Lazy keto is a popular version of the ketogenic, or very-low-carb, diet.
It’s commonly used for weight reduction and, as the name implies, it’s simple to follow.
The traditional ketogenic diet carefully measures your calorie, carb, fat, and protein consumption to induce ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body burns predominantly fat (1).
However, lazy keto is significantly less restrictive, as you need to monitor your carb consumption.
This article discusses lazy keto, including its advantages, disadvantages, and things to consume and avoid.
What is lazy keto?
Lazy keto is a more relaxed variation of the high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet.
The ketogenic diet was developed in the 1920s as a medical treatment for epilepsy. Variations of this diet, such as lazy keto, have recently become popular weight-loss regimens (2, 3).
Conventional keto diets include accurate macronutrient tracking and adherence to a stringent, very-low-carb, high-fat eating plan that provides only moderate quantities of protein (4, 5).
The goal is to induce ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body uses fat as its primary fuel source (6).
Like most ketogenic diet modifications, lazy keto severely limits your carb consumption. Carbohydrates are typically limited to 5-10% of total daily calories — or 20-50 grams per day for most people (7).
You don’t have to count calories, protein, or fat on lazy keto.
Potential health benefits of lazy keto
Many forms of the ketogenic diet have been investigated, and they appear to have numerous potential benefits, albeit lazy keto has not been explicitly studied.
Some studies, for example, show that keto diets may promote weight loss even more than low-fat diets (8, 9, 10).
This impact, however, is most likely not exclusive to keto diets. According to studies, any diet that decreases calorie consumption and is followed for an extended period would result in weight loss (11, 12, 13).
Even though there are no calorie restrictions in lazy keto, research shows that keto diets may lower hunger and food cravings. This may simplify cutting calories without feeling hungry (14, 15).
Furthermore, studies show that keto diets may improve blood sugar management in those with type 2 diabetes and lower risk factors for heart disease (16, 17, 18).
Nevertheless, the results are varied, and the sluggish keto diet has yet to be extensively investigated.
Remember that the benefits of keto diets are frequently ascribed to being in ketosis.
Studies guarantee that this metabolic state is obtained by constantly monitoring participants’ meals and evaluating their levels of ketones, substances your body generates when ketosis is established and maintained (1).
Dieters can only tell if they’re actually in ketosis once they watch their calories, protein, and fat consumption and measure their ketones.
Downsides of lazy keto
Like the standard keto diet, lazy keto may cause dieters to suffer the keto flu when they first begin a keto diet. This includes nausea, headache, tiredness, constipation, and dizziness (19).
There are also more drawbacks of lazy keto that should be mentioned.
You may not reach ketosis
Many people like lazy keto because it is less restrictive and simpler to stick to than the regular ketogenic diet.
The purpose of lazy keto is to induce ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body primarily burns fat for fuel. According to researchers, many potential health advantages of ketogenic diets are attributed to this metabolic state (16).
But, you may not reach a state of ketosis while on this reduced form of the keto diet, which includes various indications and symptoms.
To achieve ketosis, you must strictly limit your carbohydrate and fat intake and closely monitor your protein intake because your body can transform protein into glucose — a carbohydrate — through gluconeogenesis (19, 20).
Consuming too much protein on a sluggish keto diet may prevent ketosis entirely.
Calories and diet quality still matter
Focusing just on carbs, as you would on lazy keto, overlooks the significance of proper calorie intake and meal quality.
A well-balanced diet rich in various foods may give your body all the nutrients it requires for optimum health (21).
Sadly, like the regular keto diet, lazy keto restricts numerous nutrient-dense food categories such as fruits, starchy vegetables, grains, and legumes. This may make obtaining critical vitamins, minerals, and fiber more challenging.
However, when you lower your calorie intake, which is probable if you’re utilizing lazy keto to promote weight loss, it might be challenging to satisfy all your nutrient requirements (22).
As a result, it’s critical to focus on eating nutrient-dense meals rather than simply cutting back on carbs.
Lack of research behind long-term effects
There needs to be more research, especially on lazy keto. Long-term research on comparable regimens, such as the original ketogenic and modified Atkins diets, must be done (19).
Despite the weight reduction, there are worries that lazy keto — and high-fat diets in general — may worsen heart health over time (20, 21).
A meta-analysis of 19 research compared low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets against balanced weight loss regimens. After 1-2 years, they exhibited equivalent weight reduction benefits and were as successful in lowering risk factors for heart disease (22).
Another study discovered that low-carb, high-fat diets resulted in higher long-term weight loss than low-fat diets (23).
However, the researchers discovered that high-fat meals were linked to increased cholesterol levels, which may raise your risk of heart disease (23).
Yet, the kind of fat consumed on a high-fat diet may make a significant impact.
According to research, eating sources of healthy, unsaturated fats like fatty fish, almonds, and olive oil while on a keto diet may help reduce increases in risk factors for heart disease (24, 25, 26).
Furthermore, the long-term consequences of ketogenic diets remain uncertain due to a lack of long-term research. Whether keto diets are safe or advantageous for years or decades is unknown.
Foods to eat
Very-low-carb meals are promoted on lazy keto without regard for their protein and fat levels.
Here are some meals to consume on a sluggish keto diet:
- Beef, hog, chicken, turkey, and deli meat are examples of meat and poultry.
- Salmon, trout, tuna, shrimp, lobster, and crab are examples of fish and shellfish.
- Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, and most other forms of eggs
- Peanuts, tree nuts, sunflower seeds, and nut and seed butter are examples of nuts and seeds.
- High-fat dairy products include butter, cream, and the majority of cheeses.
- Low-carb veggies include leafy greens, broccoli, tomatoes, and onions.
- Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, flaxseed oil, and other healthy oils
- Water, coffee, and tea are examples of unsweetened beverages.
- Some fruits: berries in tiny amounts, such as strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries
Foods to avoid
Lazy keto eliminates all carbohydrate-rich meals.
These are some items that are limited or avoided on lazy keto:
- Bread, pasta, rice, cereal, and oats are grains.
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, and maize are starchy vegetables.
- Fruits include bananas, apples, oranges, and most other fruits.
- Beans, lentils, soybeans, and chickpeas are all legumes.
- Some dairy products include milk and yogurt, mainly flavored yogurts.
- Sugary foods include cookies, cakes, ice cream, candies, and desserts.
- Sugary beverages include fruit juices, sports drinks, and sodas.
Should you try it?
Lazy keto may be possible for individuals seeking a rapid, short-term weight loss solution.
Nevertheless, because of a shortage of studies, the long-term implications of keto diets, particularly lazy keto, still need to be discovered (19).
With the diet’s restrictions on many healthful foods, receiving all the required nutrients may take time, potentially leading to shortages and lousy health.
While research suggests that keto diets may help with blood sugar management, persons with type 2 diabetes should proceed with care. If your medicines are not altered, reducing your carb consumption might result in dangerously low blood sugar levels (27).
Before attempting lazy keto, contact a healthcare specialist, such as a qualified dietitian. They may assist you in safely and efficiently implementing the diet and ensuring you achieve all your nutrient needs.
The bottom line
For individuals who find the typical keto diet too restrictive, lazy keto is an enticing choice. While it restricts carbs, there are no calories, protein, or fat restrictions.
In the near run, lazy keto may provide the same potential advantages as the regular keto diet. With type 2 diabetes, these include decreased hunger, rapid weight reduction, and improved blood sugar management.
But, there are certain risks to neglecting your calorie, fat, and protein consumption.
You may not attain the metabolic state of ketosis, which is credited with many of the classic keto diet’s advantages.
Moreover, lazy keto needs to be better researched and ignores the significance of total diet quality.
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