Shape Shifters Team Chat - October 2025
Here is your Team chat room for October 2025. 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 - @trooworld and @micaroo4
Weight No More - @minstrelofsarcasm and @melaniedscott
WaistAways - @ashleycarole86 and @lauren_989
Shape Shifters - @jessicakrall8 and @frankwbrown
Our Team Motivators:
Downsizers: @HorsesRock9999
Mission Slimpossibles - @gemwolf110
Weight No More - @BodyTalking and @daria0919
WaistAways - @MaddawgMadsen
Shape Shifters - @LaurieWrobo and @nancyinmiami
HOW IT ALL WORKS: The October challenge runs for five weeks, from September 28th - November 1st.
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 October on the road! 😎
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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 FrankWBrown) in the chatroom or in a private message on MFP's mail and let them 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.
Who are our team Motivators?
LaurieWrobo and NancyinMiami are our two motivators. They’re here to answer questions, give suggestions and help with times when you need a little more support!
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 no explanation has been provided. It's always best to let your Captain know what's going on and they'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 (in the monthly team chat thread), provide your daily step goal and share your favorite place to walk. It's that simple! Please be aware though, you're making a commitment to post your steps every 2-3 days, which helps the Captains keep the stats caught up. If you're not willing to do this, please do not sign up. (THANKS!)
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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The October Week 1 Group Challenge is open and ready to begin on Sunday, Sep 28th. Please join us for Tracking Micronutrients! Put together a plan for tracking important elements of your nutrition plan and join us for a daily post sharing tips and tricks for building up areas of your diet! Here's your link:
October Week 1 Group Challenge - Tracking Micronutrients — MyFitnessPal.com
See you in the chat thread!
Jessica 😁
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Steps
9/26 3,428
9/27 8,261
Been fighting with a migraine all week and still have it today
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Daily step goal 10000
9/27 10152
Saturday Japanese walking video3 -
@Pupowl your cat Tinus is both amazing and beautiful! Your forest photos are really pretty!
What is 75 hard? I need something to motivate me. I’ve been with this group about 3 or 4 months, I think. I started out motivated but it didn’t last more than about a month. Maybe with October I could start a new program.
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@Grandma16grandkids - Here’s a link to more information about the 75 Hard program
Congratulations to @Pupowl for committing to the program! 🎉 My son is doing it with his friends and it seems like a good way to build positive habits. I think I would find it difficult to drink a gallon of water every day, but I definitely need to increase my water intake.
Today, my son and I ran a 5K together. The race is hosted by one of my soccer teammates. Her daughter had leukemia so she and her husband wanted to raise money for a non-profit organization that supported their family through their daughter’s treatment and recovery. She’s in remission now and they have continued to host the race every year in support of a different local charitable organization. This year’s race will benefit Senior Services, a group that helps people remain as independent and self-sufficient as possible as they age. It’s a great local roadrace and I saw many of my soccer teammates, etc.Our family is going to a friend’s barbecue today, and I have a soccer game tonight, so it’s a full day. I hope everyone has a good start to the week — and a new F2F challenge month.
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@Grandma16grandkids Thank you! Patrice already posted a link, but if you don't want to dig through that page, here is a tldr. You have to complete 6 tasks every day for 75 days in a row. If you miss any of the tasks, you have to start over on day 1. You have to do two 45 minute workouts, one has to be outside and they have to be at least 3 hours apart. You have to follow a diet (up to you what it is, but you can't have any cheat meals and no alcohol). You have to drink a gallon of plain water (the dumbest rule imo). You have to take a progress picture. You have to read 10 pages of a non fiction book, audio book doesn't count (self help, educational etc. I like to read about ultramarathons and hiking).
Motivation never lasts, that's where habit and discpline kicks in. I think this is a great program because there are for sure going to be days where everything goes wrong and you still have to check off all the boxes. Some people think it is too extreme, but keep in mind that workouts can also be two walks or yoga, so there is no need to go crazy. I personally really love this challenge and I will probably just keep doing it over and over when I feel my diet is slipping.
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Happy Sunday! Reposting here as the September chat is closed. @alleykat69 I got your entry!
Yes, we have a book to give away!! Thanks to @jessicakrall8, we have an extra copy of
The First Witch of Bostonto give to one lucky reader! All you have to do is reply to this post by choosing one number between 1 and 100 (my trusty husband has written the secret number down). On Thursday, October 2, whoever comes closest to the secret number without going over is the winner! A copy of the book (in paperback) will be immediately mailed to you!!
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@PatriceFitnessPal Awesome that your son is doing 75 hard with friends! That sounds a lot more fun than alone. I am in a discord group of people who are doing or have done the program which has also been pretty helpful. They are all super nice people. I think the gallon of water is a bit silly. Easy for a big guy, but not for a 125 pound woman. I personally think it is fine to modify that specific rule. Great job on the 5k! I hope I will be able to run some day as well. Need to melt some more weight off first. 😁 Enjoy the bbq!
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Hello Shape Shifters! It is introduction time. There are a lot of familiar names, but also some new people who probably don't know anything about me, so let's go.
My name is Laura, I am 37 and I live with my cat Tinus in a small village in the Netherlands. I am very lucky to have a national park pretty close to my home, so I go for a walk pretty much every morning. I have been too lazy to carry my camera much, but I also love to take pictures. I like reading, singing, jigsaw puzzles, gaming and spending time with Tinus.
I did 75 hard from April 12 until the end of June and it was amazing. I lost 30 pounds and there has for sure been a mental shift as well. I did little blocks of 25 hard in July and August, but September has been a bit of a mess. I am still trying my best, yet food has been a problem. That is why I am back to join the group; for some extra support and accountability with the weekly weigh ins. Doing a second round of 75 hard starting next Wednesday is also going to help a lot. I recently had some family stuff and knew I wouldn't be able to follow all the rules otherwise I would have started sooner. Anyway, I am happy to be back and plan to post here every evening.
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I had a really nice Sunday. In the morning I did a bunch of vacuuming, took out the trash and cleaned the litterbox before my dad showed up. We went for a really nice 5 km walk. There were cool mushrooms everywhere, I loved it. I can't share all the pictures because then the post will be a mile long, so I will include my favourites. After the walk we had a pancake at the little restaurant near the forest and then my dad went home again. I went to the gym in the afternoon for my cardio workout. I have been doing this workout twice a week for a month now. Next week I have increase the time by 5 minutes total, so I can add that to biking or the crosstrainer or a mix. I am still dying a little during this workout and since I have to train using the talk test, that is not going to get better, lol. I am trying to get my vo2max up, but I don't think it is happening yet. I will do another bike test in two months or so to see if I have improved any. The rest of the day was relaxing with tea and laptime for Tinus and playing some games. Good night everyone! 💛
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9/26-13,060
9/27-11,452
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For a few years now, I've done two step challenges concurrently each month:
- Step Month challenge — reach 300,000 steps during the calendar month
- 10K a Day Challenge — take at least 10K steps per day for 30 consecutive days
I'll finish the September Step Month challenge today or tomorrow, and Ill finish my current 10K a Day challenge on Wednesday. Normally, I would take a break for a few days then start another 10K a Day challenge (maybe around October 4th or 5th), and I'd make sure my extra steps still got me to 300,000 during October. But…
I've been riding my bike a lot lately and plan to do even more in October, and my Garmin watch doesn't award me any steps during cycling (even if my arms are swinging 🫤). So, for the month of October, my goals are:
- Cycling challenges:
- October Weekend 40K - Record one 40 km (24.86 mi) cycling activity during October 10-12
- October Ride to 100 - Record 100 km (62.14 mi) of cycling during October 19th-25th
- October Time to Ride - Record 20 hours of cycling activities during October
- October Tour - Record 400 km (248.6 mi) of cycling activities during October
- This works out to an average ~8 miles/day and ~40 minutes/day
- Steps — aim for at least 5,000 steps/day
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My steps @frankwbrown
- Sat 9/27 14381
- Sun 9/28 11722
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@frankwbrown & @jessicakrall8 I am back from holidays on the 3rd October so can you please put me down for my first weigh in on Sat 4th October.I can't give you my starting date until I weigh myself on that day.Im sure I will be at my heaviest ever with 12 weeks of no exercise following my operation & then 3 weeks in Greece enjoying wine & lovely meals.I'm ready to get back on it & looking forward to being an active member of this lovely supportive group.
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👟Step Goal:10,000🏃🏻♀️(Thu-Sat)
• Thu 9/25: 13179
• Fri 9/26: 6417
• Sat 9/27: 10432Oct; Week1:📉Lost -1.6lbs
▪️CW(9/28): 148.5
▪️Pw(Sept-Wk4): 150.14 -
@jessicakrall8@frankwbrown
I would like sign up for the step challenge please.10000 steps
Prefer to walk outside usually around my neighborhood.1 -
Congratulations to everyone on our team for getting on the leaderboard for the week and the month of September! And, amazing job, @nancyinmiami 🎉 - The Grand Finale individual winner! 🤩
It’s wonderful to have you back @Pupowl and @izzyred9400! I loved the mushroom photo selection you shared @Pupowl and I’m glad you were able to dance your way to recovery from your surgery in your happy place @izzyred9400.
@frankwbrown - You always have the most impressive workout plans. Your October cycling sounds great! 👍🏼
Fantastic work steppers! You are all so dedicated and consistent. Keep up the good work. 🥳
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Hello Shape Shifters, and welcome to our new members! I’m Patrice, a 59 year-old woman living in northern Virginia, just south of Washington, DC in the USA.
My short-term goal is to reach a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) for my height. I have a little over three pounds to lose so I hope to achieve that milestone by mid-November. My long-term goal is maintaining at 125-130, the mid-range of my BMI. I know BMI calculations don’t work for everyone but the gauge feels perfect for me in terms of energy levels and feeling comfortable in clothes, etc.
For exercise, I “sweep” row three times a week on the Potomac River with a wonderful group of people from my local community. Our Fall season culminates on November 2 with a race on the nearby Occoquan River, where I sometimes scull on Mondays and Fridays as time allows. Lately, work and household tasks have been keeping me from the single sculling practice but I hope to take a few more outings before the end of the year. I’m fortunate that the membership at the Occoquan boathouse is a reasonable price. So, it’s worth the 30-minute drive to get there.
I play soccer at least once a week (sometimes two). I’m not very good but it’s fun and joining a team helps with accountability. My husband and I also work out with a personal trainer twice a week for 30-minute sessions. When rowing season ends, I’ll probably add yoga one day a week with my husband. He’s a regular, attending three days per week.
We both grew up in Boston and travel there about once a month to help care for aging relatives and visit with family and friends. Our oldest son (25) is living in Boston so it’s especially nice to spend time with him while we’re there. Our younger son (23) is doing freelance research while looking for full-time employment. He lives with us now since graduating from Clemson University in May. The job market for young adults is terrible in this area so he’ll probably need to relocate to find work. It’s so nice to have him home but I know he’s eager to get on with his next phase of life. I’ll just enjoy it while I can — Best wishes, Shape Shifters!
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JessicaKrall8
PW: 298.0
CW: 296.6
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Family and friends are starting to “really” ask me how I’m losing weight… I’m saying REALLY in quotation because they’ve always been curious but now they’re just not accepting my standard response of: I’m in a MFP fitness group and I stay low carb and track my food. There like: “welll.. what else can I do??” So I got into more detail and I just notice their eyes start to glaze over.
I don’t think they really want to know! Lol .. or maybe they’re expecting me to tell them about a magic pill and where they can get one. It’s a little frustrating for me because I instinctively want to help people, but how can I help someone who’s words say they’re desperately in need of my help but their body language says .. can you stop preaching to me already?? Lol
But that’s all.. just venting!
Hope everyone has a wonderful day!4 -
alleykat69
steps for Sunday
8096
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@Krysless2 Unfortunately, that is a very common response. I think most people know how to do it, but they are looking for something easier. Weight loss is one of those things people need to figure out for themselves. I guess they aren't ready/willing to put in the work just yet. It is cool they are looking to you for advise though, shows you are doing something right! Also it is kinda funny that we do have a magic pill now somewhat with all the GLP1's.
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Yesterday I did the American Heart Association walk with some of my co-workers. We came in second place for raising the most money in our county. Had a blast. I got some steps in.
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@Krysless2 Yup, I feel ya. People just don't want to hear it. You know, I've been on a GLP-1 for the past 3 years, but I'll be the first to tell everyone it's no magic pill (or shot, in this case lol). Sure, I eat a lot less, but the weeks that I don't eat healthy — even though I'm eating less — I won't lose. It's that simple. That said, I believe that while it's not for everyone, this medicine has saved my life in many ways. I was pre-diabetic and my numbers were out of control. I was heading towards a major heart attack/stroke I was sure. Yes, it helped me lose over 100 pounds, but certainly not overnight. And while I will probably be on maintenance forever, it's the constant tracking, planning protein and carbs, exercising, journaling, etc. that's going to help me in the end. Everyone wants a quick and easy fix. They're like, "well, you got the shot so it was easy/cheating." What the shot has done for me is cut what is referred to as the "food noise" (constantly thinking about the next meal/snack). That alone has been liberating and has helped me focus on what I need to focus on. But it's still work.
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Good evening Shape Shifters! I hope you find this article as inspiring as I did. Charlotte Chopin, who is still teaching Yoga in France at age 102. What an inspiration!
You'll need to copy the link and open in a new tab.
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@Lulabelbo -- 9/27 steps please
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