nutrition – Page 9 – Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie

Daily Food Diary – Day 10 of 365

January 11, 2025July 3, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

Good Saturday morning, because paying attention to what I eat is a seven day a week exercise. ☺️

As always, today’s food diary entry is for yesterday – Friday January 10th. Friday used to be the worst day of the week for my diet. That was my food reward day for making it to the end of the work week. Donut breakfast, fast food lunch (KFC was my favourite), happy hour after work and date night supper out when Dan was off (some unhealthy prepackaged meal when he wasn’t). I am surprised I survived as long as I did with all of that salt, sugar, and yeast.

My diet is still far from perfect, but I am becoming more aware of what I eat and I am making some improvements – specifically snacking less, especially in the evening. It’s not that I don’t want to snack all evening. I just get cringy thinking about writing it all down and posting it for everyone to see. 🙄

Hopefully by the end of this year, those evening snack cravings will be long gone.

Food Diary – Day 10

(1) c coffee

(1) large Baking Powder biscuit Denver sandwich

(3) 8 oz glasses of water

(1) small Bowl BBQ potato chips

(2) c leftover spaghetti with meat sauce and shredded cheese

(2) c raw vegetables – broccoli, red pepper, cucumber, and radishes with Dilly Dip

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) c tea

That’s it for today. Dan is gone to drive his girl Maddy to work and time for me to get my morning aerobics done while he is gone.

**Maddy now – those (almost 15) years went by way to fast**!

Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞

**Morning sunshine to break through our cloudy skies and another foot of fresh snow.**

Daily Food Diary – Day 9 of 365

January 10, 2025July 3, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

Yesterday I wrote about how much accountability helps me to accomplish anything I set out to do. Today I am going to touch on a couple of things that help me to accomplish nothing!

TRYING – As soon as I set out to try anything I have set a clear path to failure. Back in the day (pre 2010) I tried to quit smoking. At least a dozen times I tried and every time I failed. 😯 In 2010, I decided to quit smoking. I haven’t touched a cigarette since. 🤗

Result driven goals – Over the years I have started out on numerous fitness and/or diet programs. They all started and ended the same way. I set out with a goal to lose weight (10, 20, 30 pounds – whatever). I would start with determination and go hard! A couple of weeks later, with no results to show for my efforts, I would go harder. A month later, little to no closer to my goal, I would admit defeat and give up. When I started working out three years ago, I had no such goals in mind. I decided to become more physically active because I had to build up some strength and stamina. I was a fat and flabby 160 pounds, but that was the least of my problems. If I lost a few pounds and toned up a bit that would be great, but it was not something I was dwelling on. Today, I weigh 132 pounds and I am relatively toned. There is still room for improvement – at least 12 pounds of improvement, but that is not my motivation for moving forward. It is all about doing what I have to do to improve and maintain my levels of health and fitness. And it works! 👍

Food Diary – Day 9

(1) c coffee

(1) Apple

(1) Square dark chocolate (with all the flavor of a tar roofing shingle – but lacking the delightful texture)

(1) Bowl of beef, vegetable, barley soup – the last of a large pot made a few days ago

(5) Soda crackers

(8) oz water

(1) c tea

(1) Maraschino cherry chocolate

(1) Amazing salad with lettuce, Cajun roast pork loin, cucumber, red pepper, green onions, cauliflower, radishes, green olives, sunflower seeds, French’s Crispy Fried Onions (in lieu of croutons), and French salad dressing

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) sm ginger cookie

(1) sm peanut butter cookie

Daily Food Diary – Day 8 of 365

January 9, 2025July 3, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

When I began this food diary, I had one purpose in mind. I wanted to track my eating/drinking habits so I could nip problems in the bud before I went totally off the rails diet wise. I decided to put it out here on my blog for accountability purposes. If I wanted to maintain this diary for a year, this accountability to others would help me push through every morning for three hundred and sixty five days.

Eight days in, I am discovering additional benefits in keeping this diary and especially in sharing it. Knowing that I have to keep a record everything I eat or drink AND share it with anyone and everyone who reads this blog is huge!

This level of accountability is huge on days following nights when I stay awake, tossing and turning, and unable to sleep due to recurring coughing fits. Those days! When I am tired and constantly inclined to reach for a quick snack to ramp up my energy level.

This level of accountability is huge – when Dan goes out to socialize and throw a few darts with his friends and I have an evening alone (with my dog) and a house full of bad food choices – chips, chocolates, cookies, soda, caramel corn. 🙄

This level of accountability is huge – when I am indulging in an evening marathon of 911 – that evening once a week when mindless eating could easily become the norm.

There are any number of reasons for making bad (basically unconscious) choices when it comes to eating. With my daily food diary, and the ongoing and so appreciated support and encouragement of those who frequent my blog, I am making conscious and better choices. 🤗

Food Diary – Day 8

(1) c coffee

(1) c Honey Nuts Cheerios

(1/4) c milk

(1) Leftover chicken fajita

(10) Leftover tater tots

(2) Leftover chicken wings

(1) c tea

(2) c spaghetti with tomato meat sauce, onion, garlic, red pepper, & fresh mushrooms

(2) cups steamed broccoli with butter, salt & pepper

(1) Can root beer

(16) oz water

Obviously there are improvements that can be made, but life is about balance. Healthy eating is important to maintaining a strong and healthy body. But, indulging in the occasional decadent, not so healthy snack or drink… that is important to a quality of life that you just can’t achieve without the occasional root beer.

Daily Food Diary – Day 7 of 365

January 8, 2025July 3, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Day seven and it is shaping up to be a stellar one. We expect to see our temperature rise above the freezing point. That’s not great for our already icy streets, but it will be a welcome break none the less.

So, yesterday I had an appointment with Lara, my Nurse Practitioner. After my go around with my umbilical hernia on Sunday, I thought I should check in with her. She is just incredible! She checked me out, came up with a plan of action, and submitted a requisition for an ultrasound. We got home at two o’clock and by five, the ultrasound clinic had called to book an appointment on January 20th! That is amazing. With our overwhelmed health services, it typically takes a few weeks (or months) just to get an appointment set up. Once we get the results, we will know what is required going forward. It is so comforting to know that we are in the process of getting this resolved.

FOOD DIARY – Day 7

(1) c coffee

(1) Breakfast sandwich – large baking powder biscuit (toasted and buttered), 1 slice Havarti cheese, 1 egg (fried in olive oil) and 3 slices back bacon ***

(1) c tea

(1) Small bowl of barbecue chips

(2) Bowls of leftover beef, vegetable, and barley soup

(8) Soda crackers

(1/2) c sunflower seeds (air fried in shells with Frank’s Red Hot sauce and a shot of lemon juice

*** I am not a fan of back bacon. It does not taste like bacon and while it looks like ham, it doesn’t taste like that either. That being said, I spoke to a dietician a few weeks ago and she suggested I try using it occasionally as a substitute for real bacon. Dan brought home a package of Lou’s Kitchen back bacon and surprisingly we don’t mind it at all. It’s not bacon, but it is pretty doable – and the nutritional values are amazing. 110 calories for FIVE slices and only 8% daily value of saturated fat. 570 g of salt is pretty bad but I only use 3 slices per breakfast sandwich and we only indulge once or twice a month.

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

**Only five months and a couple of weeks until summer! 👍**

Daily Food Diary – Day 6 of 365

January 7, 2025July 3, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Pet peeve of the day…

**Trying to write a blog when Molly is climbing on top of me because she wants to sit on my (HER) chair to look out the window.** 😯

Day six and Molly is already trying to make this more difficult than it has to be!

Fortunately, I have a bit of extra time this morning for her dog-foolery. Since I was able to make an appointment with my nurse practitioner this afternoon, I decided to forgo my workouts until after I have a chance to talk to her about my hernia experience on Sunday.

It’s funny how we can reach this point in our lives when we are feeling relatively fit and healthy, suffer a minor setback, and suddenly question how potentially frail we may be. Not that I feel that overall frail. I’m just leary about how far I can push things right now without causing a small issue to become a huge problem. I just don’t know, so I’m backing off until I get her professional advice.

Food Diary – Day 6 of 365

(1) c coffee

(2) buttered Eggo’s (waffles)

(3) slices thin sliced bacon

(1) Apple

(2/3) Small bowl mixed nuts (Dan & Molly shared the other 1/3)

(1) c tea

(1) Homemade fajita – ground chicken, red pepper, green onions, sliced mushrooms, shredded cheese in a tortilla wrap – with Fajita seasoning and homemade salsa

(20) Tater tots with Taco Time taco sauce

(12) oz carbonated water

**My afternoon tea has been from this delightful collection from ‘Cuppa Tea’** **that granddaughter Maddy gifted me for Christmas. 💞. There are several assorted packs but that Cherry Trifle is my favourite so far. 😋🎆**

That is it for today, folks. Take care & have a great day! 💞🌞

**One of those days when I could use a scenic summer drive**…. 😊

Daily Food Diary – Day 5 of 365

January 6, 2025July 3, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Good morning! Five days down and only three hundred and sixty to go!

When I decided to do this 365 day Food Diary, my first concern was to make it as ‘doable’ as possible.

Choosing the best time of day was my biggest challenge. Retirement is an ongoing battle between getting things done and keeping my schedule flexible enough that I FEEL retired. I have found a pretty solid spot, between my morning coffee and newspaper and doing my morning workout. So far so good! 👍

My second challenge was tracking what I consumed throughout the day, so my diary would be as accurate as possible.

**It’s not pretty, but it is convenient. And we have an endless supply of such notepads around here.** **(And pens!)**

Day Five of Daily Food Diary…

(1) c coffee

(2) potato patties

(1/2) tomato

(4 1/2) slices thin sliced bacon

(2) eggs

(1) c tea

(2) chocolates

(1) Burger King Single Whopper without bun or cheese

(1) Order medium onion rings w/ gravy

(12) oz water

Burger King was not part of the plan yesterday. After spending over three hours at Emergency, due to a hernia issue that refused to resolve itself, I just wasn’t excited about making supper at 9:30 pm. This morning, Dan said he had no idea what I was capable of, if I was willing to sit in an emergency room for three hours just to score Burger King. Have to keep him guessing! 😂

Take care and have a great day! 🌞💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 3 of 365

January 4, 2025July 3, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

A new day, a new chance to start living my best life. Since food plays such a huge part in allowing us (or keeping us) from living our best quality life, I am really enjoying starting my day by giving it some attention.

Yesterday was a pretty basic Friday for me, I did my morning aerobics, my afternoon strength building workout and just a lot of basic cooking, cleaning, and putting around in between. I did spend a bizarre amount of time prepping vegetables when Dan got home from grocery shopping. Cauliflower, radishes, green onions (a lot of green onions! 🙄).

Daily Food Diary for January 3rd…

(1) c coffee – black as always. (I used to use cream and sugar but when I became a mother, I realized that I did not have the dexterity to hold a squirming infant while preparing the perfect cup of coffee. Imperfection became the norm.)

(1) sausage patty

(2) eggs pan fried in olive oil ***

(2) potato patties – toasted to perfection in our toaster oven

(8) oz water

(1) cookie

(1) PC Nanaimo bars

(1) very small PC of lemon square

(1) c tea

(8) oz water

(2) hotdogs – no bun

(1 1/2) c macaroni and cheese with thinly sliced red onion

(2) cups potato chips w/ cream cheese dip

(1/2) sliced tomato

(1/4) sliced cucumber

(12) oz carbonated water

*** The easiest way to change a bad habit to a good one, is to make the good one easier. One bad food habit that I have is using too much butter. (Which is beginning to become obvious in my cholesterol numbers 🤦). For years, I have kept a dish of butter on our kitchen cabinet, while storing our olive oil in a bottom cabinet beside the stove. (Out of sight, out of mind). Any time I went to pan fry, I would reach for the butter dish. Yesterday when Dan went shopping, I asked him to pick up an oil cruet that I could keep on the counter – in sight and within easy reach.

Dan came home with three options for an olive oil cruet. I’m going with the middle one! The one on the right will go into the fridge for homemade oil/vinegar dressing and the one on the left will find a use somewhere in our kitchen.

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

**No dogpark for Molly today! It’s minus 28C / feels like minus 38C** 🥶

Daily Food Diary – Day 2 of 365

January 3, 2025July 3, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Day two and I am still committed to doing this – becoming more mindful of what I eat (and making any adjustments that need to be made).

I know that making it through this year is going to take more than commitment and determination. Fortunately, I came across a good book some time ago that has helped me find my way to breaking bad habits and building better ones.

**A book worth reading and keeping in one’s personal library of goto books.**

Food Diary for January 2nd. (Still a bit in holiday mode. 🙂)

(1) c coffee

(3) crumpets with butter and raspberry jam

(1) Caesar – (3:30 pm)

(2/3) small bowl of mixed nuts – was a full bowl but Molly got a few

(1) small bowl of seasoned crackers

(1) cup of tea

Raw vegetables (red pepper, celery, radishes, & broccoli) and dip

(2) slow roasted honey garlic ribs (leftover from New Year’s Eve)

A few air fried hot wings

A few crackers

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) shortbread/jam cookie

(1) c lemon ginger tea

So, obviously room for improvement but that is what is behind this 365 day challenge.

Take care and have a great day! 😊💖

Daily Food Diary – Day 1 of 365

January 2, 2025July 3, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today marks the first day of sharing my 2025 food diary. If you checked in looking for hummus or tofu, you will undoubtedly be disappointed. This diary is more about tracking my eating habits and making small adjustments as required, than eating food that tastes like navel lint. (Not that I have ever tasted navel lint, hummus, or tofu.. just saying.)

January 1st didn’t follow our typical meal plan, as it was January 1st we had breakfast a bit later than usual. Being a Wednesday, I was working around a morning AND an afternoon workout. AND ….Being a ‘Dart Night’ for Dan, we had a quick and early supper.

Anyway, here goes. Food Diary Day 1…

(1) cup coffee (to was down my lutein & vitamin D) and to keep from choking on my Advair and Spiriva inhalers

2 egg omelet with ham, cheese, mushrooms, and green onions – light on the salt & pepper

(12) oz. water

Hungry man fried chicken tv dinner (the only Hungry Man that does not contain yeast) with 2 tsp. butter

Dan’s brownie from his Hungry Man dinner

(12) oz. Carbonated water

(1/2) bag extra buttery microwave popcorn*

(8) oz. Water

(2) chocolates

* Full disclosure – I would have eaten more of the popcorn but it is (almost) the only snack I share with Molly and she got excited and stuck her head in the bowl. 🤦

January 1st, 2025 Personal Stats…

Name.. AnneMarie Demyen

Age.. 69

Height… 5′ 1″

Weight…. 133. 5 lbs

Clothing size… 6-8 cdn (S/M)

Take care and have a great day! 🤗💞

Happy New Year 2025!

January 1, 2025January 1, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

A new year has arrived and with it a chance to recommit to a life where health of body, mind, and soul is a priority. 👍

This year, February 14th will mark THREE years since I began my journey to health and fitness. It has been all good, and amazingly, I am still discovering benefits that I would never have imagined. This past year, I have remained relatively healthy – no significant flare ups of my asthma, COPD, or bronchiectasis. I have discovered an impressive amount of strength and stamina in my day to day life and in working with my husband to complete a number of projects around our home. AND.. Most of all, I have noticed a marked improvement to my emotional health and wellbeing. A lifetime of struggling with anxiety and grief is melting away to be replaced by feelings of peace, contentment, and well-being. 🤗

This year, I will mark my 70th birthday at the end of July. I look forward to celebrating this auspicious milestone with hope, enthusiasm, and anticipation for what lies ahead. I am excited knowing that I can and will keep doing what I am doing to maintain my quality of life throughout my seventies and beyond. It is so worth the effort!

This year, I intend to maintain the positive health and fitness habits that I have built over the past three years. I also intend to create and maintain a NEW HABIT to better manage my daily food intake. It’s not that I eat poorly. It’s just that I discovered this year how easily poor eating habits can creep into my life. I need to pay more attention to what I am, or am not, feeding my body. SO …this year I am going to keep a food diary and share my daily entries here on Jetpack. Over the past three years, the best thing I have discovered is that I can build good habits as easily as bad ones so I know that I can do this!