A patient just sent this picture to me this evening.  I got a good laugh out of it.

It brought up a couple of principles. Seriously, take just a moment and admire this pile of bacon. . .

First, it’s important that we take a moment and think about what is important in life.  What is it that really makes you tick?  To those of us following a ketogenic lifestyle (low carb, high fat living), this represents food, fuel, taste and great conversation value.  This pile of bacon forces one to think about what is really important in ones life.  This pile of bacon represents 2-3 weeks of breakfast, flavor for the salad, and something to use to dip in the guacamole.

Second, how much of this bacon can one following a ketogenic lifestyle have at a meal?  Well, that is based on your ideal body weight.  Many people have asked me how to calculate ideal body weight this week.  I’ve provided the calculation below:

Ideal Body Weight (IBW) – Estimated in (kg)
Males: IBW = 50 kg + 2.3 kg for each inch over 5 feet.

Females: IBW = 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg for each inch over 5 feet.

The average female needs 1.0 g per kg of ideal body weight per day.

The average male needs 1.2 g per kg of ideal body weight per day.

If you are exercising more than 60 minutes 5 days per week then those values increase to 1.4 grams per kg for females and 1.6 grams per kg for males.

Example:

A 6 foot male’s IBW would be 50 kg + (2.3kg x 12 inches) = 77.6 kg

A 5 foot 4 inch females IBW would be 45.5 kg + (2.3kg x 4 inches) = 54.7 kg.

If you eat three times per day, then simply divide your IBW by 3 to get the maximum protein you need per meal.

I hope that helps.