-Had to wait a long time for cardiologist appt today…at least was able to sneak in a walk at the park next door Cuesta Park that I happened to drive by. It was huge and I got at least 2 miles in while the storms were taking a break. Got a little windy and misty and headed back to the car to eat my packed 30g breakfast-chicken salad, almonds, popcorn, apple, macro bar.
-Listening to Murakami’s “Killing Commendatore”…wish I could just grab a blanket and head to the beach, soak in the sunshine and listen all day till the end.
-Eric and I did a strength training workout…works out well if we can both get our steps in before he arrives home from work.
-Two days of driving back and forth to Mountain View and I feel like I haven’t gotten much accomplished on the home front.
-Thinking about getting my haircut soon…
-Looking forward to our weekend Dexascan…hope the hard work is paying off!
-Mom & dad arrived back from the Philippines today safely. They look tired but glad to see dad wasn’t needing to wear the chest brace anymore for his ribs that he hurt before leaving a month ago…hopefully he continues to take it easy and doesn’t fall again anytime soon.
-Rainy and wet, Eric and I got a very brief walk to the Marriott for coffee and tea before heading to SFO. Not long enough for a real walk, for which we would suffer later when we went for an afternoon walk in the very misty, wet rain.
-Eric finished a couple more shelf projects for the coffee nook and space above…trying to maximize the storage and minimize the stacking of things.
-Had family lunch at the new Maverick Jack’s…indulged in fried pickles, onion rings, and chicken tenders…to note, my stomach didn’t feel so great in the afternoon. It’s probably telling at me for not adhering totally to healthy food/oils. Wasn’t very hungry the remainder of the day but sipped bone broth for dinner since I’ve got a lot of bikes of blood to give tomorrow at appt #2 at Quest.
-Very tired…going to bed before 9 with hopes of getting massive sleep before the Monday.
-Juniper had a birthday party sleepover tonight and it was rainy all day so we changed our weekly family hike up a bit…invited the kids’ to join us on our morning walk to blue Bottle. Everyone had a little weight in their backpack. Jasper a backpack with 10# weight, Junioer her daypack with approximately 13# with filled water bottle and 5lbs of bagged beans, I used my new 15# vest, and Eric is up to 40# in his backpack.
-2 pull-ups with yellow resistance band.
-Brainstormed with Eric about changing up his time restricted eating window so that he’s not eating right before bedtime…will switch it up to earlier breakfast, getting 30g at each meal plus 30g snack…ending the day with a 40-50g protein shake at work around 3pm. Feeling a little disappointed that despite the intermittent fasting (eating at noon and maintaining a 16 hr fast) his A1C is still at 5.8. Anyhow, at least we can see the number and can keep trying new experiments. Just sad not a single bit of improvement especially since being more conscious of exercise, sleeping more and more regularly, not drinking alcohol and actively not eating as much bread/pasta/sugar…one would have thought the needle would have moved just a little bit. Getting my second Function Health test Monday, hoping that my last improvements to A1C are still maintaining….biggest changes I think in the last 3 months would be more resistance training, less bread (at least before the bread maker purchase), more regular sleep, walking more with weighted vest, but also worried about the Repatha PCSK-9 inhibitor as I’ve heard a side effect could be raised insulin. Fingers crossed I guess.
-also spent a long time at proper coffee shop date with Eric talking about how to refine his time tracking and what kind of system he should try to implement a little better. This resulted in a trip to Barnes and Noble trying to find the perfect daily planner…to which not a single one matched however I think he found one that could possibly at least begin to train the habit of tracking. I’ll have to give him gold stars or something to give him extra incentive.
-tinkered with seeing how smart ChatGPT was in tracking macros for meals via picture…quite accurate surprisingly!
I asked “How much protein is in this meal?”
I’ll estimate the protein content of your meal based on the visible ingredients:
Meal Components & Estimated Protein Content:
1. Scrambled eggs with greens (about 3 eggs) → 18g protein
2. Black beans (about ½ cup) → 7g protein
3. Chicken or turkey sausage links (about 3 small links, ~2.5 oz) → 14g protein
4. Roasted cauliflower (about ½ cup) → 2g protein
5. Kiwi (1 whole kiwi) → 1g protein
Total Estimated Protein: 42g
Would you like any modifications to increase or adjust the protein content?
Can you figure out the fiber for that meal too?
Absolutely! Here’s an estimate of the fiber content for your meal:
Meal Components & Estimated Fiber Content:
1. Black beans (½ cup) → 7g fiber
2. Roasted cauliflower (½ cup) → 2g fiber
3. Kiwi (1 whole) → 4g fiber
4. Spinach in scrambled eggs (¼ cup cooked) → 1g fiber
Total Estimated Fiber: 14g
Would you like suggestions to increase the fiber content while keeping the meal balanced?
Yes that would be great please!
To increase the fiber content while keeping your meal balanced, here are some simple additions or swaps:
Ways to Boost Fiber in Your Meal:
1. Increase Black Beans (from ½ cup to ¾ cup) → Adds 3.5g fiber
2. Add 1 Tbsp Ground Flaxseeds (mix into eggs or sprinkle on top) → Adds 3g fiber
3. Increase Swiss Chard (from ¼ cup to ½ cup cooked) → Adds 1g fiber
4. Add 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds (sprinkle on kiwi or mix into eggs) → Adds 5g fiber
5. Increase Roasted Cauliflower (from ½ cup to 1 cup) → Adds 2g fiber
New Potential Fiber Total (if all changes are made): 27g fiber
Would you like suggestions for other high-fiber ingredients that would pair well with this meal?
Yes that would be great please!
Great! Here are some high-fiber ingredients that would complement your meal while keeping the flavors balanced:
Savory Additions:
1. Avocado (½ avocado = 6g fiber) – Slice it on the side or mash it with lime and sea salt.
2. Roasted Brussels Sprouts (1 cup = 4g fiber) – Toss them in with your cauliflower.
3. Sautéed Mushrooms (½ cup = 2g fiber) – Cook them with your eggs or sausage.
4. Artichoke Hearts (½ cup = 7g fiber) – Roast or chop into your eggs.
5. Hemp Seeds (1 Tbsp = 1g fiber) – Sprinkle on your eggs or sausage.
Sweet Pairings:
6. Raspberries (½ cup = 4g fiber) – A great side with kiwi.
7. Pears (1 small pear = 4.5g fiber) – Pairs well with the sausage for a sweet-savory contrast.
-Interspersed some weights and squats and 2 sets of 5 real push-ups (meaning no knees)! Yay me! Plus I think I see a tricep!
-dinner was Costco brisket with black beans, cabbage slaw, mashed sweet potatoes, and the whole wheat bread rolls I made (er the bread machine made) earlier in the day.
-Almost done listening to Casey Means “Good Energy” book. Need to get a hold of the hard copy for the last couple chapters where she details a pretty comprehensive good energy checklist that we can easily go through and assess where maybe small improvements or tweaks can be made.
-Transitioned to 15# weighted vest today for approximately 13% of current body weight (115lbs). Hoping to gradually increase and get back to the rucking pack…spotted an actual GoRuck backpacker in downtown San Mateo today. We aren’t the only crazy ones!
-Cleaning out closets and decluttering another pile of things….soooo much stuff, lots of little things constantly accumulate when you don’t actively pay attention…
-Attempted some small little things in the kitchen while reorganizing items from “work” room to the new kitchen shelves. Took down old blue tape to access how much paint is still left to strip…constantly wondering if I could actually get all the paint off maybe all that is needed is a waterproof light stain?
-Completed 1st of 2 Function Health lab appointments today. So many vials of blood…good thing it doesn’t bother me! Rewarded myself with a coffee and almond butter toast with quince jam afterwards.
-It really is a lot of work to be intentional about all the things and belongings one has in their life…but it is so rewarding and fulfilling when you look at something on a shelf or hold a special item in your hand and have a memory or some sense of joy in your heart. Marie Kondo was definitely onto something…
