Tag: priorities

Daily Food Diary – Day 119 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 119 Days since I started posting my Daily Food Diary.  That is seventeen weeks or over one third of the year!

Tracking what I consume every day and putting it together on a post takes minimal time or effort.  Making small adjustments to my diet hasn’t been that much of an effort. 

Probably the most time, and the  greatest effort, that has gone into this practice has fallen on my husband Dan, who does our shopping.   He is the one at the source, checking nutrition labels, comparing brands, looking for alternates. 

Most of the changes that we have made have come about to his diligence. 

  • Dan bought the oil cruet to keep by the stove so we have taken to using olive oil for pan frying (instead of butter).
  • He has brought home the new (to us)  Mrs. Dash all natural seasonings that I have been using.
  • He brought home the stevia to replace some of the sugar in our home baking.
  • He has brought home the Lightly Salted Lay’s, unsalted peanuts, unsalted chips for making nachos and has made countless more positive changes to our pantry – because he took the time and effort to do so.

Not EVERY effort has been a win.  Last night  we  had the first Low Sodium Top Dogs that he had bought (at my suggestion).  The 56 gram Harvest Hot Dogs that we generally get have 160 calories and 550 mg of sodium each.  The 38 gram Low Sodium Top Dogs have 120 calories and 260 mg of sodium  – and none of the taste, texture, or the overall goodness of our regular Harvest Hot Dogs.  We are going back to the dogs we enjoy.  For as often as we eat hotdogs, and as much as either of us eats, it would be silly to do otherwise.

Most of the changes we have made have been for the better and the benefits have been well worth the efforts.    A third of the year in – my Daily Food Diary has been worth the time and effort that either of us put into it.  😊

Daily Food Diary – Day 119

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2) (4.7 mg)

(2) eggs (160) (140 mg)

(1) tsp olive oil (40)

(1) tsp butter (34) (31.7 mg)

(1/4) c green onions (10)

(1/4) c red pepper (12) (1.5 mg)

(3.25) asparagus spears (11) (.8)

(3) slices deli ham (85) (25.9 mg)

Snacks:

(1) c Licorice tea

(36) oz water

(1) c caramel corn w/peanuts (211) (166.2 mg) (15 grams)

Supper:

(2) Low sodium Top Dogs (240) (520 mg)

(12) Lay’s lightly salted chips (67) (24 mg)

(1) tbsp Philadelphia onion chip dip (23) (75 mg) (1.5 grams)

(2) c raw vegetables (35)

(2) tbsp Dilly Dip (160) (220 mg) (1 gram)

(4) oz potato salad (154) (332 mg) (2.9 grams)

Total net calories: 1044

Net calorie goal: 1247 – 1044 = 203 under 👍

Total Processed sugar:  20.4 grams

Processed sugar goal: < 25 grams 👍

Total Sodium: 1541.8 mg

Sodium goal: 1500 to 2300 mg 👍

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

October 4th – Update

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2023, Health and Fitness

It has been nineteen and a half months since I took my first step to making my health and fitness my priority. Three severe lung infections and one broken arm later, I am still as committed as ever.

I am still following my doctor’s orders for managing my chronic lung conditions. I am still working out six days a week. I am still meditating on a regular basis.

Getting some fresh air and exercise with Dan and Molly (Waterfall Park – Regina)

Lately my focus has been on improving my diet. A few weeks ago, I decided I was tired of being bloated and nauseous and having sharp intestinal pains, heartburn and hiccups so I banished bakers and brewers yeast (an obvious culprit) from my diet. I started feeling better within days. Shortly thereafter, I started counting calories, practicing portion control, and seriously focussing on the nutritional value of the foods I ate.

Breakfast of champions. 😁

For the record – none of this has been easy. It has all been worth it, but it has not been easy.

The hardest thing I ever did (thirteen years ago) was to become a nonsmoker. I smoked off and on, a quarter to a half a pack a day, for thirty some years. Smoking was my way of coping with every stressful situation in my life. I knew all the reasons that I should quit, and I ‘tried‘ to quit countless times, but inevitably another crisis came along and I was reaching for a cigarette. When the crisis passed, I would struggle to start ‘trying’ to quit again.

Finally beating that devil has helped me on my current journey. It hasn’t made it easier – but it did make me stronger. Strong enough to get up and get started despite being sick and tired. Strong enough to stick with it despite setbacks. Strong enough to persevere and tackle my diet – even sacrificing yeasty favourites like KFC, Beef Dip, Donuts, Buttered toast AND red wine.

Every step I take in this journey gives me strength to take that next step, reach for that next level. With every level I reach, I anticipate what lies ahead, what challenges I have yet to conquer.

“Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me.”. 🌞💞

Getting Started

by annemariedemyen, posted in Uncategorized

With retirement mere months away, it is time to start preparing for this new phase in my life. My original plan was to start by reading a few books by the experts . It turns out that most of the experts writing books on this subject are focused on the financial aspect of retirement. No doubt this is important, but it is not my biggest priority. If I start stressing and obsessing over finances, we will never have the means to feel secure. We are not wealthy but we will keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. We are in a position to manage financially .

What I want to focus on right now is building a new lifestyle, finding who I am at this point in my life, who I want to be and how I want to live this new chapter of my life. I cringe at the thought of spending the next thirty years or so in front of a television set, watching pretend people living pretend lives while my own slips away. Life is precious, life is priceless and I want to live every day of mine to the fullest – especially now that the time is mine to live as I choose.

I want to focus on how to make the most of my life. I want to work on getting into the best shape I can physically and find ways of maintaining my physical wellbeing. I want to focus on keeping my mind strong and stimulated. I want to focus on ways to keep emotionally healthy. I want to focus on finding ways to serve others, to give as long as I am able.

I am anxious to begin this new phase of my life. I know I have much to learn and much to do in order to be as ready as I hope to be. I guess that is how I start.