This morning we were up and about for an earlier that usual walk with Molly. We left the house at 8:30, just as a LOT of people were passing through the neighbourhood on their way to work and quite a few kids were making their way to school. Molly handled the extra foot and vehicle traffic quite well all things considered.
Our weather was fairly decent, but hard to believe it was as decent as our Weather Channel would have us believe. It was supposedly plus 13C with low humidity. It seemed pretty cool and damp to us but we were dressed accordingly so we were comfortable enough.
Yesterday, we had a quiet day around here. We had our walk and I did my aerobics. The rest of the day was spent getting our new phones in order and tidying up the house. I don’t know that I did anything out of the ordinary, but my lungs felt amazing when I headed off to bed last night. Absolutely clear, and I didn’t even cough when I took a few deep breaths just to check them out. I don’t know what happened, but I’ll take it when I can get it and I just hope there will be more days and nights like that in my future. 🤗
This morning, Dan is off for coffee with some of the guys that he worked with. Molly is down for a nap. I should get on with a workout or two while all is quiet on the home front.
Daily Food Diary – Day 317
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) plain paratha (240)
(1) tbsp raspberry jam (50)
(1) tbsp peanut butter (105)
Lunch:
(1) cheese biscuit (129)
(3) oz roast chicken breast (75)
(1/3) c gravy (24)
Snacks:
(1) 315 ml Root Beer (170)
(1/2) c raspberries (32)
Supper:
(2) bowls vegetable beef barley soup (360)
(2) snickerdoodles (140)
Total Consumed Calories: 1327
Total Used Calories: 193
(30) minutes walking (137)
(30) minutes aerobics (174)
Total Net Calories: 1016
Net Calories Goal: 1208 – 1016 = 193 under 👍🏻
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 🌞💞
That is 50 Days until the end of my DailyFood Diary Challenge.
In 2026, I am going to switch over to a 365 Day Daily Activity Challenge.
I have been getting back on track doing my regular workouts – walking with Dan and Molly in the morning, and doing my aerobics, light weights, and treadmill.
Yesterday morning, I walked the full route with Dan and Molly. After lunch I did a light weight workout – three sets of eight exercises using eight pound weights with dancing before and after each set. After a short rest, I hopped on the treadmill.
I know that if I am going to make the most of my Activity Challenge in 2026, I am going to have to break out of my comfort zone and kick up my activity level.
Yesterday on the treadmill, I felt it was an ideal time to start pushing my limits. I felt great, the 80’s tunes were rocking, it was time.
I had been strolling along at speed Level 3 on the treadmill. A couple of minutes in, I had kicked it up to a Level 5. Still feeling good and a bit cocky, I pushed it up to a Level 6.
Level 6 is the turning point from Slow Levels to Fat Burn. Specifically – 3.5 km per hour to 40 miles an hour.
I was clinging to the handrails for dear life, running for my life, and wondering how I was going to slow this beast down. I had my left foot up when I made the dubious decision to set it down on the side rail. And the right foot hit the 40 mile an hour treadmill. Well…
That was less than elegant and more than a little painful. Fortunately (or not), I was still holding onto the handrails. I got off in one piece – but with a few new stretch marks. 🙄
I know that I have to keep pushing through my comfort zone – but I can’t see myself ever hitting Performance Level. Maybe by 2027. 🤗
Daily Food Diary – Day 315
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) c Cheerios (200)
(1/4) c 2% milk (28)
Lunch:
(3) PC’s roast chicken (319)
(1) cheese biscuit (129)
(1/3) c gravy (24)
Snacks:
(1) tbsp honey (40)
(1) snickerdoodle (90)
(1) Belgium Chocolate cookie (120)
Supper:
(1) homemade chicken quesadilla (464)
(1) 315 mil Pepsi (150)
Total consumed calories: 1565
Total used calories: 282
(30) min walking (137)
(30) min light weights (73)
(30) min treadmill (73)
Total net calories: 1283
Net calories goal: 1208 – 1283 = 75 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 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! ❤️😊
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. When I began using the app, my goal was 1255 calories a day – now I am down to 1208. Weight loss apps do not reward one for success. 😒
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. One cough should burn 1/2 to 2 calories. Right now I am doing very well, and not coughing at night. VERYConservatively, if I calculate 10 coughs per hour, 15 hours per day – I should burn 54,000 calories a year which should result in a 15 pound weight loss. Just for coughing! In 2023, when I coughed continuously and violently day and night, I should have disappeared.
Obviously, coughing will not be recorded on my Calories Used Diary, but it does make me wonder what else is at play here. I am recording every calorie I consume – and obviously I am still here. 🙄
Once I have had my hernia surgery, I look forward to expanding my light weight exercises usingthe weight bench and guide on our treadmill. 💪
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 👎
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! ☺️💕
Dan and Molly and I got back from our morning walk a bit ago. Since we headed out a bit later than usual, the sun had a nice warmth to it. Unfortunately, the air was heavy and humid and much of the time we were dealing with a cloud of cement dust – the result of some work being done to the pool in the park. It was a bit hard going, but I made the distance.
When we got home, I fed the squirrels and picked up in the yard.
Once the critters were fed, I came into the house and Dan and I checked our Amazon for an air purifier that can live in our bedroom. I think we agreed on what would work best for the space, but he was on his way out so said he would check Canadian Tire to see if he could find something comparable. 👍
Today is Wednesday, so I am about to do my aerobics followed by light weights.
Yesterday morning I did my aerobics but left my treadmill session for later. Later ended up being after supper once Dan was gone to darts and I was watching Homestead Rescue. By the time my show was done, it was a toss up between doing my treadmill or cracking open a box of Halloween treats and pouring myself a glass of wine.
I went with the treadmill with no regrets. I even went up one level on the speed. 🤗
Daily Food Diary – Day 294
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) cheese tortilla wrap (170)
(1) Denver omelet (235)
Snacks:
(1/3) c mixed nuts (238)
Supper:
(1) Hungry Man chicken cutlet TV dinner (520)
(1) extra (ie Dan’s) brownie (121)
Total ConsumedCalories: 1286
Total used calories: 317
(30) min aerobics (176)
(30) min walking (68)
(30) min treadmill (73)
Total net calories: 969
Net calories goal: 1229 – 969 = 250 under 👍
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💗😊
Yesterday was a pretty good day. I only made one block of the walk I set out on with Dan and Molly. I could have handled the cold and wind, but the rain was a bit much. I came home and did my aerobics and weights – plus I did half an hour on the treadmill before supper. 👍
For supper last night, I decided we should indulge in some Taco Time. One of the most mind-boggling things I have found since I began tracking my Daily Food Diary is how many calories there are in such meals. I knew it was bad, but I had no idea. 🤦
Obviously, last night’s indulgence is a hard one to report on my Daily Food Diary, but it’s all about balance. Last night, I was balancing out the salad I had for supper on Saturday. 🙄
Last night, for the second night in a row, we put the air purifier from our living room in our bedroom. I slept really well both nights and with minimal coughing before I fell asleep and after I woke up. I have to try it for a few days, but we might have to get another one before we get tired of hauling this one back and forth between rooms.
Daily Food Diary – Day 293
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) c Cinnamon Cheerios (200)
(1/4) c 2% milk (28)
Lunch:
(4) air fried chicken wing flats & (4) drummets (440)
(14) Lay’s lightly salted ripple chips (140)
(36) oz water
(8) oz lemon water
Supper:
(1) 12 oz A & W Rootbeer (170)
(1) Small Mexi Fries (265)
(2) hardshell tacos (520)
(1) crisp meat burrito (390)
Total calories consumed: 2155
Total calories used: 329
(30) min aerobics (176)
(30) min weights (73)
(30) min treadmill (80)
Total net calories: 1826
Net calories goal: 1229 – 1826 = 597 over 👎
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! ❤️😊
Today it is three and a half months since I started taking collagen supplements.
Throughout July and August, I noticed multiple benefits – from easing stiff achy hands, stronger longer nails, thicker stronger hair (and a virtual end to hair loss), improved muscle strength – especially in my hands and upper body, increased stability in my joints, and best of all increased stability in my sinuses and airways.
At the beginning of September, I saw my respirologist and, because I was still coughing up an abundance of mucus, he put me on a round of antibiotics and Prednisone. Neither of which have ever agreed with me – but which at times were deemed a medical necessity.
Throughout September I suffered the loss of a lot of the benefits from the collagen supplements. It started gradually with broken nails and shedding hairs and went downhill from there.
Sometime in this demoralizing period I ran across articles that claimed Prednisone can/does inhibit collagen synthesis. (That makes so much sense considering my history – despite the fact that I had continued to take my collagen supplements.)
I finished this last round of Prednisone on September 13th. Last week things finally began to turn around. Again, I noticed the improvements first in my hands, then nails, then hair ….
This morning, I went for a walk with Dan and Molly. Despite 100 percent humidity, I went the full distance, barely feeling the humidity until the last few blocks. 🥳💓
6 degrees Celsius – 42.8 degrees Fahrenheit
I am so so excited that this setback appears to be behind me! Hopefully I can avoid any more setbacks (and Prednisone) going forward! Most of all, I am excited that once again, I feel that I am capable of moving forward, stronger, and healthier! 🎈
Daily Food Diary – Day 287
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) plain paratha (240)
(1) tbsp jam (50)
(1) tbsp peanut butter (105)
Lunch:
(2) pork eggrolls (360)
(4) Gyoza (133)
Snacks:
(48) oz water
(1) c turkey broth (100)
Supper:
(2 1/2) c spaghetti with tomato meat sauce/peppers/onions/mushrooms/garlic (718)
Total consumed calories: 1708
Total used calories: 310
(30) min walking (83)
(30) min aerobics (176)
(15) min treadmill steep incline (52)
Total net calories: 1398
Net calories goal: 1229 – 1398 = 168 over 👎
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞😊
Seventy Days left of 2025 and so far I haven’t missed a single day of keeping up and posting my Daily Food Diary!
No matter what, I have not missed a single day! That is more than I can say for the rest of my daily routine.
Having chronic health issues, there is the potential for multiple wins, if one is willing to make health a priority. Unfortunately, there is also the risk of unavoidable setbacks.
Having been diagnosed with asthma, bronchiectasis, and COPD – weather, seasonal allergies, environmental pollution, and more can trigger flare ups. Flare ups also make one more susceptible to infection, which is routinely treated with antibiotics and Prednisone – both of which have detrimental effects on my health.
In early September I went through my latest setback complete with a round of antibiotics and prednisone. I am finally seeing the last of these effects wearing off and feeling ready to get back on track. 👍
Last night we had a visit from our Granddaughter Genie. Over tea – and a last minute supper of Oriental appetizers, we had a chat about investment strategies. A topic Genie had expressed interest in recently. We talked about everything from stocks and bonds to mutual funds – but mostly we discussed the different tax saving accounts available to keep them in. Not a particularly exciting topic, but important for a young couple starting out – looking to buy their first home, start a family, save for major expenses, and ultimately plan for retirement.
I’m no financial expert, but I do have an idea of what is available, where to find more information, and who to go to for the level of advice that I cannot provide.
Fresh from the wedding and ready to plan for the responsibilities of their life together.
The great thing about helping Genie and Alec with anything like this is knowing that they will pass anything they learn down to their younger siblings, when the time comes.
Daily Food Diary – Day 286
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) c cinnamon oatmeal crunch Cheerios (200)
(1/4) c milk (28)
Lunch:
(2) c turkey broth (200)
(2 1/2) oz turkey (115)
Snacks:
(36) oz water
(1) c licorice tea
(12) oz 7up (140)
(1/3) c mixed nuts (216)
Dinner:
(1) egg roll (189)
(2) Gyoza (67)
(2) tempura shrimp (70)
(2) shrimp nests (52)
(1) PC Buttermilk chicken (120)
(1) tsp Gyoza sauce (5)
(1) tsp plum sauce (12)
(1) tbsp Dilly Dip (50)
Total consumed calories: 1467
Total used calories: 138
(30) min walking (83)
(30) min cooking (56)
Total net calories: 1329
Net calories goal: 1229 – 1329 = 99 over 👎
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💗☺️
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 