Shape Shifters Team Chat - JULY 2022
jugar
Posts: 10,262 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 @trooworld
Weight No More - @minstrelofsarcasm and @melaniedscott
WaistAways - @jugar and @ashleycarole86
Shape Shifters - @jessicakrall8 and open
Our Team Motivators:
Downsizers - @peng123 & @MeowScout
Mission Slimpossibles - @katmary71
Weight No More - @rachelrjh
WaistAways - @conleywoods
Shape Shifters - @angmarie28 & @PatriceFitnessPal
HOW IT ALL WORKS: The July challenge runs from June 26 - July 30. 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:
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!!
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Welcome everyone to our July chat thread! I am Jessica, your crazy Captain on this part of your journey! I hope you find this little "family" to be as supportive and helpful as I've found it to be during my time here.
We would especially like to welcome our newbies this month:
@Bumblesandbees
@Nataliewr0403
@laguera148
@cosmiccurves
For those who haven't already done so, please take a moment and introduce yourselves so that we can get to know you a little better. Tell us a little bit about what you hope to accomplish in July and beyond! On behalf of the whole team and especially our motivators, @PatriceFitnessPal and @angmarie28 please let us know what we can do to better support you. If you have questions, post them, if you have concerns, air them and if you have suggestions, please share them! You will get from this group just as much as you give, so I encourage you to use it.
After this posting, I will be posting our monthly FAQ file and it will answer many of your basic questions about our team and how things work around here. Anything not covered, please ask us and we'll do our best to find more information.
Good luck in July!
Jessica
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FAQ for New Shape Shifters Members
How do I post my weigh in?
Userid
(Day of Week) Weigh-in
PW: 204 lbs (previous weight)
CW: 202 lbs (current weight)
LTD: 12 lbs (optional loss to date)
Where is the Weigh in stats spreadsheet?
Start at the Fat2Fit Main Page and under the header information, you’ll see a section at the bottom that says “TO ACCESS THE SPREADSHEETS FOR JANUARY CLICK HERE” followed by the link in blue. Once you click on that link, it will take you to the Summary page. Find Shape Shifters on the tabs at the bottom and click on that and that brings you to the stats page. Also on this page (scrolling down), you’ll find the Step Challenge chart as well. This is where we record your daily steps if you sign up to be part of the monthly step challenge. More info on how to sign up is below! Join us!
How often should I post in the chatroom?
Whenever you have a question, suggestion, story, news announcement or just want to brighten someone's day!! There's never too much...and please share recipes, tips, laughs, challenges, cartoons, pictures of your pets, pictures from walks you've taken, etc...we love it all!!
What if I have to be out of town during my weigh in?
Send a message to one of the Captains (JessicaKrall8 or TheMrWobbly) in the chatroom or in a private message on MFP's mail and let her know your circumstance...if it's just for a week or two, you can be excused from the weigh-in. If you must leave for longer than a month, you may be moved to our support team until you return. When you're ready to come back, send another message and the MODS will move you back to active status.
What happens if I miss a weigh in?
If you're late, you'll be marked as LWI (late weigh in). If you fail to report in at all, you'll be labeled as NWI (no weigh in). After two NWIs, you're put on the drop list if you explanation has been provided. It's always best to let your Captain know what's going on and she'll make sure you're covered.
How do I sign up for the Step Challenge?
Send the Captains a message that you'd like to join, provide your daily step goal and tell her your favorite place to walk. It's that simple!
Do I have to re-register each month to remain part of Team Shape Shifters?
No, your membership will carry over month to month. The only place where this is NOT true is for the Step Challenge. You have to sign up each month to participate in it and this gives you the opportunity to adjust your daily step goal.
If I've missed anything or questions arise, just post them! We'll find the information you need as much as possible! Hope this helps!
Welcome!
Jessica
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Time to SHAKE THINGS UP! in our Jul Week 1 Group Challenge. Hope you'll join us this week!
Here's your link:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10867779/july-week-1-group-challenge-shake-it-up/p1?new=1
Jessica 0 -
@bumblesandbees Your starting weight was listed as 110.4...is that pounds or kgs? We always post all weights in pounds to keep things consistent, so just trying to clarify...if that's kgs, please convert and let me know so I can update the spreadsheet before you start your weekly weigh-ins! Thanks! I had sent you a private message but didn't get a response...sometimes the PMs are a little wonky. Thanks!
Jessica0 -
Welcome @bassclef to our team! Glad you found us! I'm placing this welcome in both the June and July chatrooms since we start the new month tomorrow...don't want you to miss it. As a former piano teacher of 23 years, I can very much appreciate your username!
I'm Jessica, your Captain.
Please take a few moments and read our FAQ file either on page 1 of the June thread or the first page of the July thread. It should answer a lot of your questions. If you have questions note covered, please post them and one of us will get back to you. Also, when you have a second, introduce yourself and give us an idea of what brought you here and some of the goals you have for July and beyond.
Again, on behalf of the whole team and our motivators @PatriceFitnessPal and @angmarie28 WELCOME! I hope you find as much support and encouragement as I have during my time here!
Jessica 1 -
(Repeated from June chat, as I found that first.)....Thank you @jessicakrall8! I play piano and bass guitar, and thus the userID. I'm also an erstwhile gardener, Healthcare professional, and self-proclaimed novice carpenter, as I'm trying to renovate my house.
I have used the diary part of MyFitnessPal off and on for about ten years, but have never participated in the community. When it comes to diet and exercise, I do pretty decently with the exercise part, but I struggle with overeating and unnecessary snacking. I hope to meet others for ideas, inspiration, and motivation. I'm looking forward to participating in this challenge.2 -
Good morning,welcome to @bassclef I hope you gain some inspiration from this group.Love your username !
@frankwbrown lovely photos,looked like you had a great walk.
My steps
6/22 7,998
6/23 9,768
6/24 10,055
6/25 7,282
Another hot day today so another day of lying on the sunbed with a good book & a crossword to share with my hubby.Its a hard life 😎🌞
Have a great Sunday !3 -
Daily Step goal: 10,000
Fri 6/24: 17,174
Sat 6/25: 7,3931 -
Step Challenge Participants, please take a look at the June step chart and post your steps for any spaces where you currently see zeros from Weeks 3 and 4 of June. I will hold off until next weekend to post our winners to give you time to do so.
If you are a tracker fanatic, please join us for the July Step Challenge. Simply make a posting in this thread, give your first name (for the chart), list your daily step goal you hope to achieve and tell the group your favorite place to go walking. PLEASE, if you sign up, dedicate yourself to posting your steps at least every 2-3 days, as it makes it easier for keeping up with the stats. The Step Challenge is a fun way to compete with yourself (goal) and with others in the group for the monthly stats of who wins each week and who gets the top 3 spots for the month.
Reminder that the Step Challenge, because of its daily step goal, does NOT carry over from month to month. If you want to renew to it, you must do so the first of each month. Hope you'll join us! Let's get to steppin!
Jessica 0 -
Steps:
6/24 5,178
6/25 7,119
I will join for July step challenge: 6,500 steps1 -
Team Results
By Percentage
By Pounds
Individual Results
By Percentage
By Pounds
Team Winners
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Team Results
By Percentage
By Pounds
Individual Results
By Percentage
By Pounds
Team Winners
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Hello Shape Shifters, old and new! I hope everyone is excited to get started on the new month.
My name is Laura and I live with my persian rescue cat Tinus in a small town in the Netherlands. I used to go to the gym regularly, but I recently gave that up due to health issues. Instead I have increased my daily step count and I try to go for walks in the National Park nearby as often as I can. The walks do me a lot of good mentally and it lets me spend some time on another hobby at the same time; photography. I also love reading, singing, jigsaw puzzles and gaming.
My weight has been going up since January and I still have not managed to turn this around. Maybe July will be more successful. I am a big emotional eater, and since life kinda sucks, I feel like I have an excuse every day to comfort eat. I need to remember though that food doesn't make me happy. But my cat does, and walking in nature does, and working on a puzzle does, and music does. I need to break this knee jerk reaction of instantly going for food, despite having more and better options. That will be the goal for this month for me. I have also made a list that I have on my desk to remind myself of why I want to lose weight, that hunger wont kill me, discomfort wont kill me. My body can be grumpy all it wants when I am going back to a normal amount of food; it will get used to it eventually.
Highest weight: 247 lbs
Current weight: 217.8 lbs
Happy July everyone and I wish you all the best on your journey to a healthier and happier you.
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CONGRATULATIONS to all of the June and this week's winners and all of those with honorable mentions! Great job and keep moving forward!
Jessica1 -
Trying to catch up. I'm in WVa this week visiting the family. It killed my steps for yesterday.
Jax_Grim
Sunday weigh in
PW: 239
CW: 238.5
Step Goal 14k
6/21 - 16250
6/22 - 13105
6/23 - 13972
6/24 - 13968
6/25 - 2419
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Steps 26 June: 15.399
I would like to join the step team again with 14.000 steps, thank you!
Good morning Shape Shifters. Sunday started a little bit early because Tinus woke me up twice, so I gave up around 6. I did a lot of laundry and the rest of the day was pretty lazy. While I was out with Tinus, we ran into a neighbour two houses over who told me of a cat he 'found'. It is more like she found him though! She showed up 4 days ago and wouldn't leave. He invited me to come over and take a look, so I did after bringing Tinus inside. She is a very tiny calico cat, probably very young. Not chipped, though she was really friendly, so she must have had a home at some point. I have a lot of spare cat stuff, so I asked if he needed anything. I went home to grab a flea treatment, some toys, a small tent house with a blanket and I told him he could loan my cat carrier if he needed to go to the vet with her again at some point. He is not sure what to do with her yet, but it would be nice if her previous owner shows up. Hopefully she is healthy. He said I could come over to see how she was doing in a few days. I am getting my mom over on Thursday for a few nights, so we might go see her together. My mom also loves cats, but she goes on vacation quite often so she can't have one.
Happy Monday everyone 2 -
Ewilhelm2487
I'm so sorry I got to weigh in this weekend. We had graduation parties all weekend and by the time we got home I was getting everyone ready for bed and falling asleep right after.
This is my last week's weigh in
PW:237
CW:237.21 -
Trying to catch up. I'm in WVa this week visiting the family. It killed my steps for yesterday.
Jax_Grim
Sunday weigh in
PW: 239
CW: 238.5
Step Goal 14k
6/21 - 16250
6/22 - 13105
6/23 - 13972
6/24 - 13968
6/25 - 2419
I wish I was busy enough to make these numbers every day lol I'd think with two kids I'd get in more steps, but I guess not lol1 -
Good morning all ShapeShifters and thank you for the welcome!
I would love to join the step challenge, please! Trying to work up to 8,000+ steps per day!
Daily Step Goal: 8,000 steps
Little introduction of me!
Stats:
HW: 320 lbs
CW: 288.2 lbs
GW: 200 lbs
UGW: 180 lbs
I am 34 years old as of today (it's my birthday!) and am a wife and mom of three boys so far! My husband and our three children are all lean and active machines, and while I am active, I'm not nearly as lean LOL. Some of my main motivators for weight loss include being able to keep up with them, being a healthier version physically and mentally for myself, and also to prepare my body for a potential pregnancy within the next couple of years, depending on how things are looking at that point. I love my body as I am today, as my body has been very good to me despite the rollercoaster I have put it through. Now it's time for me to be good to my body and treat her with respect!
I am super excited to be a part of this challenge! I have over 100 lbs to lose and am very early on in my journey still. I enjoy being outside and hiking, I'm an astronomy nerd, and a nerd in general about all things pop culture in the nerdy world of science fiction and fantasy!
My goals for this challenge are to make it into the 270s decade finally, and to increase my daily steps from 3-5k to 8k+!
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@cosmiccurves Welcome! Sounds like you have lots of wonderful motivators. Their are lots of nature walkers/hikers in the group, and i personally love their nature pics. Would love to see some of your tooif you'd like to share.
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Short intro about me, a little less candid than last time. Sorry if I was too much for anyone last time. I find it easier to accept and move sometimes if I just post it out into the world.
I'm Casandra, 39yrs old from Southwestern Ontario, Canada. I have 3 kids, 17, 16 & 9. I'm pretty active and walk with my dog twice a day and have started back to strength training 3-4 days a week. I continue to struggle with my weight despite my activity and mostly healthy diet. My doctor thinks it could be stress related, or due to years of yo yo dieting. The plan is to just keep doing the right things and hopefully my weight will start to decrease more.
Height: 5'10"
Highest weight: 268
Current weight: 230
Goal weight: 2003 -
Welcome @bassclef and @comiccurves! It's great to learn more about our new and returning Shape Shifter members. I'm looking forward to the coming month as an opportunity to work on some new habits.
My name is Patrice and I live just south of Washington, DC in Alexandria, Virginia (USA). I'll be 56 years old this month and I was able to reach my F2F goal about five months after joining the Shape Shifter group. I'm just a little over 5'3 and focusing on maintaining my current weight between 120-130 pounds while improving my strength, flexibility, and balance as I age. I have slight osteopenia so I'm working with a personal trainer (twice a week for 30 minutes) to increase my bone density by incorporating body weight exercises.
My husband and I have two college-age sons (20 & 21) who are spending most of the summer in Boston, where we grew up. One son is taking a summer class and the other working as an intern related to his university major in environmental policy. He is living at my mother's house, which is within walking distance of his internship office downtown.
I'm visiting Boston now and it's been great to walk along the beach again! I enjoy rowing on the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers whenever possible, but I still miss the ocean! This trip has been full of family responsibilities but I've enjoyed catching up with everyone. This visit is motivating me to get serious about my personal goals so I can be more prepared for the next phase of life. My priority is figuring out how to stay within my daily calorie target (& macro-nutrient balance) and maintain my fitness level in more effecient ways. Right now, it seems to take a lot of time and energy to sustain my weight, so I want to build better habits. I find it especially difficult to exercise enough during the colder winter months when rowing season ends. I exercise throughout the year, but I don't seem to burn enough calories to match my snacking on the "off" season. In addition to rowing, I play soccer with a masters' (old people) group once a week in the spring and fall, but I need to reduce snacking, eat more nutrient rich food, and generally improve my eating. It's going to take a bit more practice to --
In my professional life, I work to solve complex health and education challenges with the people most affected by the problems. So, I work with many influencial leaders (i.e., state/local decisionmakers, family networks, self-advocates, community members, and a range of service providers) to agree on solutions. Essentially, we learn together, find out which solutions work, and take collective action to make a difference. The Shape Shifters team is similar in many ways. Our health goals are highly individualized - and involve a number of interconnected elements - but we can share strategies that help us improve our nutrition and fitness. Ultimately, we are trying to improve the Shape Shifter group results through our individual success. Systems are made up of people so I'm looking forward to supporting one another as part of the Shape Shifters' team. Best wishes, everyone!6 -
@cosmiccurves I have you down for the step challenge...welcome to the insanity! Need your first name for the chart and didn't see you list your favorite place to walk...
Jessica0 -
Steps 27 June: 14.055
Good morning Shape Shifters. On Monday I went to the vet for the 4th time in a month with Tinus. The problem with his hairballs was still on-going; he threw up 8 more times since the first visit. She gave him a different injection because the first one didn't work. It burns a bit after injecting so Tinus got mad and actually hissed at the vet! First time he has done that, poor thing. We also got two new medications. One of them is a liquid I need to give him 15 minutes before his meal. That was already a problem, because I don't have feeding times for Tinus. His bowls are always out and he eats when he wants to. So now we have to switch to a schedule. It went alright yesterday, though he utterly despises the medication which sucks since he needs it 3 times a day. The other medication has to go over his food. It is just a rough granular material, so that is pretty useless over dry food since it will all fall down to the bottom. If I wet his dry food he won't eat it anymore so I bought some wet food for that. Tinus isn't a big eater, so he never finishes everything which means he doesn't get enough of that medication in his belly. I figure it is better than nothing though, so I am not going to stress over it. It is all really annoying and I am doing the best I can.
This morning he didn't want to eat ut of his bowl, so I literally had to handfeed him his dry food piece by piece. I don't know why he didn't do it himself, but whatever, if this means he eats I will just do that. I have to contact the vet on Friday to update them with how he is doing. Hopefully we don't have to keep this up for long.
In the afternoon I did some DIY. I have a bit of space next to my desk where a cat tree used to be. I figured it would be nice to have some shelves up there. I still had a wood panel left over, but it was 120 cm long and I only have 100 cm wall space. So I sawed it in half and sanded the edges. Then drilled holes in the wall, screwed the shelf brackets in with plugs and screwed on the wood panels. I will admit I mostly eye balled it so it is probably not 100% evenly spaced and straight, but it feels sturdy and I am pretty happy with it! And I did it all by myself, yay. I now have all the jigsaw puzzles I still need to complete stacked on it. There are 16 total! So no new puzzles will enter the house until they are all done. I also made a cheap puzzle table with my dad. I wanted to be able to puzzle on the couch, so we made a table with 2 short legs and 2 long legs so that when I sit down, I can pull the table towards me over my lap. I haven't started a puzzle yet, but I think it will be very comfortable. It fits most puzzles; 2000 pieces is too big and I only have two of those. I can always get a very light sheet of the 2000 piece size to put over it. I will put two pictures under the spoiler of the shelves and table.
Happy Tuesday everyone
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@Pupowl - Your DIY projects are impressive! I enjoy puzzles but not the backache that can come from bending over a low coffee table. I try to use good posture and focus on my abdominal core when I bend that way but I often forget. Your solution is so innovative! 👏👏👏
I’m sorry to hear that Tinus is still experiencing problems that cause his vomiting. It sounds as though you are giving him the best care possible and I’m sure it’s a tremendous comfort to him.
When my dog was dealing with severe kidney problems, he would only eat from our hand, too. He’s better now that he’s taking Enalapril medicine but we weren’t sure he would pull through at the time. I still remember the relief I felt when he would take food from our hands because he was so thin and frail.
Now, he’s a little bit overweight and I have to release those images because he needs a different type of care — more fun outdoor activity and walks! He’s almost 12 years old and still active but only when he wants to be — 😂🐶😂 He is very expressive with his body language, head gestures, eye expression, and vocal communication; everyone in our neighborhood knows and loves ‘our little rascal’ Petey (who looks a little like the dog from that old television show with the ‘little rascal’ children).
I hope Tinus feels better soon. Does anyone else have a pet - or human - companion that makes them smile? and light up inside when you see them? I would love to hear your description of what warms your heart —
❤️🔥❤️
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@Pupowl that couch table looks like a great idea!
I hope Tinus feels better soon. I had a cat with a similar problem when I was kid, I remember putting medicine on his food and feeding him a jelly like liquid. For my cat it was temporary and he improved. I hope Tinus does well as well.1 -
@jessicakrall oops, I forgot those! My name is Courtney and my favorite place to walk is a trail behind our neighborhood!1
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Susanna527
Monday weigh-in (Sorry this is late!)
PW: 202.1
CW: 201.8
I'm not going to count my steps for July - doing the videos has been good; but I'm spending more time outside with friends and want to reduce my screen time. I know I'm getting in a good amount of steps, so I think I'm good
Hope everyone has a great day!
~ Susanna2 -
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I had an Australian Shepherd years ago. My fondest memory of her is a time when she and her two "cousins" (my brother and sister-in-law's two Aussies) had chased a squirrel across a field and up a tree, and on her way back to me, she was at a full sprint with tongue hanging out and a big smile on her face.PatriceFitnessPal wrote: »I hope Tinus feels better soon. Does anyone else have a pet - or human - companion that makes them smile? and light up inside when you see them? I would love to hear your description of what warms your heart —
❤️🔥❤️
Yesterday while walking at a nearby park, I saw a similar scene: a dog running full out (in my direction) across the park toward his master who he flew by, again with clear joy on his face. It made me smile, and the dog, seeing me just as he was about to turn around, instead ran up to me to say "hi".
On a trail near my gym which I often walk on after morning yoga/pilates, I see people and their dogs all the time. One dog in particular had hip cancer and had to have one of his back legs removed, but he gets around quite well and he's a very happy dog. I met him on a previous walk about a month ago. A few days ago, I was just getting to the north end of the trail and about to turn around and head south. Along comes "Tripod" (his nickname now) and his master. Tripod saw me and apparently recognized me, and just ran up to me with a big smile as if to say, "Hey, I know you! Isn't life grand?"
"Happy dog, happy life."
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