My New Year so far...

OK.  We all know we go a little nuts during the holidays.  I did.  I went beyond nuts.  I am the heaviest I've ever been.  That even includes 1997 when I came home after my sophmore year at Tennessee and was very, uh, fluffy.  So I made a resolution to get myself back together. 
My friend had incredible success on this diet she got from her physician.  I thought "why not?!".  So I talked to her through a thousand texts and emails and made a grocery list, and went to Sprouts and Kroger many times.  I planned menus and after 3 days actually started feeling better. I ate a ton of fruits and veggies and meats with no soy, gluten, dairy, or sugar of any kind. All was great.  Except for one minor detail... hunger.  I'm not talking about "um... I could eat" kind of hunger, but more like I'm-gonna-gnaw-off-my-arm hunger.  Miserable.  On the third day I had an appointment to go see her doctor.  I was so excited to make a positive change and I just knew that this "comprehensive wellness" visit for new patients was going to start me in the right direction.  I was going to get nutrition advice, a diet plan, see the doctor, talk about massage and accupuncture, and have a chiropractic evaluation, maybe some labs and xrays to formulate a complete wellness package for me.
The office is lovely and I went in like a kid excited to see a new gift.  I was ready for wellness! 

What I got was a very comprehensive chiropractic exam and instructions to go have an xray of my neck and bring my last lab values from my doctor to my next visit, which they will call me  to schedule.  Ummmm?  I asked when I would get to see the doctor and talk about diet and nutrition and she told me "on the next visit. And then she might want you to have some more labs done depending on what you have with you".  Excuse me?  So what they're telling me is that I paid (actually my insurance was billed for) an office visit.  Then somewhere else for an Xray.  Then I'll find my own labs from my doctor and dig out the last xrays I had and bring them in... about a week from now.  Then she'll probably tell me to have my thyroid and iron and blood count checked because fatigue was one of my top complaints (along with my gut which apparently gets addressed on a visit far far away...). 
That's not even basic nursing.  I don't know what kind of medical approach that is.  We are taught Assess, Diagnose, Plan, Intervene and Evaluate.   One stop shopping. Concise. Efficient. Bam. Done. That's not what was offered here... instead it was a wild goose chase.

I don't think so.  If I want labs drawn, I'll call my regular doctor, where they will all be done in the same building. On the same day.  If I want more xrays of my spine, I'll call my spine doctor where they'll all be done in his office and I'll get the verdict before ever leaving.  I'm not driving all over town and having my insurance billed for multiple visits and diagnostic studies before I ever even talk to a physician.
As for the nutrition part, I know what to do.  We all do.  I've just been lazy and haven't done it.  I need to get off my ass and get moving.  Yoga 3 times a week.  Zumba or walking the other two.  Start taking the garage stairs at work again. Save the wine for weekends.  I know how to eat... small meals with a protein and complex carb at every meal, with small snacks in between and nothing after 6pm.  I know this.  I've always known this.  Somewhere along the way I lost my focus.  I blame the wine and the cheetos and the convenience of laying on the couch catching up on my DVR.  But no more... it's time for real change.  I have to look hot in a bikini this summer, especially since I'm going somewhere new.

And no offense intended to my friend.  She's had incredible success on this program with this doctor.  I'm proud of her and how she is such a champion for them, because they have helped her so much.  But it's not for me.  I need a little carb in my diet and broccoli and fruit were only making me uncomfortable.  One day I almost blew myself around the room at work.  That's not attractive or comfortable. 
So after trying to reinvent myself with the new and different, I came home tonight and had a bowl of fiber one cereal for dinner.  I'm full for the first time in 3 days. 

That's my new year so far.