I’ve been laying a little low the past couple weeks. While I have managed to get out in a the woods a little, I have not been out hiking or even hunting. This time last year I had harvested a nice healthy deer and was spending time at my cabin.
Sadly I suffer from a nasty condition called Diverticulitis. My colon hates me. Click on that link several words back to learn more. In a nutshell it can be a painful condition that flares up once in a while. The experts believe certain foods trigger it, and everybody can have their own triggers. It can be treated with strong antibiotics most of the time and going on a soft food and liquid diet for a couple days.
When having a Diverticulitis flareup it can be uncomfortable to move around, extremely so. I don’t turn into a wimp and still go to work, but it sure feels nice going home at the end of the day and stretching out and NOT moving around anymore than I have to.
Anyway, the last couple weeks I’ve had a flareup. So I have been laying low mostly and not doing too much. I did still manage to get out a few times up north but my activities were limited. It totally sucks because this right now is my favorite time of the year to be out.
Bad News For Me
Like I said above, the medical experts seem to think that everybody has certain food triggers that can cause an increased chance for a flareup of Diverticulitis. I am starting to suspect that fatty red meat is my Diverticulitis trigger. Since I started watching what I ate back in December of 2018 I have had three flareups. And with each one within the previous 24 hours I had eaten a rib-eye or t-bone steak.
I actually don’t buy a lot of steak. Most of the meat I eat is venison that I hunt and harvest. But yeah, three times this past year I bought fatty steaks and devoured them with glee, only to have a three flareup within 24 hours. I’ve never had any issues with venison, but then it is a very lean meat.
Moving forward, now that I am feeling better since this most current flareup, I plan to avoid fat-rich red meat and see how things progress. I still plan on eating venison and keeping a close eye on what my diet consists of in case I keep having flareups. On top of that I started taking a probiotic supplement every day – and I have to admit I think that has helped me bounce back quicker than I have in the past when I had flareups.
I Jinxed Myself
My Diverticulitis red meat problem is my own fault. It all goes back to a snarky comment I made to my dear grandmother, may she rest in peace.
You see, I was raised Catholic. I was never a really good Catholic, but my grandparents certainly were. One year, about fifteen years ago, my grandmother asked me what I was going to give up for Lent. I told her I didn’t know. She suggested that since I was fond of eating meat I should give that up. I laughed and told her I would sooner give up breathing for Lent before steak and ribs. She chuckled too, but she still gave me a softer version of ‘The Look‘.
Universal Backlash! Now I’m paying for it.
Well, it is what it is. No use crying over my colon!
Looking Forward & Goals!
In the near future the Wisconsin deer gun season is just around the corner. Ever wonder what deer camp is all about? Hehehe… good times. I am looking forward to spending time with family at the lodge.
Of course I’m planning a Spring BWCA / Quetico trip and will be using my new canoe, the Old Town Guide 119. As of right now it may not be a solo trip. There is a guy I work with that has not been up into the BWCA for many long years and has asked to tag along. I told him he could, but he has to have his own canoe and his own gear and be self reliant, the way the Universe intended canoe tripping to be!
The route is not yet in place for the trip, but I plan on taking it easy and do more fishing and exploring on a handful of lakes. I don’t plan on doing a loop and pushing hard each day to a new campsite.
I also plan on doing a St Croix River canoe trip, and perhaps a trip to the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage. Of course I also want to do another canoe trip further north, at least to the BWCA again, or possibly Woodland Caribou Provincial Park.
Between the Wisconsin gun deer season and the start of the 2019 Spring canoe season I will be spending time at the cabin, doing some off trail hiking into the woods, and working more on a side hobby I have.
There’s More!
I’m working on a ‘Woodsman’s Pullover’ with my wife. I actually ordered a large bolt of wool and have been working off and on with my wife on a pattern. I want it to be large enough to put some layers on underneath it and be comfortable to wear in place of a heavy jacket when out in the woods. The intent is to test it out this winter on some snow-shoe hikes I want to do.
I am working on a cost analysis of potentially side marketing these things… More on this later.
Weight Loss!
I’m been hovering around 255-260 pounds. It would make me pleased to lose another 30-40 pounds by my Spring BWCA trip. So I am here to announce my goal of doing just that. Winter is a hard time to cut back and loose weight. So much good food around the holidays, and it seems like people for the most part are less active. Weight gets put on. Can I avoid putting weight back on?
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
I am really going to push for losing 30 lbs. I weighed myself this morning and was 261 lbs buck naked without having any coffee or breakfast. So that is what I am working with. 230 lbs should be doable. Wish me luck!
TD
