Shape Shifters Team Chat JANUARY 2022

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  • seeless25
    seeless25 Posts: 40 Member
    Hello Community. I am staying under my calorie allowance (98% of the time) but my nutrition values are horrible. I would like to start doing better SLOWLY in BABY STEPS. Does anybody know of a cookbook or magazine or website that converts common fare into healthier versions. I tried tackling this myself but was seriously overwhelmed quickly. I still want my porkchops, steak, crispy chicken and burgers! Any help or ideas would be appreciated.
  • hipari
    hipari Posts: 1,367 Member
    @seeless25 I’ve tried a lot of recipes by Skinnytaste - I don’t know if she has stuff suited to your particular tastes, but worth a look.

    Another tip I myself am still trying to implement into my routines is something a dietician* told me a couple of years ago: if half of everything you eat is fruits, berries and vegetables, you’re probably going to do just fine. And, the big trick to that, she emphasized, was that it’s pretty much impossible to eat at least half veggies and fruit if half of what you bring home from the store isn’t veggies and fruit. So, portion control and learning some really good veggie sides would be great too, so you can fill up with some great vegetable sides, have a bit of starches (rice, pasta, potatoes etc) and then a little bit of those porkchops or crispy chicken or whatever.

    *the kind that has a Master’s degree and is board certified, not sure what the correct term is in English
  • Pupowl
    Pupowl Posts: 1,452 Member
    Wednesday, January 01

    Exercise: walk +/- 4 km
    Steps: 12.717 / 12.000

    Ramblings of the day
    Hello Shape Shifters. A little late with my 'report' today. Despite the weather yesterday I managed to go for a short walk. Just around town. It was super windy, but I didn't get rained on so I consider that a win. I didn't take my camera because I wasn't sure it was going to stay dry. But I already went for a walk earlier this morning and I have some nice pictures to share tomorrow! Happy Thursday everyone <3

    @hipari
    Love the snow picture. I too have pushed a stroller through snow and it is an extra workout for sure!
  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,009 Member
    seeless25 wrote: »
    Hello Community. I am staying under my calorie allowance (98% of the time) but my nutrition values are horrible. I would like to start doing better SLOWLY in BABY STEPS. Does anybody know of a cookbook or magazine or website that converts common fare into healthier versions. I tried tackling this myself but was seriously overwhelmed quickly. I still want my porkchops, steak, crispy chicken and burgers! Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

    @seeless25 If you don't have an Air Fryer, get one immediately! You can fix air fried chicken, pork chops and steak easily with little oil or fat. Some people do burgers in them, but I think using 85/15 beef, ground turkey or ground chicken and some oil spray in a regular skillet is quicker. If you use Mrs. Dash or other non sodium or a low sodium spice, you can get lots of added flavor. I like using onion powder, garlic powder and pepper in mine. If you're an onion lover, add dried onions as well when making your burger patties. For really good fried chicken and pork chops in your air fryer, get a good coating mix, like Kentucky Kernel (Walmart, Kroger, Food Lion) or chickencrack.com and you're good to go. You'll also need some olive oil or canola oil spray so you can lightly spray the chicken/pork after coated. You can find tons of recipes no Pinterest or Air fryer cookbooks on Amazon or just about anywhere. You have my email address...if you need any extra info, let me know.

    Tyson or store brand chicken strips or chicken patties are really good in the air fryer (400 degrees for 12 minutes)...along with Ore Ida crinkle cut french fries or tater tots are also amazing in the air fryer, with no oil at all...I actually prefer them to the ones deep fried now because they're crispier.

    Secondly, you might want to get a crockpot or Instant pot and you can make excellent soups, chilis in them. Hope this helps.
    Jessica
  • wtbarunner
    wtbarunner Posts: 162 Member
    Wtbarunner
    Wednesday
    PW 237
    CW 240
  • Beka3695
    Beka3695 Posts: 4,126 Member
    seeless25 wrote: »
    Hello Community. I am staying under my calorie allowance (98% of the time) but my nutrition values are horrible. I would like to start doing better SLOWLY in BABY STEPS. Does anybody know of a cookbook or magazine or website that converts common fare into healthier versions. I tried tackling this myself but was seriously overwhelmed quickly. I still want my porkchops, steak, crispy chicken and burgers! Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

    @seeless25 If you don't have an Air Fryer, get one immediately! You can fix air fried chicken, pork chops and steak easily with little oil or fat. Some people do burgers in them, but I think using 85/15 beef, ground turkey or ground chicken and some oil spray in a regular skillet is quicker. If you use Mrs. Dash or other non sodium or a low sodium spice, you can get lots of added flavor. I like using onion powder, garlic powder and pepper in mine. If you're an onion lover, add dried onions as well when making your burger patties. For really good fried chicken and pork chops in your air fryer, get a good coating mix, like Kentucky Kernel (Walmart, Kroger, Food Lion) or chickencrack.com and you're good to go. You'll also need some olive oil or canola oil spray so you can lightly spray the chicken/pork after coated. You can find tons of recipes no Pinterest or Air fryer cookbooks on Amazon or just about anywhere. You have my email address...if you need any extra info, let me know.

    Tyson or store brand chicken strips or chicken patties are really good in the air fryer (400 degrees for 12 minutes)...along with Ore Ida crinkle cut french fries or tater tots are also amazing in the air fryer, with no oil at all...I actually prefer them to the ones deep fried now because they're crispier.

    I will second @jessicakrall8 on the air fryer. Sounds like she does more with hers than I do, but I love mine. I prefer potatoes from the airfryer 10 to 1 over deep or pan fried. Roasted potatoes are SO DELICIOUS. I will toss in just a bit of EVOO to give a nice golden crisp. Fries - she is right! Not a drop of oil and much crisper! Roasted cauliflower is delicious, too!

    I need to venture out and try more things in it. No better time than now!
  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,009 Member
    wtbarunner wrote: »
    Wtbarunner
    Wednesday
    PW 237
    CW 240

    @wtbarunner I had your PW as 239. Is that incorrect?
    Jessica
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,778 Member
    1/5-9,075
  • hipari
    hipari Posts: 1,367 Member
    Fitness action of the day: a couple of stretches while waiting for the toaster to pop out by bread. That’s it. Very busy day with dinner guests and a fussy baby, she was still upset about the vaccines yesterday.

    Home improvement action of the day: cleaning the place before our dinner guests came over, and doing the dishes afterwards.

    Plan for tomorrow: I’m going on a walk with two other moms whose babies are about the same age, and our babies in strollers. For a cleaning action, I’ll take down my Christmas tree.

    The gym lockdown was extended, so the baby pilates class that was supposed to start next week switched to remote livestreams for at least 2 weeks. The studio has a different mama-baby exercise class every day Mon-Thu, and to make up for the remote switch they are giving every participant access to all the livestreams. I would have preferred to just go to my pilates class in person, but I’ll try to make the most of it and at least try all four different classes.
  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,009 Member
    REMINDER

    Missing weigh-ins this week (incl today) from:
    @TheMrWobbly
    @suziieq56
    @Refresh22
    @jennifersusanmcdougall


    Please report in and thanks!

    @justanotherloser007 I still need your step count for Jan 1st please to close out December. Thanks!
    Jessica
  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,009 Member
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  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,307 Member
    Hello fellow Shape Shifters!

    I appreciate all the introductions and helpful tips. My name is Patrice and I’m really enjoying the energy of our newly merged team. My husband and I live in the USA, just south of Washington, DC in Alexandria, Virginia. Our two sons (ages 20 & 21) are in college so I guess we are part-time empty nesters. It’s wonderful to spend time with our adult children during university breaks and holidays, but they are gradually becoming more independent. We also have an 11 year old Boston Terrier who is full of personality and still very active. Right now, everyone is home so my schedule varies day-to-day, but I’m hoping to settle into a healthier routine by the end of January.

    I started using MFP in December 2019, when I weighed 168 pounds, which put me in the overweight BMI category for my height. I’m 55 years old and just a little over 5 feet, 3 inches tall (~162 cm). It took me a few months to build the habit of tracking my calories and exercise; but, by March 2020, I was finally getting better at logging in daily — then, the pandemic hit our area of the city. Colleges shifted to virtual learning and our sons moved from their dorms back home. This caused me to step back from the busy ‘treadmill’ of life and focus on my health. I’ve always been active but my weight crept up while putting my time into raising our two sons, working a busy job, and leading far too many volunteer activities in our community.

    We made the best of those early days of quarantining by cooking nutritious meals together and hiking outside on nearby trails. So, despite the added stress, I was able to slowly see improvements in my fitness and overall health. By June 2020, I had lost about 30 pounds and felt much better — my clothes fit comfortably, my BMI was in the ‘normal’ range, I had a better handle on appropriate portions for my size and active level, and I no longer required physical therapy for my shoulder impingement.

    It was a scary time since I had just launched my own business in October 2019 and my husband retired in February 2020. With two sons in college, we were fortunate to sign contracts just before everything shutdown, and we were able to help our clients adjust their service delivery systems in response to the pandemic. My business has been in survival mode the past two years so I need to shift my attention to business development and promotion, or seek full time employment in the coming year.

    I joined the Fat2Fit group in June 2020 because I felt a bit stalled at 135 pounds. Within about four months, I achieved my goal weight of 125 in late September and I’m now maintaining between 120-130 pounds. Next week, I’m having a DEXA scan to learn more about my body composition. I’ll set my new goals for 2022 based on what I learn. Posting weekly updates keeps me accountable to the other group members, who challenge me and keep me on track. I appreciate the insights, support, and encouragement of our team!
  • seeless25
    seeless25 Posts: 40 Member
    Thank you! Thank you!
    hipari - I checked out Skinnytaste and it is exact what I was looking for - this will help me step up my cooking . Also, thanks for the reminder on fruits and vegetables. Your right I do need to work on the side dishes too. And just spotted the Skinnytaste Airfryer Cookbook!

    jessicakrall8 & beka3695 - Air Fryer - I do not have one. Do they take a lot of effort to keep clean? Or is it similar to maintaining a microwave? Is there any special options that I should look for?

    beka3695 - Roasted cauliflower - didn't know you could do that!!! How do you do it? My girls grow it in the garden so we will have plenty this summer.

    Thanks again everyone.
  • wtbarunner
    wtbarunner Posts: 162 Member
    edited January 2022
    Sorry Jessica. You are correct 239 was my PW. I forgot to record it!!!
  • Pupowl
    Pupowl Posts: 1,452 Member
    Thursday, January 06

    Exercise: walk +/- 6 km
    Steps: 18.354 / 12.000

    Ramblings of the day
    Good morning Shape Shifters. The day started very cold. I went out for an early walk and it was a lot colder than I expected! Especially on the bike to the start of the walk. I could have done with some warmer clothes, but it wasn't too bad and it was really pretty outside. I had tea when I got home, a shower and then a huge bowl of soup. After that I had defrosted enough again. :smiley:
    My food is still all over the place sadly and I am having a hard time getting a handle on it. I used to eat between 10:30ish and 16:00. I think it is important to get that sorted again first. A smaller eating window means eating less (in my case anyway). It's only the first week of the month, so I am confident I can sort it out, I just need to be a bit more disciplined.
    My mom is coming over on Monday until Wednesday and I am excited to give her all her birthday presents. Since restaurants are still closed, we will just be eating at home which means healthier food. I have already planned out what we will eat, so after the weekend I am going to be stricter with myself and get my routine back.

    And as promised, some nice pictures from my walk, enjoy. :blush: Happy Friday everyone! <3
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  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,009 Member
    seeless25 wrote: »

    jessicakrall8 & beka3695 - Air Fryer - I do not have one. Do they take a lot of effort to keep clean? Or is it similar to maintaining a microwave? Is there any special options that I should look for?

    Good morning @seeless25 It is VERY similar to maintaining a microwave. The basket is removable and from it you also remove the handle...both are non-stick and washable. They're ok to put in the dishwasher, but I wash mine by hand. I just wash it our with Dawn and dry it...takes every bit of ten minutes. I started out with a Power XL model and still use it on occasion, but my favorite is the Cosori because the basket is square, whereas the Power XL was round. Both are nearly 6 quartz which allows for plenty of space. The Cosori makes cooking chicken very easy, which is why it's my favorite. You can find great deals on either of them online and many are on sale not only with Amazon, but also at Walmart, Target, Macy's and Kohl's...whatever your local retailers are.

    I use my air fryer EVERY day...love it...even when warming up leftovers, it's quicker and doesn't dry things out like the microwave can sometimes do.

    Hope this helps.
    Jessica
  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,009 Member
    @pupowl Once again, your pictures are breathtaking...love the little bird and the pictures with the trees surrounded by light...you truly are gifted...so glad you share with us...they make my day. I love that you had to warm up after your walk from the inside out (with the soup)...sounds like something I would do, but then again, I don't walk when it's cold. I just don't tolerate chilly weather very well. Sounds like your visit with your Mom is going to be nice. Also, all of your meal planning will certainly pay off...enjoy your week. Are all of your restaurants completely closed or like us, still doing carry out service/delivery?

    Have a great day!
    Jess
  • Be_theBest_Me
    Be_theBest_Me Posts: 768 Member
    Beka3695 wrote: »
    Hi Team!!!

    I am truly struggling in getting back in the habit of checking this thread. This is on my list of things to make a real routine. BECAUSE I NEED YOU!!!!!!

    I am happy to report that I peeked at the scales this am and found that the holiday carb/water/covid weight is starting to shed. I will be posting a loss this week!!!!! I am giving myself grace on starting back an exercise routine until I feel a little better. I am tracking, but moving has been slow.

    I am so glad to back and a part of this team. Let's have a killer January!!

    GOALS IN SPOILER!
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    I've gotta check this thing so much more!! I feel ya on that!! Love your goals!! You got this!! I am down 2pbs from Monday y'all!! Need to get tracking but I'm making better choices so it's a win!!
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