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About birds, additives, and a swamp wallaby …

I know, I know … I should be writing … but I’ve been cruising about on the web all day so far.  It began with going to My Fitness Pal after walking the dog, where I enter my daily food intentions. (I track my exercise and steps on Garmin’s site: they sync with each other.)

From this morning. I was trying to show leaves blowing in the icy wind.

From this morning. I was trying to show leaves blowing in the icy wind.

One thing led to another … umm, I must have cast my eye over to the right and spotted a forum post. Before I knew it I was reading about food additives and how my asthma might well stem from such things. Until recently, I thought I had exercise-induced asthma, but is recorded as allergy-induced on my medical file. So, I’d been thinking I ought to try and find out what triggers it. I never have asthma attacks, just a bit of shortness now-and-then, and lots of coughing and throat-clearing. Except the once when I had bronchitis. Gee, that was scary. In hindsight I should have called an ambulance because by time the next morning and a doctor’s appointment came around I needed steroid injections.

The galahs obliged me with their crests up today. (cropped a bit)

The galahs obliged me with their crests up today. (image cropped a bit)

I found a grouse Australian website called Food Intolerance Network. (Naturally they wish to sell books, and dvds.)  I read with amazement how children can react adversely to additives, even leading to learning difficulties. When I really think about it, I must’ve heard of these things before, but never taken note. It mentioned how some people put themselves on a gluten-free diet, but the culprit might well be the sulphite preservatives, not gluten.

galah (image heavily cropped)

galah (image heavily cropped)

As to exercising, since I’ve gotten more serious about meeting my steps quota the weight is going down slightly. Hovering around 73.5 to 74 kg at the moment. It’s not much, but it is downwards. The most important thing is that I have felt a physical change inside myself. I think it might be the loss of internal fat, because it just feels different when I move. I can even pull in my stomach muscles now without a burning pain in my back.

I’ll leave you with this image. On Thursday, the dog and I popped off for our walk between rain showers.  Just because I didn’t have the camera, there was a black furry wallaby down in the dry creek bed by the footbridge. I couldn’t approach to get a good look at it, since I would’ve feel bad if it rushed off onto the nearby busy road. I think it was a swamp wallaby. Even though they are nocturnal, they don’t seem to mind coming out on sunless days. I think they must get their timing confused.

Swamp-Wallaby-Feeding-3,-Vic,-Jan.2008Image linked to Wikimedia

Wikipedia says …

The swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia.[3] This wallaby is also commonly known as the black wallaby, with other names including black-tailed wallaby, fern wallaby, black pademelon, stinker (in Queensland), and black stinker (in New South Wales). The swamp wallaby is the only living member of the genus Wallabi.

The swamp wallaby is found from the northernmost areas of Cape York in Queensland, down the entire east coast and around to south-western Victoria. It was formerly found through to south-eastern South Australia, but is now rare or absent from that region.

It inhabits thick undergrowth in forests and woodlands, or shelter during the day in thick grass or ferns, emerging at night to feed…

Right, I’ll go make a coffee and get stuck into this first draft rewrite. I’ll get a couple of hours in before I go and make my additive-laden pepperoni pizza.

I hope you all have a lovely week-end.

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20 thoughts on “About birds, additives, and a swamp wallaby …”

  1. I’m not sure I haven’t developed some allergies, small ones. One thing I can say about additives is food coloring. I can t.a.s.t.e. it and smell it and it makes me gag. Think about it.

    Hope you get to the bottom of what’s affecting you. Have a wonderful weekend. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Carol Ann says:

    I like to walk in the mornings, too, before breakfast, but today, at nearly noon, it is raining and it has kept up steadily since daybreak…I don’t expect to meet a wallaby, but the other evening when sitting on my neighbor’s patio we saw a graceful doe walking peacefully down our street…she might have been inspecting some of the fresh flowers just coming into bloom in our gardens. We live a few blocks from a very large park with heavy woods.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hello Carol Ann. I always get excited if I happen to see deer in a farm paddock. We saw some with antlers last month on our way back from Adelaide. Looked just like Santa’s reindeer. So, I reckon our feelings are on a par there … I’d feel awed to see a wild deer, too. Oh, walking down the street? Wow, yes, I see. ❤

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  3. You may well have an allergy Christine, but also consider acid reflux. I have coughed for 40 years (enough to drive me nuts sometimes) and they discovered that it is acid reflux even though I don’t get heartburn or the things people usually think of. I went to every type of doctor through the years, one was sure it was COPD, several thought asthma (I DO have mild asthma) some thought allergy, several thought breathing difficulties. I take medication, but it really does not work. The sphincter muscle at the base of the esophogus does not close tightly and stomach acid leaks up into the throat.

    Liked by 1 person

    • EXCELLENT suggestion–this also occurred with me. Had never had heartburn–didn’t even know what it was. But did have reflux–even had my food roll upward if I bent forward after eating. And noticed the shortness of breath followed meals and reclining (i liked to use notebook propped up on pillows on sofa or bed).

      Liked by 1 person

    • Oh Kayti, this is very interesting because before all this started I was having major heartburn which I self-medicated with gaviscon. It seemed to go away. But just lately I’ve been having a little heartburn when my stomach is empty. I think you are onto something here. I’ll discuss it with my doctor next week. Thanks Kayti.

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      • Carol Ann says:

        Like Kayti, I, too, have had a chronic cough for years attributed to acid reflux ( commonly called GERD, gastrointestinal reflux disease) and take 20 mg of Omeprozole daily. It’s a proton pump inhibitor (you don’t produce as much acid). It takes a while to take affect and some people give up too soon, thinking it is not effective. I wondered about its efficacy until I ran out recently and was absolutely miserable until I finally got my prescription. Now I am fine again. Hope you find your solution and feel fine soon.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Hey, Christine:

    Three ENTIRELY painless weight-loss tricks proven by research:

    (1) Smaller eating containers. Yes. So easy. Two groups of folks presented with all they wish to eat, as many servings as wanted, but one group has smaller plates and bowls. Guess who loses weight without even trying? This has been repeated; same results. I switched to dessert plates and bowls after reading this.

    (2) Wet food: No understanding of why, but EXACT same ingredients, same calories, same everything, prepared as solid meal plus beverage (water), versus prepared as soup or stew, plus less drinking water on the side: Guess who lost weight or gained less? Soups and stews seem to be more filling and give us better nutrient punch.

    (3) Application of ice packs (!): The ONLY proven spot-reduction technique!!! This is fairly recent: Ice packs were applied to thighs. Fat was converted to brown fat-burning fat. How cool is THAT? Since this one, and my recent unexplained weight gain, I have gotten those little forever-ice-cubes, stuck some in a ziplock, and learned to sleep with my buddies in a strategic spot, hoping for the best–ha, ha, ha!!!

    Obviously, #1 is the easlest to implement.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Forget the ice-packs, babe, No way. You know, I have a nifty little icepack for those very rare times my hemorrhoids play up. Do you reckon if I plug it in every night it will make my backside smaller. LOL. Sorry, couldn’t help myself!

      I’m counting calories, and eat what I like using the proportions recommended by scientific body: carbs 36%, protein 33%, good fats 20% and saturated fats 6% – knowing Australians, they have allocated 3% to alcohol but I don’t drink these days. I’m also watching sodium and potassium ratios so that naturally leads to less processed food and more vegies. I’m having a maximum of 1550 calories daily, so I’m not expecting great losses unless I put in extra exercise or eat less. Not going to happen. As long as I have a downward trend with my weight, I’m happy.

      Yeah, soups and stews would be better because all the nutrients aren’t drained out. I make a lot of stews or one pot meals. Love them.

      Thanks Babe. Do you know a good exercise to flatten those flaps just above the elbow?

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    • Hello Barbara. Actually, come to think of it, I already eat out of a bowl most of the time, instead of a dinner plate. Just got in the habit since I started more stews and one-pot meals. In the old days I would fill the bowl twice, but not now. I even throw my fish and chips in a bowl. Pizza is probably the only thing I eat on a plate. I usually have half pizza with lots of mushrooms, capsicum and onion on it or dry roasted with it. All that potassium helps counter the sodium. I weigh everything! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by Barbara.

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  6. sue says:

    I’d love to get to 74 kg. Found that when I stop taking anti inflammatory’s I start losing weight, start taking them again and up it goes. So caught between the devil & the deep blue sea. Don’t think I could use the ice treatment though I did read an article that said to use less blankets on your bed, your body burns up the fat to keep warm, if it’s true or not I don’t know. Good on you Christine, keep up the good work (in all areas)

    Liked by 1 person

    • They make me puff up too, Sue, so I don’t take them. I’ve gradually worked my way down from about 90+ kg about 5 or 6 years ago, but stayed stuck about 80 the last few years. Turning 60 motivated me. Getting closer to the pointy end. I decided to just take it slow and not push myself, but just do the right thing and stay below a 1550 calorie intake every day and increase activity. Aiming for 68 at first – upper level for my age, weight, height. Would be happy with 63 kg, the middle of the range.

      Thanks for your encouragement, Sue. ❤

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