Category: Health and Fitness

Daily Food Diary – Day 340 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 340 of my Daily Food Diary. 💝

This month, I am reviewing the past eleven   months during which I was maintaining and posting my Daily Food Diary.   I am focusing on the wins that I have experienced. 

(If there have been any losses, they have been few and far between – unlike the period of time years ago when my daughter and I went on a Saturday morning search for the best brunch in the city.  We experienced a few non wins, my worst of which was the smoked salmon eggs Benedict.  🙁)

Brunch at ‘The Cottage’ with a young Maddy and Genie

Getting back on track here … Yesterday, I noted how my Daily Food Diary had inspired communication between Dan and I – which is always a good thing between marital partners.

Today, the win I am celebrating, is how  my Daily Food Diary has inspired my daughter and granddaughters to be more mindful of what they eat.   Not only did my  efforts and results affect them, but “what went around, came around”.   Jen, Genie, and Maddie all work in foodservice.  They have access to a lot of product information which they passed along to me – especially when it came to food allergies and  ingredients used to produce restaurant meals.  All in all – a double win!

Moving on to my current day to day general win for the day…

Today’s win comes courtesy of husband Dan…  With frigid temperatures and snow coming down, Dan ventured out to drive Maddy to work.  On returning to our nice warm house, he bundled on a couple of more layers and headed out to take Molly for her walk – without me. 😁

I stayed warm and dry while they ventured off, hardly for the first time.

For a man who was more than a little apprehensive when I first spoke of getting a fluffy little white puppy – that would inevitably become a huge, hairy, energetic,  loud, stubborn, unco-operative, overly affectionate, Molly dog,  Dan has taken on much more than his share of doggie duties around here.   She in turn, adores him! 💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 340

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) eggo waffles (270)

(2) tsp butter (69)

(3) tbsp maple syrup (157)

Snacks:

(11) Hint of Lime Tortilla chips (275)

(48) Oz water

Supper:

(4) Oz pork tenderloin (275)

(1 1/2) servings garlic raffaello sidekick (180)

(1) c green beans & peas (98)

(3) LG stuffed olives (22)

(2/3) c caramel praline ice cream (200)

(1) tbsp chocolate sauce (52)

(2) tbsp caramel syrup (52)

Total consumed calorie: 1655

Total used calories: 379

(30) min walking (137)

(30) min aerobics (171)

(30) min treadmill (71)

Total net calories: 1276

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1276 = 68 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 339 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is the 339th day of my Daily Food Diary! 😁

Recently, I have been noting my daily WINS.  With the full moon finally behind us, it would appear that things are finally starting to line up for me again. 

Yes, I am still booked for surgery on the 17th and NO I am not happy about that, however..

1) Yesterday, I stayed under my daily calorie goal and I did my walk with Dan and Molly, plus my aerobics, plus 30 minutes on the treadmill. 👍

2) This morning, I walked with Dan and Molly – Minus 19° Celsius (- 2.2 F) feels like Minus 26° Celsius (-14.8F)  and I made the full route with very mild breathing trouble.  YAY!

3) I received a text from our DIL Amanda this morning.  They will be here from the 21st to the 24th to celebrate an early Christmas with us.  They stay at a hotel when they are in Regina, but we host their two little dogs for the duration.

Cornelius
Bacarrdi

It was a bit of a doggy free for all when they were younger, but things are calming down as we get past the puppy years – and Molly loves the company.

Dan is gone shopping, which brings me to my Daily Food Diary WIN! 

Dan does virtually all of our shopping.  Since I have become more mindful of what I eat, we have both become more engaged with the shopping process and it has brought about a new level of communication between us.  We discuss  our menu and Dan has educated both of us when it comes to ingredients in prepared foods that we buy.  He has read a LOT of labels and eliminated or changed a number of products that we used to buy.   In the process, he has also become much more mindful of what he eats.    In this way, my Daily Food Diary has become OUR Daily Food Diary WIN.

Daily Food Diary – Day 339

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c 2% milk (28)

Lunch:

(1) chicken drumsticks (121)

(10) Lays lightly salted ripple chips (70)

(48) Oz water

Supper:

(1) 6 Oz ground beef burger on sourdough bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon, & horseradish (785)

(1/2) c brown beans (123)

(1) Almond Roca (70)

Total consumed calories: 1346

Total used calories: 379

(30) min walking (137)

(30) min aerobics (171)

(30) min treadmill (71)

Total net calories: 967

Net calories goal: 1208 – 967= 242 under 👍

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

We dont have this level of snow yet this year but I am modeling the same fashion sense nonetheless 😬

Daily Food Diary – Day 338 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 338 of my Daily Food Diary. 👍

Recently, I have been trying to recognize and appreciate the wins in my daily life.  I was anticipating my annual December funk and thought this would help me to keep my emotions and stress in check.  It was going fairly well, too.

And now..it isn’t. 

For ten months I have been waiting for a hernia repair.  This morning surgical booking called with a date.

December 17th .... not a good date for me historically and four years to the day since my last hernia surgery (which failed).

I am going to have to ramp up the wins if I am going to get through this without having a massive asthma attack heading into the operating room.

Anyway,  back to the wins… this morning I did an aerobics workout that I had never done before.

Apparently the one and only video on YouTube Tube that cannot be shared but worth looking for if you need a good workout! 😊

My December Daily Food Diary roundup win for today is a timely one…

While I started this Food Diary to improve my physical wellness, I learned how much my diet could improve (or destroy) my mental and emotional wellbeing.   That being said,  I am looking forward to a heaping helping of comfort food for supper.

Daily Food Diary – Day 338

Breakfast:

(1) coffee (2)

(1) plain paratha (240)

(2) tbsp peanut butter (105)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Snacks:

(2/3) c maple walnut ice cream (198)

(2) tbsp chocolate sauce (105)

(1/8) c planters dry roasted peanuts (162)

Supper:

(1) Garden salad (367)

(2) Chicken drumsticks (242)

(1) Rootbeer (170)

Total consumed calories: 1640

Total used calories: 71

(30) min treadmill (71)

Total net calories: 1569

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1569 = 360 over

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great rest of your day! 💞💖

Daily Food Diary – Day 337 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 337 of my Daily Food Diary!🤗

Today I started my day with a BIG win! 🙌 I got up at 6:30 this morning  to go pick up our Maddy and drive her to school for band practice.  It was already fairly light out, thanks to the full moon shining bright above a thin cloud cover.  And it is always a  win to  see our Maddy – even before dawn! It was an even bigger win to back into our garage on the first try when I got home!

The picture of positivity! 😉

Today is another day to count the wins I have accumulated over the past eleven months.

The win I chose to appreciate today was  my ability  to use James Clear’s book “Atomic Habits” to make effective changes to stay on track with my Daily Food Diary and to make gradual improvements to my general diet.

By stacking my new habit of  posting my Daily Food Diet between my existing morning habits, I have managed to post 337 days in a row without missing a beat! 

And, by keeping a cruet of olive oil in a handy location beside our stove, I have successfully eliminated the habit of reaching for the butter dish every time I pan fry.

Other helpful habits, big and small,  have been made along the way, but you get the idea!

A book I would absolutely recommend for anyone working to make positive changes in their life.

Daily Food Diary – Day 337

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1/2) grapefruit (39)

(1/2) tsp sugar (8)

(1) granola bar (160)

Lunch:

(1) Taco salad (899)

(8) Oz water

Snacks:

(2) Belgium chocolate cookies (107)

(15) Lays lightl salted ripple chips (218)

(2) mini chocolate treats (80)

Total consumed calories: 1513

Total used calories:  377

(30) min walking (137)

(42) min aerobics (240)

Total net calories: 1136

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1136 = 72 under 👍

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 336 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 336 of my Daily Food Diary! 💥

I am three days into my Food Diary recap.  As I have mentioned regularly, this challenge was never about losing weight, however in February I decided to up my effort by counting calories.  This led to 3 distinct wins!

1) I did lose  a total of 12 pounds in 2025

2) Terry from http://radicallyretired.com, a friend that I have made here on Jetpack introduced me to Lose It! an app that has been very educational and extremely helpful in maintaining my Daily Food Diary.

3) Counting calories was far more interesting and educational that I thought it would be.   

I thought I had a pretty good handle on portion control (I didn’t). I was comparing the portions I ate versus those that others ate – like my 220 lb husband, who until recently worked 13 hour, 24/7 shifts in a steel pipe plant.  🤦‍♀️

I also thought I had foods figured out calorie wise..

Salad was good… until I put salad dressing, sesame seeds, or cheese on it.

Nuts are good for you – until you look at the calories in them! (Salt and saturated fats add to the mayhem)

Sugar has tons of calories..not really, but sugar seriously ramps up my appetite so leads to a revolving door of calories

Chicken is low in calories – unless like me you like the dark meat skin on. That is where they hide the calories but that is also where the collagen is – so I have to balance that one.

Anyway, counting calories takes time but I would definitely recommend it, especially if one is trying to lose weight.

I am super late posting today.  I didn’t forget to post, we were just out and about so I did not have time to post …walking Molly, running errands, doing a bit of shopping, having lunch at The Canadian Brewpub – which was win Number 1 today.  Neither of us had brew but Dan’s chicken wings looked delicious and my taco salad was amazing.

Paying our annual house insurance was painful, but I did score a new fridge calendar for win Number 2.

Daily Food Diary – Day 336

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) Denver wrap (537)

Snacks:

(1/8) c peanuts (162)

Supper:

(1) Manwich bun (811)

(8) lightly salted lays chips (116)

(1/2) Oz chip dip (20)

Total consumed calories: 1648

Less calories used: 337

(30) min. walking (137)

(35) min aerobics (200)

Net total calories: 1311

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1311 = 103 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary –  Day 335 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 335 of my Daily Food Diary. 🤩

As the final days of 2025 pass by, I am counting the wins that I have celebrated since I began my Food Diary in January.

When I began this challenge, it was all about becoming  more mindful of what I was consuming on a daily basis.   One of the first things people here noticed was how little water I drank.  🙄

I knew it wasn’t much, but I hadn’t really considered that it wasn’t enough.  I just wasn’t a fan.   I still fall short of what I should drink, but I have improved my water intake to the point where I will take it as a win (with room for improvent.)  Proper hydration is important for everyone, but with my family history of kidney disease and my personal history of chronic respiratory issues, I know that it is one area that I must continue to monitor and improve on.

As for my more recent general life wins…

My morning walk yesterday with Dan & Molly was a disaster of draining sinuses, coughing fits, and Pyrenees attitude.  

1) I tried to take the pressure off of Dan’s back, but even with Molly’s pinch collar on  she was lunching and lunging.  I was choking and sputtering.  It was bad.  I made it around one block, before Dan had to take the leash and we headed home.  Dan headed off solo with Molly prancing  in unison beside him –  as if  this was a fabulous win for her. 😣

While waiting for Dan and Molly to finish their walk, I cleared my lungs with my Airobika and calmed down and regrouped. 

2) When they got back, Dan and I went down to Southland Mall.  I felt better and things went perfect.  We returned with four  Christmas gifts plus a new pair of winter gloves for me.  I saved ten dollars plus taxes on the goves – and I paid for them with Canadian Tire money since I bought them at Mark’s Work Wearhouse.  Wins all around!

3) Later in the afternoon, we had a surprise visit from  granddaughter Prim.   She helped me make supper.   She did all the prep and she whipped up a pan of chocolate/walnut brownies for dessert.   We had supper, and she watched the end of a game show with Dan before he drove her home with plenty of leftovers for her sister Maddy.   Prim’s visit was a win for all of us! 

This morning’s walk went way better.   Molly was still too wound up for me to hold onto her,  but she walked well for Dan.  On our way home we stopped at the dog park for half a hour where she had a good run with her friend Ripple.

Daily Food Diary – Day 335

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) granola bar (160)

Snacks:

(36) Oz water

(8) Hint of Lime chips (200)

Supper:

(12) Oz carbonated water

(1 1/2) servings homemade hamburger helper (615)

(2) Bicks baby dill pickles (6)

(1) Chocolate brownie with walnuts (101)

Total consumed calories: 1264

Total used calories: 0

Total net calories: 1264

Net calories goal: 1208 – 2264 = 56 over 👎

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

I miss summer already. 💗

Daily Food Diary – Day 334 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 334 of my Daily Food Diary! 🔥 That means eleven full months of keeping and posting my daily diary without one single miss! 👏

Today is December 1st.  To round up this challenge, each day  I am going to note one Food Diary WIN that I celebrated in 2025.

When, I started in January, my main goal was to pinpoint foods that I could no longer tolerate in my diet.   My first win came as a complete surprise! 

Just by being mindful of everything I ate  every day, I soon realized how much mindless snacking I did throughout the day.  Much of what I reached for was high in salt or processed sugar. 

Becoming mindful of every bite I ate, or passed on, had a bigger impact on my life.  I became more present and mindful of my life in general.  

Ultimately, I became more aware of my thoughts, emotions, and the choices I made.

We are in the first deep freeze of our winter season.   I have been making the best of it and scored a couple of wins this weekend…

1) I took out the housecoat Dan gave me for Christmas last year.

Like being wrapped in a warm fluffy cloud!

2) I spent some time reading the book that I have been working on – ‘Let Them’ by Mel Robbins.  I have been struggling to read this book (it is me, not a reflection of the book or the author).  Yesterday, I read an entire chapter and was rewarded by this powerful quote…

“The truth is, your life is your responsibility.”

There was a time when such quotes would have spawned excuses and a never ending round of blame games.    Now, such quotes are a huge win.. a huge empowering win. 🤩

No one owes me the life that I want and no one can hand it to me on a silver platter.   It is up to me to make choices I need to make and to take the steps that I have to take, to build the strong, healthy, fulfilling  life that I want and deserve!

Daily Food Diary –   Day 334

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(2.5) scrambled eggs (228)

(2) potato patties (240)

(4) very thin slices bacon (87)

Snacks:

(1) Snickerdoodle (90)

(12) g chipnuts (96)

(1) Oz Frangelico (71)

(48) Oz water

Supper:

(2) full bowls won ton soup (450)

Total consumed calories: 1264

Total used calories: 0

Total net calories: 1264

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1264 = 56 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 333 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 333 of my Daily Food Diary. 🥰

Tomorrow is the first day of December.  I have always thought that in December my focus would be to review my 2025 Food Diary.  Since I have been working on being mindful of and grateful for the wins in my life lately, this will work out perfectly.    Everyday, I will note the wins that I have experienced from my 365 day challenge.  🥳

Today it is the coldest of our cold days so far.  Molly doesn’t even seem terribly excited about a walk so I am pretty sure it will be another off day.  Dan’s back  is feeling somewhat better, but another rest day will be good for him as well.

Latest wins…

1) Dan washed dishes after supper last night.  I did wipe them and put them away, but that is easy easy compared to washing, so it was a nice break. 

2) I completed most of our shopping last night.  It took me a long time to get up to speed with online shopping, but nowadays it is a definite win.  

3) I received my 6th monthly shipment of collagen supplements this morning.   They are my first ever subscription order – very handy and a bit of a deal, too.

Definitely the biggest win from my ‘Daily Food Diary’.   These collagen supplements have been life changing – and only  in a good way! 💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 333

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) eggo waffles (180)

(2) tsp butter (69)

(2) tbsp maple syrup (104)

(2) slices bacon(87)

Snacks:

(12) Hint of Lime chips (300)

(36) Oz water

Supper:

(1) sourdough bun (190)

(3) Oz roast beef (188)

(1) slices onion (6)

(1) tbsp horseradish (7)

(1/2) c gravy (50)

(2) Belgium chocolate cookies (107)

(12) Oz carbonated water

Total consumed calories: 1405

Total used calories: 205

(36) min aerobics (205)

Total net calories: 1200

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1200 = 8 under 👍

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! 🤩💗

Daily Food Diary – Day 332 0f 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 332 of my Daily Food Diary. 😚

This morning, Facebook sent me a ‘memory’ of the last Christmas tree we had.   That was FOUR years ago.  That was not a memorable Christmas Season, nor was it a memorable Christmas tree – at least not in a good way.

The tree was perfect, in every sparkly way – until we realized it came complete with a family of shrews.  A big family – and they were indestructible, cocky, bizarre little creatures.  They lived with us for months before the last of them moved out in the spring.

Good times… 🤦‍♀️

I am so glad that life has turned around and that we are at a place where I can count my wins each and every day!

#1 – Our first REAL snow of the season. I declined to walk Molly solo this morning, but I did go outside with her to clean our walks and paths around our patios.
#2 – I did laundry, including the living room blankets.  A win for me because it didn’t bother my lungs AT ALL to spend time in our basement.  (Dan has been doing the laundry because it had gotten to be such a struggle for me.) 😊
#3 – A win for Molly – Dan had to run over to a friend’s,  so he took Molly to meet Tucker, their young Labradoodle. 😁

#4 – Yesterday, I finally hit the trifecta – a walk with Molly, time on the treadmill, and a session with light weights and cardio. 👍

Daily Food Diary – Day 332

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) paratha (240)

(1) tbsp peanut butter (105)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Lunch:

(1) Harvest hot dog (160)

(10) Lays lightly salted chips (1=5)

(1/2) Oz onion dip (20)

Supper:

(2) servings nachos with ground turkey, red pepper, jalapeños, olives, green onions, shredded habanero cheese. Salsa (865)

Total consumed calories: 1587

Total used calories: 280

(30) min walking (137)

(30) min treadmill (71)

(30) min light weights (71)

Total net calories: 1307

Net calories goal: 1208  – 1307 = 99 over

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 331 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 331 of my Daily Food Diary! 🥳

This morning, I am just going to jump right into my wins since I posted yesterday.

1) For the forth day in a row, Molly and I  went for our morning walk solo.  Molly was very good,  again.    But, it was COLD!    Despite wearing 2 sets of gloves, my hands were freezing.  When we got back home,  my fingers were stiff and in excruciating pain.   I grabbed a jar of CBD cream and lathered it on.  By the time I had it rubbed in, the pain was easing – and in no time my fingers were as good as new.  CBD cream for the win!

2) Last night was dart night for Dan.  I cleared up the kitchen, did the dishes, massaged my hands and did my nails.   After digging in garden dirt, pulling weeds, and the like all spring/summer/fall,  it felt  good to show my hands some winter love.

Healing hands for the win!

3) Finally, shortly after Thanksgiving we asked our Genie if she and her husband Alec would consider hosting Christmas this year.    It is all rather complicated but with help of Alec’s Mom (who is  the official hostess)  that is now the plan.  

Big win – First  Family Christmas,  with and for, the newly weds.  💞🎄

Daily Food Diary – Day 331

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1/2) grapefruit (39)

(1/2) tsp sugar (8)

(1) granola bar (160)

Lunch:

(1/2) c potato (127)

(1 1/2) c Baked vegetables (37)

(1) snickerdoodle (90)

Snacks:

(6) Hint of Lime chips (150)

(48) Oz water

Supper:

(1 1/2) c macaroni & cheese (380)

(2) Harvest weiners (360)

(2) Belgium chocolate cookies (107)

(1) can A & W rootbeer (170)

Total consumed calories: 1694

Total used calories: 337

(30 min walking (137)

(30) min aerobics 200)

Total net calories: 1357

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1357 = 149 over 👎

That’s it for today.  take care and have a great day! 🤗💓