While the keto diet is becoming increasingly popular, you may not realize that there’s more than one variation of this high-fat, low-carb craze. The type we’re going to focus on today is called “lazy keto” – and chances are you have at least one or two friends who proudly state that they’re rocking this version of it!

More than likely, these people claim that they love lazy keto – as it’s much less work than the regular ketogenic diet. But can you actually get transformative results on this “chilled out” version of keto?

Read on to get your answer to “What is Lazy Keto?”, and the pros and cons of going on this version of the ketogenic diet.

First, A Review Ketogenic Diet?  

In order to grasp lazy keto, you need to fully understand the regular version. When you seriously drop the amount of carbs in your diet, your body enters a state called ketosis – burning ketones for fuel instead of the normal glucose (or carbs).

“Going keto” can actually be quite a bit of work when you do it right! Not only do you have to ensure you’re daily carb count is very low (no more than 30g of net carbs – or total carbs minus fiber), per day – but you also have to track how much protein and fat you consume.

A proper keto diet should consist of these daily food percentages: 75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbs. It is important to use a keto calculator tool to track both your calories macronutrients.

To learn more about the diet, check out our selection of in-depth, keto-focused blogs starting with Keto for Beginners.

So, What is Lazy Keto?

With lazy keto, you nix the number crunching all together. Instead, you focus on reading food labels and casually keep track of your macros yourself. Or, just eat foods that you already know are low in carbs and call it a day!

With lazy keto, there are no hard set rules regarding your calories, fat or protein intake. Basically, you just try to eat high fat, low carb, and moderate protein. You know the rules, but you aren’t strict about monitoring them. Instead, you take a lazy approach.

Benefits of Lazy Keto

Less stress: All of the tracking involved with normal keto can get a little old and tedious, but lazy keto removes the stress. When you follow this approach, you have more freedom to experiment with healthier high-fat, low carb meals and foods without having to track exactly how much protein and fat they contain.

Easier for starting keto: If you want to take keto for a test ride before getting serious, this might be the way to do it. At the end of the day, you’ll still be eating higher fat and lower carb foods. If you can stick with the lazy version for a week, you may want to try regular keto. If you found it hard to stick to even lazy keto, the regular version definitely won’t be for you.

Better for long-term keto: Whether you’re tracking your macros or not, at some point it may become challenging to continue with keto. Many people do this diet for a set amount of time. However, if you want to keep up with it after reaching your goal, the lazy approach may be more suitable for the long-term – plus you’ll most likely already have quite a bit of “approved meals” under your belt.

Boosts weight loss: Whether or not you’re tracking your macros, when you start cutting out bad carbs (sugar, white bread, cakes, cookies, etc.), you’re destined to lose weight. If you can get your body into ketosis on lazy keto it’s a plus, but you’ll also slim down just from cleaning up your diet. 

Cons of Lazy Keto

Harder to reach ketosis: You can definitely get your body into ketosis on lazy keto, but it might be harder without tracking your macros and knowing exactly how the foods you eat are affecting you. If you really want to be sure you’re getting into ketosis, take a slightly less lazy approach and test your body using ketone test strips. 

Potentially slower weight loss: You will most likely still lose a good amount of weight on lazy keto, but you may not lose as much as on the full-blown version where you track your macros. In addition, until you figure out the food balance on your own and can judge whether or not you’re in ketosis, weight loss might be slower than it would be.

Why Lazy Keto Shouldn’t Be Dirty Keto 

Another term you may have heard when it comes to a ketogenic diet is “dirty keto”. Keep in mind that lazy keto and dirty keto aren’t the same thing! Whereas lazy keto can still be followed as part of an overall healthy lifestyle plan, those following a dirty keto diet are eating quite unhealthily. 

People doing this so-called “dirty keto” are basically manipulating the system. On this version of the diet, you don’t have to eat wholesome, nourishing foods. Instead, you can eat fast food and other processed junk foods – as long as they’re high in fat and low in carbs, therefore can still kick you into ketosis!

Doing dirty keto may still work for weight loss, but it’s not doing your body any favors. And in contrast to regular and lazy keto, you will definitely have to stop dirty keto at some point, sooner rather than later. Especially since consuming too much sodium and saturated fat will have negative health effects, as just the start.

Recap: What Is Lazy Keto?  

Intrigued by the potential benefits of the ketogenic diet but not ready to fully commit… than lazy keto may be perfect for you! It allows you to both get in the game and hang out on the sidelines. While on this diet, casually keep track of your carbs and try to eat a lot of healthy fats and moderate protein – but there’s no need to keep a detailed track record!

Whether you go with the tried-and-true or chilled out version, this Keto Kit will supply you with the goods you need to rock the diet on-the-go! The keto-friendly meal replacement shakes will also help you get additional fiber and nutrients – two things that will go a long way for your health on this restrictive plan.  

Have you tried Lazy Keto? Let us know what you think in the comments, below.