annemariedemyen

Daily Food Diary – Day 55 of 365

February 25, 2025February 25, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Another day in the life of my 365 Day Daily Food Diary. I have 310 days to go and I am starting to see how challenging this could get before I am done. We have one trip planned and another one that we are hoping to take. I have my hernia repair coming up. Spring is coming soon and that will lead to all of the outdoor activities that I love. Life in general is about to get a lot busier than it was when I set out on this venture.

As I was reminded this morning, by my friend Dwight Hyde from http://fadedjeansliving.com , regardless of what I am struggling with, ‘I choose‘. Whether, it is continuing a challenge of my own making, dealing with chronic health issues, or dealing with situations that are totally out of my control, I can always stop and deliberately choose how I go forward. Knowing that I choose, makes the right choice obvious and it is the first step to being committed to following through with it.

Another 310 days of tracking everything I consume and posting it in a blog is about to get daunting but not undoable! Every day is another opportunity to choose to move forward – and at this point, there is no going back! 😊

Food Diary – Day 55

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) Crumpets (160)

(2) tsp butter (68)

(1) tsp jam (17)

(2) slices thick sliced bacon (200)

(24) oz water

(1 1/2) c French pea soup (271)

(5) soda crackers (63)

(1) c tea

(2) c vegetable stir fry (144)

(2 1/2) oz lean pork loin(141)

(1) c white rice (242)

(4) air fried chicken flats (170)

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) oz fresh coconut (70)

Total calories: 1548

That’s it for today! Take care and have a great day! 💞🤗

Daily Food Diary – Day 54 of 365

February 24, 2025February 24, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 54 days into my Daily Food Diary. I am not starting to slide, I am running later than usual this morning because I had to get to an appointment with the hernia surgeon.

Everything is fine, he is going ahead with surgery – under general anesthesia this time. Surgery will probably happen three or four months from now.

I am fine with the wait. As long as I take care, the hernia does not bother me. The wait also gives me time to Goggins up and build up my respiratory system as much as possible before I go under the anesthetic.

Our weather is co-operating with my intention to get more active and get more fresh air. The sun is shining and it is beautiful out!

**A few weeks away, but I am ready to lose the winter boots, grab the sneakers,** **and get out to enjoy some nature walks.**

Food Diary – Day 54

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) slices bacon No Name thin low salt (140)

(2) large eggs (140)

(1/4) med tomato (6)

(6) oz coconut water (34)

(25) No Name BBQ chips (270)

(9) Almonds (90)

(1) c tea

(1 1/2) c Habitant pea soup (271)

(5) Sofa Crackers (63)

Total Calories: 1247

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💓😊

Daily Food Diary – Day 53 of 365

February 23, 2025February 23, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Fifty three days in, three hundred and twelve to go!

As always, I am posting my diary entry for yesterday. Today, being a Sunday, we just finished our Sunday morning brunch of bacon and eggs. Sunday brunch has been a thing for us since our first round of grandkids were tots – every second Sunday back in the days when Dan was working 24/7 shifts.

Sunday mornings were a highlight for us, with an opportunity to have time with the grandkids. For the kids, it was a Sunday morning adventure – generally following a Saturday night sleepover.

**Sunday Brunch with Genie, Maddy, & Prim – first annual hat day. 🥰**

Sleepovers and brunch with the grandkids are now a part of the past, but Dan and I continue the tradition. I cook the bacon (in the oven on cookie sheets) and slice the tomato. Then I set everything up for Dan to cook the eggs, the toast for himself and the potato patties for me. The routine hasn’t changed much over the years, but it never gets old. 😊

Food Diary – Day 53

(1) c coffee (2)

(1/2) c pineapple (42)

(1) peach (51)

(1) kiwi (40)

(1/4) c blueberries (21)

(24) oz water

(1) blueberry oatmeal muffins (156)

(1/2) tsp brown sugar (9)

(1) tsp butter (34)

(1) c tea

(12) oz carbonated water

(8) air fried chicken wing flats (340)

(1) tbsp Frank’s Honey Garlic Sauce (23)

(3) riblets (67)

(2) tbsp Dilly Sauce (40)

(1) Paratha (263)

(2) tsp butter

(1) clove garlic (4)

(4) radishes (9)

(1/2) c broccoli (10)

(8) slices cucumber (8)

(1) carrot (25)

(1/2) raw mushrooms (11)

Total Calories: 1380

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💝😊

Daily Food Diary – Day 52 of 365

February 22, 2025February 22, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

For 52 days now, I have been recording and posting my Daily Food Diary. Focussing on my diet does not mean that I am neglecting other aspects of my health.

I am doing my morning aerobics six mornings a week and with our much milder temperatures, I am excited about getting outside and enjoying our fresh air. With this in mind, I set out with Dan and Molly yesterday for a walk around our neighborhood.

I don’t know if you can see or relate to our ice rutted street or the sidewalk across the street, which is buried under two or three feet of ice and snow. I know you can’t see our sidewalk but Dan does keep it cleared and passable – unlike most residential sidewalks in this area and ALL sidewalks adjacent to city owned property.

Walking in conditions like this is extremely difficult and dangerous. Walking in conditions like this while holding onto a Great Pyrenees like Molly is pretty much impossible.

**Walking a Great Pyrenees on dry solid ground can be difficult enough.**

Fortunately, there are parks in the city with trails that are maintained and we have a large yard that I can access to get some fresh air. But, walking around our neighborhood again will have to wait until Mother Nature makes our streets and sidewalks passable. 🌞

Food Diary – Day 52

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) crumpets with butter & jam (211)

(2) thin sliced bacon (200)

(24) ounces water

(1/2) grapefruit with sugar (56)

(1) blueberry/oatmeal muffins with butter (190)

(12) ounces carbonated water

(1) tortilla wrap (170)

(12) pcs pepperoni (65)

(4) slices shaved ham (90)

(2) slices back bacon (35)

(1/3) c shredded cheese (120)

(1 1/2) c mushrooms, red onion, red pepper, green olives (35)

Total Calories: 1224

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💕🤗

Daily Food Diary – Day 51 of 365

February 21, 2025June 25, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

It is the 51st day of recording my Food Diary and posting it here on WordPress.

Better yet, this is the day that our brutal cold snap finally breaks and our temperatures soar up to the freezing point. It has been the longest coldest February that I can ever remember, but the worst of it is finally behind us.

We do not have any huge plans for today, but I am looking forward to a walk – outside in the fresh air 😊 – with Dan and Molly. I’m also excited to be going to Home Depot to pick up some garden seeds. It is finally time to start some seedlings for our garden so we have them to plant once this snow and ice is behind us. That is weeks away, but I am still excited to take that first step.

Food Diary – Day 51

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) Peach (51)

(1/2) c pineapple

(1) Granola bar (160)

(1) Egg (80)

(3) Slices back bacon (52)

(1) Potato patty (85)

(24) oz water

(1) c Lemon Ginger tea

(1) Homemade oatmeal blueberry muffin (199)

(5) Licorice allsorts (110)

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) Lean hamburger patty (307)

(1/2) Sliced tomato (6)

(1/4) Red Onion (3)

(1/2) c lettuce (3)

(25) Lay’s Classic Potato Chips(160)

Total Calories: (1262)

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🤗

Daily Food Diary – Day 50 of 365

February 20, 2025June 25, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in Uncategorized

I am FIFTY days into my 365 day Daily Food Diary! When I started this diary, I was not looking at where I was, or back to where I had been. I was looking forward to improving my future – becoming stronger and healthier and happier. I was looking forward to avoiding some of the pitfalls that aging can bring – loss of mobility, loss of muscle tone, loss of vitality.

This morning, I was on the Lose It! app that I have recently started using. According to the information I provided, and the calorie plan that was recommended, I will reach my goal weight of 115 pounds by September 8th, 2025. That’s pretty cool! Of course that will not be the end of my Daily Diary. Going forward, I will keep working to improve the nutritional value of the calories I consume and expand my knowledge of nutrition. I will continue to learn how best to feed my body so that I can continue to live my best life and my best future possible.

I **am not a ‘has been**‘. **I am a ‘YET TO BE’**

Food Diary – Day 50

(1) c coffee (2)

(1/2) grapefruit with sugar (56)

(2) crumpets with butter and jam (244)

(24) oz water

(7) oz canned pink salmon (240)

(2) tbsp light Miracle Whip (74)

(1 1/2) c. Lettuce (9)

(1/4) c green onions (10)

(1) c tea (1)

(3) oz pork chop (105)

(1/2) c Rice a Roni fried rice (155)

(1) Side salad (113)

(1/2) bag popcorn (190)

(12) oz carbonated water

Total Calories: 1229

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💕☺️

Daily Food Diary – Day 49 of 365

February 19, 2025June 25, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

Good Morning! I am a few days late, but this morning I weighed in at 129.7 pounds. Yay!

Yesterday, I turned a corner with the app Lose It! that I have been working with the past few days. Two things that I really like –

(1) The app breaks down my daily calories into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Regardless of what I am doing, I always do better if I break it down into smaller parts. This will help me to not only stick to an overall calorie budget for each day, but will also help me to make healthier choices throughout the day. 👍

(2) This app helps me to track my activity for the day and see how it affects my available calories. 🤸

I have used a Fitbit activity tracker before, but this is the first time I have used an app that budgets calories for the day, tracks calories consumed and calories used. I can see this becoming a really useful tool for me.

Note: I haven’t checked it out yet, but Lose It! also tracks the nutritional make up and values of the foods I eat. That will be very helpful as I continue to work on improving my diet this year. Also, while I am starting out with the basic free app, there are benefits to be had with a paid subscription that I will check out down the road.

Food Diary – Day 49 of 365

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) lg pear (133)

(1) Granola bar (160)

(24) oz water

(3) oz DK skinless turkey (160)

(6) Original Triscuits (120)

(1) c tea

(2) sq. dark chocolate (120)

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) lg garden salad with pan fried (in olive oil) white chicken (473)

Total Calories: 1169

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞

Daily Food Diary – Day 48 of 365

February 18, 2025June 25, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

I am 48 days into my Daily Food Diary and 17 days down for tracking my calorie intake.

More days than not this month, I have consumed more calories than I should, if I am looking to LOSE weight. Many of those calories tend to be ones that have little, to no, nutritional value. So far this month, my biggest WIN has been that I can see why I am not losing weight and why my diet is not helping me to feel as good as I should. 🙄

Keeping a Daily Food Diary was never just about losing weight, or even mainly about losing weight. Likewise, it was never meant to be a quick, magical fix for improving my overall health.

My Daily Food Diary is simply a tool. It shows me in black and white what I need to do to improve my diet. It cuts through the excuses and the mindless eating and will ultimately get me to a point where I am adequately nourishing my body with the nutrients it needs to function at a higher, healthier level.

Every new day is a new opportunity to do a little better, so that by the end of the year I will have made noticeable progress and eating well is just another part of living well. That’s the plan!

Food Diary – Day 48 of 365

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) Eggo Waffles (330) with butter (103) and syrup (100)

(3) thin slices of bacon (180)

(24) oz water

(1) c tea (1)

(2) cookies (146)

(25) Lay’s Classic Chips (140)

(3) Small cabbage rolls (300)

(3) Bulk Barn Allsorts (64)

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) c tea (1)

Total Calories: 1367

Yesterday, I started tracking my calories on an app called ‘Lose It!’ , recommended by Terry from http://radicallyretired.com. So far it seems simple enough even for someone who is technically challenged (such as myself). I am still learning the ropes and going back and forth between my manual method and automated, but from what I have seen, I would definitely suggest checking it out.

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day!💞🌞

Daily Food Diary – Day 47 of 365

February 17, 2025June 25, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

I am 47 days in on maintaining and posting my Daily Food Diary. I am still discovering things about myself and what I consume on any given day.

Yesterday, I had a bowl of potato chips. Potato chips are one of my biggest weaknesses. 🙄 I learned years ago to take a small bowl of chips and put the bag back in the pantry. The bowl I use generally holds one recommended serving of chips. (Ie: No Name Spicy Barbecue 23 chips = 260 calories or Ruffles Regular 23 chips = 280 calories or Tostitos Hint of Lime 11 large chips = 250 calories. Yesterday, I chose Lay’s Classic chips. I had 23 chips, but Lay’s Classic Chips have a recommended serving of 47 chips = 280 calories! So 23 chips is only 140 calories. They are no healthier than any other chips – they have more saturated fat and half the sodium of No Name Spicy Barbecue, but they are a score if one is just looking to reduce calories. 👍

It is one week until I see the surgeon about having my hernia surgery redone. My patience is wearing thin. I have set aside my strength exercises until I get this matter resolved. I planned to replace these workouts with walks, which is not happening as long as it is minus forty out. So, I have been doing my morning aerobic workouts and forgoing my afternoon workouts. It is frustrating and I am annoyed that I have not taken up something else in the meantime. I do have options. I could do step ups? Wall Pilates? Yoga? I could do a lot of things BUT… But what? 🤔

Food Diary – Day 47

1c coffee (2)

(2) Eggs (160)

(4) Thin slices bacon (360)

(2) Potato patties (240)

(24) oz water

(1) c tea (1)

(24) Plain potato chips (140)

(3/4) c caramel corn (120)

(12) oz carbonated water

(1 1/2) c chicken noodle soup (180)

(2) mini cupcakes (200)

(1/2) c sunflower seeds – shell on (130)

Total calories: 1533

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🤗

Daily Food Diary – Day 46 of 365

February 16, 2025June 25, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025

It is Sunday morning and I am celebrating 46 days in, eating more mindfully by tracking and posting my Daily Food Diary.

Dan, Molly, and I are also celebrating Molly’s third birthday! We aren’t doing much but Molly is going for a ride out to the cemetery for a visit with Dan’s dad, Nick who would likewise be celebrating his birthday today.

I can’t believe how fast these past two years have gone since Dan has been home full time. The first year of Molly’s life, Dan was working thirteen hour shifts, twenty four seven. That year lasted forever! I felt a profound sense of relief and gratitude for every day that we survived and counted the days until Molly would be a year old and capable of reining in her attitude and exuberance. (Spoiler alert – I’m still waiting, but things have improved now that Dan is retired. Dogs choose their own pack leader and Molly chose Dan to set some boundaries.)