Waistaways Team Chat - MARCH 2022
jugar
Posts: 10,234 Member
We have five great teams. The group and team leaders are as follows:
Our Moderators:
Liselyn - @jugar
Megan - @Megan_smartiepants1970
Ashley - @minstrelofsarcasm
Jessica - @jessicakrall8
Our Team Captains:
Downsizers - @lindamtuck2018 and @Megan_smartiepants1970
Mission Slimpossibles - @broncobuddee and @TeresaW1020
Weight No More - @minstrelofsarcasm and @melaniedscott
WaistAways - @jugar and @ashleycarole86
Shape Shifters - @jessicakrall8 and @TheMrWobbly
Our Team Motivators:
Downsizers - @peng123 & @MeowScout
Mission Slimpossibles - @katmary71 & @trooworld
Weight No More - @rachelrjh
WaistAways - @conleywoods
Shape Shifters - @angmarie28
HOW IT ALL WORKS: March runs from February 27 - April 2nd! F2F months always start on a Sunday and end on a Saturday, so adjust your calendars!
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 celebrate those small, steady losses. If you lose, however small an amount, you are in the green! At the end of the month, we celebrate everyone who lost at least a bit 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 miss two weigh-ins in a row without asking for a break, you will be dropped from the team, so be sure to inform your team captain if you are traveling, sick, or just need some time off. If you take a break, you can be excused for a week or two, or are moved to the Support Team for longer. You can remain on the Support Team for as long as you need to. You still participate in the discussions, you can weigh in if you want to, but it will not count in the weekly tally.
Once you reach your goal weight, you join the Goal Zone! You continue to weigh in every week. 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!!
0
Replies
-
Welcome to March!
This is our home for the month, where all of our joys and challenges take place. Please (re)introduce yourselves and set some goals and daily actions for the month. Focus on the small every day choices, and you will get where you want to go!
I am Liselyn, co-captain along with @ashleycarole86 . I live in rural Québec, and I'm a retired university professor of music. My weight loss story? After being somewhat overweight for most of my life, I really packed it on while in an admin job that involved a lot of sitting, meetings, travel, and meals. I tried many times to lose, but it was not until I was 58 that I got really serious with both food and exercise. In October 2022, I'll hit 10 years on maintenance, always refining and making sure I don't have to do it all over again. Yes, it is possible to lose weight and get in shape during and after menopause!
I know there are people on this team who have a lot to lose, others who have lost a lot and are closing in on their goals, and some who might be working on losses that are stubbornly resisting. There is much wisdom here, and the most important lesson we learn from each other time and time again is that it is not a straight shot, there will be trials and errors, and sticking with it when it feels like you have fallen off yet again is the best thing you can do for yourself. Plateaus can be good, but going back the way you came is not!
Some helpful information/tools:
Posting your daily updates
We know from experience that posting daily (or as often as you can!) makes a huge difference to your success. Use any format you like to let everyone know how you are doing on your daily goals and habits. You can report on food, exercise, water, sleep, or whatever you are tracking and trying to stick with. While you're there, talk about how you are, ask questions, and if you can answer someone else, please do! Congratulate others, commiserate, enjoy someone's rant, or go ahead and rant yourself. It all helps make the kind of community where we are in each others' heads when the hand is reaching for that off-plan snack, or the couch is feeling way too inviting...
Weighing in
Please try to weigh in on time! When you post, put your weigh in at the TOP of a message, so it is clear and easy to find. If you cannot post your weight for whatever reason, please request a week off, or if you need a longer break, you can request to move to the "Support Team" where you can still participate but your weigh-ins will not be part of the weekly tally. This is where members who are ill, on vacation, or just needing a break can hang out for as long as needed.
The F2F Habit Tracker
If you want a simple place to track your most important habits, give this a try. You can see how your teammates are doing too
The link is under "Announcements" on the main F2F page. Or go directly to
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fu4CD0GHOF1sJRr9fb0FXZb28sRxyHlz49DbRa14bJE/edit?usp=sharing
So everyone, tell us a bit about you, your goals for the month, what steps you are going to work on. It's fun to know your name and where you live (if you're willing to share that), what brought you here, how your weight loss journey has been, and where you are headed now. Let the introductions roll!0 -
Week 1 Group Challenge for March is posted and ready to begin on Sunday, Feb. 27th. Hope to see you there, helping us celebrate our NSVs (Non-scale victories)!
Here's the link:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10857561/march-week-1-group-challenge-nsvs#latest0 -
Hi all! I am your Waistaways co-captain with @jugar and I'll be running our monthly step challenge for those that are interested.
New or wanting to get back to things? Provide me your daily step pledge which includes all your steps + any exercise that you want me to convert to steps. Then, post on Sundays for the week before (Sunday-Saturday), and I'll produce a step report that week.
You are also welcome to post daily or near daily (like me!) if you prefer.
Remember - steps + all exercise count, and I'll do the conversion to steps for you.
If you have any questions, just reach out and ask! Happy to have people drift in and out as their needs change too - zero pressure but if you're anything like me having goals / habits to check in and report on can be a huge motivator!
About me:
-35 years old
-Live in Alberta, Canada with husband and fellow group member @bowens1973 and our dog and two cats
-Nearing my big major weight loss goal of 125 pounds lost, hoping to be there sometime early in the next challenge month
-For exercise, I like to walk, ride the Peloton, do strength training, yoga, and snowshoeing/hiking in the mountains
-Accountability and daily check-ins are absolutely required for my success
-Habit tracker goals are focused around sleep, meditation and a focus on higher step counts so many times per week
Jump in, ask questions, share stories, and enjoy! Happy to have each and every one of you here with us.
3 -
SPOILER - we are going to have a team challenge this week. Accountability 101. Magic numbers. Start thinking about which numbers you want to track daily this week. Calories, grams of carbs, fibre, protein, zero of anything (soft drinks, alcohol, sugar, etc.), hours of sleep, amount of water - anything goes!
I'll post the challenge later. This is in addition to the big group challenge on non-scale victories posted above. We'll keep you busy this week!2 -
I've already posted my weigh in for today in the February chat. But just in case I should have put it here...
PW - 188.3
CW - 188.6
Another nasty slip.3 -
The first March Week 1 weigh-ins are due:
@YinxFed
@wendydpromos
@lonestarbabe
@Gidgitgoescrazy
@deniners2
@Terytha
@BlissfulK
Go!0 -
Sylvia, 53 in Massachusetts USA, Today feels like March 1st for me - SO glad for a new beginning (another! {eye roll}). It's a long month and that gives me time for my goal of dropping 10 lbs. My weight's been way up and down for decades, never able to hang on to the lower weight for long before it creeps or gallops back up again. Had great success in 2020, and this group was a big part of that. But maintenance has been difficult. Stressors -caring for elderly parents and a fulltime office job, covid and wintertime doesn't help. Many factors are positive and I'm grateful - big one is my job allowing flexibility. A lot of things out of my control but what I eat should be in my control. I stopped any deliberate exercise months and months ago - not even walking. Exercise is again an item in my Habit tracker. Sunday = prep day.4
-
Steps
Sun 5,265
Mon 12,473
Tues 10,605
Wed 9,994
Thurs 7,201
30 min intervals
Fri 14,357
30 min Barre
Sat 9,333
35 min lifting
I wish I had looked at my tracker on Wed! I did look at last night and planned to hit 10,000 after the kids went to sleep, but I fell asleep with them!3 -
My name is Kelly. I am a 40 year old wife, mom, and Kindergarten teacher. My schedule stays very busy with after school activities and I am taking 2 classes to obtain my Early Childhood license. I currently only have a Special Education license. I have hypothyroid and struggle to lose weight but I can gain weight just by looking at! I have been with the group for over 2 years. I have lost and I have gained. The last 2 months have been a struggle and I have gained. My pants are tight. My plan for March is to log my food and workout 5 days a week. When I want to stuff my face (emotional eating) I am going to try to move my body to distract myself.3
-
2/26 exercise:
10399 steps
30 minutes strength0 -
@YinxFed I am feeling for you big time because so much of what we do here is built on patterns of behavior, and your exercise was mega inspiring to us all. I hope there has been some glimmer of hope for improvement with your back. It can be so hard to have a setback. Wishing you well in finding some adjustments that fit your goals this month while honoring where your body is at right now.
@eggfreak Every day is a chance for a new beginning. I love the promise of a new month as well. The habit tracker is key! We are all a product of our habits and it's great to have things to be focusing on. I love to see your name on there and the items that you choose. Enjoy your meal prep day.
@KellyBgetsfit I hear you girl! Six steps! I have done that too and the person in me that loves to check a box gets so disappointed. Way to go fitting in your other forms of exercise this week.
Hope everyone gets a chance to check out and share something on the NSV weekly challenge that @jessicakrall8 posted. The scale can make us feel all sorts of things, but there are so many positive ways to look at our journeys. I hope you can all share some of the positives in your lives.
Brad is making breakfast and then we're off to traipse around in the Rocky Mountains @jugar style
Have a fantastic Sunday.3 -
PW 147.5
CW 149
I reached my goal last weekend THEN I went of the rails on Monday. I apologize & ask forgiveness of the team for being selfish & greedy with food. I should have come posted many times, but I didn’t. I got up to 151, but I reigned it in yesterday. I’m weighing in 3 hours later than normal. So, even though I’m at 148.5, I’m adding .5 for consistency. Thanks for listening & being here.5 -
KellyBgetsfit wrote: »When I want to stuff my face (emotional eating) I am going to try to move my body to distract myself.
Kelly that's a great strategy!
@conleywoods I totally agree with you on the clothing as a motivator! My habit tracker will be printed and on the wall this afternoon to encourage me to intentionally exercise to justify the new summer clothes and swim suits I hope to buy.
Unfortunately I tested positive for covid this morning after a likely exposure at hockey on Thursday. I have super mild symptoms, especially compared to how rotten I felt about a month ago but happened to test negative at the time. possibly it was a false negative and so this exposure will hopefully lead to only a mild case. So far, it isn't enough to stop me from any physical activities around the house. my step daughter is visiting us this weekend and due to possible exposure to me, her mother doesn't want her back until she tests negative at least 3 days after her exposure, so it looks like she will get to spend her entire March break with us. I'm now wearing a mask full time in the house and eating my meals in my home office. Hopefully I didn't pass it on, but silver lining is we get to spend more time together!
4 -
I am hearing lots of determination for this month! The end of February was not one of our more shining moments, although we did have a couple of good weeks earlier. Let's get our mojo back!! Here is a challenge for this week - anyone is welcome to join it - you know how much I like numbers, so...
This week, let’s practice consistency every day.
Pick two or three commitments to track. What commitments, you ask? Well, that is up to you. Here is what you need to do to make magic and flex those consistency muscles:
Examples -- # of grams of fiber, protein, sugar, carbs, fat, whatever you want: pick your minimum or your maximum. (minimum 25g of fiber, maximum 20g of sugar, etc.)
- whatever measurement you want of water
- hours of sleep
- minutes of exercise - and be sure to have alternatives if you’re not feeling it. Doing something beats skipping it! Report how many minutes and what you did.
- zero alcohol or sugar or swearing
- any other measurable diet or fitness thing you can track reliably every single day.
Do a happy dance every time you make your goal. Videos welcome
Have a good rant at yourself if you don't make it! Then plan for the next day.
What numbers are you committed to this week?
Here is the link to the Habit Tracker to assist you with your progress if you find green check marks motivating
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fu4CD0GHOF1sJRr9fb0FXZb28sRxyHlz49DbRa14bJE/edit?usp=sharing2 -
@jugar I'd like to change my weigh in day to Saturday please.
Happy news this morning and will benefit me as well - my mother's swallow test shows that she's okay to eat whatever she wants!! Hurray!! Won't be forever BUT huge quality of life factor!
That is great news! Wow. Hugs to both of you! And Saturday is yours
1 -
CW: 181.8
A bit rough this week. Husband had a wisdom tooth removed and is on a primarily mashed potatoes and ice cream diet for a week or so. Leaving me to ineffectively try and cook for myself. I'm bad at it. =P3 -
CW: 181.8
A bit rough this week. Husband had a wisdom tooth removed and is on a primarily mashed potatoes and ice cream diet for a week or so. Leaving me to ineffectively try and cook for myself. I'm bad at it. =P
Ho boy! Hit the freezer section for some decent frozen meals for yourself - and make sure he eats ALL the ice cream. Get a flavour you don't like...
You had a great loss this week, so now you want to maintain your rep as a loser, right? You've got this!2 -
My three numbers for the week:
25g fibre minimum per day. 30 preferred.
1200 net calories for the whole week. I'm perilously just over my top maintenance weight. Ack!
3 strength workouts and 4 Pilates for the week. More Pilates OK!3 -
Hi everyone, I'm Kellie and I live in Alberta, Canada. My birthday is on Wednesday and it'll be two years since I've seen my twin @bonnie_red . I'm nearing the end of my contract position (ends at the end of April). I'm doing my MSc and it's supposed to be done at the end of December, but my supervisor gave my project to someone else and won't respond to my emails. My husband is pretty miserable with his job and I was hoping at this point in our lives that I could be the breadwinner and he could have some time to explore his hobbies. Basically, I'm stressed all the time.
I have mental health issues that are drastically improves by exercise and healthy eating. I've been quarantining because of possible COVID and haven't be able to get to the gym, which has sucked.
I'm glad it's March though, looking forward to things warming up. Hopefully I can also get my butt in gear and actually lose some weight this month5 -
@PlaneMonkey Hi, I'm Courtney, 41 living in Val-des-Monts Quebec Canada with my husband and 2 cats. I've been overweight since going off to university as I stopped all competitive sports but kept eating the same portions as when I was exercising for hours daily. Add in college level drinking on the weekends and I was a typical Freshman 15 and beyond. I've managed to come to my senses a couple of times and lost the weight back at least twice in my adult life, but usually when I was single with no one else's needs or priorities to get in the way of my motivation and goals. I had a wake-up call when I saw a photo of myself from an unflattering angle in August 2020 just after my 40th birthday, bought a Garmin and joined MFP. I credit my 50lb weight loss and the maintenance of that loss for nearly a year to the support of this group. My inner voice is now your voices urging me to make better choices.
I used to fix airplanes for a living (hence the username) and now I write policy for the government on the rules and regulations for people who fix airplanes. Not as much of an exciting day-to-day job, but with the desk and computer comes the work from home and flexible schedule, which I love. It has freed up 1.5 hours a day of commuting time into personal time for chores, errands, home reno's and hopefully this month a re-commitment to intentional exercise. I have a workout plan of 15 minutes of intense HIIT style weightlifting followed buy a short abs or pilates session that gets the cardio up and makes me feel amazing. Over the winter with the limited after-work daylight hours, I allowed myself to be persuaded by my spouse to prioritize other activities over my 3pm workout time but as the clocks are changing soon, I will get this time back for me! I'm a slug after dinner when it's dark out so can never seem to motivate myself to exercise in the evening, and especially then it actually energizes me so I can't get to sleep. I sleep 9-10 hours a day on average so getting up early to exercise rarely works either. The snooze button wins every time.
The last 3-4 months have been challenging emotionally and physically as I keep getting sick (currently positive with covid), I have lingering hip and knee injuries, and the death of my father in January after a rapid decline in hospital threw me and especially my mother into a bit of a tailspin. I keep hoping the start of a new month with be my 'start-over' date and a new hurdle keeps popping up. I have to remind myself that this is a marathon and not a sprint. pressure can be your enemy as well as your friend if you allow it to push you to negative, defeatist thoughts.
I like the idea of the group challenge for this week and I'm going to use an actual computer instead of my cell phone to access and use the habit tracker along with my printed wall calendar to commit to my goals in march. Beach season is around the corner and I have a goal to fit into a dress I haven't worn in over a decade.
Have a great month everyone!5 -
Can't believe I'm typing this, but we've completed yet another month of our F2F challenge! You can find all of the results from the previous week, as well as the full month, below:
Here's a sneak peek of how your team did...
Last Week -
Month of February -
5 -
Steps @ashleycarole86
Sunday 20th - 9572
Monday 21st - 10221
Tuesday 22nd - 8227
Wednesday 23rd - 8446
Thursday 24th - 4986
Friday 25th - 9660
Saturday 26th - 177701 -
So I paid for a year of something called Supernatural (not the TV show). It's an Oculus fitness program, with rhythm game-like workouts directed by an assortment of different personal trainers. There's also a ton of stretches and some meditation and stuff.
I miss the gym. I miss weights. Mostly I miss feeling like the gym was safe space. But this is helping.
Aside from how I keep running into the walls.3 -
Hmmm. I totally should have posted while I was on the rampage. Even though @jugar encouraged me last week by saying I had lost each week, I still chose to eat more. I plan to be back on track this week. Everything is planned & packaged for success.
Weirdly enough, succeeding makes it easy to think we "deserve" to eat more. This happens most easily when we lose too much or too fast, or don't take a plateau when we need one. If you are suddenly hungry ALL the time, or cannot stick to your plan no matter what, it might be a good time for a plateau. This can be one week with no loss, or maybe two if your losing streak has been a bit longer. The hard part is making it a plateau and not a rebound! You LOST 6.5 pounds in February. Then you bounced back 1.5 pounds. That is not a net failure! Now it is time to settle down.
Settle down. Take a deep breath. Stay where you are for the next week. Track. Don't worry about losing. The rampage is over. It is so good that you are planned and packaged for this coming week - but try not to lose much. It will work out better over the entire month to come. You did well in February, and you can do well in March! Aim for no more than 1 pound a week and see if that goes better. Hugs to you!4 -
Congrats to all our good February troopers - I am happy to see a variety of names up there. Here is one thing that is NOT in the end-of-month stats:
No one dropped out this month. No one. We have had the best retention of any F2F team for the last while, but it is getting really solid. That says to me that we are really helping each other - new members, old ones - people are sticking with it. We must be doing something right! As @PlaneMonkey said, with our teammates voices in our heads, it is harder to go off track and not come back. I know you all have sure pulled me back from many a brink over the years. Thanks.6 -
kellie_erin wrote: »Hi everyone, I'm Kellie and I live in Alberta, Canada. My birthday is on Wednesday and it'll be two years since I've seen my twin @bonnie_red . I'm nearing the end of my contract position (ends at the end of April). I'm doing my MSc and it's supposed to be done at the end of December, but my supervisor gave my project to someone else and won't respond to my emails. My husband is pretty miserable with his job and I was hoping at this point in our lives that I could be the breadwinner and he could have some time to explore his hobbies. Basically, I'm stressed all the time.
I have mental health issues that are drastically improves by exercise and healthy eating. I've been quarantining because of possible COVID and haven't be able to get to the gym, which has sucked.
I'm glad it's March though, looking forward to things warming up. Hopefully I can also get my butt in gear and actually lose some weight this month
I hope you get to see your twin soon - it is hard not to see our sisters, and it must be even harder when you are twins. You have been going through a tough and crazy time, but the most important thing you can try to do, as you said, is support yourself through exercise and wonderful healthy food. If you don't lose, don't worry - you can still get more healthy and move more. Let us know what 2-3 things you can track daily this month that will help that happen. We'll be there with you! 1 -
My three numbers for the week:
25g fibre minimum per day. 30 preferred.
1200 net calories for the whole week. I'm perilously just over my top maintenance weight. Ack!
3 strength workouts and 4 Pilates for the week. More Pilates OK!
SUNDAY -
27g fibre
1200 net with room to spare
1 Pilates0 -
Pw: 145
Cw: 139.2
It’s very easy to add exercise, food, and status on our feeds. Is there an easy way to access groups like posting on our feed on the mobile app? The only way I know now is to click on community, sign in, click on groups, search for the group (which I couldn’t find). On tablet it’s easier (which I’m using now) but still is lengthy to get to. This is why I haven’t been posting exercises like I would like last couple days. Thanks in advance for any tips💫2
This discussion has been closed.