Category: Health and Fitness

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! 🌞💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 7 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Day seven and it is shaping up to be a stellar one.  We expect to see our temperature rise above the freezing point.  That’s not great for our already icy streets, but it will be a welcome break none the less.

So, yesterday I had an appointment with Lara, my Nurse Practitioner.   After my go around with my umbilical hernia on Sunday, I thought I should check in with her.  She is just incredible!   She checked me out, came up with a plan of action, and submitted a requisition for an ultrasound. We got home at two o’clock and by five, the ultrasound clinic had called to book an appointment on January 20th!  That is amazing.  With our overwhelmed health services, it typically takes a few weeks (or months) just to get an appointment set up.    Once we get the results, we will know what is required going forward.   It is so  comforting to know that we are in the process of getting this resolved.

FOOD DIARY – Day 7

(1) c coffee

(1) Breakfast sandwich – large baking powder biscuit (toasted and buttered),  1 slice Havarti cheese, 1 egg (fried in olive oil) and  3 slices back bacon ***

(1) c tea

(1) Small bowl of barbecue chips

(2) Bowls of leftover beef, vegetable, and barley soup

(8) Soda crackers

(1/2) c sunflower seeds (air fried in shells with Frank’s Red Hot sauce and a shot of lemon juice

Back bacon is NOT bacon

*** I am not a fan of back bacon.  It does not taste like bacon and while it looks like ham, it doesn’t taste like that either.  That being said, I spoke to a dietician a few weeks ago and she suggested I try using it occasionally as a substitute for real bacon.   Dan brought home a package of Lou’s Kitchen back bacon and surprisingly we don’t mind it at all.  It’s not bacon, but it is pretty doable – and the nutritional values are amazing.  110 calories for FIVE slices and only 8% daily value of saturated fat.   570 g of salt is pretty bad but I only use 3 slices per breakfast sandwich and we only indulge once or twice a month. 

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

Only five months and a couple of weeks until summer! 👍

Daily Food Diary – Day 6 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Pet peeve of the day…

Trying to write a blog when Molly is climbing  on top of me because she wants to sit on my (HER) chair to look out the window. 😯

Day six and Molly is already trying to make this more difficult than it has to be!

Fortunately, I have a bit of extra time this morning for her dog-foolery.  Since I was able to make an appointment with my nurse practitioner this afternoon, I decided to forgo my workouts until after I have a chance to talk to her about my hernia experience on Sunday. 

It’s funny how we can reach this point in our lives when we are feeling relatively fit and healthy, suffer a minor setback, and suddenly question how potentially frail we may be.   Not that I feel that overall frail.  I’m just leary about how far I can push things right now without causing a small issue to become a huge problem.   I just don’t know, so I’m backing off until I get her professional advice.

Food Diary – Day 6 of 365

(1) c coffee

(2) buttered Eggo’s (waffles)

(3) slices thin sliced bacon

(1) Apple

(2/3) Small  bowl mixed nuts (Dan & Molly shared the other 1/3)

(1) c tea

(1) Homemade fajita – ground chicken, red pepper, green onions, sliced mushrooms, shredded cheese in a tortilla wrap – with Fajita seasoning and homemade salsa

(20) Tater tots with Taco Time  taco sauce

(12) oz carbonated water

My afternoon tea has been from this delightful collection from ‘Cuppa Tea’ that granddaughter Maddy gifted me for Christmas. 💞. There are several assorted packs but that Cherry Trifle is my favourite so far. 😋🎆

That is it for today, folks.  Take care & have a great day! 💞🌞

One of those days when I could use a scenic  summer drive…. 😊

Daily Food Diary – Day 5 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Good morning!  Five days down and only three hundred and sixty to go!

When I decided to do this 365 day Food Diary, my first concern was to make it as ‘doable’ as possible.   

Choosing the best time of day was my biggest challenge.  Retirement is an ongoing battle between getting things done and  keeping my schedule flexible enough that I FEEL retired.   I have found a pretty solid spot, between my morning coffee and newspaper and doing my morning workout.   So far so good! 👍

My second challenge was tracking what I consumed throughout the day, so my diary would be as accurate as possible. 

It’s not pretty,  but it is convenient.  And we have an endless supply of such notepads around here. (And pens!)

Day Five of Daily Food Diary…

(1) c coffee

(2) potato patties

(1/2) tomato

(4 1/2) slices thin sliced bacon

(2) eggs

(1) c tea

(2) chocolates

(1) Burger King Single Whopper without bun or cheese

(1) Order medium onion rings w/ gravy

(12) oz water

Sunday brunch 💞

Burger King was not part of the plan yesterday.  After spending over three hours at Emergency, due to a hernia issue that refused to resolve itself, I just wasn’t excited about making supper at 9:30 pm.  This morning,  Dan said he had no idea what I was capable of, if I was willing to sit in an emergency room for three hours just to score Burger King.  Have to keep him guessing!  😂

Take care and have a great day! 🌞💞