Many are looking for easy ways to lose weight after packing on the pounds while being stuck inside. One weight-loss method that’s getting a lot of looks is the “lazy keto” diet. But is it the best way to do keto? Does it have any pitfalls? And most importantly, can it work for you? Let’s break it down.
What Is Lazy Keto?
One of the biggest fusses about standard keto is the math involved with tracking your macros, or how much carbs, protein, and fat you should eat.
Those who follow standard or strict keto to the T aim to get the ideal composition of food to reach ketosis, that stage where your body starts burning fat for fuel.
As for what that ideal composition is, many standard or strict ketoers generally aim for something where:
- 75 percent of the calories come from fat.
- 20 percent come from protein.
- 5 percent come from carbs.
Keeping a close eye on your macros may be a pain, but it’s a great way to hit ketosis. And once you hit ketosis, you can watch the fat melt off your midsection, your energy soar, feel more focused, and much, much more.
While there are ways to make macro tracking easier, the average Joe or Jane probably doesn’t want to turn their daily menu into a calculus class. That’s where lazy keto enters the picture.
As its name suggests, lazy keto is a version of the low-carb diet geared to those who want to burn fat without a lot of fuss. For this reason, it may be most appealing to beginners looking to jump into the lifestyle.
The Primary Pro of Lazy Keto
With lazy keto, most of those macros (and the calculations that come with them) get tossed out the window. You simply focus on eating a max number of carbs (20-50) per day so your body can clean out its glycogen stores and start focusing on burning fat.
As a lazy ketoer, you no longer have to worry about how much fat or protein you’re eating, or if your calories are coming from the right sources.
While this may sound appealing, and it’s what many beginning ketoers do by focusing on just carbs, there are some drawbacks to lazy keto that can keep you from seeing slimming results.
The Cons of Lazy Keto
Lazy keto’s biggest con or pitfall is that you can fall into a calorie-filled trap rather easily. By only paying attention to carbs, you may consume excess calories. And if you consume more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight instead of losing it.
If this happens, especially when new to keto, you may think this lifechanging lifestyle doesn’t work. You may lose faith, and this can give you a false representation of what keto’s really all about.
For example, let’s say you’re looking to stay under 20 grams of net carbs per day. You’re a cheese fanatic, so you figure this is super simple. Why? Because cheese is extremely low in carbs.
What do you decide to do? Eat a pound of cheese that has just six grams of carbs, but 1800 calories. Do you think you’ll lose weight that way? Even though your carbs are low and you’re meeting your lazy keto goal, the answer is probably not, as your calorie count will get out of hand in a hurry.
There’s another issue with only focusing on carbs, and that’s a lack of balance. If all you care about is consuming fewer than 20-50 carbs, you may do so without getting the necessary nutrients from veggies and other foods. You may also throw off your gut bacteria, which can cause issues with immunity, digestion, and mood.
Can You Lose Weight With Lazy Keto?
Despite the major calorie-related pitfall listed above, some people can lose weight with lazy keto. Some of that weight loss may not come from ketosis, however, since macros aren’t being watched.
Instead, you may lose weight via lazy keto by simply watching what you eat more, not eating out, avoiding processed foods, etc. Without ketosis’ fat-burning power in the picture, this weight loss can come slowly and not meet your expectations.
The Fast, “Non-Lazy” Way to Lose Weight on Keto Without the Fuss
If lazy keto could lead to issues with weight gain or slow weight loss, what’s your best bet to slim down swiftly without confusion, complication, or loads of calculations? It could be to just create a personalized meal plan in under five minutes by taking the Simple Keto System quiz.
The quiz will generate the ideal, tailormade plan for your body and needs using answers about your food preferences, lifestyle, and goals. You won’t have to calculate complex macros, and you won’t even have to count carbs like lazy keto makes you do.
All that’s needed to lose weight and feel great soon is to enjoy each breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack (including desserts) in your plan that is engineered to help you hit ketosis quickly.
Factor in all of that convenience from less than five minutes of "work," and you could call creating your personalized meal plan even lazier than lazy keto, while being a surer, faster path towards slimming success.
