What Is Lazy Keto, and Should You Try It
Lazy keto is a popular version of the extremely low-carbohydrate ketogenic, or keto, diet.
- It’s frequently used for weight loss and, as the name implies, it’s simple to follow.
- The typical ketogenic diet entails meticulously tracking your caloric, carbohydrate, fat, and protein intake in order to achieve ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body burns predominantly fat (1Trusted Source).
- However, lazy keto is significantly less restrictive, as you only need to monitor your carbohydrate consumption.
This article discusses lazy keto, its benefits and drawbacks, as well as things to consume and avoid.
What exactly is lazy keto?
Lazy keto is a less restricted variation of the standard ketogenic diet, which is high in fat and very low in carbs.
The ketogenic diet was developed in the 1920s as a method of treating epilepsy. Recently, variants of this diet, notably slow keto, have become popular weight-loss regimens (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).
Traditional keto diets demand meticulous macronutrient tracking and adherence to a stringent, very low-carb, high-fat eating plan that includes only moderate amounts of protein (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).
The goal is to induce ketosis, a metabolic condition in which your body burns fat for the majority of its energy (6Trusted Source).
As with the majority of ketogenic diet modifications, lazy keto severely reduces carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrates are typically confined to roughly 5–10% of total daily calories — or about 20–50 grams per day for the majority of people (7Trusted Source).
- However, on lazy keto, you are not required to watch calories, protein, or fat.
- Potential health benefits of a sedentary ketogenic diet
Numerous studies on various ketogenic diet variations indicate that they may have a plethora of potential benefits, albeit lazy keto has not been researched extensively.
- For instance, some research indicate that ketogenic diets may promote weight loss even more than low-fat diets (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).
- This impact, however, is most likely not unique to ketogenic diets. According to studies, any diet that restricts calorie consumption and is followed for an extended period of time is likely to result in weight loss (11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source).
- While lazy keto does not need calorie restriction, research suggests that keto diets may suppress appetite and food cravings. This may make it simpler to lose weight without feeling hungry (14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).
- Additionally, research indicates that keto diets may help improve blood sugar control and risk factors for heart disease in people with type 2 diabetes (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source).
- However, results are inconsistent, and the sluggish keto diet has not been researched in detail.
- Bear in mind that the benefits of keto diets are frequently attributed to the state of ketosis.
Studies guarantee that this metabolic state is achieved by constantly monitoring participants’ diets and their levels of ketones, which are substances produced by the body when it enters and maintains ketosis (1Trusted Source).
GET YOUR CUSTOM KETO DIET PLAN
Due to the fact that tracking calories, protein, and fat intake, as well as measuring ketones, is not necessary on lazy keto, dieters have no way of knowing if they are genuinely in ketosis.
Downsides of lazy keto
As with the typical keto diet, sluggish keto may cause dieters to experience the keto flu during their initial keto shift. This condition manifests itself through nausea, headaches, tiredness, constipation, and dizziness (19Trusted Source).
Additionally, lazy keto has several other disadvantages worth highlighting.
You may not reach ketosis
Many people prefer lazy keto over the regular ketogenic diet because it is less restrictive and easier to follow.
The purpose of lazy keto is to produce a metabolic condition known as ketosis, in which your body burns fat for fuel exclusively. Numerous researchers attribute a large number of the ketogenic diet’s possible health benefits to this metabolic state (16Trusted Source).
However, when following this modified form of the keto diet, you may not achieve ketosis, which is characterized by a variety of indications and symptoms.
To achieve ketosis, you must not only strictly reduce your carbohydrate and fat intake, but also closely control your protein intake. This is because your body, through a process called gluconeogenesis, is capable of converting protein into glucose, a carbohydrate (19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source).
Consuming an excessive amount of protein during a slow keto may result in the absence of ketosis entirely.
Calories and diet quality continue to be important.
Concentrating exclusively on carbs, as you would on lazy keto, overlooks the critical need of proper calorie intake and diet quality.
A well-balanced diet rich in diversity can provide your body with all the nutrients it requires for optimal health (21Trusted Source).
Regrettably, lazy keto, like the regular keto diet, restricts numerous nutrient-dense food groups such as fruits, starchy vegetables, grains, and legumes. This may make obtaining critical vitamins, minerals, and fiber more challenging.
Additionally, it might be challenging to achieve all of your nutritional requirements when your calorie intake is reduced, which is likely if you’re utilizing lazy keto to promote weight loss (22).
As a result, it’s critical to prioritize nutrient-dense diets — not just carb reduction.
GET YOUR CUSTOM KETO DIET PLAN
Lack of research behind long-term effects
There have been no research especially on lazy keto. There are very few long-term research on similar diets, such as the standard ketogenic diet and the modified Atkins diet (19Trusted Source).
There are fears that lazy keto — and high-fat diets in general — may have a long-term detrimental effect on heart health, despite the weight loss they may produce (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).
In one evaluation of 19 research, low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets were compared to balanced weight loss diets. After 1–2 years, they were found to have comparable weight loss advantages and to be as effective at lowering risk factors for heart disease (22Trusted Source).
Another investigation discovered that low-carb, high-fat diets resulted in more weight loss over the long term than low-fat diets (23Trusted Source).
However, the researchers discovered that high-fat meals were connected with increased cholesterol levels, which may raise one’s chance of developing heart disease (23Trusted Source).
That said, the type of fat you eat on a high-fat diet may make a big difference.
While following a ketogenic diet, choosing sources of healthy, unsaturated fats such as fatty fish, nuts, and olive oil may help reduce increases in risk factors for heart disease (24Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source).
Additionally, because to a dearth of long-term studies, the long-term effects of ketogenic diets remain uncertain. It is unknown whether ketogenic diets are safe or helpful to adhere to for years or decades. Consumables
On lazy keto, extremely low-carb foods are promoted regardless of their protein or fat levels.
The following are some examples of meals to consume on a lazy keto diet:
- Beef, hog, chicken, turkey, and deli meat are all examples of meat and poultry.
- Salmon, trout, tuna, shrimp, lobster, and crab are all examples of fish and shellfish.
- Eggs: fried, scrambled, hard-boiled, and the majority of other varieties
- Peanuts, tree nuts, sunflower seeds, and nut and seed butters are all examples of nuts and seeds.
- Dairy items with a high fat content: butter, cream, and the majority of cheeses
- Low-carb vegetables include leafy greens, broccoli, tomatoes, and onions.
- Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, flaxseed oil, and others are all healthy oils.
- Water, coffee, and tea are all unsweetened beverages.
- Several fruits: in tiny parts, berries such as strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries
GET YOUR CUSTOM KETO DIET PLAN
Avoid these foods
Lazy keto eliminates all carbohydrate-containing foods.
The following are some meals that are restricted or avoided entirely on lazy keto:
- Bread, pasta, rice, cereal, and oats are all grains.
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, and maize are all starchy vegetables.
- Bananas, apples, oranges, and the majority of other fruits
- Beans, lentils, soybeans, and chickpeas of all varieties
- Several dairy products, particularly milk and yogurt, particularly flavored yogurts
- Sugary meals include cookies, cakes, ice cream, and candies, as well as the majority of other sweets.
- Sugar-sweetened beverages include fruit juices, sports drinks, and sodas
