The Whole30 Program

Posted on July 31, 2012 by cupcakecartel

Hey everyone!

Starting tomorrow I’m going to start The Whole30 Program for the month of August. It’s a paleo type diet where you remove wheat, dairy, grains and sugar from your diet for 30 days to heal your body. I want to be clear and tell you all that I’m not doing this to lose weight. I’ve already lost quite a bit on Weight Watchers and I am much more comfortable in my body. This is to make me feel better and give my body a rest from overly processed foods. James is joining me, which is really exciting! He’s two weeks post brain surgery and I think this is going to give him the energy and nutrition he needs to heal properly, as well as help his poor belly problems. I purchased Well Fed as an e-book on my Kindle as well as It Starts with Food which are both Whole30 approved cookbooks as well as shopping guides, etc. to help me stay successful. I’ve been analyzing what I’ve been eating for the past few days and figuring out how I could eat the same meal without the grains or dairy, etc. It shouldn’t be that hard because the recipes I’ve read look really yummy and really satisfying. Plus Well Fed gives you so many great tips on how to do a Cook Up once a week so it’s easy to have everything available when you need it. I honestly can’t wait. I want to feel my best for my upcoming wedding and I really think this is going to help us both so much!

I’m going to be blogging about it daily so you can see my progress. I hope you’ll encourage me, motivate me and keep me honest. Positive comments are welcome!

Thanks so much.

Health Care Reform & Women Like Me

Posted on July 10, 2012 by cupcakecartel

I was and am so excited about Health Care Reform, because it means so many things to so many people who are uninsured, or who are struggling to pay for their health care costs. I’m lucky and have health insurance through work, although it could be a much better plan – but I digress. I was really excited about the new Contraception Coverage that was in the bill. That is, until I read a notice from my health insurance provider.

“Only the products on the list applicable to your plan will be no cost under the pharmacy benefit. The health reform law allows plans to use reasonable medical management to decide which contraceptive products will be provided at no cost share. If you choose a covered birth control product that is not on the list, a copay or coinsurance may be required. And this cost will apply to your deductible if you have one.”

The medication I’m on isn’t listed, and it costs me $105 every 3 months. It used to cost $45 every 3 months. This is pretty frustrating. How can the insurance company use “reasonable medical management” to decide which ones they want to provide at no cost? The cheapest available? Uh, yep. That’s exactly the ones they’re giving to people at $0. The CHEAPEST available. Seems pretty fishy to me.

I guess it’s time to chat with my doctor!