Health and Fitness January, 2015

[Twins' Mom]

Weight is down almost 5 pounds from the highest number a week ago. Too many parties, junk food and alcohol probably contributing to water weight?

Anyway, this is better. Going for 10K again today.

[Nancy]

Feeling less fat and better now that it is warm enough to walk again here this week. Yea!

[Harmony]

At the dr. the nurse said I was down from the last visit. Well, a couple pounds. But what she didn't know is I was up a bunch in between and managed to beat it back down. I'm still not anywhere near what I'd like to be. More work to be done.

Another concern, the drs. association gave me a plastic card, announcing that I was now part of the Accountable Care Organization. I was skeptical right away. I do not go to the dr. for every little thing, only for a couple basic necessary things I must monitor and if I am deathly ill. The dr. sugar coated her explaination of this as a way for all my doctors (I have 2) to coordinate their information and as a result I get better healthcare. Ok, I get that, sounds reasonable. I already get my blood drawn for both drs. at the same place at the same time and they share the information by fax. Sounds good, right?

Well tonight I googled it all and just as I thought, this is all part of the new Health Care Law, and a way for Medicare to limit their spending and share the savings with all those in the Accountable Care Organization, and share the overage costs if my care goes over certain limits.Nobody is going to want to lose money over my care, so I see this as my care will be limited. I'm not happy.

[Nancy]

Yesterday I walked and raked leaves for exercise.

[Lady Maverick]

I don't understand the new health insurance/medicare laws. I suspect the worst of it won't show up for awhile - why would anyone become a doctor with all these laws/regulations and restrictions on what they can earn? Our long time multi-generation family doctor and I had a chat about this. He is so frustrated with the laws/regulations placed on him along with the high mal-practice insurance they must have. Plus, even with a thriving practice (accepts no new patients) our family doc brings home less $$ than our son. Our doc tried to talk his son out of becoming a doctor for these reasons. Our doc told his son if he still wanted to get into medical field to become a dentist because they don't have the same government laws/regulations. If people are diverted from becoming doctors.......who will take care of the future generation? Although, his son still became a doctor so maybe there is hope for the future generations.

Weight continues in a very slow downward direction. Yesterday I tried another new low(er) carb recipe with excellent results. Mozzarella filled Mini Mealloaves Today I'm making Burritos with plans to put several in the freezer for quick easy meals. Learning to cook differently is taking a lot of effort, but each successful recipe is being collected and so it can be repeated on future menu plans. My hope is the THM recipe collection effort will be greatly reduced in near future.

[Lynlee]

Meanwhile ... imagining more bureaucrats needing to have a share of money due to doc. As seems to be the way of regulations.

LM - I can't imagine quinoa on its own. Try with veg, or with other seeds like buckwheat and allowed nuts for something to chew. I like to add a dried fig for sugars and chopped ginger for joints, and cranberry for bladder.
GL with the almond milk.

Since I got out of the way of everyday walking at Christmas, ddog has been walking shorter routes. We are both out of condition. Back to yoga yesterday for first time in a month. I am stiff today. Need to recover from binging on forbidden things the other night. I need to just not buy them.

[Harmony]

When I went to the walk-in clinic, there was a dr. there who had said he was retiring from the practice. All his former patients got notices. I had already been switched to another dr. in the same practice. I told him I was surprised to see him and he said he never did retire, never wanted to retire, but the additional rules in family practice were just too much and he went to the walk-in clinic instead.

My dr. who told me about the Accountable Care Organization really was all chirpy happy about it, as a way for Medicare to stretch their money and not run out...blah blah... and what she didn't say was that those who form those Organizations share in the saved funds! She also told me Medicare was who chose me to be put in this group.

My dr. is part of a large conglomerate of drs. and offices all along the Gulf Coast. I used to go there before it got bought out by this organization. We are all herded into the drs. offices... and tiny tiny lab cubicles... If I didn't like this particular dr. so far I would not go there, I would find a private practice. Many drs. around here with private practices have gone to fee only patients (pay $5000 a year and I'll take care of you with no insurance unless the patient can get some back) or they have just retired.

Sorry, I got on that rant.

I am doing some exercises for my legs, whenever it comes to mind during the day. When I make some progress with this I will add some others, maybe some of the core exercises Lady M posted about.

[Nancy]

I cleaned out the chicken coop for me ex today pant pant pant. Phew glad that is done now!

[Harriet]

Earth Fare grocery deli here makes a very popular dish of quinoa with cubed sweet potatoes tossed in. You actually have to get there early to find it. Beautiful appearance because of the translucent quinoa with bright opaque orange, and so good you have a hard time not eating too much! Mark Bittman suggests this recipe I found a couple days back, which looks like it, but I was thinking, why not bake the potatoes first, peel gently and just cube, instead of working so hard cubing first. And I would use a sweet onion, not red.

Listen to me! As if I can cook! I should just offer the recipe and hush.

Happy for you, Harmony, that you DID beat those pounds down, even if you see-sawed to do it. It's still a positive.

I always feel so embarrassed (blessed?) when others complain about lack of gen prac attention because ours is so attentive and willing to take time, really listen. If anything, even more so lately. HRH has said, though, that two different med offices have told him lately about their anger with BCBS as an insurance carrier. This is certainly new to us, since we used to say we had BCBS and never hear a discouraging word.

[Lady Maverick]

Harriet - Thank you for sharing that recipe! You have great taste and ideas. Please don't hush sharing them.

LO received two "rewards" for his school work progress. WHAT could that possible have to do with MY health? LO rewards were certificates for a free personal pizza and a free Sundae (at different eating establishments). When we took LO to get his rewards, DH and I also ate pizza & ice cream. Ugh. My body felt yucky for about 12 hours and gained 2 lbs for about 48 hours. LO was thrilled with the rewards.....me, not so much.

Last night I made BBQ chicken with tator tots. Not an THM approved meal. The big bag of tator tots are taking up a huge space in the freezer so I wanted to get them used up so we made a good size dent in the bag. I tossed the sugar filled treats out the house without much of a problem.....but find giving up potatoes is a bit harder. I just realized they do make frozen sweet potatoes. I need to give them a try.