Keto made easy

Tracking on Keto: What to Log and When to Stop

Track carbs, and protein, every day while you learn keto, then use tracking as a check-up tool when something stops working rather than as a permanent rule.

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What to log

Item Month one After month one Why
Carbs Every day When stalled, or after adding a new food The number that makes it keto
Protein Every day until you can estimate portions Spot-check a few days Easy to undereat
Calories Optional When diagnosing a stall A deficit still drives fat loss
Fat No target No target It is the variable that fills the gap
Weight Skip for 30 days Weekly or every two weeks Early numbers are mostly water

KetoDick on this: in month one he says to count carbs, ignore the scale and calories for at least two weeks, and eat to fullness (video DoSUgIr2rNo). He says most people get enough protein without tracking it in month one (video DoSUgIr2rNo), but his 2018 basics video sets clear protein targets (video UygKGoP_BtA). Logging protein for a few weeks is the simple way to find out which applies to you.

Setting up a tracking app

Most tracking apps ask for a weight-loss goal and then set a calorie target below your maintenance level. On keto, that can mean cutting calories before your appetite has adjusted.

His settings for beginners:

  1. Set the goal to maintain weight, not lose (video DoSUgIr2rNo).
  2. Set macros to about 5% carbs, 30–35% protein, and the rest fat (video DoSUgIr2rNo).
  3. Watch carbs closely. Treat the calorie line as information, not a limit.

KetoDick on this: he calls the "lose 1.5 lb a week" setting the first mistake he sees, because it builds in a large calorie cut on day one. He says that with only carbs restricted you will come up hundreds of calories short each day, and that he finished far under his own app target without trying (video DoSUgIr2rNo). He names MyFitnessPal and Cronometer as the apps he uses (video cTGYIFOTPl8). See MyFitnessPal for keto.

Carbs: total or net

Net carbs are total carbs minus fibre (and sometimes sugar alcohols). Total carbs are the full number on the label.

His advice changed between videos:

Video His carb rule
2017 (video DoSUgIr2rNo) Under 20 g a day for ketosis
2018 (video UygKGoP_BtA) Under 50 g of total carbs, mostly from green vegetables; he says US labels make net carbs unreliable

Pick one method and stick with it, so your numbers are comparable week to week. See net vs total carbs, how many carbs and reading labels.

Protein: what the target means

Source Protein per day
KetoDick, 2018 About 80 g for women, 100 g for men; plus 20 g if very tall; plus 20 g more for hard training (video UygKGoP_BtA)
US RDA (adults) 0.80 g per kg of body weight (IOM 2005)
Review on appetite and weight About 1.2–1.6 g per kg, about 25–30 g per meal (Leidy et al. 2015)

A common mix-up: a protein target counts grams of protein, not grams of meat. KetoDick on this: he says "100 g protein" means 100 g on the label, not 100 g of meat (video cTGYIFOTPl8).

See how much protein and hitting your protein goal.

Calories: when they matter

Cutting carbs does not appear to speed fat loss on its own. In a metabolic-ward study of 19 adults, body-fat loss was 53 ± 6 g a day with carbohydrate restriction and 89 ± 6 g a day with fat restriction (Hall et al. 2015). Fat loss was slower with carbohydrate restriction, not faster.

What keto may change is how hard it is to eat less. That is why month one skips calorie limits: appetite often falls on its own.

KetoDick on this: his line is that a calorie deficit is still required but calorie counting may be unnecessary (video LbPnm9T0oxc), and that a deficit is not the same as calorie restriction (video DoSUgIr2rNo). He cites studies in which counting calories changed results for low-fat groups but not low-carb groups (video LbPnm9T0oxc). Those studies are not on the evidence pages behind this guide, so that claim is his. See do calories matter on keto? and does lazy keto work?.

Read weekly averages, not daily scores

Daily numbers bounce around. Food databases are estimates, labels round, and portions vary.

KetoDick on this: he calls keto calculators false precision, because food data are estimates, and tells people to track when starting and when stalled, looking at weekly averages rather than daily targets (video UygKGoP_BtA). He adds that a macro calculator is only as good as the calorie number fed into it (video cTGYIFOTPl8). See macro calculator accuracy.

When to stop tracking, and when to start again

Tracking is a learning tool, not a life sentence. You can usually ease off once:

  1. You can guess the carbs in your regular meals within a few grams.
  2. You know what a protein portion looks like on your plate.
  3. Your weekly averages have been steady for a few weeks.

Start tracking again when:

KetoDick on this: he recommends tracking food, carbs and calories while learning so problems can be diagnosed, and says busy people can track carbs only (video LbPnm9T0oxc). He says people prone to cheats should avoid "lazy keto" (no tracking), and that tracking alone tends to improve how people eat (video LbPnm9T0oxc). See hidden carbs, hidden calories and breaking a stall.

When tracking is not a good idea

For some people, logging every bite feeds anxiety or restriction. If you have a history of an eating disorder, talk to your doctor or therapist before you start tracking, and agree on what to log, if anything.

KetoDick on this: he warns that chasing posted results can tip into anorexia and says to include your doctor in any deliberate restriction (video 7Aixw4uRksI). He tells anyone with an eating disorder to involve a therapist and doctor, and says "clean eating" can itself become disordered (video xyEZL0HuejI). See eating disorders and clean eating and orthorexia.

If you take diabetes medicine, a log of carbs alongside your blood-sugar readings can help your doctor adjust doses safely.

Last verified: 2026-10-31