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Today is Day 247 of my Daily Food Diary! 😊

Today is the third day of my latest round of antibiotics and oral steroids for my latest battle of lung infection

Yesterday I did pretty well, but the drugs were definitely kicking in. 

I started the day with a bout of antibiotic nausea.  The antibiotics that I am on are disagreeable little beggars, but my doctor likes them and he does have to switch them into the rotation on occasion so I don’t get too resistant to any particular type.

By the time that settled down,the Prednisone kicked in and I started getting shaky and anxious.  Not fun, but I managed to pull myself together and Dan took me to the x-ray clinic and blood lab to deal with that funness.   Neither was bad.  There was a bit of a wait at the x-ray clinic, but it was quick and simple once the technician called me in.  There was no wait at the blood lab.  It amazes me how painlessly those technicians draw blood.  I never felt a thing and never bled a drop. (I may have been dry after the five vials I donated).

Once we returned home, the Prednisone zoomies kicked in and I was able to do my aerobics (for the first time in days), scrub down the bathroom and hall (including fixtures,  walls, floors and everything in my path), and make supper (with Dan).

Aside from doing the official meds, I have been doing pretty well at sticking to a nutritious diet for the past couple of days.  That homemade chicken soup made from homemade stewing hen broth just feels so healing. 

I haven’t had a fever for two days so hopefully I am truly on the mend!

Daily Food Diary – Day 247

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) Blueberry Eggo Waffles (270)

(2) tsp butter (68)

(3) Slices bacon (130)

(1 1/2) tsp syrup (78)

Lunch:

(1/2) c homemade chicken broth (27)

(1) peach (58)

(1) c raspberries (64)

(60) oz water

Supper:

(3) c homemade chicken noodle soup (480)

(1) Large cheese biscuit (258)

Total calories consumed: 1436

Total calories used: 366

(30) min. aerobics (176)

(1) hr housecleaning (135)

(30) min. cooking/food prep (56)

Total net calories: 1070

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1070 = 159 under 👍

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

Today is Day 245 of my Daily Food Diary! Doing anything for 245 Days without one miss is pretty impressive, even if one is retired and has ample free time to get it done. 😁

This morning, I went to see my Respiratory Specialist (Respirologist according to the sign in his office which I had managed to miss on countless previous visits).

After a short chat, he listened to my lungs,  checked my blood oxygen/pulse readings,  and determined that I do have another lung infection.  This is my second this year and two too many in my mind.   He prescribed antibiotics and oral steroids, gave me a requisition for X-rays and blood tests, and told me to come back in a week.

While I was there, he told me that the lung function tests I had a few weeks ago were on  par with the ones last year, which were on  par with the year before.  I was hoping to see improvement, but he considers it a win if I have not gotten worse. 

They always do these tests in the summer, which while being my favourite time of year, is the worst time for my respiratory health.  Wildfire smoke and high humidity are an ongoing battle. 

This year there is also more of an issue with mould and mildew.  I noticed it on plants in our garden (tomatoes and cucumbers), and on fresh produce from the store (onions and carrots), both more than usual,  but I didn’t think that much of it.

A few days ago,  I put a couple of fruit fly traps (which I had filled with red wine) on our kitchen window sill.  They did their usual excellent job of collecting the fruit flies, but when I checked to see if they needed cleaning this morning,  they were full of mould.   I have used these traps for years and have never seen this before.

It makes sense that a bad mould season would make for a worse lung season for me.  Now I just have to figure out how to deal with it!

In the meantime, I need to take my meds, eat more chicken soup,  and take it a bit easy for a few days.  Hopefully by this time next week, I will be back to normal – or BETTER THN EVER!

Daily Food Diary – Day 245

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1/2)  grapefruit (39)

(1/2) tsp sugar (8)

Snacks:

(1) apple (95)

(1/3) c mixed nuts (238)

(48) oz water

(12) oz carbonated water

Supper:

(3) c homemade chicken noodle soup (480)

Total calories consumed:  863

Total calories used: 246

(1) hour House Cleaning (135)

(1) hour cooking/food prep (111)

Total net calories: 617

Net calories goal: 1229 – 617 = 612 under 😳

*** I was not trying to be that much under my Net Calorie Goal!   I was not feeling well enough to be hungry, but virtually everything I did eat was nutritious.

It is 219 Days since I started posting my Daily Food Diary. 

Each month, I choose one aspect of my diet to focus on.  This month, I chose COLORFUL foods. 

Last night, we made enchiladas and Spanish Rice for supper.   We added a fair amount of color.  There was bright red salsa in the rice, white onion and garlic in the enchiladas,  as well as red pepper, green jalapenos, and brown beans.  There was also ground chicken and enchiladas sauce.  That was all wrapped in Grimm’s  cheese  tortilla wraps, covered in shredded mozzarella cheese and the rest of the enchiladas sauce. 

Once the enchiladas were baked and the rice was fried, everything came out a uniform golden brown.

I should have seen it coming, but I was shocked when I added up the calories. 1233 CALORIES!  I ate my entire supper and I was absolutely full, but I feel for people who have to stick to a super strict calorie wise diet.   It is way too easy to devour more than a day’s worth of calories in one meal.   We started out with lean ground chicken, a cup of refried beans, a few vegetables, and a bit of leftover rice and there you go! 1233 calories worth of Enchiladas and Spanish Rice!  It was delicious, but we won’t be  indulging in that again any time soon.  🙄

Daily Food Diary – Day 219

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Honey Nut Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c 2% milk

Lunch:

(1) Apple – red (95)

(1) Kiwi – green (46)

Snack:

(28) Lay’s lightly salted chips (160)

(60) oz water

Supper:

(1) enchilada (870)

(1 1/2) c Spanish Rice (363)

Total net calories: 1571

Net calories goal: 1222 – 1571 = 349 over

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

It is 172 Days since I began my Daily Food Diary! 🤗

Today I am celebrating another non scale win.  It is nice to see numbers dropping on the scale – especially knowing  that the pounds I am losing are pounds of unhealthy fat.

But, it is equally exciting to be able to reach into my closet, take out a favourite pair of jeans from my younger years, and find that I can fit into them – comfortably!

These Size 6 jeans bring me full circle to where I began three decades ago.  Size 6 to Size 0 to Size 12 and BACK!   🥳

Daily Food Diary – Day 172

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) Lg. Mango (135) (2 SVG)

Lunch:

(1/2) serving leftover Nachos (290) (1 SVG)

(36) oz water

Supper:

(1 1/2) serving homemade Hamburger Helper: lean ground beef, egg noodles, onions, celery, leek, red pepper, mushrooms, gravy (615) (1 SVG)

(4) mini baby dill pickles (2 SVG)

(1 1/2) pc’s Butterscotch Pudding Cake (230)

Total net calories: 1108

Net calorie goal: 1238 – 1108 = 130 under 👍

Fruits & vegetables: 6 servings

Fruit & vegetable goal: 7 servings 👎

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

It is 171 Days since I started posting my Daily Food Diary.  171 DAYS without one miss! 🥰

I have seen a number of benefits from doing this challenge.   The biggest benefit is that I am  mindful of what I eat and, what I choose NOT to eat.   I have done away with mindless snacking.  When I eat anything, it is never straight out of the bag or box.   One serving is one serving. I am conscientious when it comes to adding seasonings,  sauces, or oils to food that I am cooking or preparing.   None of this is anything that I stress out about, or anything that makes eating (or not eating) an uncomfortable experience.   It is just a natural result of making eating a mindful experience.

Becoming mindful of what  I eat,  has made me more mindful in general.    That has improved the overall quality of my life. 

I seldom think about the past, worry about the future, or stress about what anyone else is doing.  I am present in (almost) every  moment of my life.    I am generally happier and getting better results with anything I am doing.    Life is easier and more  gratifying. 

Daily Food Diary – Day 171

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) granola bar (160)

Lunch:

(1) c Romaine lettuce (8) (1 SVG)

(1) green onion (8)

(156) g Flakes of Chicken (210)

(1) tbsp Miracle Whip (40)

(60) oz water

Supper:

(1 1/2) SVG nachos with red pepper, green onions, jalapenos, black & green olives, ground turkey with taco seasonings, shredded marble cheese, and salsa (852) (2  SVG)

Total Net Calories: 1293

Net calorie goal: 1238 – 1293 = 55 over 👎

Fruit & vegetables: 3 servings

Fruit & Vegetable goal: 7 servings 👎

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

It is 133 Days since I started posting my Daily Food Diary.  That is a full 19 weeks!

Yesterday was a fairly productive day.  We had a relatively hearty breakfast, then set out for a walk around the neighborhood with Molly.

By the time we returned home, it was time for Dan to set out for a round of golf.  I did my aerobics and got some housework done – including washing the front window.

I have been wanting to have some cookies in the house for those times when I want just a little dessert.  Yesterday, I got into the kitchen and tried a couple of new (to me) recipes.  I made some baked Lemon Oatmeal cookies and a batch of Peanut Butter/Cream Cheese/Chocolate Chip no bake cookies.  It is doubtful that I will ever make either again but we will probably use them up eventually. 

Last night was a rough night for all of us.  I don’t know if it’s the meds I am on, the weather, allergies or what, but I coughed from 10:30 last night until 4:30 this morning.   I finally managed to get an hour sleep on the sofa before Molly woke me up at 5:30  to tell me I was in her spot.  😒

I don’t know how much we will get done today but Molly needs a walk and I want to hit up a few greenhouses to pick up some bags of soil for planters and a few seedlings.   We have a ton of yardwork to get done in the next couple of weeks so we have to get at it.

Daily Food Diary – Day 133

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) cheese tortilla wrap (170) (1.5 grams)

(1) tsp butter (34) (2.3 grams)

(1) tsp olive oil (40) (.7 grams)

(2) eggs (160) (3 grams)

(1 1/2) oz low sodium ham (50) (.7 grams)

(2) tbsp salsa (10)

Snacks:

(48) oz water

(1) Asian pear (116)

(12) raspberries (12)

(1) Lemon oatmeal cookie (68) (.6 grams)

(1) Peanut butter/cream cheese cookie (167) (3.5 grams)

Supper:

(1) bbq chicken drumsticks (110) (.4 grams)

(3) oz BBQ chicken breast (53)

(4) oz potato salad (220) (2 grams)

(1) Bucks baby dill pickle (3)

Total net calories: 1093

Net calorie goal: 1243 – 1093 = 150 under 👍

Total saturated fats: 20.7 grams

Saturated fats goal: 13.75 grams 👎

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

It is Day 124 of my Daily Food Diary and it is  Day 4 of tracking the saturated fats that I consume on a daily basis. 

Consuming saturated fats is never a good thing, but being active and working out on a regular basis does mitigate the damage that they do to our body.

I do aerobics six mornings a week and I have been walking with husband Dan and our dog Molly, as much as is possible and practical.

Walking may not happen today.   It is cool and raining.  That would not necessarily stop me.  I could probably convince Dan to join me.  Molly would be more of an issue.  She loves walking.  She loves cold, snow, and ice. She draws the line at rain.

So… Today I am going to focus on baking some heart healthy muffins, making a pot of beef barley soup for supper tonight, and preparing a pot of brown beans for supper tomorrow night.

It is going to take some work to reduce the saturated fats in our diet – but it can and will be done.  My biggest hurdle is breakfast – without yeast in my diet, breakfast is difficult.  Cutting down on sugar and salt, moreso.  Cutting  saturated fats, doesn’t leave me a lot to work with.  🙄 

Daily Food Diary – Day 124

Breakfast:

(1) c Coffee (2)

(1) cashew granola bar (pre early morning walk snack) (160) (2.5 grams)

(2) original Eggo waffles (180) (1.5 grams)

(2) tsp butter (69) (4.7)

(1) tbsp maple syrup(55)

(3) PC bacon (130) (3.3 grams)

Snacks:

(1) c tea

(48) oz water

(1 1/2) oz Spicy Dill peanuts (255) (2.6 grams)

(1 1/2)  oz corn nuts (185) (1.1 grams)

Supper:

Chef salad:

(3) oz Low Salt ham (99) (1.4 grams)

(2) hard boiled eggs (155) (3.3 grams)

(1/4) c shredded cheese (114) (6.6 grams)

(1/2) tomato (11)

(5) slices cucumber (4)

(1) c Romaine lettuce (6)

(1/8) c green onion (5)

(1/4) c cauliflower (7)

(1) tbsp sunflower seeds (50) (.6)

(3) tbsp dried fried onions (50) (1.7 grams)

(2) tbsp Vidalia Onion Dressing (100) (1 gram)

Total net calories: 1558

Net calorie goal: 1247 – 1558 = 311 over

Total saturated fats:  30.6 grams

Saturated fats goal:  <13.75 grams

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