We are already solidly into November. This morning it was minus 9 Celsius, but with no wind and an abundance of sunshine, it was a beautiful day for a walk with Dan and Molly this morning. 🌞
Yesterday I went shopping. I’m not a ‘shopper’ at the best of times, but I needed a new hoodie, socks, and face mask. Dan came along as chauffer. It was just a Walmart run but it was good to get out, see a few unfamiliar faces, and I did score the items I needed. Finding socks was more difficult than I thought it needed to be but I persevered and scored a winter sock stash. For the hoodie, we had to head over to Giant Tiger, but worth the extra trip as I got TWO hoodies and a couple of lighter tops.
Today, I am out and about again. Daughter Jen works this afternoon and her daughter Prim has a dental appointment.
Prim Rose
I picked Prim up at noon and made lunch for her – a toasted (buttered) bacon and tomato sandwich with cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. It’s a family joke that Maddy came over one day and asked me if I had a tomato. That morphed into her scoring a bacon and tomato sandwich which continues to grow in complexity. The next level up might be a side of home fries. (chances are with a side order of gravy)
We don’t have to leave for her appointment for an hour so that gives me time to get a few things done around here and for Prim to finish her homework.
My day is rather a muddle again, but since it is dart night (which means an early supper), I am confident I will get my weight and aerobic workouts in this evening. Plus, I willhave plenty of time left to do my nails and do a face mask. ☺️
Daily Food Diary – Day 308
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) sourdough bun (259)
(1) tsp butter (34)
(1) sausage patty (150)
(1) egg (72)
Snacks:
(3) Black licorice Twizzlers (68)
(3) mini chocolate treats (120)
(1) tbsp raw local honey (40)
Supper:
(3) c dinner salad (190)
(2) tbsp Vidalia Onion salad dressing (100)
(2) chicken drumsticks (152)
Total consumed calories: 1187
Total used calories: 282
(30) min walking (137)
(30) min weights (73)
(30) min treadmill (73)
Total net calories: 905
Net calories goal: 1208 – 905 = 304 under 👍
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞☺️
For the past couple of weeks, I have been struggling with environmental allergies. This week, I finally decided that I am better off dealing with the consequences of the allergies than the side effects of the anti histamines I have tried.
Face mask: moisturize, reduces effect of watering eyes and runny nose
Cucumber: (not shown) peel and slice, place on eyes to reduce burning
Two SistersLip balm: Beef Tallow lip balm used to sooth dry, cracked lips caused by constantly wiping nose with tissues
Local Raw Honey: helps build immunity to seasonal allergies, soothes throat and cough caused by post nasal drip, antioxidant
H20 : Keep hydrated, flush out allergens and histamines.
Aerobika: device used to clear mucus in lungs due to post nasal drip aggravating bronchiectasis
Black licorice: a health risk if consumed in quantity or for an extended period of time – check warnings! Contains glycyrrhizin which is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
I am feeling better so far. Yesterday, I took Molly for another solo walk. Getting out in the fresh air helps and she gets easier to handle all the time. I’m not sure if I am getting stronger or if she is just getting better. 🤷
In the afternoon, I was able to do my aerobics and treadmill. I am happy with how much easier the treadmill sessions are getting for me. I keep upping the speed, but still able to finish the session!
Today, I am going to do another treadmill session and a light weight/cardio session. I’m still using the right pound weights but happy to be crushing them!
Daily Food Diary – Day 307
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) granola bar (160)
Lunch:
(1) enchilada (194)
Snacks:
(48) oz water
(12) oz 7 up (140)
(3) black licorice Twizzlers (68)
(1) tbsp raw local honey (40)
Supper:
(1) Arby’s Dbl roast beef no bun (200)
(2) tbsp horsey sauce (120)
(1) Gravy (35)
(1) sm crinkle cut fries (390)
(2) cheese sticks (220)
Total consumed calories: 1569
Total used calories: (358)
(30) min walking (104)
(30) min aerobics (174)
(30) min treadmill (80)
Total net calories: 1211
Net calories goal: 1208 – 1211 = 3 over 👎
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 😊❤️
Yesterday in my blog, I wrote about my yeast allergy and how it has affected my health.
I was born with three health issues – asthma (which I was diagnosed with in my thirties), allergies (I have been officially diagnosed with environmental allergies but have yet to be tested and officially diagnosed with food allergies), and a collagen disorder/deficiency.
Of the three health issues – the collagen issue has been the most detrimental when it comes to my quality of life. For the first fifty some years of my life, I struggled with head to toe issues that affected me physically and emotionally. The most difficult part being that I had absolutely no idea why I struggled so much – just that I did!
Finally, in my fifties, my grandson was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome – Type 3 (a genetic mutation that affects the collagen in one’s body. I started searching reputable health sites on the internet and I discovered information regarding not only the prevalence and importance of collagen in our bodies – but that the information described me and my long standing health issues perfectly. During the past twenty years, others in my immediate and extended family have likewise been diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos 3 and/or with relative collagen issues.
Doctors that I have seen have brushed me off EVERY time I have brought up the subject. My respiratory therapist acknowledged the possibility that EDS could be affecting my respiratory system and my optometrist explained how it does affect my eyes.
Just having a solid lead as to the root of so many of my health issues has helped me immensely. For the first time ever, I understand my body. I have been able to make lifestyle changes that have helped me to live better.
This year, I began taking collagen supplements to see if they could possibly be of any benefit – particularly to my muscles and joints. While I had found a lot of information on collagen and Ehlers Danlos – I did not find much suggesting collagen supplements would be beneficial.
In the first two months, I noticed positive results to my nails, hair, skin, muscles, and joints. I was starting to notice an improvement to my sinuses. Then I saw my respirologist who put me on a course of antibiotics and 50mg Prednisone per day for ten days. (In a follow up visit, blood tests and X-rays indicated a possible minor infection/inflammation – which my respirologist said was nothing but that I had extra prescriptions on file if I required them. For an infection that I didn’t really have in the first place ?)
Within a few days of starting the antibiotics and Prednisone, I noticed that I was losing the benefits that I had been getting from the collagen supplements. My nails were breaking, my hair was thinning and falling, I was feeling like a dishrag and struggling to exercise with 5 pound weights.
I went back to the medical sites on the internet and found evidence that Prednisone inhibits the synthesis of collagen. The same Prednisone that doctors had been prescribing to me regularly (up to six times a year) for decades.
I continued to take the Collagen Supplements and once again (as the effects from the Prednisone wore off) began to see positive results. Except, that four months in, not only am I seeing an improvement to my nails, hair, skin, muscles, and joints, sinuses – I am feeling a notable improvement to the airways throughout my respiratory system. Despite, having recent issues with a flare up of environmental allergies, I can breathe easily. I can lay down or recline back in my chair without feeling like my airways are collapsing and that I am smothering. And I have upped my weights to eight pounders because the five pounders just weren’t cutting it. 👍
These are the Collagen Supplements that I have been using. (From Amazon Canada)
Once again, my point being that it is up to us to be proactive when it comes to our health. It is nothing against medical professionals – they save lives. But – we each live in our own body, day in and day out. And when it comes to resolving chronic health issues that matters – especially as we age.
Daily Food Diary – Day 306
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(2) potato patties (240)
(2) eggs (160)
(2) slices thick cut bacon (170)
(1) tsp butter (34)
(1) tomato (22)
Snacks:
(3) black licorice Twizzlers (68)
(1) tbsp local raw honey (40)
(48) oz water
Supper:
(2) c fried rice w/rice, pork, red onion, mushrooms, celery, red pepper, soya sauce, olive oil, butter (237)
(2) egg rolls (377)
(1) tsp plum sauce (12)
Total consumed calories: 1362
Total used calories: 110
(1) hr food prep/cooking/cleanup (110)
Total net calories: 1252
Net calories goal: 1208 – 1252 = 44 over 👎
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💝🤗
Wood carving for sale in Deadwood, South Dakota – it probably would have come home with me if our grandbabies were still small enough to ride it…
Today is Day 305 of my Daily Food Diary. Sixty more days and I will have successfully completed one full year of mindful eating via tracking and posting everything I consume- one day at a time. 🤗
This challenge has been less about losing weight than anything. It has been about eating better – cutting back on salt and sugar, increasing more natural and less processed foods and identifyingfoods that have been causing digestive issues for as long as I could remember.
For decades, I dealt with bloating, severe abdominal cramps, chronic diarrhea, heartburn, and oddly enough hiccups.
Doctors sent me for ultrasounds, cat scans, blood tests, and a surgery for an epigastric hernia. I was given prescription strength medication for excess stomach acid.
At one point, I suggested an allergy test for yeast. Despite the fact that my daughter had tested positive for a yeast allergy I was told that there was no such thing. I was sent for a blood test for celiac disease, because it was probably a gluten intolerance. It wasn’t.
Finally, I took it upon myself to eliminate yeast from my diet. Amazingly, to everyone but me, my digestive issues disappeared with the yeast in my diet.
I have no idea why doctors are so averse to allergy testing in this province – or why we have virtually no allergy specialists.
I do know that being allergic to yeast is a thing. A bad thing. And I know it is a thing that other people are still struggling with and still being misled about. When my granddaughter met with a potential family physician recently she told him about her digestive issues and her family history of yeast allergy. She was told there is no such thing. 🤦 Fortunately, she does know better.
Sometimes it’s not that obvious.
It’s not just that yeast is an allergen, it is also used as an additive to foods where no one would expect it to be found – from prepared meat sauce to powdered egg whites (plus anything made using such products).
And being a fungus, yeast is a relative to many other fungi that can cause issues – mold, mildew, mushrooms, foods that are susceptible to mold and mildew, anything that is pickled or fermented…
Plus anyone who is allergic to yeast is also sensitive to any form of processed or natural sugar, which yeast feeds on.
It is complicated and one of the reasons I have ultimately become proactive about my health. Every body is different. Even if multiple doctors cannot diagnose an issue it does not mean that there isn’t one – or that it cannot be dealt with.
Daily Food Diary – Day 305
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) c Jordans Morning Crisp cereal (333)
(1/4) c milk (28)
Snacks:
(1/4) c peanuts (162)
(1/4) c corn nuts (132)
(3) Black Licorice Twizzlers (68)
(3) mini chocolate treats (100)
(48) oz water
Supper:
(3) c garden salad (190)
(2) tbsp French Dressing (146)
(3) oz pork tenderloin (206)
Total consumed calories: 1367
Total used calories: 174
(30) min aerobics (174)
Total net calories: 1193
Net calories goal: 1208 – 1193 = 16 under 👍
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🤗
It is 304 Days since I started posting my Daily Food Diary. ☺️
Today is November 1st. TEN months down and Two to go.
I generally begin each month with a fresh focus for my diary. This month, I am just going to wing it. Each day, I will focus on a different aspect of nutrition – good, bad, or otherwise. 🤷
Since yesterday was Halloween, prepackaged treats seem to be a good place to begin.
This year as always, we stocked up on Halloween treats to hand out, and as always we overstocked! Now that we are retired, we do not have the option of donating such leftovers to company lunch rooms.
Fortunately, daughter Jen’s girls have aged out of Trick or Treating… and her youngest (Prim) chose the option of having a sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa.
While she arrived costumed up from her school dance, she soon opted to get comfortable.
After a supper of enchiladas, an evening of watching the Blue Jays, a surprise visit from her best friend, a good night sleep, and a breakfast bacon & tomato sandwich, she headed home WITH our leftover Halloween treats to share with her sisters!
Another sugar and salt crisis averted – at least for us. 😁
Daily Food Diary – Day 304
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(2) potato patties (240)
(2) eggs (160)
(3) slices back bacon (52)
(1) tsp olive oil (40)
Snacks:
(3) black licorice Twizzlers (68)
(1) mini bag ripple chips (86)
(48) oz water
Supper:
(1 1/2) homemade enchiladas: ground chicken with onions, peppers & taco sauce, rice with green salsa, refried bees, shredded marble cheese, cheese tortilla shell (600)
Total consumed calories: 1249
Total used calories: 104
(40) min walking (104)
Total net calories: 1145
Net calories goal: 1208 – 1145 = 64 under 👎
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💗☺️
For the past few weeks, I have been struggling to eat as well, or to eat less poorly, than I would hope to be doing at this point.
From early September when I went through my latest round of antibiotics and Prednisone to the last few days when my allergies have been out of control, it seems that there is always one thing or another. My appetite is up, but my inclination to prepare nutritious meals or snacks is way down. 🙄
I am too close to finishing this 365 day Challenge to stop now, so I persist.
Unfortunately….
Persistence is not enough. One must decide whether to persist as a sufferer or persist as a warrior. – author unknown
I thought of this quote earlier this morning when I took Molly for her morning walk. It was just Molly and I and it didn’t start off well. I was feeling pretty rough and Molly wasn’t feeling particularly co-operative.
At first, I was hesitant to commit. I walked her around our block. I reluctantly, decided to keep going past our house and try for another block…and another. Finally I reached a point where I either turned back or pushed out of my comfort zone and went the distance.
We went the distance!
Either way, it would have been a win. Either way, it would have been a walk and some fresh air. But with a change of attitude, we went the distance and that felt pretty empowering today!
Now, I just have to warrior up in the kitchen and get my diet on track. 😊
Daily Food Diary – Day 303
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(3) Eggo Waffles (270)
(2) tsp butter (68)
(2) tbsp Maple syrup (104)
(3) sl. Bacon (130)
Snacks:
(48) oz water
(3) black licorice Twizzlers (68)
(1/4) hickory almonds (180)
(6) mini chocolate treats (240)
Supper:
(1) bowl Campbell’s chicken noodle soup (120)
(1) sourdough bun (190)
(2) slices havarti cheese (160)
(2) tsp butter (68)
Total consumed calories: 1600
Total used calories: 0
Total net calories: 1600
Net calories goal: 1208 – 1600 = 392 over 👎
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! ❤️😊
It is cold, it is WINDY, and my allergies are through the roof.
Molly, back from her walk with Dan. If the weather doesn’t improve, he might be on his own tomorrow.
About the most exciting thing around here these days, has been watching the Blue Jays play in the World Series this week.
For the record, I do not follow sports. I have watched more baseball in the past few days than I have in my lifetime. While I can’t say I have been enjoying it – I can see why people get caught up in the hype. The game that went on for eighteen innings had me so engaged, I had to go to bed before I got too into it.
I was hoping the Blue Jays would win – Canadian pride and all. 🇨🇦 But it just got weird that I was getting so desperate for a win. 🙄🤦
It was a relief to see last night’s game over in the allotted nine innings.
Only a couple of more games and life can return to our less intense normal. 😂🙆
Daily Food Diary – Day 302
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) plain paratha (240)
(1) tbsp peanut butter (105)
(1) tbsp jam (50)
Lunch:
(1) cabbage roll (197)
(6) Hint of Lime tortilla chips (150)
(3) black licorice Twizzlers (68)
Supper:
(2) bowls wonton soup (450)
(1) mini peanut butter cup (40)
(1) snack size Reese’s pieces (67)
Total consumed calories: 1369
Total used calories:
(30) min walking (68)
(30) min treadmill (80)
(30) min weights (73)
Total net calories: 1149
Net calories goal: 1208 – 1149 = 60 under 👍
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! ❤️😊
Today is Day 301 of my Daily Food Diary! That is 43 WEEKS without a single miss. 🙌
Today, I am feeling a solid improvement in how I am feeling! I am four months into using Collagen Supplements and they are doing wonders for me. My strength has improved, my endurance has improved, and best of all – my breathing has significantly improved. I can breathe without feeling like my sinuses and respiratory airways are collapsing and I can even lay flat on my back without feeling like I am smothering!
My only respiratory issues these days are obviously caused by allergies. Since we started running an air purifier in our bedroom at night, I am good there. In the daytime, my eyes are burning, my nose is runny, and I am still coughing.
The third Honeywell air purifier we have bought and I am happy with all of them.
We have our best air purifier running in the living room so I’m not sure what my problem is. I have taken Claritin (which doesn’t work for me) and some ‘natural’ antihistamines which just seem to make me sleepy. 😴
Yesterday, I got some black licorice to see if that would help. I know it is something that is not good to eat regularly or in excess, but it also helps to control allergies, so we will see.
Daily Food Diary – Day 301
Breakfast:
2) c coffee (4)
(1/4 c milk (28)
(1) c cinnamon cheerios (200)
Snacks:
(2) black licorice Twizzlers (45)
(1/8) c mixed nuts (90)
(48) oz water
Supper:
(2) servings c nachos – Hint of Lime tortilla chips with seasoned ground beef, peppers, green onions, black olives, shredded cheese, and salsa (865)
(12) oz carbonated water
(1) PC Chocolate cake (300)
Total consumed calories: 1530
Total used calories: 501
(30) min walking (68)
(30) min aerobics (244)
(1) hr housecleaning (134)
(30) min food prep/cooking (55)
Total net calories: 1029
Net calories goal: 1208 – 1029 = 179 under 👍
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞☺️
Today is Day 300 of my Daily Food Diary! 💗 I remember when the days of my diary were in the double digits. 100 Days seemed incredibly distant. Here we are, with less than 100 Days to go and it seems like the year is all but over. Funny how things always look so much closer in the rear view mirror!
Earlier today, I tagged along for the morning walk with Dan and Molly. Fall has finally arrived.
Not only are the leaves changing color, they are also falling – fast and furious.
Dan just got home from shopping. He said this seems like a good day for wonton soup for supper. In the overall scheme of things, any kind of home made soup seems like a good plan for supper for the foreseeable future.
In keeping with my monthly focus of planning meals that reflect our October change of seasons, I served up a summery garden salad for last night. It has been back and forth between light meals for warm days and hearty comfort foods to get us through the first snow of the season. That is October in Saskatchewan!
Today is Monday. Starting a new workout week, I was excited to come across a motivating quote while browsing social media this morning.
I do not work out to be better than anyone else. I WORK OUT TO BE THE BEST I CAN BE.
That is the truth – and it has been my strongest motivation since I first read David Goggins’ “Can’t Hurt Me”. The human body is amazing – and the potential for how amazing it can become is fascinating.
But the ongoing quest to find my true potential can be frustrating at times. I can have a bad night, I can experience setbacks, I can get cocky and try to walk our dog Molly without her pinch collar…..
Feeling my full potential this morning, that’s the direction my day took! By the time we got to the park, I had to take a break at a bench in the kids playground. By the time we got to the other side of the park, I had to hand her over to Dan. By the time we got home, I felt like I had wrestled a steer and lost the rodeo.
Someday, I will be the best I can be (I am not there yet). I hope that by the time I do get there, I will be able to manhandle Molly without a pinch collar. That would be incredible!
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 