Tag: nutrition

Daily Food Diary – Day 63 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It has been 63 days since I began my Daily Food Diary.  That is a full NINE WEEKS.  I still have 43 weeks to go, but it is still a milestone worth celebrating. 😁

One thing that is notable about my diet, is that I avoid foods/drinks that include yeast, yeast extract, and anything that is  fermented.

While it is supposedly rare, I cannot tolerate yeast in my diet.  It causes a multitude of digestive issues from uncomfortable bloating to severe abdominal cramps, and more.   It just isn’t worth it!

Most of the time, I simply skip bread products (including anything that is breaded),anything that is fermented, and most alcoholic drinks – especially red wine.

Other times, I use yeast free alternatives – tea biscuits, waffles, puff pastry, crumpets, tortilla wraps, etc.  Recently, I have been experimenting with PARATHA, which is a yeast free flatbread that we buy frozen and pan fry (without oil )to a nice crispy, flakey texture.

Paratha is high in calories (even the Less Oil option) and has a LOT of sodium.   It isn’t something we indulge in every day, but occasionally,  it makes for a very enjoyable yeast free alternative.

Food Diary – Day 63

Breakfast

(1) c coffee (2) (.3)

(1) Plain paratha  (240) (7)

(1) Tbsp peanut butter (105) (4)

(2) Tsp jam (33) (.1)

Snacks

(24) oz water

(1) c tea

(1) peach (51) (1.2)

(24) Dutch Crunch kettle chips (240) (3)

Supper

(2) servings Arby’s roast beef (299) (32)

(1) Large crinkle cut fries (530) (7)

(1) Mozza stick (110) (4.8)

(1) pkg horsey sauce (60) (-)

(1) gravy (35) (1)

Total Calories: 1705

Total Protein: 60.4 g

Protein daily goal: 46-58.5 grams

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 62 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

I am sixty two days into my Daily Food Diary and I am still tracking what I consume, and learning from this exercise every day.

This month, I am specifically tracking the  protein in my diet.  I am only three days in, but so far I am surprised by how high my  protein intake is. I don’t know if it is a fluke.  I haven’t been planning my diet around it.  Having Dan buy a small Chocolate Fudge Cake on the weekend, certainly hasn’t helped the cause. 🙄

Meanwhile, our weather continues to stay relatively mild.  Our February temperatures were not conducive to getting much fresh air so I have really appreciated finally getting outside.

Our neighbourhood is still not great for walking, but fortunately we have a large yard.   We don’t get to a park for a walk every day.   But…  I am getting outside,  throwing a ball for Molly, and getting some exercise  fetching it for her.

Molly sitting in her favourite corner. 🤦

Food Diary – Day 62

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2) (.3)

(1) c Cheerios (147) (2.7)

(1/4) c 2% milk (31) (2)

Lunch:

(24) oz water

(2) oz Piller shaved ham (57) (8.5)

(1/2) c Mini Ritz (140) (.2)

(1) oz medium cheddar (45) (2.5)

(1) c tea

Supper:

(1) Roasted chicken thigh & drumstick

      (387) (45)

(1) c mashed potatoes (113) (1.9)

(1/4) c Swiss Chalet gravy (20) (1)

(1) side salad (90) (5)

(1) pc chocolate fudge cake (300) (2)

(12) oz carbonated water

Total calories: 1379

Total Protein: 56.4 grams

Protein goal:  46 to 58.5 grams

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 61 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It has been 61 days since I started my Daily Food Diary.  I am still eating and still tracking! 👍

This weekend was a double win for my health.

Yesterday, I went for a CT Scan that needed to be done before my hernia repair.  I had an appointment but they called me three hours early to ask me if I could pop down to the hospital right away to get it done.  That alone was a double win – I got it done and I didn’t sit around worrying about it for three hours. 😂

Also yesterday, I received the results of blood tests that I had done last week.  My results were a perfect win.  All the usual tests – cholesterol, blood sugar etc came in at mid normal.  AND There was no indication of any infection or inflammation.   That was all accomplished with exercise and diet. 👏 No medications used or required.  That is huge for anyone and especially anyone like me who cannot tolerate any drugs.

Food Diary – Day 61

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)  (.3)

(2) breakfast sausages (270) (20)

(2) pancakes (173) (4.9)

(1) tbsp Pure Maple Syrup (55) (-)

When I spoke to a nutritionist last fall, she told me that Maple Syrup is the best natural sugar to use. (Still in moderation)  I don’t remember if she said why, but I think it is because it is the least processed.

Compare ingredients! No contest. 💓

Snacks:

(24) 0z water

(50g) Frito Lays Hoops (270) (3)

(1) c licorice tea

Supper:

(12) oz water

(1) Ruben Wrap

  1. 1 Tortilla wrap (170) (5)
  2. 4 oz Montreal smoked meat (136) (15.1)
  3. 1 slice Swiss Cheese (106) (7.1)
  4. 1/2 c sauerkraut (23) (.5)
  5. 1 1/2 tsp hot mustard (10) (-)
  6. 1.2 pc chocolate fudge cake (360) (2.4)

Total Calories: 1643

Total Protein:  58.4 grams

  • In the past week I consumed 257 calories over my goal of a net 1276 calories  a day
  • My protein goal is 46 to 58.5 grams per day

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

Photo compliments of our granddaughter Maddy who was in Alberta this weekend, staying in Calgary and visiting Banff.

Daily Food Diary – Day 60 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

I am SIXTY DAYS into my Daily Food Diary. I only have three hundred and fifteen days to go and I have this challenge in the bag. ☺️

It is Sunday morning.  I am about to start cooking up our Sunday Brunch.  We are having pancakes and sausage this morning, so it will be interesting to see how I do protein wise today.  😯

This afternoon, we are heading across the city to the Regina General Hospital.  I am having a CT Scan that the surgeon wants to see before he does my hernia surgery.  It’s odd that they book CT Scans on Sunday but it’s got to be done, and I know I am fortunate that they were able to get me in so quickly. 😉

Food Diary – Day 60

Late Breakfast

(1) c coffee (2)   (.3)

(2) Potato Patties (240)   (2)

(1) Egg (80)   (7)

(3) Slices back bacon (52)  (12)

(1) teaspoon olive oil (40) (-)

(24) oz water

(1) c tea

Supper

(3) pcs English Battered fish (390)  (18)

(21) Cavendish fries (169)  (2.8)

(1) tbsp Tartar sauce (85) (.2)

(1) c coleslaw (50) (-)

(12) oz carbonated water

Snacks:

1)piece of Chocolate Fudge Cake (300) (2)

Chocolate Fudge Cake needs MORE protein and LESS calories 🙄

(1/2) c sunflower seeds with shells (12)  (4)

(12) oz water

Total Calories: 1529

Total Protein: 48.3 grams

Goal for Protein – 46 to 58.5 Grams

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 59 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is Day 59 of my Daily Food Diary and  February is finally behind us. 

Heading into March, I have made a couple of changes to my Food Diary.

I have started breaking down my day into meals.  How each day breaks down and what I eat depends on what I am doing.  Yesterday, I had a quick breakfast, went to our local lab for blood tests, came home,  and Dan and I headed to a park,  to take Molly for a walk.   The blood tests took forever, so by the time we got back from our ‘morning’ walk, it was about 1:30 PM.

Breaking down my water isn’t an exact science.  I fill my 24 ounce water bottle in the morning and drink it throughout the day.

I have started tracking the protein I eat in a day.  Without particularly trying, I hit the higher end of my goal for eating 46 to 58.5 grams of protein per day. 💪

Food Diary – Day 59

Breakfast

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios (147) (2.7)

(1/4) c milk (31) (2)

Late Lunch

(24) oz water

(1) c tea

(2) sm peach (51) (1.2)

(1) lg pear (116) (1.4)

Supper

(12) oz carbonated water

(2) c spaghetti with meat sauce (574) (27.6)

(1/3) c shredded cheese (120) (7)

(3) Dill pickles (23) (1.2)

(25) Lay’s Classic chips (160) (2)

(2) tbsp Kraft Philadelphia onion dip (45) (2)

Evening Snack

(2 1/2) oz fresh coconut (175) (2)

(2) tbsp dark chocolate sauce (110) (6.8)

Total calories: 1552

Total protein: 55.9 grams

  • For my age, sex, and size my goal for protein is 46 to 58.5 grams per day (46 grams should maintain the muscle I have, up to  58.5 grams should build muscle).

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 57 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

I am fifty-seven days into my Daily Food Diary.   I have been using the fitness app Lose It! For 10 days now and it gets easier and more useful every day.  I don’t know if I will ever ramp up to the paid version, but will see as time goes on.

These days, I am trying to get more active,  do more deep breathing exercises,  and focused meditation to get my lungs as functional as possible for my hernia repair.  My biggest issue going into this,   is that in recent weeks my asthma is triggered easily and often by any stress.  AND hospitals stress me out.  My surgeon is using general anesthesia to have me as relaxed as possible so I won’t have a coughing fit while he is trying to work on me – but general anesthesia is not the best for someone with my respiratory issues.  So… There is that!  (as my friend Jackie would say 😁)

Yesterday, I did make a little progress in the activity end of things – and I got some fresh air as well.  Dan and I headed down to the walking trails at the south end of the city with Molly.  I took the first shift with Molly’s leash.  That meant crossing the road, climbing over a snowbank, getting across an icy bridge and travelling down a trail  – while holding on to a hundred pound Pyrenees who was excited about being out in the snow, bopping from one side of the trail to the other, and occasionally losing her mind altogether and leaping into the deep snow beside the trail.   Half a kilometre in, I was ready to relinquish the leash to Dan so the rest of our walk was a lot less eventful – at least for me. 

Molly in her element💓

Food Diary – Day 57

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Shreddies with milk & sugar (287)

(1) c Vegetable stir fry (72)

(1) oz pork loin (77)

(24) oz water

(1) c tea

(1) small peach (51)

(2) c fried rice with lean pork loin and LOTS of vegetables – onions, celery, red pepper, & mushrooms (580)

(12) oz carbonated water

(1/2) bag popcorn (190)

Total calories: 1259

Using the Lose It! app I registered -206 calories for aerobics and walking.  I’m sure, I earned a few more for sharing popcorn with Molly (which is more physically challenging than one would think – but not  in their list of  exercises. 🫤)

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 56 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is Day 56 of my Daily Food Diary  and a beautiful day it is shaping up to be.  The sun is shining and our temperatures are hovering above freezing so it’s all good.

Thanks to the great weather, I am finding it easier to step up my activity level this week.  My morning aerobics are, as always,  the cornerstone of my fitness program.   The rest of my day varies.  Yesterday afternoon, I spent an hour outside – just doing odds and ends and getting a good dose of fresh air.  I came in, had tea with Dan,  and danced for an hour before starting supper.  💃

I haven’t been doing afternoon weight and strength training for a few weeks, since I had my hernia incident.  I am looking forward to having my repair done so I can feel confident getting back to it.

Food Diary – Day 56

(2) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c 2 % milk (31)

(24) oz water

(4) Chicken drumettes (172)

(1) c Rice a Roni (310)

(1) c tea

(1/6) c almonds & cashews (150)

(12) oz carbonated water

(2) c spaghetti with meat sauce (574)

(1) side salad (223)

(2/3) c Butter Pecan Ice cream (213)

(15) pecan halves (98)

(1) tbsp caramel sauce (70)

Total Calories: 1980

Yikes – but I am determined  not to  scrimp on nutrition just to have a bowl of ice cream.   It’s all about balance. 🙂

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 55 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Another day in the life of my 365 Day Daily Food Diary.   I have 310 days to go and I am starting to see how challenging this could get before I am done.  We have one trip planned and another one that we are hoping to take.  I have my hernia repair coming up.  Spring is coming soon and that will lead to all of the outdoor activities that I love.  Life in general is about to get a lot busier than it was when I set out on this venture.  

As I was reminded this morning, by my friend Dwight Hyde from http://fadedjeansliving.com , regardless of what I am struggling with, ‘I choose‘.   Whether, it is continuing a challenge of my own making, dealing with  chronic health issues, or dealing with situations that are  totally out of my control,  I can always stop and deliberately choose how I go forward.    Knowing that I choose, makes the right choice obvious and it is the first step to being committed to following through with it.

Another 310 days of  tracking  everything I consume and posting it in a blog  is about to get daunting but not undoable!   Every day is another opportunity to choose to move forward – and at this point, there is no going back! 😊

Food Diary – Day 55

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) Crumpets (160)

(2) tsp butter (68)

(1) tsp jam (17)

(2) slices thick sliced bacon (200)

(24) oz water

(1 1/2) c French pea soup (271)

(5) soda crackers (63)

(1) c tea

(2) c vegetable stir fry (144)

(2 1/2) oz lean pork loin(141)

(1) c white rice (242)

(4) air fried chicken flats (170)

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) oz fresh coconut (70)

Total calories:  1548

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 53 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Fifty three days in, three hundred and twelve to go! 

As always, I am posting my diary entry for yesterday.   Today, being a Sunday, we just finished our Sunday morning brunch of bacon and eggs.   Sunday brunch has been a thing for us since our first round of grandkids were tots – every second Sunday back in the days when Dan was working 24/7 shifts.

Sunday mornings were a highlight for us, with an opportunity to have time with the grandkids.  For the kids, it was a Sunday morning adventure – generally following a Saturday night sleepover.

Sunday Brunch with Genie, Maddy, & Prim – first annual hat day.  🥰

Sleepovers and brunch with the grandkids are now a part of the past, but Dan and I continue the tradition.  I cook the bacon (in the oven on cookie sheets) and slice the tomato.  Then I set everything up for Dan to cook the eggs, the toast for himself and the potato patties for me.  The routine hasn’t changed much over the years, but it never gets old. 😊

Food Diary – Day 53

(1) c coffee (2)

(1/2) c pineapple (42)

(1) peach (51)

(1) kiwi (40)

(1/4) c blueberries (21)

(24) oz water

(1) blueberry oatmeal muffins (156)

(1/2) tsp brown sugar (9)

(1) tsp butter (34)

(1) c tea

(12) oz carbonated water

(8) air fried chicken wing flats (340)

(1) tbsp Frank’s Honey Garlic Sauce (23)

(3) riblets (67)

(2) tbsp Dilly Sauce (40)

(1) Paratha (263)

(2) tsp butter

(1) clove garlic (4)

(4) radishes (9)

(1/2) c broccoli (10)

(8) slices cucumber  (8)

(1) carrot (25)

(1/2) raw mushrooms (11)

Total Calories: 1380

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 52 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

For 52 days now, I have been recording and posting my Daily Food Diary.   Focussing on my diet does not mean that I am neglecting other aspects of my health. 

I am doing my morning aerobics six mornings a week and with our much milder temperatures, I am excited about getting outside and enjoying our fresh air.  With this in mind, I set out with Dan and Molly yesterday  for a walk around our neighborhood.

I don’t know if you can see or relate to  our ice rutted street or the sidewalk across the street, which is buried under two or three feet of ice and snow.  I know you can’t see our sidewalk but Dan does keep it cleared and passable – unlike most residential sidewalks in this area and ALL sidewalks adjacent to  city owned property.

Walking in conditions like this is extremely difficult and dangerous.  Walking in conditions like this while holding onto a Great Pyrenees like Molly is pretty much impossible.

Walking a Great Pyrenees on dry solid ground can be difficult enough.

Fortunately, there are parks in the city with trails that are maintained and we have a large yard that I can access to get some fresh air.    But, walking around our neighborhood again will have to wait until Mother Nature makes our streets and sidewalks passable. 🌞

Food Diary – Day 52

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) crumpets with butter & jam (211)

(2) thin sliced bacon (200)

(24) ounces water

(1/2) grapefruit with sugar (56)

(1) blueberry/oatmeal muffins with butter (190)

(12) ounces carbonated water

(1) tortilla wrap (170)

(12) pcs pepperoni (65)

(4) slices shaved ham (90)

(2) slices back bacon (35)

(1/3) c shredded cheese (120)

(1 1/2) c mushrooms, red onion, red pepper, green olives (35)

Total Calories: 1224

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