Oona's Ogham

[OOnaOwl]

Still here, still on track. Not sure if I have lost weight or not? Seems the answer should be obvious but I bounce around on scale daily. Yesterday and another day this week was in the 115's which is new low since starting this plan again (which would make for about a 3 or 4 pound loss in a month) but back up to 117 again this morning. (Goal is still close to 100 lbs. where I feel & look my best). So time will tell if I keep bouncing lower....in the meantime I will keep eating this way as it brings such peace of mind & better feelings in the body too. I am eating lunch as I write this-a bowl of homemade lentil vegetable stew over basmati rice. Got a big bag of russet potatoes & have cabbage so I may make some potato cabbage stew later today or tomorrow. The cool rainy Autumnal weather is here at last, and makes perfect accompaniment to soups, stews, bakes, etc.

[OOnaOwl]

Also I feel well enough now (from this way of eating plus my adrenal exhaustion recovery process) to begin daily mild to moderate exercise. I have been on walks in my neighborhood every day, 15 to 30 minutes or so. My pace depends on whether the family dog is with me (slow pace, small dog!) or fast pace (on my own I like to push myself!). Feels so good to be moving again, will be adding back running as I build back stamina & strength.

[Lyndzie]

Hi Oona! Here to offer you support and encouragement. I’m petite as well - a stranger asked me if I was pregnant recently, and I weighed 120 lbs. Obviously I do not carry it well. It’s difficult when you only need to lose a small amount of weight, there isn’t a lot of “wiggle room” in regards to eating. I admire your dedication to stick with the program through the end of the year. Regardless of how stubborn those extra pounds may be, you are doing a great job of nourishing your body.

[OOnaOwl]

Hi Oona! Here to offer you support and encouragement. I’m petite as well - a stranger asked me if I was pregnant recently, and I weighed 120 lbs. Obviously I do not carry it well. It’s difficult when you only need to lose a small amount of weight, there isn’t a lot of “wiggle room” in regards to eating. I admire your dedication to stick with the program through the end of the year. Regardless of how stubborn those extra pounds may be, you are doing a great job of nourishing your body.

Hi Lyndzie!
Thanks so much for stopping by my little journal. Yes, you TOTALLY GET IT! I can very much relate. At 120 I have visible fat from head to toe . This morning I am down to 115 but ugh, still that visible fat everywhere. I am dedicated! Still on plan, feeling much more nourished & hopefully with time & tide will shrink these fat cells. Sorry it took me some time to reply, was dealing with migraine. Take care & good health & happiness to you & yours!

[OOnaOwl]

Still here, still on plan . I have been solidly back to this WOE since about a month ago now. Definitely noticing positive improvements still, especially with the addition of more probiotics & prebiotics. Digestion is more regular, feeling less inflammation in my body systems also.

I have possibly lost between 2 & 4 pounds since early September, my goal is still to lose about 15 to 20 or so of fat pounds to feel & look my best. I am hesitant to say I am on my way there, but the scale seems to be slowly & fitfully moving southward. The frustrating thing is I was at 113 a year ago eating randomly without trying to be thinner, but I need to keep my attention on the present & future rather than lament the past. My face is less puffy which is very welcome indeed! My slight double chin may be shrinking also?

Today I made more lentil vegetable soup over basmati rice, it is just easy & filling & low cost which is all nice. I added cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garlic & onion to taste in the pot. I am going to make soul cakes next week for end of the month, they won't be MWL but they will be McDougall style, using brown rice flour. They will be sugar free & probably pumpkin spice style. Autumn is my favorite season, & my kitchen habits reflect that! I am eating very little raw foods, as in Chinese medicine (of which I am an amateur student for life) I have shown signs of dampness & damp heat. Strict avoidance of raw & cold foods & liberal eating of warm cooked foods with warming spices reduce dampness, and following this regimen the past month has really improved my poor digestion & other dampness symptoms (such as chronic sinusitis)! I've been adding lots of spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, onion, cumin & others to everything I make. It seems to be paying off! I am still eating about 1 to 2 meals a week of "whatever I want", this keeps me happy & motivated & not feeling deprived. Usually this takes place at a restaurant with family, which makes dining out easier & family time less stressful. Not going to worry about the future repercussions of this just yet, let's get through these first few months & then reassess at that time.

[OOnaOwl]

Today I weighed in at 115.9, yesterday was 115.7. So far to go, but still I will take the tiny progress I have made. I do think it is all fat I am losing, because my face appears less puffy & more defined & my abdomen is less voluminous. My excess fat is pretty evenly distributed from my head to my ankles, so I probably could notice it other places if I took the time to scrutinize in a full length mirror.
Last night went out for family dinner to new Mexican restaurant. I chose vegan items but even though it was delicious I didn't eat a ton because oils & ingredients I am sensitive to. I spent all day & night feeling rather sick from it. I am in middle of menopause & also in slow recovery from adrenal fatigue (advanced stage when diagnosed in January 2018), and have been dealing with extra food sensitivities with these things in addition to all the other symptoms etc. So I have been avoiding a very long list of foods: corn, soy, wheat, nightshades, dairy, added sugar, processed foods, & some other things. I'm too tired right now to remember them all, haha! Well anyway I had nausea, migraine, general malaise all last night and most of today. I ate on plan all day today-oat bites for breakfast, lentil vegetable soup with basmati rice for lunch and dinner. Will be making some other food tomorrow after all the soup is gone. Feeling a bit better tonight but very tired. I am in training for Tao Yin yoga this weekend, so that is contributing to the fatigue also.

[OOnaOwl]

Still on the plan, hovering around 115 to 116 which makes for a 2 to 4 pound loss since early September. I was hoping to lose at least 4 pounds a month . I started my day today with a green smoothie-fruit, greens, a little plant milk. water & hemp protein powder. I had some success years ago starting my day with green smoothie. I don't really like them (not because of the greens but because of the coldness & sweetness actually). Not sure how often I will use them, just a casual experiment. Lunch is steamed veggies (non starchy) with brown rice & adzuki beans (1/2 cup beans). Mostly veggies & rice! Dinner will be brussel sprouts and brown rice. Exciting meals, haha! I prefer simple meals that don't take long to prepare most of the time. Since I am cooking for one (my partner eats differently than me) I only have to please me at least! Weather has turned seasonally appropriate, so I am drinking more herbal teas daily too. Yesterday was holy basil, roasted dandelion root, lemon balm & skullcap. Very relaxing! My face is definitely less puffy & my double chin is almost gone (yes when you are as tiny as me you get a double chin with only 10+ pounds of excess fat on you!).

[OOnaOwl]

Still here, still not losing any weight. Been bouncing between 116 and 118, which makes for maybe a pound or 3 lost in over 2 months with no weight lost for the past month. At least I haven't gained any additional weight! But I am very nearly at my peak weight & it is pure fat no muscle. I still want to lose about 10 to 15 pounds of pure fat. When I look at how many calories my body burns at rest for my age/height/weight it is only just over 1000 calories per day, so it is no wonder I am not losing weight. I am eating at least 50% over that number daily, and probably many days close to double that. I know it isn't ALL CICO, but my results show that it is at least partly influential! I am still eating this way, but as of today I am going to cut back portions & up my portions of beans & vegetables and smaller portions of starches. This is beyond frustrating. I will be 51 in a few weeks & setting same goal again for my personal new year to achieve optimal health & looks at this stage of life.

[OOnaOwl]

I'm back again! Been eating this way for the past week or so.
Noticing increased energy already. I still have the same goals as
before. I still have the same issues as before. Trying to practice more patience this time & trust the process!
Todays meals:
B: Oats with blueberries
L: Quinoa with black beans
D: Steamed broccoli with quinoa and black beans.
S: banana with 1 TBSP nut butter
S: brown rice cereal (hot) with almond milk & TBSP maple syrup.
I usually eat more veggies than this but I had migraine today & didn't feel like cooking any.
The steamed broccoli I got from the Whole Foods hot bar & I made the quinoa yesterday. Beans
were from a can .
Goal is to eat more veggies tomorrow! I do feel a sense of peace eating this way. ItI is familiar to me, and when I was at my healthiest I ate this way. I am so different now ( in the last years or months of menopause) so I don't .now if my body will respond the same as before. I both felt & looked good! I have discovered I eat a lot more veggies when I have bags of frozen on hand.

[OOnaOwl]

Today's journal entry!
B: oats with blueberries, coffee with nut milk
L: quinoa with black beans
S: baked yellow potato with cauliflower & butternut squash
D: jasmine rice with steamed carrots & arugula
S:shot of jameson

Will return to fill in the rest later. I haven't lost any weight again yet.
Focusing on the positive: The inner peace this way of eating brings me.
Easy to prepare (at least my peasant style of cooking!), healthy (duh),
fairly inexpensive (even all organic if you stick to in season), familiarity.
Hopefully the other positives will come in time (weight loss, health
improvements). Patience, Grasshopper!

Still had migraine today but not as bad. No exercise, which really sucks. I LOVE
exercising! Sadly too many days I cannot due to symptoms. Hopefully when I am
through "the change" I won't feel so rotten & I can begin again to keep a daily
routine. I miss running! and yoga! and dancing! and hiking! I am 51 now so hopefully
the end of perimenopause is near....

[OOnaOwl]

Today's log!
B: green smoothie (1 scoop protein powder (vegan), 1 banana, blueberries, frozen kale & water.
2B: oatmeal with blueberries and cinnamon
L: jasmine rice with black beans & asparagus
D: baked sweet potato, black beans, broccoli & brussel sprouts.
S:

Zero weight lost, in fact I am up a pound or two this morning. I read an article about water weight gain & fat loss. Hoping that is the situation for the increase! I am at my peak weight right now, aiming to lose minimum of 10 pounds of fat, prefer to lose 20 pounds. I am not enjoying the more frequently occurring hunger with this WOE so far, hoping I adjust in time. I looked over my log here from this past fall, and it looks like I was able to lose a few pounds during the 2 or so months I was on it. I really hope I can again, I feel so gross! Anyway, focusing on health & sticking to the program. That will be my focus unless the scale keeps going up-then I will have to reevaluate! I will add my evening meals here later tonight or tomorrow. No exercise again, no energy to draw from. Dinner will be super simple as I have little energy.

[bunsofaluminum]

Hi Oona,

I always have to look at the health benefits and well-being effects such as energy, digestion improvements, elimination of depression, and reduction in hormonal symptoms more than weight loss. It's slow coming off, for sure.

I think feeling hungry between meals at first is common. I went through it and got the following advice: If you feel hungry, eat a potato.

keep coming back!

[OOnaOwl]

Hi Oona,

I always have to look at the health benefits and well-being effects such as energy, digestion improvements, elimination of depression, and reduction in hormonal symptoms more than weight loss. It's slow coming off, for sure.

I think feeling hungry between meals at first is common. I went through it and got the following advice: If you feel hungry, eat a potato.

keep coming back!

Thank you so much for stopping by! You've brightened my day! Thank you too for sharing your experience with me, it is comforting & good to get another perspective from someone in similar circumstances. I spent some time re-reading the starch solution guidelines this morning. I went through the fridge and found some vegan cheese unopened & put it in the freezer to save for making a potluck dish or something. Eating my bowl of oats & blueberries as I type this. I am noticing small improvements in well being so far. I'm glad you are getting great benefits Thanks again for the camaraderie & encouragement, you are so sweet!

[OOnaOwl]

Today's log:
B: oats with blueberries, coffee & hemp milk
L: jasmine rice, zucchini & asparagus
D: sweet potato ( yam) & bok choy with zucchini
Hunger has lessened today, ate more starch to satisfy. Back tomorrow!

[OOnaOwl]

Today's log!
B: oats with blueberries, coffee with hemp & almond milk
S: yellow potato with mustard
L: jasmine rice, brussel sprouts, cauliflower
S: large banana with TBSP nut butter
D:jasmine rice, sweet potato, asparagus & zucchini
S:
Going to grocery store today to stock up on starches and vegetables. I have some still but want to be fully stocked with my favorites. The scale moved south this morning! Trying not to get too excited about it, but hope it is the start of fat loss. I am
definitely eating to satiety. Yesterday I had no beans or legumes & had a yam for my starch & I woke up today feeling fairly good for the first time in weeks.
What welcome changes! Back later today to fill in the rest of my menu items.
I stocked up on veggies & got a bag of basmati rice. Still getting used to no animal products-it's strange! I was vegan for 10 years and vegetarian for 10 years before that, then the past 10 years I have been diet hopping. I never dieted before I entered perimenopause. I was slim and healthy! Still feeling inner peace from this WOE. I have enough food to last until early next week now. Today is the first day in WEEKS I have felt that I might recover my health-this is hugely exciting! If I can have some consistent energy again I can start running and doing more difficult yoga again. Not to mention work more hours etc. Feeling very grateful, will be back tomorrow