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What Is Lazy Keto?
by Dale Rowley | Keto Diet Blog
What Is Lazy Keto?
The definition of Lazy keto varies significantly from person to person and can be confusing for those who are new to the ketogenic lifestyle. With the recent popularity of the ketogenic diet along with a ton of misinformation available from social media and websites cashing in on the trend alike, many think lazy keto is what eating ketogenic is all about.
The Lazy keto approach is typically not tightly tracking calories or sticking to protein and fat macros but instead keeping your carb intake under 20 grams or less per day.
Why Are The Keto Police Condemning Lazy Keto?
For many, going lazy keto might even include eating whatever they want as long as it fits within their carb count including sugars, bad fats, grain-based fillers and chemical additives in packaged foods.
Now I’m certainly not the Keto police, but I’m sure you would agree that eating bad food doesn’t match up to the ketogenic way of eating for losing weight or dealing with a disease. Continue reading so I can explain why lazy keto or IIFYM may not be the best approach to drop the extra pounds that you’re hanging onto.
Most people new to keto are doing some form of lazy keto or even low-carb disguised as keto, and I understand. Keto is a vast topic and can get pretty scientific when you start to educate yourself. It can be intimidating!
If lazy keto is what you need to change your life and it will allow you to take control of your health then sit back in the recliner and get comfortable. It is a significant lifestyle change, and you may need to ease into a more comprehensive keto diet to see the long-term health benefits or fit into that new dress by your birthday.
Lazy Keto Works But For How Long?
It makes sense when you go from eating sugar filled, starchy carbs and fast food to cutting them out of your diet, focusing on your health and eating a whole food diet with fewer carbs you are going to see a change in your body for the better.
If you drink soda and eat french fries all day and suddenly stop you are going to drop some weight and probably feel much better no doubt.
I’ve seen lots of people drop massive amounts of weight doing lazy keto and I have seen hundreds quit because their body is different and they don’t see the immediate results they had hoped for from a more laid-back approach.
There are some things to consider if you are thinking about the lazy keto approach or if you’ve been doing lazy keto and have hit a weight loss plateau.
Tracking Keto Macros Sucks!
I agree! Tracking everything you eat all day long can be annoying and time-consuming for most of us. After being on keto for some time, I don’t obsess or log everything I eat on a daily basis either. Although, I do consider myself pretty strict in my approach to what I eat, the macros and calories I consume each day. Just ask my wife who was laughing at me the other day when I was picking out three tiny kernels of corn from my salad when we went out for lunch.
When I first started, I tracked religiously to figure out which foods both enabled or kicked me out of ketosis, increased blood sugar, caused insulin spikes and ultimately what helped me feel great!
I suggest those new to keto start by tracking and getting to know not only the carb counts but also the fat, protein and calories you’re consuming each day and how your body reacts to the changes. I think you will be surprised how quickly the totals of the food you eat each day adds up. Once you have a handle on it, then you can relax and not track as often or at all.
The Lazy Keto Approach Often Ignores Other Essential Macros
If you are not balancing your calories, fat and protein consumption along with your carb intake, you are probably missing out on many of the extended health benefits from keto and your ultimate success as time goes on.
Fat Is Crucial To Your Success
Healthy fat is the most significant energy source on the ketogenic diet. When you get the daily fat consumption macro right for your body and goals, it not only helps tremendously to satiate your hunger but it will help curb cravings for traditional carbs. Taming the desires to snack on high carb food will help you stay on track for longer and meet your goals.
I hear all the time from people doing lazy keto “I’m starving in between meals.” as compared to someone who has their fat macro dialed and has become fat adapted saying “I’m not even hungry.”
Protein Is Key To Ketosis and Your Physique
Getting the proper protein is critical for optimal health and also continuing to burn ketones for energy. When ketones aren’t present, the body can break down amino acids from the protein in your muscles via Gluconeogenesis (GNG) by turning protein into glycogen that can be used as glucose for fuel. The downside to Gluconeogenesis (GNG) is that it keeps your body from moving into ketosis.
Even worse if you dont eat enough protein your body starts breaking down your lean muscle mass for fuel and it can result in damage to your body, your health, and overall performance.
So making sure you are getting the right amount of healthy fat and not over or under consuming protein is vital to your success. Remember Lazy Keto ignores these essential macros almost entirely.
IIFYM Is A Disaster Waiting To Happen
For some “If It Fits Your Macros” (IIFYM) is a form of lazy keto where you eat whatever you want regardless of whats in it as long as you’re under 20-25 grams of carbs each day.
WARNING!!!! IIFYM is a pet peeve of mine so forgive the rant that’s about to ensue. 🙂
The web and social media groups are filled with people sharing low-carb desserts, sugar-free candy and prepackaged foods filled with crap calling it keto. In my opinion, encouraging one another to indulge in low-carb replacements for the foods like brownies and ice cream that frankly got people unhealthy and overweight in the first place is a misstep.
Do you think that’s a recipe for long-term success? Of course not. Keto is all about healthy whole food, removing processed foods, sugar and consuming food that is good for us.
If you fill your daily carb intake with desert replacements and packaged foods, you may be hitting your carb goals, but you’re setting yourself up for a fall later by not changing your unhealthy relationship with food from your high carb living past.
Of course, everything in moderation. An occasional keto dessert or a pint of Halo-Top is fine, but don’t overdo it. Remember this is a total lifestyle change, not just a fad diet. You are working on your mental relationship with food as much as the tastes and dependencies you have developed over a lifetime.
Should You Go Lazy Keto or Strict Keto?
If you are just getting started, I suggest trying a more informed approach by tracking what you are eating and seeing how you react to the new changes in your diet. You will learn a great deal about your body and the foods you eat.
On the other hand, if you’ve been doing lazy keto for a while and are hitting a stall in your weight loss or want to try and maximize your results why not give a more focused approach a try?
Try it for a few weeks and see what may be causing you to stall. Are you overdoing the fat, overeating or under-eating protein or consuming too many calories? You will know for sure with just a little more effort, and you can adjust as needed. I think you will be surprised by how much impact even small changes can have on your keto success.
If you are new to keto or just want to get a more in depth overview of the ketogenic diet make sure to read our comprehensive Keto Diet Guide
27 Comments
Carol
Carol on April 19, 2018 at 10:43 pm
Would like to know more about this diet…
Reply
Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on April 20, 2018 at 5:16 pm
Hi Carol, Please start with our Keto Diet Guide. It has everything you need to get started and detailed info for achieving success. You can find it at https://www.ketodietliving.com/keto-diet/ketogenic-diet-guide/ Thanks!
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RoseLee Sztern
RoseLee Sztern on July 23, 2018 at 1:18 am
Would like to know more
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Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on July 23, 2018 at 8:56 pm
Hi RoseLee, You can find out more about Keto in our Keto Quick start guide at https://www.ketodietliving.com/keto-diet/ketogenic-diet-guide/
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Heather Brown
Heather Brown on August 18, 2018 at 8:36 pm
Yes
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Tonya
Tonya on May 9, 2018 at 12:15 pm
True IIFYM is not just carbs but it also is not Keto. It uses all 3 just like Keto but the ratios change and ketosis is never a goal. just staying under 20g of carbs is lazy everything.
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Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on May 11, 2018 at 6:51 pm
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks for contributing.
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Samantha
Samantha on May 11, 2018 at 5:42 pm
Do you have a app you recommend to help track,I’ve downloaded a couple and found that there’s things in each that are great but none that cover all the bases.
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Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on May 11, 2018 at 6:49 pm
I agree there is not a perfect app out there, but I think Senza is pretty good and is my personal favorite at the moment.
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Leah
Leah on May 17, 2018 at 2:06 am
I use Carb Manager and it works great for tracking carbs, net carbs, calories, protein, and fat. You can snap a pic of your food, scan labels, search for foods, add recipes, etc etc etc. It has the option to buy premium versions and such, but I’ve been fine with the free version.
But I’m also off to check out Senza 😂
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Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on May 17, 2018 at 3:44 pm
Oh that sounds like a winner! I will have to check it out and thanks for the recommendation.
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Michele
Michele on May 30, 2018 at 11:27 am
Are you pretty much against desserts and sweets then? Would you consider consuming alcohol/wine to also be lazy keto? I’ve recently purchased Enlightened ice cream, and have been enjoying it the last few days. I track my macros using Cronometer and find it to be comprehensive. I am hungry and having cravings so maybe I need a stricter approach.
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Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on May 30, 2018 at 10:51 pm
Hi Michele,
The fewer carbs you eat, the more effective it is for weight loss if that is your goal. I recommend starting out as strictly as you can. When you’re happy with your weight and health, you could try eating a few more carbs if you want to.
I think the most important advice I can give anyone is trying to change your relationship with food especially the foods that got you to a place where you’re not happy with yourself. SO if things like cake, candy and sugar got you unhappy, then its time to evaluate and change your relationship with those things if you want to find ultimate success and happiness with how you feel and look.
Once you start to cut them out, you will notice your cravings for them will subside. If you are hungry and have cravings, you may consider upping your healthy fat as that usually helps satiate your appetite.
There is no hard a fast rule. This is life after all, and we all need a bit of ice cream occasionally. I do have an occasional craft beer or low carb desert but in moderation and I try and compensate my diet on that day to lessen the impact of those additional carbs.
Everyone is different and what knocks me out of ketosis may not knock you out. It’s important to test your ketones and see how different foods and carb limits affect you to see what works for you.
Good luck and thanks for reading.
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FlubbyCarbHound
FlubbyCarbHound on June 11, 2018 at 6:24 am
Bs. Keto /= “eating healthy”. It’s being in keto. Period.
Doesn’t matter lazy, or strict, saying “keto is about healthy foods” is more than scope. You don’t need to be fanatical.
Reply
Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on June 11, 2018 at 4:17 pm
Nobody is fanatical here! My take on lazy keto vs. strict keto is pretty balanced and essentially says eat healthy whole keto foods that keep you in ketosis and choose to eat things like desert replacements sparingly to sustain long-term success.
Whatever works for you or anyone else is perfectly all right. Let’s be clear keto has and is evolving based on its popularity and people changing the definition to suit them and accommodate their past bad food habits. As I’m sure you are aware Keto was originally created to primarily treat difficult-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children, so it makes sense that those who want to drop a few pounds while doing a nutritional keto approach adjust the strict medical keto definition to suit their lifestyles.
Again you do whatever helps you to reach your goals. Thanks for commenting!
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Nevie
Nevie on June 26, 2018 at 1:22 pm
Hi Dale, my goal is not weight loss (although it’s seems like a happy side effect!). I was diagnosed with RA and I’m trying to see if changing my diet would have a beneficial effect by reducing the inflammation in my joints. I eat lots of green veggies, eggs, meat, healthy fats, I make my own bread using almond flour etc. I usually stay under 20g of carbs (but never go over 30g). The only thing I could not give up was an ounce of milk in my coffee in the morning. I thought I was doing pretty much strict Keto until I read that sugar free peanut butter is not keto. I buy organic pb and the only ingredients are peanuts and sea salt. What is your take on pb? Should I cut it out of my diet and if so, what would you replace it with? Thank you!
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Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on June 26, 2018 at 8:59 pm
Hi Nevie, As you probably know many foods can cause or increase inflammation everything from sugar, refined starches, vegetable oil, dairy, red meat, grains, foods high in trans fats, processed corn, foods containing processed chemicals and additives and last but not least peanuts.
In regards to keto, many don’t think peanuts belong because they are a legume and can be inflammatory. I personally eat natural ground peanut butter with no additives in small portions a few times a week typically before strenuous cycling exercise. I also find peanut butter to be an excellent source of macronutrients, fat, and protein and I don’t have an inflammatory reaction to it.
Heres why PB gets a bad rap. Peanuts are a common food allergen for many and seemingly growing. There are naturally occurring molds found on peanuts, and your body may recognize them as foreign invaders and create an inflammatory response to ward them off. Not to mention commercial kinds of peanut butter have tons of sugar and additives, so they are best to be avoided.
Since your goal is not weight loss but relief from inflammation you might consider removing peanuts from your diet. It is worth removing them at least temporarily and seeing how you feel.
Would love to hear how that goes for you if you decide to remove the peanut butter. As an alternative, you can try almond butter which you can get at Costco or grind yourself at stores like Winco or Whole Foods the stores.
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Robyn Quinn-Hakeem
Robyn Quinn-Hakeem on July 12, 2018 at 4:30 am
My 1st day on keto! No cravings at all! I think this is how it should be…I wanted carbs Cookies ice cream nonstop… now I’m so happy from 1 day of success because I never thought I could get through even 1 day without cookies. I’m so happy I could cry
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Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on July 12, 2018 at 8:46 pm
Great! As you move forward you will change your mental relationship and physical relationship with food and sugar. Good luck, you got this!
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Robyn Quinn-Hakeem
Robyn Quinn-Hakeem on July 12, 2018 at 4:33 am
My question is if we need 10% carbs what do we eat for that? I had less than 20grams for sure…is that really 10% tho? It doesn’t seem like it
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Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on July 12, 2018 at 8:45 pm
Everyone is different. Have you calculated your macros? Are you using an app to track your food so you know exactly how many carbs you are consuming? It is important not to guess early on as you start. You want to get a real baseline for what you are eating and then later you can loosen up.
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Susan
Susan on July 18, 2018 at 9:30 pm
Can you tell me if you are making a certain recipe, do you have to put every item i.e. 1/4 tsp or 1 tbs or whatever in your carb manager to get how many carbs the recipe is? And is that for everything you make if nobody has already figured it out? im kind of confused about tracking that kind of stuff.
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Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on July 23, 2018 at 9:02 pm
Hi Susan, Yes you would have to do that if you want to track what you are eating closely. I realize it’s a pain, but after you do it once you can have it there for future use. I suggest calculating by hand the carbs, fat, and protein and then entering them in as a single meal item total rather than tracking them as individual ingredients. I use Senza for tracking the food I eat, and at this point, I don’t track that often as I’ve been on keto for quote some time. Early on its good to make sure you realize just how the food you eat impacts your macro totals. I hope this helps!
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Alejandra Castro
Alejandra Castro on July 30, 2018 at 6:15 pm
Would it help me lose weight if I am on strict Keto during the week and have one meal during the weekend that is not so much “keto”. But overall keeping a straight strict diet?
Reply
Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on July 31, 2018 at 11:14 pm
Hi Alejandra, There are many ways to do keto and your success will be dependent on how your body reacts to carbs and what kicks you out of ketosis. You can always try and see what happens, but for some having a cheat meal may kick you out of ketosis and then it usually takes a few days to get back in after reducing carbs again.
Also, consider if you have enough control to just limit yourself to one cheat meal or is that a slippery slope that may sabotage your efforts entirely.
Again everyone is different, but my recommendation is to try being strict for a while and see what kind of success you have and then play around until you find what works best for you. I hope that helps and good luck.
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Donna
Donna on September 8, 2018 at 3:24 pm
Is Stevia okay? I have a full bag & some of the packets?
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Dale Rowley
Dale Rowley on September 10, 2018 at 4:30 pm
Hi Donna,
Yes Stevia is fine. It is natural and has no impact on blood sugar or carbs. One thing to watch out for is to make sure you are using the pure form of Stevia. Many companies will add fillers like maltodextrin, dextrose, or polydextrose which can have an impact on blood glucose and can cause insulin spikes.
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View Diet Calendar, 15 September 2018:
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1332 kcal
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Fat: 82.58g | Prot: 62.76g | Carbs: 93.91g.
Breakfast: Falafel Falafel, جبنه شرائح لاكتيما شيدر جبنه شيدر شرائح لاكتيما, اللوز, الزبدة. Lunch: فلافل, امريكانا شوربة ملوخية, شوكولاته كت كات اصبعين, فريكة مع الجبن. Dinner: سمك التونة (قطع مفرغة من السوائل موضوعة بالماء,معلبة). Snacks/Other: العسل. more...
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