Shrinking Assets Team Chat - NOVEMBER 2021
Replies
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Team Naming UPDATE!
I am always posting the same messages for both Shrinking Assets and Trimstones, so everyone who has posted has been heard! So far, the most popular options are the following:
Trim Assets
Unrepentant Thinners
Food Fighters
Shape Shifters
Shape Shifters has probably the most supportive comments, the other 3 all pretty equal, although Food Fighters might have a slight edge on the others.
Weigh in on this by Wednesday and then the Captains and Moderators will make a decision! Thanks
I like Shape Shifters the best, it’s easy to say and has a nice rhythm and rhyme to it. My least favorite is Food Fighters. It’s funny and you could argue rhythm and rhyme with that one too, but: food isn’t our enemy (learning to love and enjoy food in a healthy way is a big goal to all of us, I think), and it’s very similar with the Foo Fighters band name. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but it’s an unnecessary thing to associate with mentally, and I personally have a strong dislike for the band
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We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here, but it’s time to share what I’m grateful for today. I’ve probably never felt so good in November, which is usually a very stressful time of year (exams, essays, end-of-year deadlines etc.) combined with several parties aka alcohol and the darkest time of the year (rarely any snow yet, but today the sun is up for only 6 hours so it’s cold, wet and dark most of the time). This year I have a newborn baby and I’m on maternity leave so my only source of stress is the baby, who is perfectly healthy and doesn’t come with deadlines, and some household chores that normally come on top of a full time job or studies. My husband and I have split the day so that he takes the morning shift and I get to sleep in while the baby sleeps and he works from home, so I don’t have to get up before the sun. I go on a walk or run errands most days when it’s light out, instead of sitting in a library or cubicle during that time and never seeing daylight. I’m still mostly alcohol free as I’m breastfeeding, so that isn’t affecting my sleep or wellbeing (the baby does affect sleep of course, but that’s a different story).
Here’s the big thing that relates to this group: although I’m still 20ish pounds heavier than pre-pregnancy, I just discovered that my Fitbit cardio fitness level is the best it has ever been, and I’m finally in ”fair” category instead of ”poor-to-fair”. Pushing the extra weight of that stroller and baby seems to have helped, and I just turned 30 so I’m in a different age category, but still. This is a major win to reach 6 weeks postpartum. Yay!7 -
Team Naming UPDATE!
I am always posting the same messages for both Shrinking Assets and Trimstones, so everyone who has posted has been heard! So far, the most popular options are the following:
Trim Assets
Unrepentant Thinners
Food Fighters
Shape Shifters
Shape Shifters has probably the most supportive comments, the other 3 all pretty equal, although Food Fighters might have a slight edge on the others.
Weigh in on this by Wednesday and then the Captains and Moderators will make a decision! Thanks
In order, my favorites are Food Fighters (big fan of the band!), Shape Shifters, Unrepentant Thinners then Trim Assets.
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For me, Shape Shifters feels most appropriate because it’s positive.
The other names that top the list are all creative and humorous but there are unhealthy aspects to those names. For sure, I’m overthinking this 🙄 but —
Unrepentant Thinner gives the idea that there’s some underlying ‘wrong’ that we’re defending. So, it conjures images of disordered eating for me. It can be unhealthy to be too thin, not that it’s ‘wrong’ but it’s still not healthy.
Food Fighter conveys the message that food is bad. Maybe sTREAT Fighter would be more appropriate in my experience! It has nothing to do with the music group for me. The creativity of that connection made me smile, but I’m working on making peace ☮️ with food, especially as I work to find my equilibrium in ‘maintenance.’ I don’t want to fight food for a lifetime.
Trim Assets is most similar to both of our current group names, of course, which I’ve joked about in the past because my ‘assets’ seemed to shrink more than the areas I’d prefer to trim 😂🤣😂. It’s too bad we can’t target body areas more specifically. The name Shape Shifters gives me hope that it’s possible, even if I may be fooling myself! Since I’m focused on body recomposition this year, I guess I’ll find out.
My current goals are building strength, balance, and flexibility while maintaining a healthy weight. I think Shape Shifters works for everyone, regardless of individual goals. It seems as though I’m really trying to make the case for this name but, with all that said, I’m fine with any group name. I’m really just looking for a space to connect with people who share similar aspirations for self-improvement. Personally, I’m working on shifting my attitude and behavior as much as my body shape! Thanks to all of you for helping me keep my well-being on track.6 -
Hi team! Y’all gonna let me come back in December???8
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chublet25
tuesday weigh-in
pw 132.2
cw 130.45 -
@Beka3695 - Come back ‘in’? I didn’t think you were ever ‘out’! I guess you just weren’t weighing in from an administrative/ official standpoint.
We’re a welcoming group!
Of course, it’s the moderators’ decision 😉. They hold all the power 😀 — thank goodness!3 -
GelatinousCube
Monday
PW: 193.4
CW: 193.64 -
Yay!!!
I stepped on the scales Sunday and was 190! I immediately clinched my chest and winced in disbelief.
Time to nip this in the bud. A 20 lb gain is bad enough…. I must stop it before it is 50-60-70!!!8 -
Wednesday Maintenance Weigh In
CW: 152.44 -
@coblujay
PW: 209.8
CW: 209.4
I like the name Shape Shifters. Great suggestions to choose from.
I enjoyed my Thanksgiving and ate all my favorite traditional foods. Leftovers went home with my guests, so I wouldn't continue to eat pie and brisket. On Friday, it was back on track for the most part. I'm thrilled to have lost the Thanksgiving bump and still be down a little.4 -
Does anyone have any good tips for adjusting to new routines due to schedule changes or seasonal weather shifts?
TL/DR version: I lapsed into some unhealthy habits, reflected on what went wrong, and now hope I’m back on track (though still a bit ‘shaky’ and need to solidify new habits). How are you?
I slacked off my food and exercise logging in mid-November because of a break in my workout program. The shorter, darker days are already harder on me in terms of energy level, and the reduced accountability - while our rowing group took a break - messed with the routine I had established.
In the summer, a few days were flexible but I was committed to a ‘seat’ in the 8-person boat at least three days per week in addition to my usual two 30-minute sessions with a personal trainer each week. During the break in November, I continued to meet the personal trainer, and tried to fit in some extra sculling days (in the single person boats that were flexible days over the summer) but the windier weather made it difficult to plan.
I’m not as clear on why I neglected my food logging, but I was very surprised to see that I had skipped multiple days of nutrition tracking! Maybe the rowing group talk about a ‘break’ permeated my thinking because I don’t usually consider logging my food and exercise a temporary activity. It would be nice to eliminate the task of daily logging; but, I feel as though it helps me reflect on the small number of extra calories that creep in to my diet - and add up quickly! - so I’ve kind of accepted the idea that I have to build tracking into my daily habits for life.
We started winter conditioning on Monday and I’m starting to feel better. I know that a healthy body is made in the kitchen rather than the gym but they are intertwined for me. When I workout, it allows me space in my diet for a snack. That relatively small 200-300 calorie ‘surplus’ from the energy burned makes a big difference and the exercise endorphins give me momentum. When I’ve dedicated time and energy to exercising, it also provides a positive spiral in terms of nutrition because I don’t want to sabotage the investment I made in myself. I choose better food, pay attention to balancing my macros, and manage my meal portions with more awareness.
How do others handle a ‘break’? Is it easier for you the return because you feel refreshed or does it take you time to adjust?
I think I’ve mentioned here that my father taught me that ‘guilt’ and ‘shame’ are useless emotions because they sap energy from learning from a mistake, making the correction, practicing the improved behavior and moving on. I think I spent a bit more time with the guilt than I wanted to but I’ve learned from my experience this month and I’m moving forward. This post is my attempt at leaving any residual feelings of negativity behind so I can reframe my thoughts about winter.
I like @hipari’s idea of getting outside while the sun is shining. I’ll also use the shorter days to make sure I go to bed early and get adequate sleep. When I feel down about the cold weather, I’ll move my body more while focusing on my downsizing goals. Donating unwanted items and reducing the amount of unnecessary stuff will free up space for new opportunities.
I want to remind myself daily to ‘let go’ of anything extra I’m carrying so I can lighten both body and mind. Thanks for indulging my negativity ‘dump’ and I’ll look forward to hearing your insights on making smoother transitions. This season felt rockier than necessary, for me! How are you doing?4 -
@PatriceFitnessPal where are you located, how bad is the darkness situation? I’m willing to guess the darkness situation isn’t as bad as here probably, but it’s of course all about what you’re used to. For reference, today sunrise was 9AM and sunset at 3.20PM. On top of that, it’s cloudy/rainy a lot usually - this November was very sunny, compared to last December with less than one hour of sunshine total in a month.
Being comparatively a pro with this darkness thing, here are my recommendations: enough sleep, some outdoor time when it’s light out (even if it’s just a 2-minute walk to go get lunch) and Christmas/seasonal lights. Also, when all else fails, counting days until winter solstice. Only a few weeks until it starts getting lighter again!2 -
@PatriceFitnessPal About breaks, breaks are super tough for me and full on throw me off. It is the reason I walk every day. If I take a day off, it really becomes two and multiplies until I am all over a bad habit like a duck on a june bug! I know many like taking breaks, and doing things different and changing things up - but for me that creates stress. Like full on chaos and then I don't know what I am doing anymore. Yes, there are times I have to switch things or change times for the walk - etc. But I am very aware that it is only temporary or I will just plain stop everything due to paralysis and confusion.
About the darkness, I can't really address that as this is the nice part of the year here in Houston, Texas. I can finally go outside when the sun is shining and not become vampire ash!! Summers are tough here, and during the summer the sun is my enemy. This year I found out I have melanoma, so that tracks!! Yeah, my skin HATES the sun. So, while we do have cooler weather now and I guess it does get darker - I walk at dawn. This is a switch from trying to take a 2 hour walk before the sun comes up for 9 months out of the year!!2 -
@hipari - I like the idea of counting down the days. When my children were young, we used to make festive garland ‘chains’ by cutting strips of paper and making circular ‘links’ that fit together to form a chain of garland for decorating a tree. We would make a link for each day until Christmas or another day that our sons looked forward to with anticipation, like a birthday or trip. Each night, we’d tear off one link to count down the days. Maybe I’ll make my own version and write my daily intentions on each link to help me focus on advancing toward my goals (by winter solstice, our family trip, etc.).
If I can make significant progress on downsizing, I would like to put up lights so the house is bright and welcoming when our sons return during their university breaks. However, I hesitate to add decorating to the task list while trying to purge items. One idea might be to reduce our decorations in the coming weeks as part of our downsizing project. It would be great to limit the number of holiday items and keep to just our favorites. So, we could use this as an opportunity to clean out unwanted items from the storage shed!
Thanks for you advice on handling the colder, darker days. I will be the first to admit that the days in northern Virginia (just over the bridge, south of Washington, DC in the U.S.) are longer and warmer than most places. I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and sometimes consider moving back there but the winter darkness discourages me. I LOVE the vibrant city location so close to the ocean and beaches - and we miss our families - but we’re unlikely to live there full time in the future. We’ll continue to visit regularly and save money for a small place to stay, especially if our older son (who attends college there now) settles in Boston after graduating next year.
My father was a professional ice hockey player and coach so I’ve lived in many colder places (e.g., Minnesota) and enjoyed staying in other countries for long visits (e.g., Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia and northern Germany). Those experiences were all wonderful and I don’t mind the cold much (as long as I’m dressed in warm boots and clothes). I enjoy downhill and cross country skiing, sledding, and ice skating, too.
Oftentimes, I read about how satisfied people in Scandinavian countries feel about their living conditions - and I appreciate the fantastic social support system (and positive outcomes for health, learning, etc.) when compared to other OECD* countries - but I wonder how you all cope with the short winter days! You definitely have the right attitude and experience that I need to cultivate. For now, I’ll dream of Hawaii and look forward to my possible business trip to Guam (if the pandemic doesn’t cause the education leaders to cancel our in person meetings).
*Organisation/ Organization 😉 for Economic Cooperation and Development2 -
@PatriceFitnessPal ooooh! Did your dad play for a Finnish team so you visited here?
I did a high school exchange year in northern Wisconsin so pretty much as high up as continental US goes (excluding Alaska), and people there were of course thinking they are very hardened, live very high up north where it’s dark and so on. For me it was like a sunny vacation in the south because the latitude was about the same as Paris, France, but of course colder. I definitely share your dream of Hawaii… the cold isn’t bad as long as it’s either dry or snowy, but usually November and most of December are just wet, with temperatures going back and forth above and below zero celsius, so it rains, everything freezes into a slippery death land, thaws again so it’s cold, wet and dark, and so on. That’s the downside of living ”down south” comparatively, as northern Finland, where it’s even darker, usually gets snow and it stays below zero so it looks nicer, you can do winter activities, and the snow makes it feel lighter outside.
I think the living conditions and weather/darkness kind of go hand in hand: when you live in a frozen hell like this, there’s no choice. Buildings need to be built properly, homelessness means death, and seasonal depression is a big mental health issue. In these conditions you simply can’t make it alone.1 -
Weighed in at the maternity clinic today, another 2lbs down! I guess I should have participated in the team challenge in December, but I’m still not ready for the pressure or at-home weigh-ins. 19lbs of pregnancy weight still to go, and then the pounds of non-pregnancy-related obesity. At this rate, I’m done with baby weight in February, which is awesome! It’s the holiday season but I don’t see any reason not to continue like this, especially as I can start adding more exercise soon. My postpartum checkup is in two weeks, and then I’ll hopefully get clearance for gym workouts.6
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Greetings Assets! I have been shirking my self-imposed nagging duties. I'm enjoying your winter discussions, though. I'm in Canada (southern Québec) so the daylight hours are fairly reasonable here. My daughter is in Alberta where they are a lot shorter, and I'm planning my dream vacation to the Northwest Territories and the Yukon for winter 2023. I visited Rovaniemi in Finland one winter (for work! meetings with the university there) and it was wonderful. I am not sure I'd want to live that far North, but visits to the Arctic are something I want to keep doing.
OK! Who needs to weigh in right away?
@TheMrWobbly *
@peachplace *
@toriirving
@thetigers
@wtbarunner
@KittyInBoots17
* = last chance! this is 2nd week in a row with no weigh in, so go for it or risk being dropped!1 -
I apologize, I meant to post yesterday but just forgot!
Weigh In Wednesday
KittyInBoots17:
PW:233.2
CW:232.83
This discussion has been closed.