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The “Right” Not to Get Weighed?

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

The FDA’s recommended Standard American Diet (SAD) is based on super shady “science.” You should eat very little carbs or sugar, and invert the Food Pyramid if you want to be healthy (high good fats, medium protein, and low carbs). The law of economics says, the more you subsidize something, the more of it you will get. The government subsidizes corn and sugar. Americans suffer from *self-inflicted chronic* metabolic disease at an alarming rate, almost 50% of Americans are obese, and THIS is the advice that is being given? Here’s the reality: The Big Biz/Big Gov cronyism is so corrupt now, it is safe to say, if you want to live a long and healthy life, do the opposite of what these clowns recommend. Whatever you do: Stop the denial; it serves no one, least of all you. Get yourself weighed, get on a decent diet (I recommend paleo/keto), and get yourself well. Please.

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Proof Positive Keto Works? Me!

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

From a Facebook post in 2019: A friend asked for more details about my weight loss journey, and since I wrote a long-ish response to her, thought I’d share it here too.

1. Alcohol: I quit drinking in Dec 2017, and for me, that was a big part of the success story, but mostly bc I was drinking a lot of wine daily, and those calories added up… Also, wasn’t making the best food/life decisions when sauced up. 😛

2. Eating out: I don’t eat out much anymore, and when I do, I usually just get a salad with some kind of protein. Not eating out is mostly bc my home cooked meals are better than 99% of local restaurants, and I’ve gotten REALLY fussy about where my food is sourced. So that’s mostly a personal choice, but I know people who can balance the eating out and keto quite successfully, but you have to be willing to be particular when you place your order (and that’s OK).

3. What’s in the house/microwaving: We did a serious PURGE of our pantry when we switched. Threw out/donated anything that is not supposed to cross our lips. This is an important step. Trust me… My parents came to visit, and my dad put some Pringles in the pantry, and for me, it was like having crack in the house and I ended up eating IT ALL, LOL, and then reminding myself that I can’t have stuff like that around… So my pantry has a million types of NUTS instead. 😛

The crux of my journey–everyone’s is different–but mine was about getting unhealthy ADDICTIONS out of my life. Ones I wasn’t even willing to admit to myself were addictions: Sugar, carbs, alcohol, negative/nihilistic people–I’m working on digital minimalism now (less screen time)…

So to answer your question about “a normal life,” you have to ask yourself what is “normal”? Is society’s definition of “normal” what YOU want, or is what society accepts as “OK” really unhealthy/less than optimal/possibly not what you want or need to be your best YOU?

I no longer take my cues from what’s “normal” but rather from: What do **I** want? I want to be healthy long-term and have an excellent quality of living, which means **I** have to WORK AT IT BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE CAN DO IT FOR ME. I want to look my best for my age. I want to EMBODY a life free of as much statism as I can muster, which means eliminating the toxic stuff that is regarded as “normal” in our lives, but that isn’t normal, acceptable, or good for us… Like the Standard American Diet (SAD!) and the entire middle part of a grocery store…

The other major change I made is getting enough sleep–we read in bed and are asleep by 10pm, and up around 5am.

Three books I found inspiring: This Naked Mind; Girl, Wash Your Face; and Bright Line Eating.

I’ll tell you the secret of my success: STICKING TO THE PROGRAM. When I stopped making exceptions, and stopped “negotiating” with myself (which created a lot of cyclical/negative mind-talk) and just DID THE RIGHT THINGS, it became EASY.

THAT’S how you form new and better habits. (I even stopped biting my nails–after 45 years!)

Now, getting to a place where you can do that, isn’t so easy, but those three books will lead you in the right direction. The other thing is once you get your hormones/sugar levels in balance and are eating right, you genuinely don’t get hungry/cravings anymore, and it all gets pretty awesome, easy and ends up simply being how you live and are.

In other words: *YOU* CONTROL HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE AND IT IS A DAILY CHOICE, SO CHOOSE WISELY. 😀Keep me posted and GOOD LUCK! I’m proof positive it works!

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Blog

Living Well Starts with YOU

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Imagine if the CDC and the legacy media had spent the past year actually trying to make people well. A friend responded with, “There’s never any profit in a ‘Cure’ only the treatments.

My response: “My supplement and farm stall expenses belie that statement! 😛 Actually, in a truly the free market, this problem wouldn’t exist because the best solutions would be able to rise to the top. Instead, we have cronyism between the legacy media and Big Pharma. I don’t watch those junk channels anymore, but if I catch them when traveling, I’m amazed at the pharma ads touting all kinds of crap.

You can heal many, many ailments by:
1. changing your diet (high good fats, medium protein, low carb and eliminating processed food),
2. being mindful about your choices, and
3. sticking to a routine that keeps you on track.
Sadly, people have been conditioned to think there’s an “easy fix” instead of understanding the journey of keeping your corpus healthy IS PART OF LIVING RIGHT.”

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Blog

What a Difference Better Choices Make

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

The photo on the left came up in my Facebook memories today–OOOF!–and serves as a reminder of the positive changes I’ve made over the past four years.

The #1 change? Making MYSELF and MY HEALTH a priority.

How?
By switching to Ancestral living, focusing on whole #keto and #paleo foods. <— Catch my Sunday #freedomnomnom posts!
By quitting alcohol, which had become an addiction and crutch.
By processing underlying anxiety stemming from an unmoored childhood through journaling and behavioral modification therapy.
By making exercise a daily habit and restarting my yoga practice.
By meditating and being mindful and aware in my interactions with others, including deepening my relationship with my husband and friends.
By CHOOSING TO. <— This is THE KEY to fulfillment and joy!

DECIDE to prioritize yourself so that you can heal, mend, fix, restart, grow, change and IMPROVE! We get one chance… Get living! Learn more about my journey HERE. Buy my book, The Ecstatic Pessimist HERE.

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Psst, Don’t Tell My Husband, But I Fit Back in His Jeans: 3 Things that Worked When I Started My Keto Life

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

A friend asked for more details about my transformation and weight loss journey that started in December 2017, and to date, March 7, 2020, I have lost and kept off 65 pounds following an Ancestral/Keto lifestyle, meaning: I eat low carb, medium protein, and high good fats; I move daily (walking the dog for 45 minutes counts!); and I sleep enough to recharge my brain for optimal living.

3 Tips for Success When Starting on Keto

1. Eliminating alcohol: I quit drinking in December 2017, and for me, this was a huge part of my success story, but mostly because I was drinking a lot of wine daily, and those calories added up… Also, I wasn’t making the best food/life choices when I was sauced up.

2. Eating out: I don’t eat out much anymore, and when I do, I usually just get a salad with some kind of protein. Not eating out is mostly because my home cooked meals are better than 99% of local restaurants, and I’ve gotten REALLY fussy about where my food, especially meat, is sourced. So, that’s mostly a personal choice, but I know people who can balance restaurant meals and Keto quite successfully, but you have to be willing to be particular when you place your order (and that’s OK). 

3. What’s in your house? My husband and I did a serious pantry purge when we switched to Ancestral living. We threw out or donated any foods that were not supposed to cross our lips. This was an important step that I recommend you not skip. Trust me… My parents came to visit for Thanksgiving 2018, and my dad bought some Pringles and left them in the pantry when they went home, and for me, those chips were like having crack in the house–and even after 4-pages of journaling about why I shouldn’t, I ended up eating the whole damn thang! I chalked up my relapse to a learning experience, and used it to remind myself that I can’t have stuff like that around… So, instead, my pantry contains a million types of delicious, nutritious nuts that arrive on scheduled orders so I never run out.  

The crux of my journey–everyone’s is different–but mine was about getting unhealthy ADDICTIONS out of my life. Ones I wasn’t even willing to admit to myself were addictions: Sugar, carbs, alcohol, negative/nihilistic people–I’m working on digital minimalism and less screen time now.

So to answer your question about “a normal life,” you have to ask yourself what is “normal”? Is society’s definition of “normal” what YOU want, or is what society accepts as “OK” really unhealthy/less than optimal/possibly not what you want or need to be your best YOU? 

I no longer take my cues from what’s “normal” but rather from: What do **I** want? I want to be healthy long-term and have an excellent quality of living, which means **I** have to WORK AT IT BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE CAN DO IT FOR ME. I want to look my best for my age. I want to EMBODY a life free of as much statism as I can muster, which means eliminating the toxic stuff that is regarded as “normal” in our lives, but that isn’t normal, acceptable, or good for us… Like the Standard American Diet (SAD!) and the entire middle part of a grocery store… 

The other major change I made is getting enough sleep–we read in bed and are asleep by 10pm, and up around 5am. 

Three books I found inspiring when I started this journey: 
This Naked Mind by Annie Grace; 
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis; and 
Bright Line Eating by Susan Peirce Thompson. 

I’ll tell you the secret of my success: STICKING TO THE PROGRAM. When I stopped making exceptions, and stopped “negotiating” with myself (which created a lot of cyclical/negative mind-talk) and just DID THE RIGHT THINGS, it became EASY. THAT’S how you form new and better habits. (I even stopped biting my nails–after 45 years!)

Now, getting to a place where you can do that, isn’t so easy, but those three books will lead you in the right direction. The other thing is once you get your hormones/sugar levels in balance and are eating right, you genuinely don’t get hungry/cravings anymore, and it all gets pretty awesome, easy, and ends up simply being how you live and are. 

In other words: *YOU* CONTROL HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE AND IT IS A DAILY CHOICE, SO CHOOSE WISELY. ðŸ˜€

Keep me posted and GOOD LUCK! I’m proof positive it works!

[EDIT: This post first appeared on Facebook on February 6, 2019.]
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Podcasts

Eat Like a Caveman So You Can Live to Be a Robot: Told You So Ep. 5

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

LISTEN NOW… Do you have a complicated relationship with food and exercise? With more Americans succumbing to the “illnesses of wealth” like heart disease and diabetes, something is obviously wrong with the way our food and fitness culture operates. So what’s the answer?

Your hosts discuss their personal history and experience with different fitness and diet regimes, and work through the difference between a diet and a lifestyle. While this week’s episode is a bit of a detour from our regular subject matter, at its core it’s about self ownership and working to make life better. We hope you’ll find something useful! LISTEN NOW…

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Blog

One year later, still going strong

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Last year’s pithy joke popped up in my “Memories” on Facebook this morning, and it reminded me, I’ve made a lot of progress over the past year. The quote holds true… My confidence has grown (or mostly, returned); I feel physically strong and healthy–my blood pressure is 98/62; I’m practicing Bikram Yoga regularly again after an eighteen year hiatus (yeah, OUCH!); and I am so, so, so, eternally grateful I DECIDED to make myself my #1 priority. I hope you will make yourself your #1 priority, too.

Follow me on Insta and Facebook for tips on how YOU can live The Good Life, free and happy, following an active, Keto lifestyle. Let me help you master The Art of Independence!

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On becoming an”Expert Humble Bragger,” and YOU should too…

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Last year today, Facebook reminds me, I had lost FORTY pounds by switching to a Keto lifestyle. I’ve lost another 25 pounds since then for a grand total of SIXTY FIVE pounds. I haven’t had a drink of alcohol in 450 days–I had to look that up because I don’t track this number because I don’t think about it, AT ALL. (Yeah, color me surprised too.) I quit biting my nails after 45 years, and now enjoy bimonthly manicures as a reward. On Sept. 29, 2018, I started journalling daily. I know because the first entry reads: “Diary of my last 37 days of my second Senate race against ‘the lion’.” I lost my race, but I am 100% confident my book is going to be better than his. This brings me to my point… Of all these things, here’s what I am most proud of: I have perfected the art of the humble brag… Nay, I have become an EXPERT HUMBLE BRAGGER, and YOU should too!

Seriously. I have been thinking a lot about how much we choose to get in our own way, and what societal stimuli we choose to follow. As a literature and arts junkie, I am only now realizing that drinking yourself to death, or fucking up your life “‘cos YOLO,” is not aspirational. Why are these people elevated and touted as role models? Reading memoirs of authors documenting their alcoholic slides to death is pretty fucking bleak. Hey, Ernest (or Anthony Bourdain), put down the bottle, it only makes the anxiety worse! I guess we revere them because they’re “not boring,” but know what’s not boring? Setting and meeting goals. Achieving what you want. Being your best self.

Which brings me back to HUMBLE BRAGGING. I want YOU to become an EXPERT too, because regardless of whomever decided “humble bragging” was a bad thing, I am here to reclaim it as a POSITIVE.

Why? Because we should be PROUD of the things we achieve that are meaningful to us and improve our lives, even if it is, “I made my bed” or “Today I brushed my teeth.” (Hey, I’ve struggled with depression, too.) Because life is hard enough without taking away or diminishing our own personal pride–which is a wonderful feeling that we should encourage in each other (without being assholes about it). Because we deserve to love ourselves enough to admit it to others.

This is why I love the concept of “humble bragging.” It’s got just enough yin and yang, just enough balance to keep it real. Go on, now you try it! Let me know in the comments below what you are proud of in your own life, some improvement you have been working on and feel good about–big or small! And… go!


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