Author: The Heta Akira

Supermarket list for Keto

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ketosuper

Ok, it’s time to get ready!  We must visit the Supermarket and get our food. I know that you are wondering what to get. Well, we know that we must get food for our Macro groups.  So let me break it down in that same order, by Macros:

FATS

Avocado
Nuts (Macadamia, Pecans, Brazil Nut)
Butter (look for grass-fed cows)
Olive Oil
Cheese (Fatty type)
Coconut Oil

PROTEIN

Chicken
Beef
Salmon
Sardines
Tuna
Eggs
Bacon

CARBS

Cauliflower
Broccoli
Spinach
Kale

And what to DRINK?

Coffe
Tea
Lots of WATER!

While we want to get creative with all these ingredients.  There are a couple of rules that if you follow the process will be a lot better.

  1. Salad First!   A Salad is something that can’t miss your new eating plan.  In fact, I want it to be that it should be the first thing to it. And no, I am not contradicting myself since I know that salad is part of the Carbs group, but this is the difference between empty carbs and healthy dense food as your carbs, quite a difference. We can use Olive Oil as dressing and get our carbs more aligned with our Fat goals.
  2. Fatty Protein better than lean protein:  Don’t trim your steak, cook it with its natural fat and even at a little of butter to it.  In Keto, protein shouldn’t be a lot, but protein with fat is adding to the hardest part of this diet protocol, that is “Eat Enough Fat”.
  3. Be sure to add the fatty part of your meal.  I didn’t like Avocados, but now that I see how this superfood can add up to any diet, it is part of my eating plan.  So, if you are even eating salad from a restaurant, ask if they can add Avocado. That will be a great PLUS.

Well, the starting point is coming (the 20th) so get that food ready, go to your preferred Supermarket and get all your food, you are starting Keto en just 5 days!!!

Sometimes Believing is Not Enough

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believe

How do you help someone that suffers from compulsive spending?

Many people believe they can fix compulsive spending by switching from plastic to cash. Seeing real money disappear adds a powerful psychological impact.

What about smoking? Do you gradually reduce your daily cigarette intake?  No, for most people, you stop smoking COLD TURKEY.  Hey, this one I know from personal experience. And for this one help from friends or family is recommended.

And what about drugs? This one is tough—it falls into a category where control is minimal, and people may go to extreme lengths to obtain drugs. So going cold turkey could be in pair with being locked down somewhere having all kind of terrible withdrawal symptoms.

Ok, so what do we do with sugar addiction and weight loss? Do we follow a vague plan and hope for the best? Do we rely solely on willpower and self-belief?

NO, WE DONT!

In seven days, we’ll begin a new way of eating—unlike anything you’ve tried before.

We are going to:

  1. Stop Refined Carbs:  Bread, pasta, rice, tortillas, wafles, cake, crackers, etc.
  2. Stop Starchy Vegetables:  Potatoes, corn, plantains, yams, pumpkin, etc.
  3. Stop (for the time being) Fruits:  Yes, I know this one is very tough. And while you won’t be eating a banana, you can try berries, avocados, watermelons, tomatoes, peaches.
  4.  Stop Alcohol and sugary drinks:  No drinking, not even a beer and also stop juices, soda and anything that have sugar.  Your new drinks will be water, coffee and tea.

Maybe after reading all these “Forbidden Things” you still believe that you can do it. Maybe you believe you’re up for the challenge and possess extraordinary willpower.

I am here to tell you that no matter how much you believe, you won’t make it alone.  So, choose a diet guardian that will help you uphold this very difficult challenge.

You have one week to stop believing that you can do it alone and get a failproof strategy that will help you in time of weakness.  Use this week to find out as much as possible about clean/healthy keto and get your support partner as I am telling you again, this won’t be easy and while you might believe in yourself, this is as close and you can be to having a drug addiction (sugar addiction is real) so get help.

GET READY FOR THIS CHALLENGE, YOU AND YOUR DIET GUARDIAN! 

Dirty Keto vs Clean Keto

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By now, most of us know that the Keto diet emphasizes high fat, moderate protein, and very low carbohydrates, right?
But here’s a better question: what kind of fats, proteins, and carbs should we be eating?

If you walk into a fast-food restaurant and order a bun less burger, are you technically following the Keto diet? 

The short answer is “Yes”. This is what is called “Dirty Keto” meaning that while you are following the rules of the keto diet, you are not choosing the best ingredients. You might lose weight with Dirty Keto but trust me, it can come at the expense of other important health markers.

Think about it, do you want your Keto dinner to be highly processed junk food?  Of course not!!

Now imagine instead a juicy steak paired with a fresh organic salad.
That’s Clean Keto, the kind your body will thank you for.

Now let me give you a few examples of Clean Keto food for each of the Macro Nutrient Groups:

FATS

Olive oil
Avocado oil
Macadamia oil
Coconut oil
Butter
Ghee
Cream cheese
Avocados

CARBS

Spinach
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Peppers
Lettuce
Kale
Broccoli
Cabbage
Eggplant
Zucchini
Garlic
Onions
Cauliflower
Celery
Blackberries
Blueberries

PROTEINS

Bacon (yes, bacon)
Eggs
Cheese
Chicken
Turkey
Pork
Salami
Cod fish
Sardines
Salmon
Liver
Hummus
Tofu

As you get more comfortable with Keto, you’ll naturally build your own go-to list of clean, satisfying foods. You’ll see, you’re going to get good at this!

See you on the next post!     🙂

So how does this “Keto” diet works?

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keto.jpg

To begin this journey, you need to set aside everything you think you know about nutrition. After all, who would have believed that a diet built on 75% fat could be “good”?
But here’s the thing: that’s exactly what we’re working with and getting.

This is a diet built on 75% fats, 25% protein, and about 5% carbohydrates. Yes, hitting those macronutrient ratios is challenging, but it’s precisely how we’ll direct your body into the fat‑burning metabolic state known as ketosis.

One non‑negotiable rule: no cheat meals, no cheat days. Stray from this, and you’ll get kicked out of that magical fat‑burning zone. What is worse, it might take five days or more to return to ketosis. That is, unless you’ve become fat adapted. A level that you achieved only after months of perseverance into the protocol. At that point, slipping slightly won’t derail you so badly. It is better however to early on, stick to the rules.

How “Keto” Works

Normally, your body runs on glucose, which comes from carbohydrates. But when carbs are scarce for a long time, the body switches to other kind of fuel, ketones. Ketones are created by our liver, and they come from fat. This is without doubt one of the cleverest survival mechanisms we have.

Now let us think about it this way: when you run low on glucose, your body signals you to eat more carbs. But when your fuel is fat (especially if you’ve got excess stored), those hunger signals basically disappear. As unlike glucose (that you can only store a very small amount) you won’t feel hunger because your body will be in auto-eating mode from a pool of very dense energy source, your body fat. That being said, one of the clearest signs you’re in ketosis are: reduced cravings, reduced hunger, even when you’re eating less.

You might wonder: How long does it take to get into ketosis? That depends on how well or “damaged” your metabolic system is. For someone who’s overweight or obese, it’s entirely possible to enter ketosis in a week or more. Of course, only as long as you stick strictly to the plan and avoid anything that might pull you out.

Yes, I know… you are getting excited already.

More to come in our next post:

Clean Keto vs Dirty Keto – Choosing the right food

P.S.
I will be posting many times this week and we plan to start the diet on 10/13.

And the Winner Diet is…

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After much research and reflection, I’ve come to a strong conclusion: for individuals struggling with obesity, the most effective dietary strategy is a Low-Carbohydrate Diet.
Here’s why:

If you’re obese, it’s highly likely that you’re dealing with some level of insulin resistance, a condition where your cells don’t respond well to insulin, forcing your pancreas to produce more of it just to keep blood sugar in check. This chronic overproduction can lead to a cascade of metabolic issues.

The key to reversing this is to restore insulin sensitivity in other words, getting your body back to a state where insulin works efficiently again. To do that, you need to avoid frequent insulin spikes, and that means reducing your intake of carbohydrates, the food group that triggers the strongest insulin response.

My personal recommendation? The Ketogenic Diet.

Keto is not just popular; it’s backed by a strong track record of results. It works by shifting your body’s fuel source from glucose to ketone bodies, which naturally stabilizes blood sugar and reduces insulin demand.
To accelerate progress, I also will incorporate Intermittent Fasting (IF). This powerful tool helps lower insulin levels even further and speeds up the journey toward metabolic health.

In my next post, I’ll dive deeper into Keto and Ketosis. I will tell you what they are, how they work, and what you need to get started. See you on the next post! 🙂

Ok, Let’s see what is out there…

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encuesta

Some people think that selecting a diet is an easy task. And I believe it is, but when others decide for you. That is, in other words, you go to the doctor to get fix, sorry, to get fit.

If you want professional help on deciding what to use as a diet, I will recommend that you put yourself in the hands on a good “Dietitian”.  Please note that I said “Dietitian” and not “Nutritionist”.  The first one requires a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics while the later can be achieved without formal qualifications. Is not my intention to degrade nutritionists, as I know that many of them have some kind of degree in nutrition or related fields, is the lack of curriculum standardization that work against them.

Let me give you an example of what a dietitian would do in a hypothetic case:

Patience with a severe case of NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) walks into our dietitian’s practice and asks for a diet to put him on the right track to lose weight.

Do you think that is a good idea that our dietitian includes fruits as part of the diet?
Why not? Fruits are a common denominator in just about every balanced diet and the fiber would be of great help to our patience.

Image result for Wrong Sign Transparent Background (imagine the Buzz sound of a wrong answer)

Fruits contains two types of sugar: fructose and sucrose.  sucrose can be broken down by just about any cell in our body. In contrast, fructose has to be managed by the liver exclusively. If our patience already has an impaired liver because of NAFLD, adding extra work with fructose process is not doing anyone a favor. Therefore, a dietitian would possibly wait to correct some degree of NAFLD before recommending fruits.

Do you understand?  Is not that I am saying that fruits are a bad choice for a healthy diet, only that it may not be the best choice for someone with a condition like NAFLD. And that is a kind of choice that a dietitian would do.

Let me end this post by saying that in my opinion diet is easily 75% part of the formula for health. Yes, I know, exercise is important too, but you simple cannot exercise out a bad diet, you simple can’t.  But don’t worry, we don’t plan to only go for the top tier option.  Exercise is also part of the solution.

Now let’s go to work!  You have a few days to search for diet options.  I will do the same and on the next post I will introduce my winner and maybe also the runner-up.

Until our next post and have a good time researching!

Profiling (The Before)

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Depending on your age, you might recognize this classic reference, or it might be new to you. In the golden age of comic books, there was always an ad featuring Charles Atlas, promising to transform you into a powerhouse of strength using his “Dynamic Tension” method.

Now, whether or not you’ve seen that ad, the concept behind it is universally familiar: the journey from an undesired state to a better one, backed of course, by visible proof of progress. I like to call this
“The Before and After.”

The “Before”

This is where change begins, with a decision and a record. That record should reflect the kind of transformation you’re aiming for. Often, a simple photo will do the trick, but it can be anything else that captures your starting point and later, when you reach your “After”, becomes a reminder of how far you’ve come. 

The “After”

This is your destination, your goal. It can be short-term or long-term, but it must be realistic and achievable. So, please, let’s skip the fantasy of dropping 20 pounds in a month. Instead, commit to something sustainable and make it meaningful.

My Profile (Before)

Since this post is about Profiling (The Before), let me give you an idea, here’s my own starting profile. It includes both data and a photo, and I encourage you to do the same. Profiling will help you track progress and stay motivated.

And remember, your profile will differ in data depending on your goal, if what you want is to change your blood sugar levels, instead of a picture you would have a recent blood test as your “Before”. 

Now let’s see…

This is my beginning profile:

Name:  Miguel Andujar (Heta Akira)
Age:  61
Gender:  M
Height:  5′ 9″
Weight: 319 lbs
Fat %: 44.1
Waistline:  55″ 


Note:  The T-Shirt is XL2!!!

Ok, now commit and go make your own “BEFORE”!  

No matter the plan, get your doctor’s “Blessing”

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bpbeingtaken

Let us imagine that you already arranged a good plan for eating healthy and also will add a few hours of light exercise during the week.  Great!!!
A fair question would be:
Why, do I need to visit my doctor if he or she would 100% approve what I am planning to do?

The answer (totally in your favor) is: Because a medical checkup can get you essential information that you should consider during your weight loss program.

Let’s say that you go to the doctor and tests reveal that your blood sugar is too high. Of course, your doctor won’t tell you to drop your plan but maybe add medical suggestions that could improve how efective and safe it executes. Maybe you will get a note to keep away for certain foods or monitor your glucose levels. The same goes for blood pressure and other parameters that have a profound impact on your health.

A couple of years ago, I went to the doctor for a case of torticollis and some of the tests revealed a condition in the cervical area of my spinal cord (neck area) that requires attention. Luckily enough, the doctor said that “Cervical Therapy” would suffice. But my point is that because of this finding, the doctor strongly suggested keeping away from high impact exercises, even if I could go back to a normal weight.  This was not a preventive checkup, and I got very important for any fitness plan that includes exercise. So, knowing where you stand before initiating is always a wise decision.

Work with your doctor and try to get a health picture of you as wide as possible. The more information the better. I believe that your “Before” checkup should include but not limited to: 

1) Complete “Lipids Profile” (your Cholesterol numbers).  Please tell your doctor to include the not always present, genetic marker Apo (a) and the modernly used risk indicator Apo B.  
2)  Glucose Tests (your blood sugar numbers).  This is usually measuring your glucose level at the time of the test, but how about asking for an “A1C” test that is a better assessment for glucose healthy levels? and while you are at it, let us get a “Fasting Insulin” Test.  I am sure that your doctor won’t complain getting this additional knowledge. 
3) Liver Test is also mandatory when assessing metabolic health. If you are obese like me or even overweigh, there is the possibility of having some degree of NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) aka Fat in your Liver. 

So go ahead! Get your doctor involved and start your journey knowing important things about your current self and that you have the approval of your medical professional for your journey to a healthier You!

When will the blog be UPDATED?

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THBupdates

Starting next week, our Blog will be updated twice a week. There will be weeks that a third post could appear but that won’t be very often.

Of course, what better way to start than with “Monday” as the first day for posting. If there are sad news, I will leave them for the second post day, because on Monday, we need support, drive, and everything else that help us start our week with energy.

Thursday is the best candidate for the second post. This is aiming at an even split week: Monday+ 2Days + Thursday + 3Days.

Well, now that we know, mark your calendars and LET’S KEEP POSTING!

Body Fat with a Weight Scale

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In the last post we decided that to monitor our progress we will concentrate on Fat.
And while we also said that BMI (Body Mass Index) could be a way to measure, I don’t think that BMI should be the method of choice nowadays.  BMI is good when you don’t have a smart scale around and you are not very muscular. 

If you want my opinion, I would skip BMI altogether and go right into BFP (Body Fat Percentage) as for us in this Blog, fat is the name of the game.

So, let us focus in getting a good Weight Scale (Smart Weight Scale). One that can compute Body Fat Percentage for us.

A Smart Weight Scale is not too different in appearance to any digital scale that only compute weight. Of course, after getting the results, the similarity ends. 

Here is a photo of the one that I am using now.  I believe it was like 25 dollars at Amazon. So is not like getting a proper device will break the bank for you. 

Now, in any modern digital weight scale, you will expect at least the following:
1) More than just Weight and BMI, again we won’t settle for less than a weight scale with Body Fat readings. Some scales can even split Fat in subcutaneous (under the skin) and the visceral fat (around the organs). In case you are wondering, having excess of visceral fat is worst. 
2) Phone (and sometimes smartwatch) App to track your data. You will pair your scale with your phone and every time you step into your scale, your data will be transferred automatically. 
3) Profiles is a desired feature if the weight scale is shared and there are other family members following your new healthy trend of tracking your weight and fat percentage. 

As I am not recommending any brand or model of weight scale, go online and see a couple of showdown videos to help your selection. Use a prompt like “Best Smart Scales of 2025” or something similar and start reviewing! 

Maybe some of you are asking yourself, what is the deal with this BFP?  I already got a good scale that measures weigh and BMI, why should I change to BFP?  After all most of doctors still rely on BMI on patients’ assessments. 

Yes, that is true. There are a lot of physicians that still use BMI for weight diagnostic, but this number is going down each year. Specially, after 2023 that the American Medical Association (AMA) redefined the limitations of BMI as a sole indicator for assessing weight and obesity risks. 

Ok, now to close this post, I will give you a practical example that will let you see why “BFP > BMI”.  

Here I got a photo (very old photo) that we will use to show our point. 
Look at the two subjects in the photo.

comparing

Although the one on the right is 4″ taller than me, consider the following data:

AGE:              53   –     52
WEIGHT:       274   – 229
HEIGHT:       5′ 9″   – 6′ 1″
BODY FAT:    49.6  –   19
WAISTLINE:  52”  –    34″
PANTS SIZE:  42  –    34″

BMI values =   40.5 – 30.2     to BMI, BOTH SUBJECTS ARE OBESE!!!

 

BUT if we go the BFP route, we see that in my case, half of my body is fat and in the subject of the right is less than 20% and that is why these two are so different at plain sight. 

Again, remember that the reason for this lack of precision on BMI is because it disregards entirely muscle mass. 

So let us get a good Smart Weight Scale that calculates BFP!