Daily Food Diary – Day 305 of 365

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.  πŸ€—

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 identifying foods 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 ofΒ  processed or natural sugar,Β  which yeast feeds on.

It is complicated and one of the reasonsΒ  I have ultimately become proactive about my health.Β Β  Every body is different.Β  Even if multiple doctors cannot diagnose an issue it does not mean that there isn’t one – or that it cannot be dealt with.Β Β 

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 πŸ‘

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! πŸ’žπŸ€—

Daily Food Diary – Day 302 of 365

Today is Day 302 of my Daily Food Diary.  πŸ₯³

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.Β 

For the record, I do not follow sports.Β  I have watched more baseball in the past few days than I have in my lifetime.Β  While I can’t say I have been enjoying it –Β  I can see why people get caught up in the hype.Β Β  The game that went on for eighteen innings had me so engaged, I had to go to bed before I got too into it.Β Β 

I was hoping the Blue Jays would win – Canadian pride and all.Β  πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦ But it just got weird that I was getting so desperate for a win.Β  πŸ™„πŸ€¦

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. πŸ˜‚πŸ™†

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 πŸ‘

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 298 of 365

Today is Day 298 of my Daily Food Diary. πŸ™Œ

I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but every time I register a drop in my weight, the LoseIt! app that I use drops my calorie goal for the day.Β Β  When I began using the app, my goal was 1255 calories a day – now I am down to 1208.Β Β  Weight loss apps  do not reward one for success. πŸ˜’

Next year, rather than focusing on calories consumed, I am going to count calories used.  My main goal has always been more about health and wellness, than about losing weight – so it just makes sense to track (and expand) my level of activity.

Lately, I have been looking at different activities, how effective they are for increasing fitness, strength, flexibility, balance…. plus how effective they are at burning calories.

One such ‘activity’ that I have encountered in this search is coughing.Β  One cough should burn 1/2 to 2 calories.Β Β  Right now I am doing very well, and not coughing at night.Β Β VERY Conservatively, if I calculate 10 coughs per hour, 15 hours per day – I should burn 54,000 calories a year which should result in a 15Β  pound weight loss.Β  Just for coughing!Β Β  In 2023, when I coughed continuously and violently day and night, I should have disappeared.Β Β 

Obviously, coughing will not be recorded on my Calories Used Diary, but it does make me wonder what else is at play here.Β  I am recording every calorie I consume – and obviously I am still here. πŸ™„

Once I have had my hernia surgery, I look forward to expanding my light weight exercises using the weight bench and guide on our treadmill. πŸ’ͺ

Daily Food Diary – Day 298

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) crumpets (240)

(1) tsp butter (34)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Lunch:

(1) c pepper steak (150)

(1) c white rice (242)

(1) mini peanut butter cup (40)

(1) snack pack Reese’s pieces (67)

Snacks:

(36) oz water

(1) Mott’s Clamato Caesar (168)

(12) Lay’s lightly salted ripple chips (140)

Supper:

(1) serving chilli (190)

(2) all beef Top Dogs (240)

(2) Brazilian Cheese Rolls (249)

Total consumed calories: 1812

Total used calories: 383

(30) min walking (68)

(30) min treadmill (80)

(30) min yardwork (102)

(1) hr cleaning (134)

Total net calories: 1429

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1429 = 221 over πŸ‘Ž

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! β˜ΊοΈπŸ’•

Daily Food Diary – Day 24 of 365

Good morning! It’s my 24th day of posting my food diary and I am excited at how well it is going so far!

Anyone who has been following along with me knows that my diet went far off base last fall and I was less than happy with the results of blood tests I had taken in late October.   I agreed with my Nurse Practitioner to make the adjustments that needed to be made, and to go for retesting this week.   I went on Thursday, received some of the results Thursday night and the rest yesterday. 

The only issue with the first set was my HbA1c/Total Hemoglobin (which measures your risk of diabetes).  In Canada, a 5.5 to 5.9 means you are at risk of becoming pre-diabetic.  In October, I rated a 5.6.  This time I had dropped to 5.5.  It’s an improvement, but I still have work to do.

The rest of my tests ALL came back with results in the normal range. 😊

I am thrilled with the results but committed to working at dropping my risk of diabetes and keeping the rest of my levels in the normal range.

While diet is my focus here, I also remain committed to working out, getting fresh air, meditating, sleeping well,  using my Spiriva and Advair inhalers as prescribed, and drinking adequate water and using my Neti Pot daily to keep working to improve my sinus health.

It sounds like a lot and a big commitment of time and effort.  It really isn’t that much of either,  especially compared to the consequences of allowing my health to slide.   

I love reading self help books and two that have helped me immensely on my journey are: Atomic Habits by James Clear  and Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.   These books were life changers for me.  David Goggins made me realize my potential.   James Clear helped me to get organized so I can actually achieve the results that I aim for. 😊

Food Diary – Day 24 of 365

(1) c coffee

(1/2) Grapefruit with sugar

(1) leftover cabbage roll

(24) ounces of water

(1) cup tea

(1) small bowl of caramel corn

(24) oz of water

(12) oz of water

(1) dinner plate of ham, scalloped potatoes, corn, plus a small side salad

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! πŸ’žπŸŒž

October 18th – Smelly News

Today I went searching for a news story on a specific topic.Β  A smelly subject to be sure but one that deserved a bit of research – especially today.

Dan and I went shopping this morning.  We went to three stores and rounded off our shopping spree with store number four – a quick stop at a nearby Dollar Store to grab a few bags of peanuts for our neighbourhood squirrels  and Bluejays.

Entering and exiting the store, I did what I have always done since the beginning of the pandemic – I took a shot of hand sanitizer and applied it  thoroughly.   On the way out of the store, I touched my facemask to readjust it.   By the time I got into the Jeep, I was choking on the smell that had penetrated my mask.    Since misery loves company, I had Dan take a whiff.   By the time we got home, the entire Jeep reeked. The first thing I did was toss the mask in the outdoor garbage can.  The second thing was to thoroughly scrub my hands.

I cannot believe that this is the first time I have had such an issue and I cannot believe it was so bad.Β  It was as strong and as repugnant as bug spray.Β  And according to today’s very informative news story it was probably deliberate!

We are one of those many families who have issues with chemical scents.  We buy virtually everything unscented for a reason.  Many of us suffer from migraines, respiratory issues, and allergies.    It is a genuine health issue, as it is for many!

I cannot imagine why anyone would be allowed to create hand sanitizer that has been scented with noxious chemicals. I really cannot understand how anyone can be allowed to provide such hand sanitizer to an unsuspecting public as part of a health order to prevent the spread of a life/health threatening disease.

I have scrubbed my hands three times and changed all of my clothing since we got home and there is still a scent wafting around me. Not only is this smell brutal, but obviously it is not going away. πŸ˜’

That is my news for the day. Live and learn! I will not be venturing out without a container of unscented hand sanitizer any time soon.

Looks like a good day for a walk in the FRESH air.

Take care and have a great day! πŸ’ž (And don’t trust public hand sanitizer).