Basic Economics

So... I just saw something about boycotting Papa Johns because they have stated they will need to increase the cost of a pizza approximately $0.15 to cover the increased healthcare costs imposed on them by Obamacare.

Um... is it really not common knowledge that when a company incurs additional expense, wherever it comes from, that it is relayed on to the consumer?

Gas prices rise = prices went up. High rates of theft = prices go up. Raw materials goods increase in price = price of final goods go up. Manpower costs increase (including health care coverage) = prices go up.

I don't understand why the surprise & outrage from people who supported Obamacare. Did they really not think this thru? Not even this very simple result of the legislation?

I mean, this is pretty basic economics. The money has to come from somewhere. In order for the companies to remain profitable & competitive, they must increase prices.

Pictures from Haiti

Here are some pics from Jason's recent mission trip to Haiti. It was a wonderful experience for him & his brothers, and they do plan to return in the future to continue serving the people of this country.

 

Their primary task was to aid in re-building a wall that was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake . This wall surrounds the Good Shepherd Orphanage and provided protection for the residents & staff.

 

Now, why would an orphanage need protection, need a huge all surrounding the campus? you might ask. Well, the sad fact is that the entire area is struggling. And by struggling, I mean desperate. Desperate to feed their own families. Since the wall has been down, the orphanages supplies, including much-needed food, have been stolen on a regular basis. Not out of any sense of evil or wrong-doing, but because families are desperate to provide for their own children. Without the wall, the simple fact is the orphanage cannot afford to continue, because it cannot afford to feed everyone. It is a very sad situation for all.

 

the orphanage has its own school

Besides the wall, another member of the team, Avi* came down to assist with the school's food program.

solar oven

 Avi is a successful pastry chef with his own business. He makes semi-regular trips to the orphanage to help them with their food program.

solar oven from the side

 He aids with the solar ovens, but he also creates recipes that are easy to make, with ingredients the orphanage has access to, that increase the nutrition provided to the children there. While there, he also spends time mentoring several of the older children in the art of baking, helping them develop life skills.

It's hard to believe the damage from an earthquake two years ago that still exists. In our country there would be no visible signs, nothing that anyone not very familiar with the area would recognize. Not every country is blessed with the resources that we have here.

damage to the inside of the orphange
half of the building is completely unusable

a view of the other side of the building
(ie. what it should look like)

as they started on the wall

when the boys left

Those are just a few of the pics he got, but I think those are the ones that best represent their trip.

As always, thanks for checking in!

________________________

* actually his real name

My Fat Butt - oh, well

Well, I reached a point in my frustration where I went back on my meds. I still had some left, so I just decided to do it. Told Fireman, and asked him to help me keep an eye out for side effects so I can stop them if I need to.

Three weeks of being on my meds.

Three weeks of even-more-strictly watching what I eat.

Three weeks of seeing our grocery spending increase while our restaurant spending decreases.

Three weeks of my husband making comments about how little I ate at such-and-such a meal.

Three weeks of getting even more exercise (but being careful, because my back is even worse - need to do a separate post on that).

Three weeks later... and I am holding steady. Haven't gained any more. But haven't lost so much as a pound. Not one.

And that's on my meds.

Got so frustrated that I took a pregnancy test (no, we're not trying. yes, I'm on birth control). It was negative. Not surprising, but I was hoping for an answer.

This has been my life. For as long as I can remember.

Add in side-eyes from thin people. Comments about how I should just eat less. Exercise more. It's easy!

It's not easy. Not for everyone.

What sent me to the endocrinologist in the first place was the tipping point of standing in the gym and having a trainer yell at me that I was lying to them. That after six weeks of following their program, if I had been following, I would have lost a ton of weight & inches.

I didn't. I lost one stinkin' pound. I went from not exercising at all, to working out 3 -5 times a week, including 1 -2 times a week with a personal trainer. I was doing my best to follow their eating plan. I'll admit I didn't manage 100% adherence, but it was a drastic change to what I had been doing beforehand.

And after six weeks I had only lost 1 lb.

And was being accused of lying. Because everyone loses weight when they make those changes.

Not everyone.

Not me.

See. Here I am again.

Part of me is depressed. I can't stand the way my body looks. Very few clothes fit (although I did give in & with FireMan's blessing spent $$ on a new work outfit).

Part of me is just... okay with it. I've tried. I an honestly say that I have tried. I have worked really hard. No matter what society says, I have nothing to be ashamed of. I gave it my best. And my body just refuses to be thin. Even with medical intervention.

So, what now? I'm not sure. I'm continuing to improve my eating: eating more & more at home, incorporating more & more fruits & veggies. Everything in moderation. I'm continuing to try to find ways to get exercise: we recently joined our local YMCA (year-round swimming! zero impact! yay!).

I've considered more drastic measures. Strict, programmed diets (ie. meal replacements & such). Even surgery (there are more options than I realized).

But as frustrated as I am, I'm not ready for anything drastic. At least not without guaranteed results, which no one can do.

Maybe I'll just learn to be content with this body. Maybe I'll hit a plateau, and stay there. Maybe I'll eventually learn to dress this body well (Geesh! It took me 25 years for this fashion-handicapped person to figure out how to dress my old pre-pregnancy body!). And maybe all of that is okay.

As always, thanks for checking in.