F2F Survey Report (a bit long, but please read!)

A big thank you to all the people who responded to our survey! Sixty-four responses were submitted. There was a lot of love, and many great ideas. Here are the highlights and some insights into how you can get even more out of F2F:

First of all, over 96% of you find that being on one of the F2F teams has helped you lose weight and improve fitness, 41% consistently and 56% at least some of the time. This is great! Most people are active in the team chats, and enjoy them as the best part of F2F.

The full group challenges are used by about half of the respondents. There are a few people who are not aware of them, or just get frustrated with MFP navigation. I know that navigating around the different areas of F2F can be tricky, especially if you are using a phone or tablet, but if you all bookmark/mark as favorite the F2F “home” page, you can find everything from there more easily. Here it is:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/114605-fat-2-fit-weight-loss-challenge-and-support-group

Full group challenges are meant to be optional, so there is no problem if you don’t have time or they do not interest you. We try to vary them as much as possible. Some people would like more fitness-based challenges, especially if they include modifications for those who need them. We’ll keep this in mind! If you have other suggestions, they are always welcome in the Idea Lounge (get there from the main page link above).

Internal team challenges also get about a 50% thumbs up (step teams, etc.) and some people would like to see more of that, others find it just clutters up the chat thread. Keep reading for some ideas on how to improve your experience if you are not feeling like your team does it for you!

One of F2Fs strengths is the openness to different approaches, ways of supporting one another, ages, levels, and general styles. A few people who answered the survey were unhappy with what I would call the team style or “feel”. Too much chat, not enough chat, too many challenges, not enough, too strict, too open - you get the idea. If you are feeling any of those things, please take some time to read the other team chats. Just browse through a few days of each, and see if there is one that fits your own style better than where you are. A change of team is always possible, and sometimes gives renewed energy and feeling more “at home”. Never hesitate to ask for a change if you want to give that a try!

If you want to make your team even better, go ahead and suggest some ideas. See what your teammates think, get involved, and you will improve your own weight loss while helping others. Don’t just wait for the captains to do everything :-)

A couple other problems people encountered that can’t really be fixed easily:

• Tracking difficult? Not sure what this means. Members do not need to track - only post weekly weigh-ins. If you have any problem, please ask on the team chat or by message. I’m sure it can be made clearer.
• Too many new people on the team at the beginning of each month. No one likes it when this happens. This is why it is super important to make new people feel welcome, have their posts answered, spend some time chatting with them so they do not feel like strangers and don’t just disappear. No team needs new members if no one leaves… it is in everyone’s interest to build a community where you only need a couple of new people from time to time. The first week each month is the key to keeping members, but sometimes it just isn't the right moment, or they signed up for too many things. It happens - so do your best to keep them, and don't sweat it too much if they decide to leave.

Some new ideas that might be fun:

• Body measurements instead of just weight - maybe monthly?
• Full group thread on how to set goals, kind of a step-by-step
• Weekly milestones? Habit tracker record for the week, fitness goals accomplished, etc.

Some things that are already there, but people asked:

• Maintenance chat - there is one! Called “Goal Zone” - check it out! Link from main page.
• Full group discussion threads - check out the Idea Lounge (can be ANY kind of ideas), and the Recipe thread.
• Buddies - feel free to set this up with anyone on your team, or if you want to know who has which fitness tracker, there is a thread on the main page for that as well.

OK - now is the time to keep F2F going strong. It is so encouraging to hear all the positive feedback, and the suggestions are useful! Yes, MFP makes some things annoying (where IS that search function we used to have???) but we can make F2F one of its shiny corners. Thanks again