Strict Keto vs. Lazy Keto: An Experiment

There are many approaches to the Keto Diet, each with its own pros and cons. However, there is one thing constant, which is to stay under 20g of carbs. I tried to experiment on how Strict, Lazy and Dirty Keto would impact my weight loss efforts.

Conditions:

So I spent one month on Strict Keto (tracking & logging macros), the next month on Lazy Keto (not logging but tracking carbs only). We also had one cheat meal (chicken shawarma) for months 1 and 2.

On the third month, Lazy-Dirty Keto with four dirty cheat meals for the month, but during the last week, I tried doing 12-hour fasts to compensate for the extra cheat meals.

In all three months, mostly clean eating but using processed beef bacon (not honey-cured) and a couple of chicken nuggets per week. This was not meant to be a scientific experiment, so I didn’t control the variables. I wanted to try it the way regular people approach weight loss.

Results:

Lazy Keto Month, I only lost 2.4 lbs (1.08 kg)
Strict Keto Month, I lost 8.4 lbs (3.81 kg)
Lazy/Dirty Keto + 1 week IF, I lost 3 lbs. (1.36 kg)

My takeaway from this experiment:

There are a lot of hidden carbs and it’s easy to over-eat if you’re not tracking. However, I found tracking very tiresome and I wanted to lose weight without overthinking. I also think Intermittent Fasting really helped me lose weight on my Lazy-Dirty Keto month.

Bottom line, it’s a choice whether you want to relax or to be strict about your Keto diet. The results will depend on your approach. Do what works for you. Keep Calm and Keto On.