WaistAways Team Chat - December 2024

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Here is your Team chat room for December 2024. This is where you weigh in, post your goals and progress, discuss any issues or topics of interest, share ideas, support your teammates, receive help when you need it, and dream big. Try to post often, and help each other succeed! Bookmark this thread to make it easy to land here any time.

Fat2Fit has five great teams. The group and team leaders are as follows - contact them any time!

Our Moderators:
Ashley - @minstrelofsarcasm
Jessica - @jessicakrall8
Lauren- @lauren_989
Megan - @Megan_smartiepants1970

Our Team Captains:
Downsizers - @Megan_smartiepants1970 and [open]
Mission Slimpossible - @Katmary71 and @trooworld
Weight No More - @minstrelofsarcasm and @melaniedscott
WaistAways - @ashleycarole86 and @lauren_989
Shape Shifters - @jessicakrall8 and @Pupowl

Our Team Motivators:
Mission Slimpossibles - @19shmoo69
Weight No More - @rachelrjh and @BodyTalking
WaistAways - @MaddawgMadsen
Shape Shifters - @LaurieWrobo and @Cyncia85

HOW IT ALL WORKS: The December challenge runs for five weeks, from November 24th - December 28th.

Everyone weighs in weekly on their chosen day right here in the team chat. 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, and may everyone else get to work on next week!

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 single week. You are heading steadily towards your goal even if you aren't at the top of the weight loss leader board. In March we are aiming for every team to hit 50% green every week - let's do this!

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 want a break, you can be excused for a week or two, or can be moved to the Support Team for as long as you need. You still participate in the discussions, you can weigh in if you want to, but it will not count in the weekly tally. Don't worry! You can always come back even if you get dropped.

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 or re-introduce yourselves right away, and let's get December on the road!

Replies

  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,482 Member
    The December Week 1 Group Challenge is open and ready to begin tomorrow, Sunday, Dec. 1st and will run through Saturday, Dec. 7th. Join us for the Hello December Scrabble Challenge, a creative way to close out the year and begin 2025 with renewed motivation for your fitness/health journey! Here's your link:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10928188/december-week-1-group-challenge-hello-december-scrabble-challenge/p1?new=1

    Can't wait to see you in the chat thread! Bring a friend!
    Jessica :blush:
  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,429 Member
    Welcome to December 2024!

    I am Lauren, co-captain along with @ashleycarole86. I am 38 years old and from North Carolina, USA. I have been on a weight loss journey most of my adult life. I have done a lot of the yo-yo thing, losing a lot of weight in 2012 and then gaining it back. Over the last few years, I seem to be gaining and losing the same 10-15 pounds.

    November was a rough month and I gained 2 pounds overall. My husband had sugery and I was stressed for 2 weeks after amd my habits went out the window. My goal for November is to hopefully lose 6-7 pounds by tracking every day, getting 7,000 steps daily, and getting more sleep by not being on my phone in bed. My goal for the end of year weight is 195, so I have to put in some hard work!!

    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 (but don't sweat it if you have to use a different day sometimes)! 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, you can request a week off, or if you need a longer break, you can be moved to the "Support Team" where you 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:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10928143/habit-tracker-december-2024#latest

    So everyone, tell us a bit about you, your goals, 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. We all have information to share, things we can learn, and lean on each other as a team for a successful month!
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,254 Member
    edited November 30
    Happy December everyone! I'm in Australia, so I've reached 1 Dec before the rest of you!

    I'm currently away on a girls weekend, it's so good for my soul but I need to mind my waist lol, we're all foodies.

    Yesterday we went for a 6 mile walk, and I'm hoping to get out again today.

    Edit: this post inspired to get off the couch (everyone else is still asleep) and get out there. The view was worth it!!

  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,429 Member
    Happy December everyone! I'm in Australia, so I've reached 1 Dec before the rest of you!

    I'm currently away on a girls weekend, it's so good for my soul but I need to mind my waist lol, we're all foodies.

    Yesterday we went for a 6 mile walk, and I'm hoping to get out again today.

    Edit: this post inspired to get off the couch (everyone else is still asleep) and get out there. The view was worth it!!

    Did you take any pictures? Have fun!
  • conleywoods
    conleywoods Posts: 989 Member
    Hi! I'm Kristi From Washington state USA. I'm 42, married with 3 kids, 3 dogs and 4 guinea pigs. I work part-time as a school based occupational therapist. This month is my 20th year as an occupational therapist!!! I have just started getting back to weight loss after a long break. I do want to try a few new things. Long sustained calorie deficits don't work for me beyond 10 or 12 weeks. I just get stuck and gain and loose the same 5 lbs after that. I will be trying diet breaks this time. Maybe eat in a deficit for 8 weeks, then at maintenance for 2 weeks and repeat. I also need to exercise smarter. Sometimes I start over exercising and I can't keep up the routine. I need a more sustainable routine. I'm planning to lift weight for my main exercise. With weights I can keep my workouts the same length of time and just lift heavier as opposed to cardio which I end up adding more and more time to get results.

    For this month, my main focus is on logging meals and hitting my calories. I also want to lift weights twice a week.
  • kristaede
    kristaede Posts: 8 Member
    edited December 1
    Sunday
    PW 147.5
    CW 147.5
    Day One
    My goal is to avoid slipping into the mentality that I can just let myself go because it’s a holiday month 🤶
  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,429 Member
    kristaede wrote: »
    Sunday
    PW 147.5
    CW 147.5
    Day One
    My goal is to avoid slipping into the mentality that I can just let myself go because it’s a holiday month 🤶

    Hey there! You were assigned to team downsizers, would you prefer to be on our team waistaways?
  • minstrelofsarcasm
    minstrelofsarcasm Posts: 2,603 Member
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    ~ Important Note about Holidays ~

    Remember that a single meal, even a full day of meals, cannot derail all of your progress!
    We gain weight for a million reasons over a holiday. Rarely is everything gained pure fat.
    If you consume more salt or sugar than usual, your body holds onto water to process it properly.
    If you are stressed or sick or sleep deprived, your body holds onto water due to inflammation.
    Sure, you may have eaten more than you normally would...
    But you also probably spent more time with people who care about you than you normally would.
    You took a well-deserved break.
    And now it's time to get back on it. You know what you gotta do, and you know you're not alone.
    ~ Moderator Ashley (Resident Scientist and Certified Personal Trainer)

    Team Results
    By Percentage
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    By Pounds
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    Individual Results
    By Percentage
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    By Pounds
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    Team Winners
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    Percentage of Members in the Green!
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  • minstrelofsarcasm
    minstrelofsarcasm Posts: 2,603 Member
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    Team Results
    By Percentage
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    By Pounds
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    Individual Results
    By Percentage
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    By Pounds
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    Team Winners
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    Percentage of Members in the Green!
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  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,429 Member
    Celebrations

    Congrats team on coming in first place for the last week of November!! 🎉

    Big shout out to our top losers @cleaneater80 and @Lyss983 and for the month: @Lyss983 @leni1us @wishfuljune!

    @Kali225 has reach 31 pounds down from her highest weight!

    Great job! 🎉
  • Kali225
    Kali225 Posts: 706 Member
    Woo! I hadn't noticed! But that's nice. I'm a little concerned about holding onto my loss from last week because I have my team end of the year dinner on Tuesday (steakhouse and wine) and the office holiday party on Wed. It should be easy to get my protein goal in, on both those days, but overall may cause some bloat, esp with the alcohol.

    Intro: Hi all! I'm Kay, 30, living in the Boston area and working downtown in finance. I struggle with binge eating and emotional eating, and up until very recently, some tendonitis-like issues in my foot that have made me scared of walking and doing intense workouts. I am slowly but surely getting back up to the level of movement that I prefer. I do my strength and cardio workouts at home. I host some girlfriends (mostly virtually, sometimes 1-2 people in person in my living room) for a dance cardio workout each week, and then a subset of that group also tries to Zoom on Thursdays for a strength workout (everyone does their own but we gab throughout). I'm also starting to look forward to Yoga With Adriene's annual 30 day yoga journey, which happens each January on Youtube.

    Also very excited to be heading home to Long Island (NY) the middle/end of this month for the holidays.
  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,429 Member
    I had a rough day today. Yesterday evening my cough returned and then woke up short of breath and wheezy. I think I now have bronchitis and have an appointment with my PCP tomorrow.

    Discussion question:
    Do you eat snacks in addition to your meals? If so, what do you like to eat?

    I don't typically snack, but if I do, it is usually a greek yogurt or protein bar.

    Also we have some new (and returning) members joining us this round, so how about a getting to know you question:

    What do you like to do for fun or what are some of your hobbies?

    I have been getting into crocheting recently. I am making little stockings for my coworkers currently. I also made stuffed animals for my nieces and characters/items from video games my husband likes. Plus, it keeps my hands occupied so I don't snack mindlessly 😂

    I also enjoy puzzles and have been working on the couch 2 5k program which is fun to see progress!

    ( @StayFITTer )
  • leni1us
    leni1us Posts: 875 Member
    Hello everyone. My name is Lennie, I’m 5’2”, 65 years old and I live in California. I'm retired with my husband and an 12-year-old Boxer. I have two adult children that no longer live at home, so my husband and I are empty nesters. I love animals and volunteer at our local animal shelter. My husband and I love to travel. We love good food and good wine. That's how I ended up at my highest weight of 179. I am a returning member and really want to focus on getting healthy. I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol – not a good combination. I need to work on good eating habits, change my diet and figure out how to enjoy life and stay healthy. I’ve been able to drop 20 lbs. so far but I still have a ways to go. I've joined a local gym and I look forward to hearing about everyone's journey to living their best life. Let's end this year with a bang!!
  • StayFITTer
    StayFITTer Posts: 939 Member
    edited 7:29AM
    Discussion question:
    Do you eat snacks in addition to your meals? If so, what do you like to eat?


    I do snack or graze. I love almonds and apples, or if I can make PB with PBFit I’ll do that too.

    Also when I have time, I like to make plain yogurt and add stevia with other frozen fresh and fresh fruit and nuts. My goal is to limit added sugar when possible so I try to eat as close to the ground or non-processed when I can.

    What do you like to do for fun or what are some of your hobbies?
    Fun? 🤔 *sigh* Umm well. Every Friday I go to the library and hang out for hours. It is my sabbath. I read something everyday. I use the kindle app on my phone or some book I own or check out. I’m a non-fiction girl. So I think studying and learning something new is very fun. I also Bullet Journal/hand draw my calendar every week/month and I engaged in weekly and monthly reflection.

    But if I were to have a hobby like before the pandemic—I would love to start making kombucha again and experimenting with essential oils or like making my own natural products like deodorant or body wash.

    Thank you for the tag and your faithfulness to our team @lauren_989
    I also hope you get better soon and start feeling more like yourself again.

    @leni1us Welcome back and thanks for sharing your journey with us. Congrats on being down 20lbs and making moves to get in alignment with your goals. I’m trying to maintain the 20lb weight release I made this year, but it’s been challenging since the summer to now. But I love learning through the ups and downs and trying to capture every moment so I can unlock the key for me.