Shape Shifters Team Chat - JULY 2022
Replies
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Steps
12 July: 16.636
13 July: 14.147
Hello Shape Shifters. I have had two pretty rough days. It was really hot and humid on Tuesday, so naturally I decided I had to clean the house. I only got vacuuming done at first and then took a nap. I finished the rest after and ended up in a pile of sweat. My steps were horrible and I didn't want to bother hitting my goal. Because it has been pretty dry lately, I wanted to water all my plants in the garden as well. The amount of water that comes out of the tap of the water butt (I am keeping it in guys, it's too funny) is kind of crappy, so it takes ages for my watering can to fill up. I was feeling a little better by then so I decided to step while waiting. I think I filled up about 11 watering cans and by then my steps were looking decent. Also took Tinus out for a while later in the evening and stepped some more.
Wednesday was even more gross; the temperature didn't drop below 19 at night so it was already humid early in the morning. I was having a really crappy day and didn't feel well. I spent around 4 hours in bed in the afternoon. By 20:30, my steps were somewhere around 7.500; not where I wanted them to be. I have a really hard time letting it be though. When I set my step goal, I feel like I made a commitment and I have to do it. Most days, my 14.000 steps is not really a problem. But on days I feel really bad and tired, it might as well be the same as going out to climb a mountain. I really enjoy my fitbit and it makes me push myself which I think is good. Though sometimes it would also be nice to be able to relax a bit more. I think 14k steps is quite high to hit every day, yet my brain often disagrees with me already and then it goes like this: "well, if you are already at 14k, why stop there, go for 16k! well done on the 16k, you can probably do 18k as well. 18k is really close to 20k though, wouldn't that be much cooler?!". Pff, shush brain, 14k is awesome too! I never actually planned to go over my 12k goal because I thought that was enough. But because I had to quit the gym and wanted to walk more instead, I thought 14k would be better. Of course there comes a point where I can't keep adding on, keeping in mind that I feel like I have to nail it when I feel bad as well. I feel like this turned into a bit of a ramble and I don't really have a point, so I will shush now.
I will share two butterfly pictures from the garden under the spoiler. The first one is a ringlet, we call it 'koevinkje' in the Dutch. That literally translates to 'little cow finch' which is very funny and makes zero sense. The second is the map butterfly. I actually never got a picture of one before, I rarely see them. They are pretty cool because they have two totally different looking broods. In spring they are mostly orange and in summer they pop out black and white. I will have more pictures to share tomorrow. Happy Thursday everyone
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jessicakrall8 wrote: »
Jessica, please use 4858Nataliewr0403 wrote: »@jessicakrall8
Here are my steps for Jun 26 - Jul 2:
@nataliewr0403 I had the 2nd recorded as 4837. Which is correct please? Thanks!
Jessica1 -
Quick check-in to update steps @jessicakrall8. I'll pop in at a later time to read others posts.
Yukie_OP (goal 6k)
7/11- 4420
7/12 - 6235
7/13 - 6080
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REMINDER
Missing weigh-ins so far for this week (incl today):
@coblujay (x2)
@angmarie28
@StacyAru
Please report in promptly...thanks!
Jessica0 -
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Steps:
7/12 8,305
7/13 9,9982 -
Thank you, @SavageMrsMoose and @JenHul for letting me know my situation isn't unique. I'll try to stop beating myself up so much (in my head.)3
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@CasandraW , How did you go about changing your relationship to food?1
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Test results today. My cholesterol is way up. It was like this about 15 years ago; and then when I mended my ways, it dropped by 100 points. So now I'm back in the high category.....I don't like it, but it does serve to fortify my sagging motivation to eat right.4
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@bassclef - I was hoping to respond in more detail to your comments on tracking but my day got swept away by work tasks and I still have a few items to take care of for my work with a team in Guam while they’re in the office. It’s great to have some flexibility in my day because of the various time zones but I sometimes feel like ‘Santa Claus’ — able to deliver to everyone but no rest. I wish I had some of that mystical power
For now, I’ll just reinforce what others said about starting out strong with tracking and then lagging as the day progresses. I think it’s very common! I say celebrate the fact that you log breakfast and keep working to improve. I still have a long way to go in improving my tracking, especially recipes, and I’m horrible about weighing items, but I’ll share some of the positive changes I’ve been able to make. I’ll try to post tomorrow for FEEL GOOD FRIDAY, when we celebrate our milestones small and large, but tomorrow will be another busy work day so I might be delayed until the weekend. I’m sorry to hear about your cholesterol increase but I’m glad you’ve learned how to lower it and feel extra motivation to focus on better nutrition. Let us know how you’re doing and how we can support you.2 -
@Pupowl - I love that you decided to tell us more about your water butt 🤣😂🤣. It cracked me up when I read your comment today - 😝
I was also kind of fascinated by your internal argument about achieving your step goal each day. I geek out a bit on personal drive, motivation, and supporting continuous improvement so it didn’t feel as you described it —
Pupowl: “I feel like this turned into a bit of a ramble and I don't really have a point, so I will shush now.“
That also made me smile. My father was a professional hockey coach and we sometimes talked about motivation. He thought a lot about it because some of the players had million dollar contracts and talents that challenged him to think deeply about what strategies could help each individual one of the players improve his* skills, attitudes, or behaviors to enhance the performance of the team.
It helps me to set up external accountability because I’m more likely to follow through on a target or desired behavior to please someone else instead of doing it for myself. When I set up an appointment or make plans with a colleague or friend, it’s often a way to be the type of person I aspire to be but I wonder why I can’t put myself first. When I read your comment about wanting to rest - but feeling as though you had to follow through on your commitment - I was wondering if you felt the commitment you made was to yourself or our group - or Jessica and the other step challenge participants?
Anyway, there’s no need to answer this question. I’m just pondering publicly; but, if the commitment was to yourself - to improve your health - then sometimes the sleep is what you need. So, it comes down to weighing the options and deciding what’s most helpful in the moment. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and the pictures of the butterflies. I love watching the birds and butterflies in my garden and enjoy reading more about them. Enjoy!
(or her, but mostly “his” in cases where he coached)3 -
@PatriceFitnessPal
I am glad you enjoyed my post! I agree about external accountability. It's what I liked about the gym and having to reserve a spot in their time slots. Made it a lot easier to stick to it for me. In general I think doing something with someone else is very helpful as well.
I mostly felt the commitment to myself. I also changed my daily step goal in my fitbit, so I don't get the exciting 'buzz buzz, you hit your step goal!' until I make it to 14k. It never really cuts into my sleep, because I am generally done with my steps by 19:00. Last Wednesday was the first time I was still not done by bedtime and that was mostly because I had given up on reaching my goal and then changed my mind again, lol. I think I finished around 22:30 while watching some youtube videos. So overall I don't think it is harmful for me to go for that 14k no matter what. It is just hard when my body is so exhausted I just want to sit down and not move. However, because I am unable to work, my days are pretty empty so the stepping is kind of the least I feel I should do, even if I feel more dead than alive.
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@LaurieWrobo I have some what of an idea of what you are going thru.
I took Jan-May off this year to care for my father who was diagnosed with Mantel Cell Lymphoma. My mother does not drive, and the nearest hospital that does Bone Marrow Transplant is a 2 1/2 hour drive away.
Some days were good, some days were ok, and some days were just awful and draining, both on my Dad and myself.
All I can say is take it one day at a time, record everything! I even recorded the Doctor visits so I could play back to my Mom, cause Due to Covid only one care giver was allowed in the visits, hospitals, procedures with my Dad. It also helps to re listen to what they say, they give you so much information that is can be mind numbing some times.
I also kept and still do keep a journal on all of Dad's symptoms, what he ate, how he is feeling and his energy levels.
I hope you get answers soon and that this tough stretch passes quickly, They weren't kidding when they say " the cure is sometimes worse than the disease"
On a positive note, My Dad is doing great, he is maintaining, and all his treatment and subsequent treatments are worth it in the end. It has extended his life 5 plus year!
Sending Hugs both to you and your Husband, you are both stronger than you think!
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frankwbrown
Friday Weigh-in; July week 3
PW: 225.7
CW: 225.5 ( lost 0.2 lbs; 0.09%)
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Daily Step goal: 10,000
Tue 7/12: 10,862
Wed 7/13: 17,914
Thu 7/14: 10,8753 -
@bassclef I found success in questioning why I was doing what I was doing and why I wanted it. I certainly went to food when I was feeling stressed or upset. Now I allow myself to "sit" with my feelings for a while instead of "pushing" them away food.
I've also tried to change my mindset when it comes to holidays and gatherings. It used to be all about the food. Now I try to think of the good conversations and experiences first and the food second. I still enjoy the food and look forward to it, but have put it on the back burner. I also don't restrict "bad" foods, I enjoy them in moderation instead. I saw a post from a dietitian that said if you have a little bit of your "binge" food at every meal it losses it's appeal to over indulge. It becomes no big deal.
Sorry for the long response, the short of it is that I spent a lot of time internally reviewing why I eat too much. Then tried to find solutions that work for me.4 -
Steps July 14: 15.599
Hello Shape Shifters. I had a really lovely Thursday. Did not get a lot of sleep, but that didn't seem to bother me a lot for a change. In the morning I got a package delivered. I don't like wearing short sleeves outside due to scars, sunburn and just not feeling comfortable with bare skin in public. So I went on the hunt again for a long sleeved sports shirt (cotton isn't nice in heat and sweat). I finally found one that was also affordable so I am looking forward to trying it out.
After I got the package, I went out to the visitors centre of the national park on my bike. I remembered it as a long bike ride, but it really wasn't that bad. I think it's because a big part goes across the entire park and it is very open so it seems long. I have a lot of pictures from this day, and I will put them in spoilers as usual but in between text this time so you have a better idea of what is going on. My first few pictures are from the bike ride to the centre. It was funny to me that there was a stork out on the heath fields as well; they don't tend to show up there.I already saw a lot of butterflies on the way there. I mainly went to the centre for their public garden. It really is an awesome place where you can hang out for quite a while if you are like me and enjoy flowers and butterflies and bees. They also had a path over some water, but I didn't check that out. I plan to go back next week and I will take some more time then. They had a really cool wall for insects, though it seemed like almost no tunnels were used at all which was a bit strange considering how much is buzzing around nearby. Maybe they have placed it too far from the flowers, or maybe it's not facing east; I am not sure. The next few pictures give you a general impression of the area around the building.
While there were of course a lot of butterflies flying around, I didn't actually see any I don't have in my own garden at home. I was kinda hoping for that. I still enjoyed it though, simply because of the amount of butterflies so it is a bit easier to take pictures. Some bug pictures under the next spoiler.
Then lastly, I had an awesome time spotting birds here as well. I actually was so much more excited about that than the butterflies. I wasn't expecting it either since it's such a public place. It wasn't super busy, but there were still plenty of people around. Still, I got pictures of 3 birds I either never saw before, or never got a picture of before. The first picture isn't the greatest. I only saw this bird for a very short time sitting in the sand there. When I took the pictures, I had no idea what it was, but I always shoot just in case. Of the 3 pictures I managed to take before it flew away, I only got one with the bird mostly in focus. Considering it was pretty hidden, I was really happy about that. The bird is a male common linnet and I had never seen it before. The next two pictures are of a goldfinch. I had seen these birds before, but only far away and I never got a good shot of them. There was a pair of them hanging around the centre eating seeds from the flowers. I would have liked to get some better pictures, but overall I am still really happy with them. The last two are of a baby white wagtail. I have seen plenty of adults, but never a juvenile. He was really close to me, sitting on a post along the path, so this was the easiest picture to take since he refused to move, lol.
The centre itself is also really nice. I didn't think to take any pictures of it, maybe next time. They have a lot of things for sale inside. I bought two really pretty postcards that were drawn by Lonneke Grimbergen in pencils and pastel chalk and printed on paper made from wood waste. I got a kingfisher I sent to my mom today, and a toad for myself. The website isn't in English, but you can see some of her work here: https://www.lonnekegrimbergenart.com/webshop.html?store-page=Kaarten-c32062947
I know this has gotten really long again, sorry! Part of my brain always goes "nobody cares about this" but if I let that thinking in, then I post nothing. I much rather share what I am excited about even if it can come across as really boring for someone who isn't interested in any of this, which is fine as well. I hope you can still enjoy my pictures. Happy Friday everyone
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@Pupowl - I love reading your posts/seeing your pics - gives me a good distraction from my problems and when I read it, I can really visualize what you are saying - so thank you😘3
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Apologies if I've posted steps more recently than this... it seem like I have, but can't find evidence of it.
FP USER NAME: Stacyaru
YOUR CHOSEN WEIGH-IN DAY: Wednesday
YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT: 248.5
YOUR ORIGINAL STARTING WEIGHT: 248.5
7/5: 3552
7/6: 1300
7/7: 11,628
7/8: 1123
7/9: 4803
7/10: 4762
7/11: 2696
7/12: 4004
7/13: 3441
7/14: 11,453
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@LaurieWrobo Thank you, it is lovely to read they help you take your mind off your problems for a while.
@CasandraW Thank you too! I just worry it is a bit too much sometimes.
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Hi all,
I've been busy with planning and preparing for a trip. We're going to San Francisco for a few days, leaving tomorrow. We just decided 2 to 3 weeks ago that we were doing this, so it's been stressful, trying to plan it last minute.
Unfortunately, that means that I've not been focusing on meals or steps, just cleaning out the fridge and getting all the laundry done. And work. But I'm not beating myself up. I only have so much bandwidth, and I plan on a fresh start when I get back. I'm grateful that my weight has held steady.
Question... Is there a quick way to get to our group on the MFP app? I have it "favorited" but don't see a way to navigate to favorites.
Cheers,
Stacy
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LaurieWrobo wrote: »Current Maintenance Weigh In
155.8
Bad day yesterday-ended up taking my husband to ER b/c he had blood in his stool-ran blood test, etc everything came back normal - then last night right after he ate, he threw up - I wasn't home I was getting a cut/color
So we see cancer dr next Wednesday to see what will happen - I don't think my hubby can continue on the chemo b/c he gets so sick
Hugs. Just hugs
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MyFitnessPal app has been acting up and I’m having difficulty posting….
SavageMrsMoose
PW 160.5
CW 162.5
Wrong direction. Not a surprise though. Last week was a huge drop and I’ve been off the rails for 3 days. Gotta get back on track2 -
@pupowl I absolutely adore your posts & pictures - I love nature (and live in the suburbs) so I absolutely love when you share. Honestly i think you can make an income (incase you don't already) from selling your photos. I'm Currently daydreaming about bike-riding through that vast-open field path that goes across the park 🚲🌾 ... love love love3
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Hi all,
[snip]
Question... Is there a quick way to get to our group on the MFP app? I have it "favorited" but don't see a way to navigate to favorites.
If you'll scroll all the way to the bottom in the app when you're in Community, you'll see a list of your bookmarks, just above Popular Tags...hope this helps. Enjoy your trip!
Jessica
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Mulecanter
Friday
PW - Delinquent Slacker NWI 219.5
CW - 2202 -
I’m posting my weekly weigh-in report below. I apologize that it’s a day late. I was busy on Thursday and simply forgot. Sorry, @jessicakrall8!
Name: PatriceFitnessPal
Weigh-in day: Thursday
PW: 127.2
CW: 126.6
SW: 168
LTD: 41.4
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Feel Good Friday
Fellow Shape Shifters told us that sharing milestones and success stories is motivating! This is your chance to shine 🤩 while helping others learn some successful strategies to replicate. Feel free to build on one of the ideas below or anything else that makes you proud.
- Have you overcome a challenge?
- How did you do it?
- What non-scale victories (NSV) made you smile?
- Have you sustained a positive habit that now feels easy or natural?
- Have you learned any tricks to maintain such great consistency?
- What milestones are you happy or proud to report?
- How did you get to this successful point?
- What’s your next goal?
I’m looking forward to hearing about anything that comes to mind. Best wishes and I hope you enjoy the weekend!0
This discussion has been closed.