Downsizers - March 2021 Team Chat
jugar
Posts: 10,262 Member
Here is your Team chat room for March 2021. 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. Try to post every day, and help each other succeed!
We have six great teams. The group and team leaders are as follows:
Our Moderators:
Liselyn - @jugar
Beka - @Beka3695
Teresa - @TeresaW1020
Megan - @Megan_smartiepants1970
Our Team Captains:
Mission Slimpossibles - @broncobuddee and @TeresaW1020
Trimstones - @mulecanter and @jessicakrall8
Weight No More - @minstrelofsarcasm and @melaniedscott
Waist Aways - @jugar and @micki48
Shrinking Assets - @Boehle and @beka3695
Downsizers - @lindamtuck2018 and @Megan_smartiepants1970
Our Team Motivators:
Mission Slimpossibles - @AustinRuadhain @katmary71 and @raleighgirl09
Trimstones - @Emmajhare and @angmarie28
Weight No More - @KUMEcyclingteam
Waist Aways - @Terytha and @conleywoods
Shrinking Assets - @hipari
Downsizers - open
HOW IT ALL WORKS:
Every challenger weighs in on their chosen day, every week without fail! 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!
We also track those small, steady losses with the Green Week count. If you lose, however small an amount, it counts for 1 week in the green. At the end of the month we celebrate everyone who lost every week. You are heading steadily towards your goal even if you aren't at the top of the weight loss leaderboard!
To make your weigh-in easy to find for your team Captains, please put it right at the top of a message, and use this format:
Username
Weigh In Day:
PW (Previous Weight):
CW (Current Weight):
If you need a week off, a break, a change of weigh-in day - just ask your Captains here on your team chat page. If you take a break, you are moved to the Support Team. You can remain on the Support Team for as long as you need to. You still participate in the discussions and weigh in if you want to, but your weigh-ins will not be counted on the weekly tally. 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.
Once you reach your goal weight, you join the Goal Zone! You need support to maintain, and you can help your teammates join you. You continue to weigh in every week, and if you have 2 weeks above your self-defined goal zone, you go back to the regular team to lose that amount before it builds up. You will have a chance to hone those maintenance skills and stick with your team!
In addition to your own team, there are weekly 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.
Let’s show our fellow challengers some F2F love! Introduce yourselves right away, and let the new month and year begin!!
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Hi all and welcome to the Downsizers March team chat! My name is Linda and I am one of the team captains. My counterpart is the amazing Megan @Megan_smartiepants1970.
I am originally from Newfoundland but I live in Southwestern Ontario. I am 56 years old, married, retired due to a disability and have 3 adult children. I also have 3 beautiful granddaughters. Hayley and Norah live in Ontario but little Stella lives in Scotland. I have 2 cats, one named Nick and the other Lady.
I struggled with my weight since the birth of my son 33 years ago. So I have been overweight most of my adult life. I started my weight loss journey in February 2019 and have been with F2F ever since. I struggled for the last half of 2020 and gained about 25 pounds. I made January a reset and now have lost 9.2 pounds since then giving me a total of 48.8 pounds gone overall. My main source of exercise is walking but I had to cut back due to nerve pain. I am in the process of building my walking back up by doing mini walks each day. I have increased my daily step goal this month. Once the pool opens after covid restrictions are lifted I will be adding in swimming and water fitness.
March goals
1. Sleep minimum 7 hours a night.
2. 4500 steps daily
3. Drink 100 ounce water
4. Track and measure every bite that goes in my mouthHousekeeping
Weigh In
We will post a weigh in reminder every day. The format for posting your weight is in the team chat introduction above. If you can’t weigh in durning a particular week, please let me know ahead of time.
Daily Check In
Checking in daily is important. It is the key to making the group work for you. You can do this is any format you want. Things you may want to report could include calories, exercise, water intake, goals or anything you want to share. Share your successes with the team, any struggles or questions you may have.
Step Challenge
Megan takes care of the step challenge. If you want to participate let her know.
Other Resources
On the main page of our group you will find many resources. This is where you will find the idea lounge, recipe sharing, weekly challenges and the habit tracker.Please take time to introduce yourself as it is fun to get to know your teammates!0 -
Hi Delightful Downsizers .... My name is Megan and I am the co-captian of this amazing team with our awesome captain Linda ..... I am also one of the moderator's of Fat2Fit and I am in charge of recruiting ...I have been off and on MFP since 2009 but I had a bad habit of giving up on myself and deleting my accounts ...I was born in Alberta Canada but have lived in California most of my life .... I have 2 kids...a son named Austin who is 21 and in the Navy with my ex husband (divorced since 05) and I have a daughter who is 15 whom I home school (she is a Sophomore in H.S) her father has denied her from day 1 (his loss) ...I love walks with my daughter and 1 of my dogs (Aspen my husky) my German Shepherd has bad hips so his exercise is just in the backyard ...love to swim...love doing arts n crafts with my daughter .....I have lost 53 lbs and I eat Keto/low carb due to migraines with certain foods like potatoes/rice etc ... I enjoy meal prepping and trying new Keto recipes ..I am an open book so if you want to know more about me just ask .......
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Hi everyone. My name is Heather. I’m single, 41, living in Edmonton, Canada. I started my current journey in May 2020. I’ve struggled with weight most of my life, and tried lots of different diets where I saw success, but also gained back all the weight plus more. I have an eating disorder (binge/restrict pattern) where restricting is my biggest problem. I’ve been working with a psychologist for around 5 years, and she specializes in eating disorders and has been helping me with some very skewed thinking I’ve had. The pandemic has given me the time to finally implement a lot of the plans that had been floating around in my head since I started treatment.
So, this time around, I’m approaching weight loss in a very different way. No extreme diets, but slow and steady wins the race. My old thinking habits of negative judgment can easily creep up on me, and even though I’ve been in this group a very short time, I’ve felt very supported, and I feel like I’ve found a great group of people here who we can support each other in this journey we’re on.
In my last post in February, I talked about making some new goals for March, and I did that tonight. My goals are:
Workday goals- Out of bed by 6:20AM
- Meditate every morning
- Follow the menu I pre-planned that day
- Check-in here
Weekly goals- Exercise 2x/week
- Meal plan every week
I've already created my menu for the week, and I created my monthly calendar on my fridge where I'm going to track my success over the entire month. I think this big picture will 1. keep me more engaged/aware, and 2. help me update/change my goals to continue making realistic goals that still challenge me.
@megan_smartiepants1980, I’ve decided not to participate in the step challenge this month. I’m going to focus on these goals this month, and probably return to the step challenge in April or May.
I can't remember where I left off with my steps, if I missed any, let me know!
Feb 25: 1698
Feb 26: 1823
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From the February chat!:
@piqueaboo
It is easy to get caught up on the things we wished we did better on, and I certainly can get caught in that trap. Good for you for focusing on your improvements this month! I’ve been focusing on my sleep too. I think not only does your body just handle losing weight better, but I find having a well rested mind/body helps me focus and achieve the goals I’ve set for myself.
@lelbarou
I use a CPAP machine too. I got it just over a year ago, and as much as I don’t like it (mostly cause I’m embarrassed I need it) it has made a PROFOUND difference in my life. I went from needing 12 hours of sleep multiple nights a week, and not feeling like I overslept, to only needing around 7 hours. I feel So. Much. Better. I hope as I lose weight, I’ll no longer need it. But, until then, I’m going to continue using it. It does take some time to get use to, but once you get through that first couple weeks, believe me, game changer! Well, my sleep apnea was very bad – so that’s why it make such a difference.
@lindamtuck2018
Nice loss this week! I’m glad your stomach is feeling better, and you can enjoy those nice meals you planned for this week!
@megan_smartiepants1980
OMG Megan, that’s so exciting! I hope that text is the first of more communication between you and your son! ❤️
@draby2011
OMG, your measurements are a TOTAL win!! My friend and I had a plan of taking photos and measurements the 1st of every month, but then the lockdown in my province happened, and I haven’t hung out with her since early December. It’s true, the scale is not always our friend, but your measurements are HUGE evidence of the work you are putting in!
@red1185
Welcome to our team!
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Check in for Feb. 27th
logging - yes
walking - yes
@Megan_smartiepants1970
Steps 9118
Hi,
Just a quick introduction. My name is Laura (lelbarou) and I have been in this group for about 4 months now and I really am finding it helpful. It is a great place to express what is going on, and there is a lot of suppor. I have been overweight since I was about 8 years old, so pretty much my whole life. Rather than getting better over time, the pounds keep adding each decade. At 53 my weight was over 350 pounds. Now it is at about 295. At a few points in my life, I came down to a healthy weight, but they were short-lived and I quickly went back to overeating and gaining. I would describe my past habit as binge eating. I haven't been binge eating for about 3-4 months since I joined MFP and joined this group. I don't want to say the problem is totally solved because I have binged on a few occasions, but it was only a few times and got back on the horse pretty quickly. This is a huge improvement for me!
If you are new, please be safe to be honest and ask for advice or input. You will see that there is no judgement and just support. It is a safe space to express yourself and to ask for help.
I wish you the best on your journey and thanks for being part of the team!
@heatherbluebell
Thank you.. I know I should use the machine. I have severe sleep obstructive sleep apnea. I did use it for 10 days, but my body just couldn't adjust...I know I should keep trying but UGH! Unfortunately, I am a poor sleeper and the machine seemed to make it worse. I mean I was sleeping for only short periods of time. Anyway, I appreciate your input and your story. It is inspirational and hopefully I will get my act together and do it. Yep. I really do appreciate your concern and care.3 -
Steps 12/27: 16,2722
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Steps 6,741
This is so low for me but it was raining and I was tired and lazy. Was wondering if I was coming down with something but seem ok today. I knew I should have worked out but I couldn’t bring myself to. All I did was go to the eye doctor and got my progressive sunglasses ordered since I can’t see my phone or read with my current ones and took my son to baseball.1 -
Steps 6,741
This is so low for me but it was raining and I was tired and lazy. Was wondering if I was coming down with something but seem ok today. I knew I should have worked out but I couldn’t bring myself to. All I did was go to the eye doctor and got my progressive sunglasses ordered since I can’t see my phone or read with my current ones and took my son to baseball.
Sometimes we just need to have a lazy day! Your body was telling you that you need rest. Jump back into your routine today.1 -
My name is Rachel and I am 43. I am a married mom of two kids, one very old dog and two naughty kitties. I live in Massachusetts. I love the beach and every season but winter because I hate the cold.
Last year I committed to working out more and succeeded but have not succeed on the weight loss and added some more lbs during covid.
My weight has gone up and down my whole life. I have never been what doctors would say is a healthy weight but I have at times been more comfortable with my weight. 20 lbs crept back on over the last 3 years slowly bringing me to my highest weight with the exception of being pregnant.
I have been here since October and really just bounce back and forth within a few pounds. I was in a groove for a bit before vacation but came back last week and took it easy. Now that my kids are back in school 4 days I plan to refocus starting this week. My goal is to feel more comfortable with my weight by summer.
I refuse to give up on myself and I enjoy reading about other team members journeys and the support. Although I sadly don’t comment as much as I would like since I use my phone for MFP and it is a pain.2 -
Congrats to Downsizers for a fantastic February! To keep you going, this month's first challenge is based on consistency - inspired by Team WaistAway's co-captain @micki48 It is a familiar kind of challenge - tracking the exact numbers of 2-3 things of your choice every single day. Just being consistent. And having alternatives if your plan gets derailed. Protect those numbers all week! Consistency is like a muscle - the more you do it, the better it gets. Good luck! Here is the link:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10826044/march-2021-week-1-challenge-consistency-101/p1?new=10 -
Check in for Saturday
✅Steps 5,919
❌Sleep
❌Water
✅Track
Ok, this sleep thing is not good. I am having difficulty falling asleep and I have been waking up later as result. I didn’t get to sleep until 2:30 in the morning. I am going to work on this the coming week.
It is raining here right now but if it clears up I will go for a short walk with my granddaughter before she goes home otherwise I will do it in the hallway later. I think I should add a walking or exercise goal to my weekly goals. My Fitbit logs walks of 10 minutes as more as exercise so I would base it on this.
I got my hair done yesterday and I cut it really short. It is going be a bit of an adjustment after having longer hair for so long. It felt so good to get pampered and it was especially nice as my granddaughter got her hair done at the same time. I think we all need to take time to pamper ourselves sometimes. I know it can be difficult in the time of covid but there are lots of ways to pamper yourself at home.
Happy Sunday!
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I am in charge of the step challenge ....If anyone is interested in joining, being removed or to be excused please let me know ....For the step challenge all you do is let me know you want to be added and I will add you the spreadsheet ... you will also give me a step# that you would like to hit daily ...I find it easier to post my steps daily ...but some post weekly and that is fine ...all you do is put the date and how many steps you did for that day ..If you do other exercise I have a converter chart that I can convert most exercise into steps
Also I would appreciate it if we can get all of our steps in for February ASAP so I can do the grand finale and post the winners by tomorrow ...Thank you for your cooperation ....I will post a reminder to the people who have not posted their steps by the end of the day (today) ...If I do not have them by tomorrow evening I will be zeroing them out ..Thank you for understanding 1 -
TheresaM787
Weigh In Day: Sunday
PW (Previous Weight): 126.5
CW (Current Weight): 126.52 -
'Hi Downsizers Team - My name is Jim. I'm 52 and I live in St. Louis, MO with my wife and 3 of 4 kids (our 4th is away at college). I didn't have weight problems as a kid and actually was in pretty good shape as a young adult but I'm an insomniac and workaholic and after nearly 30 years in a sedentary and high stress (some of it self-induced to be sure) office jobs, my lack of exercise, so-so eating habits and occasional unhealthy drinking unsurprisingly led me to being out of shape, 240 lbs and disappointed in my health situation. My 'lightbulb' moment was learning at one of our neighbor's parties (remember those?) of their co-worker who died from a heart attack the day after retiring. My dad retired at 52 and I'm currently on track to retire at 60 and I have a lot to live for so that was the 'slap on the back of my head' I needed to get my act together.
From July 2019 to May 2020 I had some great success and got down to a low of 204.3 (~ 35 pounds in 10 months) but then COVID-19 came. While my family has been very fortunate to not get sick or deal with loss of employment, working from home impacted me in multiple ways but the worst was snacking all the time (it was sooooo easy to grab junk food from the pantry when I went up to refill my water glass). Anyway, between May until end of 2020 I regained 17 pounds and realized that I was on track to lose everything I had worked so hard to achieve so I joined the Downsizers group to regain a greater sense of accountability and focus on getting back to my goals which for 2021 are as follows (by the way, achievement of each of these comes with a reward to promote motivation):- Lose at least 3 lbs every month through June and 1.5 lbs / month between July - December
- Consistently be under 215 lbs by Spring Break (We fly to Palm Beach, FL on March 21st)
- Reach 200 lbs by Aug 31
Here's my exercise plan to get there:- Daily - Goal of 10,000 steps (7,500 min)
- Weekly (Jan – Mar) – Reach cardio level heart rate for at least 15 minutes (3 days / week) (this rises to 20 min 4 days / week in April)
- Weekly – Lift weights (6 sets min for 3 days / week)
- Monthly – Go on at least 1 Hike (2 hours min between Mar - Oct)
and here's my Diet Plan:- Avoid eating before 6 am and 9 pm (daily)
- Track food intake and stay under my daily 2,000 net calories (after deducting exercise) at least 4 days / week and don’t exceed 2,500 calories / day (unless it’s a ‘special occasion’)
- Limit junk food and deserts (chips, cookies, etc.) to no more than 3 times / week and only after first having a serving of fruit or vegetable
- No more than 4 beers, cocktails, or glasses of wine / week
So you may have noticed two things about my plan:
First - there's a fair amount of flexibility. I'm treating these more as guidelines rather than rules - that way I can still 'live' but also have some practical directions that can serve as inspiring me to "do the right thing". Also, you may notice I don't have anything in here about eating lots of fruits and veggies or meatless meals and that's because I already do that already and I didn't want to make this a lengthy list of things I can or can't do - it has to be straightforward enough that I can easily remember and follow it.
Second - it's not really that challenging. There's no crash diets, abstinence or running of marathons that I probably can't live up to. I want to set myself up for success and I'm perfectly comfortable with the slow and steady approach. Besides that, at least for now it's working. Despite the wide berth I'm giving myself on alcohol and deserts, I really don't have that much of either just because I'm trying to lose weight but if I really want to, I can and I don't have to suffer guilt and depression the next day. Now I may get to a point where I've lost the 'easy weight' and need to revise or refine my plan but I'll deal with that when I hit that plateau in the future. Anyway - I'm looking at other creative approaches to hit my weight loss goals. I recently joined an online community (Meet Me) of local hiking enthusiasts but I'm probably going to continue my solo or family hikes until I'm vaccinated as I'm still not comfortable with being downwind from 15 - 20 other (heavy breathing) strangers outside my bubble just yet ... but I'm looking forward to meeting these like minded 'outdoorsy' people and getting out to see more of Missouri's state parks, etc. as soon as I do get my shots.
After tomorrow I'll know whether I hit my Feb goal (lose 3 pounds) and I'll share my next Reward that I've earned.
Of course what's working for me right now may not for others but hopefully sharing this gives a few people some new or different ideas.
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Awesome plan you have there Jim 1
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Username : azkunk
Weigh In Day: Sunday
PW:174.9
CW: 174.7
LTD: 32.3
I think it's time to realign my goal. I have 10 weeks to go before my 50th bday and realistically, I don't think it's possible to lose 17.7lbs at my current rate. Maybe I should make change my goal to hit a BMI less than 30 by my Bday. That would be 6.7lbs to go at a rate of 0.67lbs/wk. I am currently losing around that now. I just don't think I can get to 50lbs by then without drastically cutting calories or increasing exercise which sets me up for failure. I will get to that 50lb goal, but it will just take a little longer. I will be thrilled to be out of the obese category and into the 160s and that is definitely attainable.
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Username : azkunk
Weigh In Day: Sunday
PW:174.9
CW: 174.7
LTD: 32.3
I think it's time to realign my goal. I have 10 weeks to go before my 50th bday and realistically, I don't think it's possible to lose 17.7lbs at my current rate. Maybe I should make change my goal to hit a BMI less than 30 by my Bday. That would be 6.7lbs to go at a rate of 0.67lbs/wk. I am currently losing around that now. I just don't think I can get to 50lbs by then without drastically cutting calories or increasing exercise which sets me up for failure. I will get to that 50lb goal, but it will just take a little longer. I will be thrilled to be out of the obese category and into the 160s and that is definitely attainable.
I too wanted to lose 50 by 50 (Dec. 29th) I hit 50 lb loss a month later 1/29 ....I agree that you should change your goal if it would upset you to not hit 50 by 50 ...Wishing you much more success 2 -
My intro-- I am Andrea and live in Arizona (US) with my husband and 2 kids. My son just turned 14 and my daughter is 11. This time of year most are dealing with brutal snow, ice and snow but it is perfect weather here. The average high is in the 70s and lows are in the 40s ... absolutely perfect. This week, I decided to up my step game and take 2-4 brisk walks per day for 10-20 minute. Per my weekly check-in above, I started this current journey last May when I turned 49 and decided to I needed to do something about my all time high weight. So, I set a goal to lose 50lbs by my 50th bday. Well, that deadline is closing in and I need to realign that goal with reality. So, now its to hit a BMI of 30 by my 50th. I really think I can reach that and I will definite set new goals to get to 50 and beyond!
For my diet plan, I am working with a health coach and following my macros.3 -
Daily Post February 27
Tracked Yes
Under Calorie Yes
Water 85oz
Steps 9076
Exercise Jog/dance in place 35mins
After yesterday I've definitely decided Saturday is my rest day for now on. If I hadn't had such a bad headache on Friday I would have done a workout and then not had to yesterday. We had a family day though yesterday which was fun. We bought a new board game called King of Tokyo that's geared towards younger kids so we tried that out with our son. We also played some Wii and cooked together. At the end of the night I only had 3000 steps and had to jog and dance around the basement while watching tv.
Today we will go to my parents house for family time and games and dad and I will also hit the punching bag together.4 -
@heatherbluebell - I too am changing my thinking to slow and steady. I could probably bust my *kitten* and lose 1.7 lbs/ week by increasing exercise and decreasing calories further but that just sets expectations so high and I know at my current weight, losing 0.5-1.0 lbs/wk is way more realistic. And we need to be realistic and not set ourselves up for failure. I love your goals! Keep up the great work
@lelbarou - 295 now ... you are crushing this!
@rlaskey2 - sometimes, you just need a day off. I am glad you are re-focusing on nutrition this month. 75% of weight loss is diet and 25% is exercise. You have the exercise part down, you can do this! We are here for you.
@lindamtuck2018 - that short hair will make it so much easier to swim. When does the pool open? I just want to thank you for all that you do to lead our team. I am sure it's a lot of work. You are VERY APPRECIATED.
@Megan_smartiepants1970 thank you for keeping us organized with our steps goals. I appreciate all that you do. My steps owed to you will be posted below.
@jimboden3 - I love your goals and your plan. You have inspired me to think about putting mine in writing. I am going to take some to to think on it. Thanks for the inspiration
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@Megan_smartiepants1970
Please increase my step goal to 10,000/day. I think that I only owe you yesterday's steps. Please let me know if I owe you any more
2/27= 11,038
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@Megan_smartiepants1970
Please increase my step goal to 10,000/day. I think that I only owe you yesterday's steps. Please let me know if I owe you any more
2/27= 11,038
I have changed your step goal to 10,000 a day ...I do not have 2/260 -
@Megan_smartiepants1970 thank you for keeping us organized with our steps goals. I appreciate all that you do. My steps owed to you will be posted below.
You are very welcome Andrea 0 -
lindamtuck2018 wrote: »Check in for Saturday
✅Steps 5,919
❌Sleep
❌Water
✅Track
Ok, this sleep thing is not good. I am having difficulty falling asleep and I have been waking up later as result. I didn’t get to sleep until 2:30 in the morning. I am going to work on this the coming week.
It is raining here right now but if it clears up I will go for a short walk with my granddaughter before she goes home otherwise I will do it in the hallway later. I think I should add a walking or exercise goal to my weekly goals. My Fitbit logs walks of 10 minutes as more as exercise so I would base it on this.
I got my hair done yesterday and I cut it really short. It is going be a bit of an adjustment after having longer hair for so long. It felt so good to get pampered and it was especially nice as my granddaughter got her hair done at the same time. I think we all need to take time to pamper ourselves sometimes. I know it can be difficult in the time of covid but there are lots of ways to pamper yourself at home.
Happy Sunday!
I love the memory making moments when you get to do special things with your grandchildren! Hope you get your walks in for the day.2 -
Username: Beautyofdreams
Weigh-in day: Sunday
PW: 152.1
CW: 149.3
LTD: 74.13 -
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The Green Challenge Percentage of people who lost weight this week. No matter how small the loss the weights are recorded in green. Remember that even if your team doesn’t rank the highest in weight loss for the week you can still be the Green Percentage winner by having the most losses in your team! So keep it up!! 
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Just a quick reminder of the people I am missing steps from
@Piqueaboo 2/26 & 2/27
@iradi8 2/25 & 2/27
@heatherbluebell 2/27
@dutchrower -2/23-2/27
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This discussion has been closed.