Shape Shifters Team Chat - JUNE 2023
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@pupowl loved the pictures, as always...the horse is gorgeous...and the sunrise...
@CasandraW Congrats on the good report with your doctor...
@alleykat69 Baby steps!! Great job! You'll get there!
Jessica5 -
@WA_Teacher please post your steps for May 22nd - Jun 3rd before Friday to get credit for them.
@SavageMrsMoose please post your steps for Jun 3rd before Friday to get credit for them.
We're ready to close out the month and announce the winners. Thanks!
Jessica
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TexanMom8152
Weigh Day Tuesday
PW 208.4
CW 207
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I'm Julie. I'm 55, live in Keller, TX (a little bit north of Fort Worth), married with one son who is a freshman at Texas Tech. We have a lake house at White River lake about 60 miles from Lubbock. I've struggled with my weight all my life but I've been working with my doctor and am on a plan that has me making progress. I've gone from 256.4 to 207, knocking on the door of 50 lbs. I feel so much better and more able to move. I've stopped one of my blood pressure meds and back in February, I had the best numbers at my physical that I have had in a decade.
Downside of seeing my doctor so frequently, is that she keeps finding stuff wrong with me. (I'm like one of those old houses you see on HGTV, open a new wall, find a new issue.) My doctor found what she called a nasal polyp last time I saw her. This past Friday, I saw an ENT and the answer was not a polyp but a small tumor. He cut it out and sent it off to analyzed. Two weeks, I see the ENT again to look at how I'm healing and to find out the pathology results. Put a hold on my exercise plans, but I'm going to try and start back up tomorrow.
Welcome to all the new folks.
@CassandraW - Great news on the insulin resistance.
@Sbus12 - how fun to take your meeting on a walk.
@pupowl - love the pictures
@Bumbinella - Way to Go on the 10K!5 -
@CasandraW Congratulations on your amazing health progress! It's what it is really about...
@Pupowl I too loved the horse!
@TexanMom8152 fingers crossed that you get a good outcome from your biopsy
Steps for June 3 10,063*
*Yes, I walked around the bathroom while brushing my teeth before bed until I hit 10,000 lol
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Good morning Shape Shifters. Glad you all enjoyed the pictures, have a few more.
Went for a walk again, combined two short routes which ended up being around 7 kilometers. Bird wise, there was a lot of the usual, but I also found a black woodpecker. They are incredibily shy and will hide on the other side of the tree if they see people. So I felt pretty lucky I got some pictures, even though they aren't the best. Happy Wednesday everyone 
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Here is the card for today
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Wednesday Weigh In
PW: 159.2
CW: 158.05 -
Sunday was just one of those days where I felt blah and didn't feel like going to the gym. So I didn't. One thing I'm proud of is learning how to give myself grace and not force myself to do something I really don't want to, even if I "should". I try to do what I need to, but also keep balance in mind so I don't get burned out. This approach has helped me so much, even if i have days when I fall short of my step goal.
@Zaxa2021 - I can only imagine how busy your days are caring for twins. It’s important to find moments when you can care for yourself. I’ll bet sometimes that means taking a break from the house and ‘escaping’ for some focused time exercising at the gym, and sometimes doing nothing but relaxing and replenishing! You know what you need better than anyone else!
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@Sbus12 - I love walking meetings and I wish I could participate that way more. When I led a team at my previous job, we all walked together. Even though I’m a more visual than auditory learner, it worked for us. We all wanted to improve our health but didn’t have much time while balancing family, work, and school. We used the time to report the status of various tasks and how our work intersected with the tasks of other team members. Usually, about three of us walked together at a time, which seemed manageable. Most of my meetings are interactive now, and we often use a Zoom platform with cameras, but sometimes I’ll let the other participants know I plan to join by phone only while walking, especially if it’s not a meeting I would typically attend and I’m helping them in some way. Thanks for the reminder to stand or walk more instead of constantly sitting!
PS - Our city’s mayor invited constituents to run with him to discuss issues they care about but he also says they should be able to run a certain (fast) pace, which seems elitist, ageist, sexist, ableist or generally snobbish to me. He could alternate walking to be more inclusive in my opinion. [… She says as she steps down from the soap box 📦 ] 😬5 -
@Itadakimasu7 - I’ve been meaning to ask you if you speak Japanese or have son other connection to Japan after seeing your MFP name. I lived in Tokyo for about 6 years, approximately five years with my husband and a year with my husband and two sons when they were toddlers (9 months old and just about 2 years old). I guess you can change your name to ‘gochisousama’ [deshita] once you achieve your goal?! (Roughly translated as “You worked very hard to prepare this meal— thank you!”)
Gambatte! (Hang in there! Do your best!)4 -
Sorry for the multiple posts. I’m disappointed today because the coach canceled our rowing practice. The air quality is worse today so we’re off until Friday when it’s expected to be better.
I planned my breakfast based on the number of calories I expected to burn so I’ll have to make adjustments throughout the day so I don’t exceed my calories. I might be able to fit in another workout at the gym if I get through my ‘to do’ list.
The good news is that I caught up on some of the chat posts, and maybe that’s also the bad news since you all had to read through multiple comments from me! 🙄 I hope everyone has a good day. Go get those goals!4 -
Good Morning,
Yes @looneycatblue, @PatriceFitnessPal is correct "wobbly pops" is slang for beer, or I guess any alcoholic beverage in a can lol
They sure tasted great after playing in the sun and the lake all day, water skiing and boating, hiking around the camp ect.
My steps for June 5= 5539
June 6= 15,050
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@PatriceFitnessPal -- Yup! I've been learning Japanese for a year now! I'm almost 50 and I'm not sure I have the plasticity to actually speak it. I think I'll be able to read it and understand, but eh' I guess I'll find out! I would like to move and live there for awhile, but I have never been in a big city so maybe someplace smaller. :-P I am probably too old and too gaigin but I think it would be very interesting.
My youngest son turns 23 tomorrow! Yikes stripes, between that and the arthritis I'm physically feeling my age, but at heart I don't feel old at all. I want to go out and adventure all the time and explore ideas and cultures and run long distances, lol, I'm a mess! Haha
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Here is a photo step by step on how to put a photo under the spoilerlooneycatblue wrote: »Monday, June 5th
12,174
I wanted to add a photo 📸 but can't seem to remember how???
Thank you so much for the step-by-steps, I will give it another try!3 -
Tues, Jun 6th
Steps = 8946 (should be maybe a few hundred more, forgot my FitBit was charging)3 -
Do any of you pay for the MFP membership, currently it costs $79.99/year.
If so, do you think it is worth it?
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Weigh in day: Wednesday
PW: 148.9
CW: 150.2
I am pretty sure the gain is due to changing my macros and timing. I'm starting to eat more carbs at dinner to help fuel my evening runs. My runs are going much better, but I'm retaining a little more more. Overall, it's not a big deal but I didn't get a loss this week, which is always a bit disappointing.
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PatriceFitnessPal wrote: »Sunday was just one of those days where I felt blah and didn't feel like going to the gym. So I didn't. One thing I'm proud of is learning how to give myself grace and not force myself to do something I really don't want to, even if I "should". I try to do what I need to, but also keep balance in mind so I don't get burned out. This approach has helped me so much, even if i have days when I fall short of my step goal.
@Zaxa2021 - I can only imagine how busy your days are caring for twins. It’s important to find moments when you can care for yourself. I’ll bet sometimes that means taking a break from the house and ‘escaping’ for some focused time exercising at the gym, and sometimes doing nothing but relaxing and replenishing! You know what you need better than anyone else!
This is exactly it!! Thank you for putting it into words!3 -
Sorry for the multiple posts, but I wanted to also update on my overall goals for the month for accountability.
Lose 4 pounds - not on track. Gained over a pound 😞
Run a total of 75 miles - 16 miles completed. Feel like I'm on track for this goal
Quit vaping- Not 100%, but down maybe 75%. The problem is my husband leaves his laying around and I'm having a hard time resisting. It's progress, but not completed.
Drink at least half gallon of water every day- I am doing this. I'm amazed at how good my skin is looking!
Complete a 30 day push up challenge- Have completed all so days so far.8 -
looneycatblue wrote: »Do any of you pay for the MFP membership, currently it costs $79.99/year.
If so, do you think it is worth it?
I don’t pay for the membership but I use many of the free features, such as the short videos on specific topics, etc. I think @jessicakrall8 pays for full membership and finds it useful. So, she may be able to point to the paid features that she values (if my memory is correct about her MFP status).
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@Itadakimasu7 - I love your sense of adventure — and also your sense of humor!
My older son will celebrate his 23rd birthday in August so I feel your (aches and) pain. I also understand the paradox of not feeling old at heart — I’ll embrace it with you!
You might want to consider moving to Kanazawa or Kyoto in Japan. Kanazawa is a quieter location the really seems to embrace the idea of introducing the Japanese language and culture to international visitors. Kyoto attracts more tourists, of course, but it still feels much smaller than Tokyo. There are also places like Hakone that are closer to Tokyo but have more ‘rural’ areas.
Have you heard of the JET program? Many of the locations are quite rural or suburban. Here’s a link: https://jetprogramusa.org/
When I first moved to Japan, I taught English and lived with a family who had a daughter that wanted to practice her English so she could attend a college in the United States. I lived in the outskirts of Machida, which is about a 35 minute train ride to the center of Tokyo. I had to take a bus to Machida (about 20-30 minutes, if I remember correctly) so my family considered the area to be ‘inaka’ (rural, countryside).
My home stay family also took me to visit their hometown in Nagano, which I enjoyed. I traveled there again with my husband, uncle, and a friend when my Dad was one of the coaches for the 1998 Olympic team (USA men’s ice hockey) and explored the area a little more. If you like the mountains, Nagano and Sapporo (on the Hokkaido island) might be fun.
For some reason, I picture a trip to Studio Ghibli in your future. Are you a Miyazaki fan? We took our boys there in 2011 while visiting some friends and family because they loved Tonari no Totoro My Neighbor Totoro) and his other animated films. My husband is half Japanese so he has some cousins and other relatives there. He was born and raised in Boston but teaches karate and works with Japanese clients in his current business (and as a government employee before retirement). I’m thinking about visiting Japan with him during one of his future trips but I have to get my passport renewed first.
One place I want to visit is Toyota’s Woven City but I’m not sure if it’s open to everyone so I’ll need to do some research first:
https://www.woven-city.global/
Japanese food is so delicious and I find it relatively easy to find healthy options. Since I do a lot of walking and use a bicycle to get to the train station, it’s probably easier to stay fit through every day life, too! I’ll look forward to hearing more about your travels as your plans develop!
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PatriceFitnessPal wrote: »looneycatblue wrote: »Do any of you pay for the MFP membership, currently it costs $79.99/year.
If so, do you think it is worth it?
I don’t pay for the membership but I use many of the free features, such as the short videos on specific topics, etc. I think @jessicakrall8 pays for full membership and finds it useful. So, she may be able to point to the paid features that she values (if my memory is correct about her MFP status).
Yes @patricefitnesspal and @looneycatblue I pay for the annual membership. I like having some of the extra tracking features like ability scan items into your food history...I also HATE ads, so don't have to deal with those...
Jess3 -
Long day at the office day and stayed later to finish up something. Got a lot done today, but can never keep up with all of the emails...
Air quality is in the dangerous zone...can only imagine what it's like in NY and in Canada...they have my sympathy!!! So can't walk outdoors without a mask and it's humid too...so walked inside today. I do that a lot anyway because of the heat/humidity.
Very tired and getting ready to lie down. Having a weird food day...eating my breakfast for dinner...way under on calories...so my planning wasn't shabby.
Have a nice evening!
Jessica3 -
@PatriceFitnessPal - Wow, thanks for elaborating on your time in Japan. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews from love to hate. I've spent a lot of time learning the culture and attempting to learn the language because I wasn't sure how long I would have there and wanted to understand what I was seeing and how things worked. I have friends that have gone for a couple of weeks on vacation and come back with discovering a few food dishes, but not much else, lol. I didn't want to get put into a fish bowl of foreign traveler.
My husband wants to teach English and since his step Dad was an English professor at a major University his skills are really good in that department, although he's a tech / security expert - he thinks teaching English would be relaxing at least for awhile. I would rather teach tech or art. I would definitely love to visit Studio Ghibli.
There is a kinda other worldly vibe to Japan, it's like that on the Oregon Coast too - not the same vibe, but a vibe that makes you feel like you've arrived at a different sort of place.
Hey thanks for sharing, I'll add you to my friends list if that's okay!4 -
Good morning Shape Shifters. I biked to a new area yesterday morning. I read in my photography book that kingfishers could be found there. That's a bird I have never seen and would love to see. I didn't expect to find any on my first try and I didn't. Overall the morning was pretty boring. The weather wasn't great and the sun only came out a few times. There was a 3,5 km walk around the area and that was also fairly boring. Everything was super overgrown and untouched, fields with grasses twice as tall as me. It's great for all the animals, but photography wise, I couldn't see a thing.
I did a lot of garden work later in the day. Finished weeding the front yard with the weedpuller. Then I raked two small areas, threw in some clover seeds and watered it all. Curious to see how that will go. I also watered the empty plot that will get the flower seeds next week. Seems a little wasteful, but I need to water it every now and then to make sure no weeds are coming up. So far so good.
In the evening I got a new bike battery delivered. I just went for it and used a big chunk of my vacationmoney to buy it. This will make it much easier for me to get to new spots because I have over doubled my biking range with the second battery. I am really excited about that. Today I am taking a break, but I hope to go somewhere again tomorrow. This weekend it's getting super hot though, so not sure how much I will go out since nothing drains my energy faster than heat. Happy Thursday everyone
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Here is the daily card
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Just trying to see if I can add a photo2
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Steps for June 6: 2880
June 7: 49943
This discussion has been closed.