FAT 2 FIT WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE AND SUPPORT GROUP

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MISSION SLIMPOSSIBLES - February 2020 Chat

jugar
jugar Posts: 10,229 Member
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Welcome Fat2Fit Challengers

Here is your Team chat room! This is where you weigh in every week, post your goals and progress, discuss any issues or topics of interest, share ideas, support your teammates, receive help when you need it, and dream big. Cheer each other on to success!

We are beginning the February 2020 Challenge - We have six great teams this month. The group and team leaders are as follows:
Our Moderators:
Liselyn - @jugar
Beka - @beka3695
Lisa - @cafelelia
Teresa - @TeresaW1020

Our Team Captains:
*Mission Slimpossible - @broncobuddee and @TeresaW1020
*Trimstones - @mulecanter and @jessicakrall8
*Weight No More - @sleepymom5 and @cafelelia
*Waist Aways - @jugar and @micki48
*Shrinking Assets - @Boehle and @beka3695
*Downsizers - @lindamtuck2018 and (open)

Our Team Motivators:
*Mission Slimpossible - @AustinRuadhain
*Trimstones - @Angmarie28
*Weight No More - @nstephenson01
*Waist Aways - @Terytha and @evangsimmons170
*Shrinking Assets - @TheMrWobbly (Fitness Captain)
*Downsizers - @UTMom81 and @Kres567

HOW IT ALL WORKS:
Every challenger weighs in on their chosen day, and at the end of each week, the tallies are done to determine the team and individuals with the most weight lost. The best losers are announced with full fanfare every Sunday. The team competition is all in good spirits - may the most losing win!

If you need a week off, a break, a change of weigh-in day - just ask your Captain here on your team chat page. If you miss two weigh-ins in a row without asking for a break, you will be dropped from the team, so be sure to ask if you are travelling, sick, or just needing some time off.

In addition to your own team, there are F2F Full Group CHALLENGES. You can do all or none - it's up to you. Participating adds a lot to your success, so we hope to see you there often! These can involve anything fitness, health, or nutrition - and they’ll get you moving, thinking, and learning about this journey. Check the “Announcements” section for full group challenges.

This month, we have the Leaping Groundhog Challenge! Every day, there will be a question (TWO on groundhog day!!). The more people who post their thoughts and ideas on the question, the more we’ll all learn, and new ways of losing weight and getting fit might come to your attention. The more you read and post, the better it will be - so get ready to answer all 29 questions!

There will also be shorter challenges to get you moving, watching what is on your plate, or getting out of a rut.

Let’s show our fellow challengers some F2F love!! Introduce yourselves right away, and let the new month begin.

THANKS!
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Replies

  • vegan4lyfe2012
    vegan4lyfe2012 Posts: 1,251 Member
    Alrighty...mostly a copy and paste of my intro from the January thread, but with a little extra:

    Hello, everyone! My name is Jennifer. I just turned 46 this month and I am a single parent of 3 adult children – my oldest (son) is 24 and currently deployed on a carrier ship. My middle (daughter) is about to turn 23 in March and is happily married and lives about 45 minutes away. My youngest (daughter) is going to be 20 in 12 days. She lives at home and is enrolled at the local community college. I am about to celebrate 15 years at my job. I work in Community Development for my County. I love it because I’m doing something different almost every day. I am an avid rubber stamper and love to make cards. I also do scrapbooking, but definitely don't keep up with it.

    My highest weight was about 9 years ago when I was 210. I got down to 145, then back up to 190, then down to 150. I am such a classic yo-yo dieter. Three years ago I was at my “happy weight” of 155. Stress from my son being in the military and my youngest daughter being bipolar has affected me in such a negative way. Unfortunately, I am back up to 198. I try not to beat myself up. I’ve been seeing a therapist and she also referred me to a dietician. Things are steady looking up. I feel like this time of losing weight will be better as I am not depending on myself. I am depending on God to sustain me through the rough patches. I had ankle surgery last September to repair a tendon. Doctor said it can take up to a year for it to be back to normal, so I am doing exercises as my ankle allows. As the weather improves, I enjoy hiking at the dunes. (I live in Southwest Michigan, on the Lake, so it’s beautiful to hike.)

    I am looking forward to sharing triumphs with all of you! Thank you for including me!
  • raleighgirl09
    raleighgirl09 Posts: 690 Member
    raleighgirl09
    intro!!

    Hi all - welcome new members, welcome back to all the familiar faces! I am Maria, 56 - child, parent and grandparent and all of these roles along with my full-time-plus job keep me hopping! I'm a Slimpossibles Motivator - so very happy to be! I come in and read posts and offer encouragement as often as I can. I really love this team and all of the benefits I have seen for me and for others on the team. => I'm an old hat at weight loss, continuing the journey from 130 lbs lost many years ago to now in the middle of losing some of the 50-60 that have come back a few times, currently around 110 down from my highest weight of about 300 lbs and a size 26 back in the day. At this exact moment - I am working off a gain of mostly water (pretty sure about that) and thinking about why that had to happen at all.

    I'm also a flawed human seeking to be the best version of myself I can be. If there's a mistake to make, I've made it. But I also recognize my strengths and accomplishments and try to keep that balance of remaining truthful to me (and you) and not beating myself up. I often use this space for introspection - ask myself questions about the process and progress and try to be an open book about it not only for me but because maybe it will help someone else. Or at least help them not feel alone in the struggle; this part is also important.
  • jugar
    jugar Posts: 10,229 Member
    Please welcome another wonderful new member!

    @mlhopp93 will be joining you, and I am sure they will find this to be a great team. Thanks!
  • prowell57
    prowell57 Posts: 140 Member
    Hi everyone. My name is Pam, I'm 62 yrs old and live in Oklahoma, USA. I'm a wife, mother and grandma. My hobbies are quilting, cross stitch, working in my yard, bird watching and just being out in nature. Love spending time with my family (especially them grandkids).
    I've struggled with my weight for years then last year was told by my Dr. that I'm right there on the line of being border-line diabetic. Since diabetes runs in the family I decided it's time to get serious about this weight! During my research on healthy eating I came across the keto way of eating, all natural whole foods. Started out doing "clean" keto but got discouraged because it was hard to keep my carbs under 20 grams a day so I quit. Just recently got back on it except this time I'm doing "dirty" keto where I allow myself 30-50 grams of carbs a day. It's still a struggle but not quiet as bad. I can't give up this time around, my health depends on it! Currently I'm at 198.6 had a couple slip-ups this week but hoping it'll get easier the longer I go. My goal is to reach 135-140 lbs.
  • prowell57
    prowell57 Posts: 140 Member
    My goals/habits for this year is to stop smoking, lower my A1C number and get away from that diabetes line, start working out and drinking more water. I'm not a big fan of drinking water so that's going to be a big one! Also, without saying...to reach a healthy weight!
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,147 Member
    @mlhopp93 welcome to the group!

    @prowell57 You have some great goals to work toward this year! Quitting smoking is one of the harder things I've done. Do you have a plan? I joined an online group but my main issue was I needed to be off nicotine to have two levels of my back operated on and bone's less likely to grow in smokers. I waited until the last minute about 2 weeks before surgery and that hospital week was awful! You are braver than me but smart to focus on weight loss at the same time.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,147 Member
    Friday check-in
    Calories- under
    Exercise- stair elliptical, leg weights, back yoga
    Water- over

    Habits
    Weights 3xs a week- leg weights done
    Cardio 30 minutes a day- done
    Yoga- have done back yoga the last 3 days with a little modification
    Core- on hold until I heal
    Decluttering- filed some stuff and put together a box of books to donate and sorted through some magazines. Books are my weakness, something that'll be the hardest to sort as I have thousands!
    Recipe- made maple soy salmon yesterday.

  • TeresaW1020
    TeresaW1020 Posts: 3,231 Member
    edited February 2020
    Good morning!! I love Saturdays because I get to sleep in and then leisurely drink my coffee and read all your posts. :) I'm excited for a new month! I started January raring to conquer all my goals. Some of the goals I've done, like sticking to my workouts. But there have been others, mostly food related, where I've made willful choices that were not part of my plan and had no business in my life. This morning I was reading a devotional and it was talking about Daniel and how he "purposed in his heart" that he would not defile himself with the king's food. That really resonated with me! I need to purpose in my heart that I'm going to give myself every opportunity to live my best life. Living in guilt and regret is NOT my best and I know that I can do better and that I deserve to do better. So, let the new month begin!! B)


    @vegan4lyfe2012, welcome Jennifer! One of my good friends is an avid rubber stamper too. Our women’s ministry made Christmas cards and it was so much fun playing with all the stamps and being creative. Like you, I’m also relying on God to get me through life. I am so looking forward to getting to you better! :)

    @raleighgirl09, Maria have I told you lately how much I love having you not only as one of our awesome motivators but also for your transparency! <3 Your post always shows me something about myself and this month I’m going to take a page out of your book and start writing and sharing my struggles and hopefully my success too. It’s time to get real!

    @prowell57, hi Pam!! Welcome to the team! You are here for all the right reasons and I know you will find lots of encouragement and support as you work towards your goals. I was a heavy smoker for 23 years and quit 15 years ago. Best thing I EVER did!! You can quit too, and you will be so happy once you do! I was doing Keto for the last several months but stopped in December because I couldn’t stay consistent enough with it. I try to keep my carbs under 75 grams and eat whole foods. Have you tried intermittent fasting? Oh, and as for water you just have to drink it likes it’s your job until you learn to like it. :D I personally am obsessed with sparkling waters and drink a ton of plain and flavored seltzer waters.

    @Katmary71, Kathy you are another of my very favorite motivators!! <3 Your story is so inspiring and reading how far you have come is motivating for us all! You are living your best life and I know it is only going to get better for you as you continue doing the work you need to do. I’m so glad you are taking us with you on your awesome journey of health and fitness.
  • mrmcgrath
    mrmcgrath Posts: 956 Member
    Hi everyone! I am Michelle. Married, mother of 2 (1 at University, 1 HS Senior). I was diagnosed with an Automimmune Diseas 5 years ago and believe my best hope for healing is through Food. As Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. I follow more of a paleo diet however...I am having a super hard time with sugar. Mobility has been an issue since diagnosis but I have started back at the gym. I do a mixture of yoga, light weights and cardio. My steps are low (compared to most) but I am steadily working on increasing my daily average. Weight loss has never been my main goal but I am enjoying seeing the scale go down plus I do know that getting rid of this excess weight will help me and my health.
    02/1
    Check In
    Username: mrmcgrath
    Weigh in week: Week 1
    Weigh in day: Friday
    Weight: 196.1
    Todays Weight 197💥

    Yesterday
    Calories: maintenance
    Water: over/under? Over
    Macros: right on
    Exercise:

    Yesterday’s Fitbit/mfp stats:
    4236 steps. 5500 goal steps
    1.76 miles
    2315 burned calories
    0 active
    84sleep score
    60 resting sleep
    1998 calories consumed

    Macros by grams. carb 226g, goal > 232g, fat 74g, goal 44-77g, protein 113g, goal 70g

    Basic Goals
    30 active (heart rate driven) minutes: 👎
    Complete food diary: 📖
    Stay hydrated(more than 64 oz): 💦
    Stay below sugar goal: candy 👎
    Meet fiber in range:🥬
    Daily self care: meditating, crafting, reading, etc. 🥂
    Sleep: minimum 7 hours 💤

    My vision for 2020:
    To find out who I am outside of “mom” since I will be an empty nester in the 5 months.
    To love me no matter where I am at in my journey.
    To pursue habits and hobbies that I will enjoy and that will enrich my soul.
    To focus on total health (mind, body, and soul)


    Don’t let any one weigh-in dictate what I do.
    Choose to do the work.
    Choose to show up & do the actions.
    Don’t give up when you get your first bit of resistance.
    Stick to your habits no matter what. Ignore your ego and avoid complacency.
    Keep a connection with others who understand what this journey. Isolation is not helpful
    Don’t hide when weight gain happens. Assume it will. Share your truth, and don’t let your mind tell you no one will understand.
    Make up your mind that you are and will be successful.
    Accept that this is your struggle, and you will not be fixed. I will need to continuously manage my condition.
  • its_cleo
    its_cleo Posts: 544 Member
    @katmary71 that is great with how far you have come! I feel like we have a lot of similarities. I'm single too and I got two little kittens 13 years ago. Enjoy yours, would love to see pics. I don't have depression, but complex PTSD and exercise really helps me to stay grounded in the present and improve my mood.

    And woot all the non-smokers! I quit too about 10 years ago. It's amazing when you think these health journeys are definitely slow, it's ongoing throughout our lives but I bet everyone has come a long way. I certainly feel like I have.

    @prowell57 welcome! When I quit smoking I used an online forum for people quitting and it really helped me.

    Intro

    I'm Cleo 43, Canadian. Sort of posted about my journey above. I'm also an avid sports fan, mostly baseball and basketball. Although I'm Canadian I do not like hockey lol.
  • its_cleo
    its_cleo Posts: 544 Member
    @TeresaW1020 I think January can be hard to get going again after christmas, but I know you can get back to a place you feel good about :)
  • kayla7303
    kayla7303 Posts: 154 Member
    Kayla7303
    PW 186.7
    CW 185.0
  • TeresaW1020
    TeresaW1020 Posts: 3,231 Member
    The February Habit Tracker is up!! :) Click the link below and follow the instructions on how to use it. If you used it last month and want to switch up your habits you can totally do that! I know that many of us have found it to be very helpful in keeping us mindful of our goals. This month I plan to take it a step further and post my daily results, which will help keep me accountable and open me up for support where I need it. I encourage you to do the same!

    February Habit Tracker
  • AustinRuadhain
    AustinRuadhain Posts: 2,595 Member
    Hello, all!

    Austin here. I am also a Motivator, supporting the work of super awesome and inspirational Motivators @Katmary71 and @raleighgirl09 and our fearless Captain @TeresaW1020 !

    I am so excited a new month is here. Yay to February! I am wanting to catch up, but it's going to have to be a cup of tea and catchup later today. For now, here's an intro!

    I joined the Fat2Fit group over a year ago, part way through my journey, and find this group to be . I have lost over 130 pounds since I started work on losing weight and getting healthier (January 2018). I have reached my initial weight goal, and am seeing as huge difference in my health and fitness. I am now working on building muscle and improving my fitness. I study martial arts and love walks, especially outdoor walks, so you'll hopefully see those activities on my check-ins. I love to read up on things, and have studied nutritional science* and habit building** as I have worked on losing weight and getting healthier. Every body and every person is different, and I have enjoyed learning more and engaging in the kind of science experiment of figuring out what works for me. Making it happen has been and is still all about developing new habits for me, so every so often I burble about habit building!

    I am a big believer in everyone needing to figure out what food and exercise path work for them -- their personalities and preferences, their bodies, their genetics, their microbiome, etc. I have found measuring my food, tracking it on MFP, and watching for patterns in what is and is not working, to be enormously helpful. I eat a whole foods/plant foods diet based on the work of Dr. Joel Fuhrman (see The End of Dieting and Eat to Live; I worry less about sodium, though) and find it helpful to pay attention to that daily fasting window (wouldn't go so far as to say I do intermittent fasting, but I am generally careful to keep the kitchen closed for 13-14 hours a day).

    * If interested, check out the nonprofit, research-based site nutritionfacts.org as a great place to start.

    ** If interested, check out the book Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg (and there's a free course you can take via his website) and also the work of James Clear. Clear has a book called Atomic Habits. This video on How to Get 1% Better Every Day has been particularly useful to me. He kicks it off this way:
    "So if you were able to improve by 1% each day for an entire year... you would end up 37 times better at the end of the year. And if you were to get 1% worse, you would whittle yourself down almost to zero."
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,147 Member
    @TeresaW1020 I love the enthusiasm and insight you're going into February with! Keep up the awesome workouts! I love hearing how they're going. I've been making headway in the gym from tweaking my diet, it helps me to think of how I have to nourish my body instead of what I can eat next. By the way, I was thinking how lucky I am that you got me thinking of different water bottles, I refill it twice while at the gym, no wonder I was so thirsty!

    Going to try posting now before responding to more, having a computer glich.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,147 Member
    @mrmcgrath I love that you're able to get to the gym and increase steps, it's not easy getting in movement with limitations. I definitely think diet can help! Sugar is my weakness too, it's a lot harder for you having a family and likely having it in the house.

    @its_cleo I'm so sorry about your January, what a tough month! I love your goals! What 8 activities did you do? Is your therapist a physical therapist? I'd talk to your doctor about physical therapy. The wrist and biceps would definitely limit a lot. We do have a lot in common! Like you I think of working out as huge for mental health. Yoga's a combo along with helping mobility and weights definitely help mobility the most. Being injured is tough, I have it in my head that I'll slip back to being bedridden and on medication if I don't keep it up, I have to work to keep perspective. I have trouble posting pictures on the forums, I've tried a bunch of times or I'd be happy to post my kittens!

    @kayla7303 great loss!

    @TeresaW1020 Yay on Habit Tracker! I have to tweak goals so I'm not so tempted at the gym to go into the weight room for arms despite my injury or do my home strength exercises!

    @AustinRuadhain You are such an inspiration taking charge of your health and continuing to make improvements. You always have some great links for us! I think of the 1% on days I don't want to do anything!



  • vegan4lyfe2012
    vegan4lyfe2012 Posts: 1,251 Member
    vegan4lyfe2012
    Starting Weight (1/26): 198.0

    I hope I'm doing this right. My weekly weigh-in is on Sundays, so tomorrow would be my "Week 1", correct? I am off to think about 5 habits I'd like to focus on for February. This group is so positive and I am really looking forward to getting to know everyone more and to get focused on my weight loss journey. Thanks, everyone!
  • Kpaige428
    Kpaige428 Posts: 11 Member
    Hi Everyone,
    My name is Kim. I am 34 years old, married to my husband of almost 10 years and have a 7 year old son. I also have 2 dogs and 2 cats. I am currently 156lbs hoping to get down to 140lbs by summer and then ultimately get into the 130s. My son loves all kinds of sports so I’d like to be able to stay healthy and active to keep up with him. Looking forward to doing this challenge with all of you and getting to know everyone.
  • TeresaW1020
    TeresaW1020 Posts: 3,231 Member
    A reminder that we start tomorrow!!

    3cwokrdx6lnf.png
  • TeresaW1020
    TeresaW1020 Posts: 3,231 Member
    vegan4lyfe2012 wrote: »
    vegan4lyfe2012
    Starting Weight (1/26): 198.0

    I hope I'm doing this right. My weekly weigh-in is on Sundays, so tomorrow would be my "Week 1", correct? I am off to think about 5 habits I'd like to focus on for February. This group is so positive and I am really looking forward to getting to know everyone more and to get focused on my weight loss journey. Thanks, everyone!

    Yes!! Tomorrow (and every Sunday) you post the following information. It helps if you put your weigh-in day on its own post so @broncobuddee can easily find you and record on the spreadsheet. :) I do an excel spreadsheet on my computer with the following info and then just copy/paste each week. It also gives me an ongoing record of how I'm progressing. Yayyy for the habit tracker!! :)

    Username: (Your MFP username)
    Weigh-in week: (The week you are entering your weight for ex. Week 4)
    Weigh-in day: (The day you weigh in each week. Sat-Fri)
    Previous Weight: (The last weight you entered)
    Todays Weight: (Your weight on your chosen weigh-in day)
  • jugar
    jugar Posts: 10,229 Member
    Our February Moderators' Challenge is UP! The first day's question (for tomorrow) has been posted, so go ahead and put in some answers. There will be a new question every day - so I hope lots of people will join in and make the discussions packed with info and insights.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10783307/leaping-groundhogs-the-02-2020-questions-challenge#latest
  • raleighgirl09
    raleighgirl09 Posts: 690 Member
    prowell57 wrote: »
    My goals/habits for this year is to stop smoking, lower my A1C number and get away from that diabetes line, start working out and drinking more water. I'm not a big fan of drinking water so that's going to be a big one! Also, without saying...to reach a healthy weight!

    Lots of folks here can relate to this! I'm also a former smoker and have been smoke free this time for about 11 years - once before for 15 and went back to it for 2 when I was a wreck of a mess. These are all great goals - if you haven't done it yet, you may want to consider adding some beginning steps to the habit tracker, create some baby steps daily goals that lead to all of these. It's pretty awesome to see all of the small habits add up and it's a great visual reminder to keep doing the small steps that add up. =>
  • prowell57
    prowell57 Posts: 140 Member
    Saturday check-in
    Calories: under
    Water: under
    Exercise: Still working on setting up a exercise routine.

    Habits/Goals
    1- Drink 64 ounces water daily
    2- Allow myself some "me" time
    3- Work on not smoking
    4- Work on organizing home
    5- Walk daily
  • raleighgirl09
    raleighgirl09 Posts: 690 Member
    kayla7303 wrote: »
    Kayla7303
    PW 186.7
    CW 185.0

    @kayla7303 Excellent weigh in, you'te doing so well!
  • prowell57
    prowell57 Posts: 140 Member
    @TeresaW1020 I won't be able to do the step challenge as I don't have a way to count my steps.
  • vegan4lyfe2012
    vegan4lyfe2012 Posts: 1,251 Member
    prowell57 wrote: »
    @TeresaW1020 I won't be able to do the step challenge as I don't have a way to count my steps.

    I don't have a step counter, either. Just so you know you're not the only one :smile:
  • raleighgirl09
    raleighgirl09 Posts: 690 Member
    raleighgirl09
    Sunday check in

    Well, it's been a much better day - I'll take it.


    @vegan4lyfe2012 we're looking forward to getting to know you better, and sharing in your triumphs!!
    @Katmary71 so glad to see your intro and learn more about you - wow, what a journey! And an A1C of 4.5 is dreamy, what an amazing NSV!
    @AustinRuadhain I love this: I am a big believer in everyone needing to figure out what food and exercise path work for them -- their personalities and preferences, their bodies, their genetics, their microbiome, etc. What works for some doesn't work for all, I have found there is a vast array of ways to be successful - and it is not one size fits all! =>
    @its_cleo so glad that January is a closed chapter for you! You really had the crappola pile on but you've really shown so much perseverance in working through the challenges. Here's looking forward with you to a much-better February
    @mrmcgrath “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” I worked for a doctor once who said - You can pay the money for the fruit and healthy food or you can pay the co-pays. Overall health really is driven by the quality of the fuel we give our bodies
    @TeresaW1020 wow, thank you so much for the kind words! It's exciting to share knowledge with each other and both give and get the support that helps make the journey a little bit easier, just for having it =>

    Planned and Prelog 3 meals? yes, all 3! Some changes but all within plan-type choices
    Times? B 12p, L 4p, D
    Non-planned eating and thoughts?
    Hunger?
    Exercise? 3.25 milk walk in the hood - 1 hr, usually 1.25!! [log steps from day before] (steps 31Jan2020 9,150)
    Sleep? 11p-830a [log the morning after]
    Assessed the previous day / week / month? The last week was quite the drama fest of bad choices. I always want to eat at night, for example, but this past week I just did several times without asking myself why. Some days I didn't log any food, most days I did not pre-plan or pre-log. Thank goodness for the food prep I do as at least a lot of the choices were better options, even if overeaten. Feel really good about yesterday and today, and today has an easy feel to it. One thing to note and watch - I most definitely make crappier choices when I first choose to drink more than usual. I have become fond of gin and it's best to me just on the rocks - so good, in fact, that having 2-3 back to back is not hard at all and then....well, you can imagine. That bad choice is followed by more and then they just pile on top of one another.
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