For some people, the thought of going into a full-on keto diet can be daunting. An alternative known as “lazy keto” can be helpful, though! Lazy keto is less strict and easier to follow, and dieters can reach ketosis on it. However, if dieters aren’t careful, lazy keto can easily become not keto at all. 

Lazy Keto Vs. Regular Keto

The classic ketogenic diet involves the meticulous calculation of your intake of calories and the three macronutrients: carbs, fat, and protein. The dieter must follow a strict low-carb, high-fat eating regime that includes only moderate amounts of protein. This puts the body through ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body burns mostly fat for energy. The resulting diet is quite limiting, with most of your foods coming from healthy fats.

Lazy keto, by contrast, is a less restrictive version of the traditional high-fat, very-low-carb ketogenic diet. It still dramatically reduces the level of carbs you’re allowed to have, but there are no strict rules about how much calories, fat, or protein.

What Can You Do On Lazy Keto?

“Lazy keto” is much as the name suggests The dieter tracks only one macronutrient, carbohydrates, so there’s not as much work involved in planning and recording what you eat. Carbs are still restricted to roughly 5 -10% of the dieter’s total daily calories, or between 20 and 50 grams per day. The rest can be up to them, but the focus should still be on healthy fats. 

Unless they are fairly strict, dieters going by lazy keto should not expect their body to go through ketosis. It is an effective transition for those looking to ease into a new diet. It also brings many other benefits for those who want to reduce their carb intake!

When Should I Do Lazy Keto?

Lazy keto can’t guarantee the same results as the full ketogenic diet. The interaction of macronutrients can make or break ketosis, and even too much protein can prevent your body from making ketones. While the goal of lazy keto is still reaching ketosis, lazy keto might get dieters in a rhythm that is too lazy.

That’s not to say there aren’t any benefits! When lazy keto follows the spirit of the ketogenic diet (i.e. more fats, reduced calories), it can still reduce food cravings and help you feel full for longer. This makes it easier to reduce calorie intake without feeling hungry and achieve weight loss goals. 

A low-carb diet of any type will also help reduce glucose levels. This improves blood sugar control for those with type-2 diabetes and reduces the risk factors for inflammation and heart disease. Whatever the reason, lazy keto isn’t a negative like the name might suggest – it can even help when you’re having trouble sticking with regular keto!