Category: 2025

Daily Food Diary – Day 17 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

I have been tracking my food and liquid intake for seventeen days.   ⭐

It is funny how changing one part of our self-care, automatically affects others.  This week, I have been focused on upping my hydration.  This has helped to subdue cravings for snacks throughout the day, especially  sweet snacks.  Mostly relative to improvements in my respiratory system from the increase in fluid intake, my workouts have become easier and better.  And the quality of my sleep has improved – sort of.  

Monday and Tuesday night, my sleep was typical.  Wednesday night was a trainwreck.  Thursday night was great! Ten hours of solid, uninterrupted sleep. 

Last night started badly and only got worse.  My soft sleeping headphones were dead. Since my bedtime routine involves listening to soothing meditation music, I was forced to use my earbuds.  I cannot sleep on my back, so every time I even thought of turning onto my side, I had an earbud drive into my brain.  (That will wake a body up.)  I finally gave up and put the earbuds away.  I woke up briefly when Dan came to bed, but managed to doze back off.   I had barely gotten back to sleep when Molly, who generally sleeps on my side of the bed, let out a small, quiet ‘woof’.   With a normal dog, one could assume she was talking in her sleep and ignore her. 

Molly is not particularly normal.

One small ‘woof’  leads to a meltdown complete with racing around the house like a crazed animal, jumping up and off of the furniture, and of course enough barking to wake up every dog and their human on this side of the city.

Last night, Dan cut her off at the pass, by getting up,  having a quiet chat with her, taking her for a tour around the house, and finally getting her to settle down on his side of the bed.  That was all appreciated, but by that time, I was wide awake.  I did manage to get some quality sleep when I finally drifted off some time later.

Molly had no problem settling back down, as usual.

There is only so much adequate hydration can do when it comes to dogs and other outside influences but, I continue to  focus on drinking water and working on making it a natural part of my day.

Food Diary – Day 17

(1) c coffee

(1) apple

(1) granola bar

(12) oz water

(12) oz water

(1) c tea

(2) sm bowls Hint of Lime tortilla chips with salsa

(12) oz water

(3) small battered fish fillets, (1 1/2) c fried, (1) c peas with butter & pepper, (1) side salad with lettuce, onions, radishes, cauliflower, sesame seeds, fried dried onions, and salad dressing

(12) oz carbonated water

(12) oz water

Note:

* (60) ounces of water 🎊

* The fish came prepared and packaged, unlike most of our main supper dishes which are homemade from scratch – mostly  in an attempt to avoid yeast or yeast related ingredients

* My afternoon snack was somewhat larger than usual, but being a Friday I did do my afternoon weights workout. 🤗

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 16 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

Day sixteen of 365.  I am still here, although I am running late for the 2nd day in a row. 

Yesterday, I was late to the party because I had had a rough night sleep and just finally fell asleep when I should have been getting up. 

Last night, I slept like a rock for a solid ten hours. 🤦

I’m up already!  Ok, maybe finally? I love the housecoat Dan got me for Christmas.  ❤️

Another day this week to focus on drinking water.  Proper hydration is so important to everyone, but I am noticing more and more how important it is for those of us with chronic health issues.

For myself, with multiple respiratory issues, proper hydration is key to dealing with mucus.  The good news is – water works! I have been gradually upping my water intake this week and my sinuses are so much better! I usually sleep well,  with  occasional wakeups due to coughing fits, most often triggered by post nasal drip.   Last night, no coughing – nothing!

My sister Lorraine commented on my post yesterday (as anonymous).  She noted that one of the rules for organ transplants (hers was kidney) is proper hydration – two litres a day of water, and double that if you have an alcoholic drink.

Speaking of kidneys, I have had previous issues with kidney stones – for which plenty of water is advised.

This morning, my daughter Jen sent me an interesting post on  Instagram, from an account dedicated to those who have EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome – a genetic collagen disorder).   https://www.instagram.com/share/p/BAMZdhiVBc

This post notes that not only is proper hydration important but so is sodium, potassium, and magnesium to support cellular hydration, fluid balance, and nerve transmission.

One thing that I have learned the hard way, is that while medical intervention is available during a chronic health crisis, one has to be proactive in maintaining one’s health and controlling one’s flare ups between the crises.   Adequate hydration is one such proactive measure that is necessary.

Daily Food Diary – Day 16

(1) c coffee

(3) crumpets with butter and jam

(12) oz water

(12) oz water

(1) c tea

(1 1/2) sm bowls chips and sm crackers

(12) oz water

(1) lg taco salad – lettuce, spinach, baked chicken, onions, radishes, cucumber, red pepper, olives, shredded cheddar cheese, dried fried onions, Salsa salad dressing and a few Hint of Lime tortilla chips

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) chocolate

(12) ounces of water

Total water : 60 OUNCES 🎉

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 15 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

I am not running on a lot of sleep so hopefully my blog won’t be too painful to follow this morning.   Fortunately I typically  get a solid night’s sleep,  because I do not operate well on a lack of it.  😴

Moving on… Still on the topic of proper hydration, I am passing along  some information that my friend Dwight Hyde sent me this week.   I strongly recommend visiting Dwight’s blog –  http://fadedjeansliving.com He covers a range of topics, most of which are timely and informative.   Dwight himself, is a super good guy from Colorado.  He is one of those truely solid, down to earth,  Americans that we can all relate to.

Dwight, sourced this info on ChatGPT.  I haven’t checked it out yet but it is a free app and apparently quite informative.

Staying hydrated is essential for overall health and plays a roll in managing inflammation.  Here’s how:

  1. Flushes out toxins: proper hydration helps the kidneys and liver effectively flush out toxins that can contribute to inflammation.
  2. Supports joint health: Water keeps the cartilage in your joints hydrated and cushioned, reducing the risk of inflammation and discomfort in these areas.
  3. Promotes healthy circulation: Adequate water intake ensures proper blood flow, which is vital for delivering nutrients and oxygen to tissues and removing waste products.
  4. Aids in digestion: Hydration supports a healthy gut, which is linked to reduced systemic inflammation.
  5. Balances ph levels: Drinking enough water helps the body’s ph balance, preventing conditions that can lead to inflammation.

I have a couple of my own tidbits to add to the list:

  • Adequate hydration helps to thin  mucus and makes it easier for one to deal with especially for those of us who live with the fun-ness of respiratory issues (such as my own sinusitis,  COPD, asthma, and bronchiectasis)
  • Adequate hydration helps to moisturize  dry skin:   Although I am still struggling to reach my personal water intake goals, my skin is feeling better already for the efforts I have made. 👍

Daily Food Diary – Day 15

(1) c coffee

(4) slices thin sliced bacon

(2) scrambled eggs

(2) potato patties

(8) oz water

(1) c tea

(16) oz water

(1) sm plate of leftover roast beef with horseradish, potatoes and gravy, carrots, onions, and celery

(12) oz carbonated water

(1/2) bowl of microwave popcorn

(16) oz water

(2) shortbread cookies

I still came up  short on my water intake goals with 52 of 64 ounces, but that is better that I have done in the past – and with every reason to keep pressing forward ONE DAY I will crush it!

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 14 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is day fourteen of my daily food journal so time to celebrate my two week anniversary! 🎉🎉🎉

This seems a good time to do a recap of my original intention and how things are going – to keep myself on track and to bring anyone who is late to the party up to speed. 

Me.. 69 going on 70, 5’1″, 132 pounds

I began my 365 day Daily Food Journal on January 1st.  My intention was to track my food and liquid intake, to keep ahead of any unhealthy food habits, and to build some better ones. I decided to share it on JetPack for accountability sake, which gives me that extra incentive needed to push through the year ahead.

My reason for embarking on this journey dates back a few months.  Despite being on a health and fitness journey for a couple of years and working out regularly, I failed to notice that I had gradually built up a pattern of eating a LOT of refined sugar.  

Eating a bizarre amount of sugar triggered my allergies/food intolerances – particularly to yeast and yeast related foods.  My allergies triggered my chronic sinus, lung, and digestive issues.  In short order, I was miserable – physically, mentally, and emotionally – and I was starting to cut back on my workouts and other healthy habits I had been developing.

It took a shockingly short amount of time to undo a lot of work I had been doing and to undermine benefits I had come to enjoy and expect.

Fortunately the first thing I looked at was my diet.  I saw my health practitioner to have a complete checkup with thorough blood, urine, and sputum testing to confirm my findings.  The next step was to set out on a path to resolve the situation – seriously cutting back on processed sugar! And finally to start this journal to ensure I didn’t wander off course in the months to come.

Since starting my daily journal, I have managed to cut out a fair amount of mindless snacking and  I have recognized (partly due to input from readers) that  I seriously need to work on drinking more water. 

(Lack of proper hydration was no doubt part of the problem when I started over indulging in the sugar.  Had I been flushing some of that sugar out of my system, I doubt that I would have experienced such a spectacular crash and burn.)

So here I am, back on track and working to stay there – with the help of my daily food journal and your much appreciated support and encouragement.

Food Diary – Day 14

(1) c coffee

(3) Crumpets with butter and raspberry jam

(3) 8 oz glasses of water

(1) c tea

(2/3) small bowl of mixed nuts

(2) sq dark chocolate

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) Dinner plate of roast beef with strong horseradish, potatoes and gravy, carrots, celery, and onions

(2) Chocolates

(1) Cup of tea

N.B…. I started the day strong with the water intake but went off the rails and ended up with 36 oz (28 oz short of my goal).  🙄

            Also, that super strong  Keg Horseradish did a great job of clearing my sinuses.  I read some promising articles about the nutritional values of horseradish last night so I plan to start using it regularly for a while to see if it can actually help me get my sinus issues under control once and for all.

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

We are still months away from summer flowers but we are already above freezing this morning so I’ll take it! January in Saskatchewan is not usually this kind.

Daily Food Diary – Day 13 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Thirteen days down, three hundred and fifty two to go. 👍  I think I am doing a pretty good job of working these posts into my morning routine.  That is half the battle.

Before I write my morning blog, my days begin with coffee, reading the local newspaper online, and taking my daily ‘medication’ which fortunately consists of a couple of inhalers and a couple of vitamins.

So far, I have avoided drugs for high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol.  I am more than grateful for that as I do not tolerate ANY medication well.

That being said, in October 2024, I had a complete blood and urine testing done and there were a number of borderline issues.   Glucose, salt, cholesterol all indicated that I had better get my diet under control.

I have been working on it, including taking on this three hundred and sixty five day food diary, talking to a dietician at a lipid (cholesterol) clinic, and reading a variety of articles on nutrition.

I came across this short article yesterday and found it very interesting, especially because a number of my tests indicated a high level of inflammation.  

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/drhyman_statin-activity-7279511600632315905-o7q3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android

I go for repeat blood and urine testing next week, so I am getting excited to see if my results have begun to improve yet.   I am feeling much better than I was in October so wish me luck! 🤞

Daily Diary – Day 13

(1) c coffee

(3) Eggo’s (waffles) with butter and maple syrup

(4) Slices back bacon

(12) oz water

(8) oz water

(1) Apple

(1) c tea

(1) Dinner plate of pierogies (with cream cheese onion chip dip), Drake farmers sausage, and sauerkraut

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) sm piece matrimonial cake (oatmeal & dates)

(1) sm piece puffed wheat cake

(1) c tea

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 12 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Day 12 and another day in the life of my sometimes questionable eating habits.  But then that is what this exercise is all about – catching those habits that I allow to creep into my life, dealing with them, and building better ones along the way.

I have had a couple of good questions/suggestions on here that I decided to  touch on this morning.

The first has been “It would be interesting to see you include all of the water you drink in a day”.    Actually, I do.  Unfortunately, my water (especially plain straight out of the Britta filter jug) is limited.  Carbonated water is limited to supper and into the evening.  It is something I should work on so I will make that my mission this week…

The second has been “Do you skip lunch? It seems you only eat two meals a day?” Yes and no.  If I have something light for breakfast, fruit or a bowl of cereal, I will have it relatively early, have lunch at about twelve noon and supper at about six.  If I have a larger breakfast, bacon and eggs type thing, it will be later in the morning so serves as brunch.  Breakfast has likewise always been a struggle for me and is moreso  since I have had to quit eating yeast and had to cut back on sugar. I feel much better – but it’s a struggle!

I appreciate any questions and/or advice.  I’m never too old to learn something new,  or to take a bit of outside pressure to push through change.  🤗

Daily Food Diary – Day 12

(1) c coffee

(3) slices thin sliced bacon

(1) c hashbrowns

(2) eggs

(12) oz water

(1) c tea

(1) sm bowl caramel corn

(1) Dinner plate fried rice, spring rolls, Tempura shrimp, gyoza, riblets – with plum, gyoza,  and seafood sauce.

(12) oz carbonated water

(8) oz water

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

Molly puppy looking for a drink on a hot summer day. (2022)

Daily Food Diary – Day 11 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

It is only eleven days since I started my food diary, so I can’t give this exercise total (or possibly any) credit but this week I realized that I do need to work on a wardrobe makeover. 

For the most part, what I wear isn’t a huge issue as I spend most of my time in our house or yard.   There are however, times when I venture out into the world and my clothing choices are getting pretty slim – or more accurately saggy.

It’s a start – fleece lined leggings and hooded casual top.  Both are medium and I should probably have ordered small, but they work.

Food Diary – Day 11

(1) c coffee

(1) oriental pear

(1/2) c raspberries

(2) sq dark chocolate

(1/4) c mixed nuts

(1) c tea

(3) c chicken fried rice w/vegetables ***

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) sm piece of DQ ice cream cake (from Genie’s Christmas Eve birthday.

(1) c tea

(10) Blue Diamond Almond Thin crackers (14.4 calories per cracker. Little to no taste)

*** Dan made supper last night because I was feeling off and achy for whatever reason.  He did a great job of it, as usual, and today I am feeling fine.

Take care and have a great day! 😊❤️

Daily Food Diary – Day 10 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

Good Saturday morning, because paying attention to what I eat is a seven day a week exercise.   ☺️

As always, today’s food diary entry is  for yesterday – Friday January 10th.  Friday used to be the worst day of the week for my diet.  That was my food reward day for making it to the end of the work week.   Donut breakfast, fast food lunch (KFC was my favourite), happy hour after work and date night supper out  when Dan was off (some unhealthy prepackaged meal when he wasn’t).   I am surprised I survived as long as I did with all of that salt, sugar, and yeast. 

My diet is still far from perfect, but I am becoming more aware of what I eat and  I am making some improvements – specifically snacking less, especially in the evening.  It’s not that I don’t want to snack all evening.  I just get cringy thinking about writing it all down and posting it for everyone to see. 🙄

Hopefully by the end of this  year,  those evening snack cravings will be long gone.

Food Diary – Day 10

(1) c coffee

(1) large Baking Powder biscuit Denver sandwich

(3) 8 oz  glasses of water

(1) small Bowl BBQ potato chips

(2) c leftover spaghetti with meat sauce and shredded cheese

(2) c raw vegetables – broccoli, red pepper, cucumber, and radishes with Dilly Dip

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) c tea

That’s it for today.  Dan is gone to drive his girl Maddy to work and time for me to get my morning aerobics done while he is gone.

Genie, Rory, Grandma/Me, Maddy
Maddy now – those (almost 15) years went by way to fast!

Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞

Morning sunshine to break through our cloudy skies and another foot of fresh snow.

Daily Food Diary – Day 9 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

Yesterday I wrote about how much accountability helps me to accomplish anything I set out to do.  Today I am going to touch on a couple of things that help me to accomplish nothing!

TRYING – As soon as I set out to try anything I have set a clear path to failure.  Back in the day (pre 2010) I tried to quit smoking.  At least a dozen times  I tried and every time I failed. 😯 In 2010, I decided to quit smoking.  I haven’t touched a cigarette since.  🤗

Result driven goals –  Over the years I have started out on numerous fitness and/or diet  programs.  They all started and ended the same way.  I set out with a goal to lose weight (10, 20, 30 pounds – whatever).  I would start with determination and go hard!  A couple of weeks later, with no results to show for my efforts, I would go harder.  A month later, little to no closer to my goal, I would admit defeat and give up.  When I started working out three years ago, I had no such goals in mind.   I decided to become more physically active because I had to  build up some strength and stamina.  I was a fat and flabby 160  pounds, but that was the least of my problems.   If I lost a few pounds and toned up a bit that would be great, but it was not something I was dwelling on.  Today, I weigh 132 pounds and I am relatively toned.  There is still room for improvement – at least 12 pounds of improvement, but that is not my motivation for moving forward.  It is all about doing what I have to do to  improve and  maintain my levels of health and fitness. And it works! 👍

Food Diary – Day 9

(1) c coffee

(1) Apple

(1) Square dark chocolate (with all the flavor of a tar roofing shingle – but lacking the delightful texture)

(1) Bowl of beef, vegetable, barley soup – the last of  a large pot made a few days ago

(5) Soda crackers

(8) oz water

(1) c tea

(1) Maraschino cherry chocolate

(1) Amazing salad with lettuce, Cajun roast pork loin, cucumber, red pepper, green onions, cauliflower, radishes, green olives, sunflower seeds, French’s Crispy Fried Onions (in lieu of croutons), and French salad dressing

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) sm ginger cookie

(1) sm peanut butter cookie

Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞

Daily Food Diary – Day 8 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

When I began this food diary, I had one purpose in mind.  I wanted to track  my eating/drinking habits so I could nip  problems in the bud before I went totally off the rails diet wise.  I decided to put it out here on my blog for accountability purposes.  If I wanted to maintain this diary for a year, this accountability to others would help me push through every morning for three hundred and sixty five days.

Eight days in, I am discovering additional benefits in keeping this diary and especially in sharing it.   Knowing that I have to keep a record everything I eat or drink AND share it with anyone and everyone who reads this blog is huge!   

This level of accountability is huge on days following nights when I stay awake, tossing and turning, and unable to sleep due to recurring coughing fits.   Those days! When I am tired and constantly inclined to reach for a quick snack to ramp up my energy level.

This level of accountability is huge – when Dan goes out to socialize and throw a few darts with his friends and I have an evening alone (with my dog) and a house full of bad food choices – chips, chocolates, cookies, soda, caramel corn.  🙄

This level of accountability is huge – when I am indulging in an evening marathon of 911 –  that evening once a week when mindless eating could easily become the norm.

There are any number of reasons for making bad (basically unconscious) choices when it comes to eating.   With my daily food diary, and the ongoing and so appreciated support and encouragement of those who frequent my blog, I am making conscious and better choices.  🤗

Food Diary – Day 8

(1) c coffee

(1) c Honey Nuts Cheerios

(1/4) c milk

(1) Leftover chicken fajita

(10) Leftover tater tots

(2) Leftover chicken wings

(1) c tea

(2) c spaghetti with tomato meat sauce, onion, garlic, red pepper, & fresh mushrooms

(2) cups steamed broccoli with butter, salt & pepper

(1) Can root beer

(16) oz water

Obviously there are improvements that can be made, but life is about balance.  Healthy eating is important to maintaining a strong and healthy body.  But, indulging in the occasional decadent, not so healthy snack or drink… that is important to a quality of life that you just can’t achieve without the occasional root beer.

Take care and have a great day! 🌞💞