I had to fly to Vancouver this week for work. I knew it would be a struggle to stay on my lazy keto journey but I was determined to try. Follow along as I share my lazy keto journey – week 2.
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In My Lazy Keto Journey – Week 1, I shared the basics of the lazy keto diet. Here’s a recap…
What is Lazy Keto?
This version of keto is a simplified version of the traditional keto diet, also known as the strict keto diet or clean diet. From what I gather, Lazy Keto promotes healthy choices but allows the convenience of just focusing on net carbs instead of also tracking protein, fat and calories. Most but not all websites agree that the goal is to limit your net carb intake to 20-50 grams per day. And because Lazy Keto promotes healthy carbs, healthy fats, and discourages things like starchy vegetables which might better aligns with overall health. By the way, this definition of Lazy Keto is probably one of a gazillion on the internet. I did a lot of reading, and this is MY interpretation of it.
What is Dirty Keto?
In my research I found that there is also a Dirty Keto version of the keto diet. The distinction is dependent on where you do your research. Lazy and Dirty are very similar. It just sounds like the Dirty Keto diet has one goal…less than 50 carbs a day. Eat whatever you want, as long as it stays within that 20-50 grams of carbs, regardless of the potential lack of health benefits. That seems to be the main difference. If you want to eat a fast food hamburger without the bun every day, no problem on the Dirty Keto plan.
I guess the good news is that you can explore your options and find the best way to adopt the right low-carb diet that works with your weight loss journey. High fat, low fat, state of ketosis, excess ketones, whole foods, protein intake, calorie intake, lazy food choices…try what works for you. Whichever version gives you better results, do that! If you’re in poor health, you might want to ask your doctor first. I’d say some of these keto versions might be healthier than others and the lazy keto approach or dirty keto approach might not be best for you.
There’s an app for that!
I found an app called Carb Manager that was exactly what I was looking for to track my carbs. It reminded me so much of the WW app, having the same features and conveniences, like scanning groceries, tracking weight and daily tracking of foods, calories, carbs, fat, and protein.
What is the Keto Flu?
In my first week, I noticed my stomach churning a little bit. No other symptoms, just a churning stomach and some gas. Then had a bit of diarrhea. Nothing terrible, just noticeable.
One morning I woke up and felt a little draggy. Not sick, just not a lot of energy. I went online to self-diagnose like I always do, and I think I had what is referred to as Keto Flu. I wasn’t that surprised. Any time you try a new diet, it can mess with your system. There are lots of symptoms of Keto Flu and you can have many, a few or none. Things like fatigue, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, muscle cramps, even nausea and vomiting are some of the symptoms.
Apparently, one of the reasons for the flu symptoms is your body is used to getting its energy through carbs. When you take that away, it has to find other ways to get it. That’s when the liver kicks in! That’s as far as I’m going on what I learned. I’m by no means an expert. Just sharing some online tidbits.
So after learning all this I just assumed my symptoms are normal and went on with my week. Oh, I should probably mention one more thing. I also learned that reducing your carbs can have an effect on your electrolytes and that can be part of the dragginess or light headedness. I have low blood pressure, so I sometimes take an electrolyte supplement, like this one. So when I wake up with low energy I take a packet and feel fine after that. They’re definitely not cheap, but they work. I used these supplements while my body was getting used to keto and they really helped.
My week…
I lost 5.4 lbs my first week of the diet, and I really didn’t want to lose momentum while I was on the road. But I’ve been stuck in a conference room literally all day every day this week so it’s been a challenge. I grabbed a breakfast of fried eggs and bacon at the hotel every morning (for $20!). God bless expense accounts…
They brought in lunch every day. Pasta and meatballs, sandwiches, chicken and rice, and every day there was a salad but Wednesday it was a pasta salad! So for lunch I would eat whatever greens were there, and picked out protein from the dish of the day. In hindsight, I would have packed some things like almonds to snack on during the day. But I wasn’t thinking ahead, so by the time I picked through lunch I can’t really say I was full or satisfied. Lesson learned…pack snacks when traveling!
Most nights consisted of hotel happy hour food. Things like lobster rolls, sliders (both without the bread)…and I had 2 Bud Lights on the nights that I ate at the restaurant bar. Wednesday night I splurged for a halibut that came with risotto. Even though risotto is one of my very favorite foods, I asked if I could exchange it for asparagus. They were very accommodating, and it was delicious…even though I wept for the risotto.
Overall I felt it was fairly easy to stay on the lazy keto plan, but I missed my desserts! Again, if I’d packed some keto friendly chocolate snacks I would have felt a little less deprived.
More reviews…
As I mentioned in Week 1, I purchased a ridiculous amount of keto friendly snacks when I started this journey. It will take me months to go through it all. But I tried a few more things since the last post.
The Parmesan Whisps are about the size of a quarter, or half dollar. I liked the crunch of these little snacks, but I didn’t love the flavor. I’m not going to give up on them just yet, though. They might pair nicely with a dip, like the artichoke dip from Costco I mentioned in my Week 1 post. I’ll let you know.
I tried the Ranch flavor Quest chips and I like them very much. They are crunchy, salty and taste great. I wouldn’t say they’re the same texture as a tortilla chip, but that didn’t bother me at all.
These little milk chocolate “M&M”-like candies were really satisfying. And they had another little benefit. They helped my constipation. 🙂 Again, more than you needed to know. I will say, before the added benefit kicked in, they caused a bit of a gassy situation. I measured out one-ounce portions and put them in little ziploc baggies along with some salted almonds or pecans to create a sort of trail mix. I thought they were really good. Do they taste like M&M’s? No. But I have a good enough imagination to still enjoy them.
The results of Week 2
I was really hoping to see some success on the scale because I was pretty good all week…but when I weighed myself this morning I was up .4 lbs. So disappointing! I guess with catered and restaurant food, you truly never know what you’re getting so maybe I was eating more carbs than I thought I was. Plus, I again mention the unpleasant topic of constipation. I had it all week so I know that has an effect on the scale. No excuses, just truth. So I’m not going to let this week discourage me. For the combined 2 weeks total, I’m still down 5 lbs. I’ll focus on that.
Next week I’m having another challenge. I’m taking a mini vacation Wed-Sat. A friend and I are going to Galveston for a few days and I know there is going to be a lot of eating and cocktails. Yikes!
But here’s my take on breaks in routine. They’re going to come up. And when they do, you may gain weight. The trick is to put it behind you when you get home. I don’t expect good results next week. I’m going to enjoy myself. But I’m going to make some soups that I will put in the freezer and have them ready when I get home. I’ll pick up right where I left off on Week 1. At least that’s the plan! 🙂
Recipes…
I promised some recipes and I haven’t forgotten. I’m making my Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe this week. It’s so good! It’s full of zucchini and summer squash and is keto friendly when I plug the recipe into the app, Carb Manager. I will get the recipe posted. You’ll find out, I’m a soup girl. They’re so easy to make, they make alot, and I always make recipes that freeze well.
Until next week…
Happy tinkering,
Susan
