
Calorie Source	Prioritizes fat as the primary energy source	Balanced between fat and protein, often with more protein
Food Emphasis	Fatty cuts of meat, additional animal fats (tallow, butter)	Leaner cuts of meat, less reliance on added fats
State	Aims for a deep state of ketosis	Can still be ketogenic, but less fat-dominant
Satiety	Higher fat content can lead to increased and longer-lasting satiety	Satiety is still high but may be less pronounced than on the 80/20 version
Potential Issues	Potential for higher LDL cholesterol for some individuals	Less risk of high LDL associated with extremely high fat intake

Practical Application: Sample Calculation Scenarios

To make the calculation more concrete, here are examples for different total daily calorie targets.

Example 1: 1800 Calorie Target

• Fat Calories: 1800 kcal x 0.80 = 1440 kcal
• Fat Grams: 1440 kcal / 9 = 160 grams of fat
• Protein Calories: 1800 kcal x 0.20 = 360 kcal
• Protein Grams: 360 kcal / 4 = 90 grams of protein

Example 2: 2500 Calorie Target

• Fat Calories: 2500 kcal x 0.80 = 2000 kcal
• Fat Grams: 2000 kcal / 9 = 222 grams of fat
• Protein Calories: 2500 kcal x 0.20 = 500 kcal
• Protein Grams: 500 kcal / 4 = 125 grams of protein

Example 3: Estimating a Meal's Macros

Imagine a meal consisting of 200g of 80/20 ground beef, 2 scrambled eggs cooked in 1 tablespoon of butter, and a pat of butter added at the end.

• Ground Beef (200g of 80/20): Approximately 40g fat and 36g protein. (Note: 80/20 refers to the weight ratio, not caloric. Must use a nutritional database for accurate caloric breakdown.)
• 2 Eggs: Approximately 10g fat and 12g protein.
• Butter (1.5 tbsp): Approximately 16g fat and minimal protein.
• Total: 66g fat and 48g protein.
• Total Calories: (66g x 9) + (48g x 4) = 594 + 192 = 786 kcal.
• Caloric Ratio: Fat (594/786 = 75.6%), Protein (192/786 = 24.4%).

This example shows that using fattier meat cuts and adding extra fat is key to getting close to the 80/20 caloric ratio. Consistent tracking is necessary to fine-tune your meals.

Conclusion: Mastering the 80/20 Carnivore Diet

Calculating the 80/20 carnivore diet macros is a straightforward process once you understand the caloric densities of fat and protein. By determining your total daily calorie goal and applying the 80/20 ratio, you can convert your targets into grams and build your meals accordingly. Remember that this high-fat approach emphasizes specific animal food sources and often requires adding extra animal fats to achieve the desired balance. Initial tracking can help build the intuition needed for long-term success. Listening to your body and making minor adjustments to fat and protein intake will ensure you maintain optimal energy levels and satiety while following this ketogenic diet.

For additional scientific context on the macronutrient composition of the carnivore diet, you can refer to research on the topic: Assessing the Nutrient Composition of a Carnivore Diet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does '80/20' refer to the weight of my food?

No, on the carnivore diet, 80/20 refers to the percentage of calories from fat and protein, not the weight of the food you eat. Since fat is more calorically dense than protein, the weight ratio will not be 80/20.

How do I add more fat to my meals?

You can increase your fat intake by choosing fattier cuts of meat like ribeye or pork belly, and by adding pure animal fats like butter, tallow, or ghee to your cooking and finished dishes.

What happens if I consume too much protein?

On a very low-carb diet like this, consuming excessive protein can lead to gluconeogenesis, a process where your body converts excess protein into glucose. This can knock you out of ketosis, which is the fat-burning state central to the diet's purpose.

Is the 80/20 carnivore diet the same as regular keto?

While both are high-fat and low-carb, the 80/20 carnivore diet is more restrictive, eliminating all plant-based foods and relying solely on animal products. Regular keto allows for some low-carb plant foods.

What are some good high-fat food options for this diet?

Excellent choices include ribeye steaks, pork belly, 80/20 ground beef, chicken thighs with skin, fatty fish like salmon, eggs, and added animal fats like beef tallow and butter.

Do I need to track every meal with a calculator?

It's beneficial to track your intake for the first few weeks to familiarize yourself with the macro content of various animal products. Over time, you can learn to estimate and follow your macros more intuitively.

Are carbohydrates allowed on this diet?

A strict 80/20 carnivore diet is a zero-carb approach, meaning all plant-based foods, which contain carbohydrates, are excluded. Some variations may allow for minimal carbs from sources like low-lactose dairy, but they are not part of the standard plan.