Thanksgiving is a food lover’s holiday. It’s hard not to salivate with the smell of turkey and stuffing filling your home. This glutinous past time is wonderful for foodies, but it’s a nightmare for dieters. If you packed on a few pounds over the holidays, you may be looking for a way to shed the pounds. The question is, how do you do it? Look online or on television and you’ll see a plethora of fad and quick fix diet solutions that promise miraculous results. People who try them often realize they aren’t nearly as effective as the infomercial makes them seem. I’ve tried several diets in the past myself. Many times, they gave me minimal results. The only one that actually gave me the results I was looking for was ketosis.

Unless you are a doctor or a dietitian, you are probably asking yourself what ketosis is. Ketosis is a process your body goes through when you eat little to no carbohydrates. When the liver runs out of its sugar reserves, your body starts to create a molecule called a ketone body. These ketone bodies are used to turn the fat stored in your body into the energy you need to survive. This accelerated fat consumption will cause you to gradually lose body fat. The idea of burning fat sounds fantastic, but you must stay focused and dedicated just like any other diet.

The beginning of any new diet can be hard. Having to stay away from the foods you’re used to eating can put you in a bad mood. A ketogenic diet is no different. In fact, it might actually be even worse. In order to put your body into ketosis you have to cut carbs hard. Your maximum daily carb intake will be specific to you, but I can share that mine was only 20 grams of carbohydrates a day. A single slice of white bread is around 12 grams of carbs, so I had to quit sandwiches cold turkey. Luckily, I could eat a lot of cold turkey instead. It can take your body up to two weeks to enter ketosis, and the first week without carbs is rough. Your body will still be craving carbs, and you can feel sluggish and weak. This is referred to as keto sickness, but don’t worry, it will pass.

Just like any diet, there are foods you shouldn’t eat. Any kind of bread, sugar, and even fruit should be avoided or at least not eaten everyday in significant amounts. Most of a person’s energy comes from the burning of carbs, and they’ll need a new fuel to burn when the sugar runs out. For a ketogenic dieter, this fuel is fat. I know it sounds contradictory. How can I lose fat if I’m eating fat? The key is eating the correct amount. Again, the amount of fat in your diet will be specific to you. To find your numbers, use the link at the bottom of this article. No matter what it is, I can tell you that fat will make up the bulk of your diet. Most of this will be fats from animals, but you can supplement this with butter and coconut oil if you have specific dietary restrictions. I found myself eating a lot of buffalo chicken. Sauces like ketchup and barbeque sauce are filled with sugar, but almost all hot sauces have little to no carbohydrates. If you’re a hot sauce connoisseur, this may just be the diet for you.

As with any diet, it’s best to consult with a doctor or physician before starting. This is especially true if you are a diabetic. You should also exercise. This will help you to enter ketosis faster and burn more weight. Exercise has also been shown to increase your mood. If you have struggled with your weight, ketosis may be just the diet you need. There are plenty of free online resources for keto friendly recipes, supplements, and more information on what ketosis is and how it affects the body. Just remember, no matter what diet you choose to follow, dedication is the only way to succeed at it.