Shape Shifters Team Chat - JULY 2022
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Short intro about me, a little less candid than last time. Sorry if I was too much for anyone last time. I find it easier to accept and move sometimes if I just post it out into the world.
I'm Casandra, 39yrs old from Southwestern Ontario, Canada. I have 3 kids, 17, 16 & 9. I'm pretty active and walk with my dog twice a day and have started back to strength training 3-4 days a week. I continue to struggle with my weight despite my activity and mostly healthy diet. My doctor thinks it could be stress related, or due to years of yo yo dieting. The plan is to just keep doing the right things and hopefully my weight will start to decrease more.
Height: 5'10"
Highest weight: 268
Current weight: 230
Goal weight: 2003 -
Welcome @bassclef and @comiccurves! It's great to learn more about our new and returning Shape Shifter members. I'm looking forward to the coming month as an opportunity to work on some new habits.
My name is Patrice and I live just south of Washington, DC in Alexandria, Virginia (USA). I'll be 56 years old this month and I was able to reach my F2F goal about five months after joining the Shape Shifter group. I'm just a little over 5'3 and focusing on maintaining my current weight between 120-130 pounds while improving my strength, flexibility, and balance as I age. I have slight osteopenia so I'm working with a personal trainer (twice a week for 30 minutes) to increase my bone density by incorporating body weight exercises.
My husband and I have two college-age sons (20 & 21) who are spending most of the summer in Boston, where we grew up. One son is taking a summer class and the other working as an intern related to his university major in environmental policy. He is living at my mother's house, which is within walking distance of his internship office downtown.
I'm visiting Boston now and it's been great to walk along the beach again! I enjoy rowing on the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers whenever possible, but I still miss the ocean! This trip has been full of family responsibilities but I've enjoyed catching up with everyone. This visit is motivating me to get serious about my personal goals so I can be more prepared for the next phase of life. My priority is figuring out how to stay within my daily calorie target (& macro-nutrient balance) and maintain my fitness level in more effecient ways. Right now, it seems to take a lot of time and energy to sustain my weight, so I want to build better habits. I find it especially difficult to exercise enough during the colder winter months when rowing season ends. I exercise throughout the year, but I don't seem to burn enough calories to match my snacking on the "off" season. In addition to rowing, I play soccer with a masters' (old people) group once a week in the spring and fall, but I need to reduce snacking, eat more nutrient rich food, and generally improve my eating. It's going to take a bit more practice to --
In my professional life, I work to solve complex health and education challenges with the people most affected by the problems. So, I work with many influencial leaders (i.e., state/local decisionmakers, family networks, self-advocates, community members, and a range of service providers) to agree on solutions. Essentially, we learn together, find out which solutions work, and take collective action to make a difference. The Shape Shifters team is similar in many ways. Our health goals are highly individualized - and involve a number of interconnected elements - but we can share strategies that help us improve our nutrition and fitness. Ultimately, we are trying to improve the Shape Shifter group results through our individual success. Systems are made up of people so I'm looking forward to supporting one another as part of the Shape Shifters' team. Best wishes, everyone!6 -
@cosmiccurves I have you down for the step challenge...welcome to the insanity!
Need your first name for the chart and didn't see you list your favorite place to walk...
Jessica0 -
Steps 27 June: 14.055
Good morning Shape Shifters. On Monday I went to the vet for the 4th time in a month with Tinus. The problem with his hairballs was still on-going; he threw up 8 more times since the first visit. She gave him a different injection because the first one didn't work. It burns a bit after injecting so Tinus got mad and actually hissed at the vet! First time he has done that, poor thing. We also got two new medications. One of them is a liquid I need to give him 15 minutes before his meal. That was already a problem, because I don't have feeding times for Tinus. His bowls are always out and he eats when he wants to. So now we have to switch to a schedule. It went alright yesterday, though he utterly despises the medication which sucks since he needs it 3 times a day. The other medication has to go over his food. It is just a rough granular material, so that is pretty useless over dry food since it will all fall down to the bottom. If I wet his dry food he won't eat it anymore so I bought some wet food for that. Tinus isn't a big eater, so he never finishes everything which means he doesn't get enough of that medication in his belly. I figure it is better than nothing though, so I am not going to stress over it. It is all really annoying and I am doing the best I can.
This morning he didn't want to eat ut of his bowl, so I literally had to handfeed him his dry food piece by piece. I don't know why he didn't do it himself, but whatever, if this means he eats I will just do that. I have to contact the vet on Friday to update them with how he is doing. Hopefully we don't have to keep this up for long.
In the afternoon I did some DIY. I have a bit of space next to my desk where a cat tree used to be. I figured it would be nice to have some shelves up there. I still had a wood panel left over, but it was 120 cm long and I only have 100 cm wall space. So I sawed it in half and sanded the edges. Then drilled holes in the wall, screwed the shelf brackets in with plugs and screwed on the wood panels. I will admit I mostly eye balled it so it is probably not 100% evenly spaced and straight, but it feels sturdy and I am pretty happy with it! And I did it all by myself, yay. I now have all the jigsaw puzzles I still need to complete stacked on it. There are 16 total! So no new puzzles will enter the house until they are all done. I also made a cheap puzzle table with my dad. I wanted to be able to puzzle on the couch, so we made a table with 2 short legs and 2 long legs so that when I sit down, I can pull the table towards me over my lap. I haven't started a puzzle yet, but I think it will be very comfortable. It fits most puzzles; 2000 pieces is too big and I only have two of those. I can always get a very light sheet of the 2000 piece size to put over it. I will put two pictures under the spoiler of the shelves and table.
Happy Tuesday everyone
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@Pupowl - Your DIY projects are impressive! I enjoy puzzles but not the backache that can come from bending over a low coffee table. I try to use good posture and focus on my abdominal core when I bend that way but I often forget. Your solution is so innovative! 👏👏👏
I’m sorry to hear that Tinus is still experiencing problems that cause his vomiting. It sounds as though you are giving him the best care possible and I’m sure it’s a tremendous comfort to him.
When my dog was dealing with severe kidney problems, he would only eat from our hand, too. He’s better now that he’s taking Enalapril medicine but we weren’t sure he would pull through at the time. I still remember the relief I felt when he would take food from our hands because he was so thin and frail.
Now, he’s a little bit overweight and I have to release those images because he needs a different type of care — more fun outdoor activity and walks! He’s almost 12 years old and still active but only when he wants to be — 😂🐶😂 He is very expressive with his body language, head gestures, eye expression, and vocal communication; everyone in our neighborhood knows and loves ‘our little rascal’ Petey (who looks a little like the dog from that old television show with the ‘little rascal’ children).
I hope Tinus feels better soon. Does anyone else have a pet - or human - companion that makes them smile? and light up inside when you see them? I would love to hear your description of what warms your heart —
❤️🔥❤️
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@Pupowl that couch table looks like a great idea!
I hope Tinus feels better soon. I had a cat with a similar problem when I was kid, I remember putting medicine on his food and feeding him a jelly like liquid. For my cat it was temporary and he improved. I hope Tinus does well as well.1 -
@jessicakrall oops, I forgot those! My name is Courtney and my favorite place to walk is a trail behind our neighborhood!1
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Susanna527
Monday weigh-in (Sorry this is late!)
PW: 202.1
CW: 201.8
I'm not going to count my steps for July - doing the videos has been good; but I'm spending more time outside with friends and want to reduce my screen time. I know I'm getting in a good amount of steps, so I think I'm good
Hope everyone has a great day!
~ Susanna2 -
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I had an Australian Shepherd years ago. My fondest memory of her is a time when she and her two "cousins" (my brother and sister-in-law's two Aussies) had chased a squirrel across a field and up a tree, and on her way back to me, she was at a full sprint with tongue hanging out and a big smile on her face.PatriceFitnessPal wrote: »I hope Tinus feels better soon. Does anyone else have a pet - or human - companion that makes them smile? and light up inside when you see them? I would love to hear your description of what warms your heart —
❤️🔥❤️
Yesterday while walking at a nearby park, I saw a similar scene: a dog running full out (in my direction) across the park toward his master who he flew by, again with clear joy on his face. It made me smile, and the dog, seeing me just as he was about to turn around, instead ran up to me to say "hi".
On a trail near my gym which I often walk on after morning yoga/pilates, I see people and their dogs all the time. One dog in particular had hip cancer and had to have one of his back legs removed, but he gets around quite well and he's a very happy dog. I met him on a previous walk about a month ago. A few days ago, I was just getting to the north end of the trail and about to turn around and head south. Along comes "Tripod" (his nickname now) and his master. Tripod saw me and apparently recognized me, and just ran up to me with a big smile as if to say, "Hey, I know you! Isn't life grand?"
"Happy dog, happy life."
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Daily Step goal: 10,000
Sun 6/26: 13,612
Mon 6/27: 16,173
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frankwbrown wrote: »Daily Step goal: 10,000
Sun 6/26: 13,612
Mon 6/27: 16,173
I take it this is you signing up again for the step challenge? Got you down with the same step goal. Where's your favorite place to walk @frankwbrown ? Loved your puppy story!
Jessica
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jessicakrall8 wrote: »frankwbrown wrote: »Daily Step goal: 10,000
Sun 6/26: 13,612
Mon 6/27: 16,173
I take it this is you signing up again for the step challenge? Got you down with the same step goal. Where's your favorite place to walk @frankwbrown ? Loved your puppy story!
Jessica
I've got several places I walk locally:- There's a park half a mile from my house which has a .33 mile loop winding walk with lots of benches.
- There's another park within 1.5 miles of my house. This park has a sunken soccer field/drain basin across the street, so that can add a little elevation change for my walks and gives me a 1.2 mile loop.
- I frequently walk on a trail near my gym. This trail is a 2.5 mile stretch of what was once train tracks through town. It's paved with benches and landscaping. (This is the trail featured in my puppy story.)
- Finally, there's a 4.3 mile trail along a creek in a larger regional park, with both a paved path and a single-track bike path.
But I'm planning on a lot of trips to more scenic areas for some nature walking/hiking. And a marathon-runner friend of mine has got me thinking I should try one of the 5k/10k/marathon events happening in the San Francisco Bay area. 🚶♂️ That's my new goal for July.
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@frankwbrown - I smiled ear to ear reading your stories — such vivid images of the pure joy and boundless love of a faithful pet! Thanks for sharing!!2
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Happy Birthday @cosmiccurves! I hope you enjoyed your day. Is there anything special you like to do to celebrate your birthday? 🎂2
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My steps
6/26 7,608
6/27 9,488
6/28 6,390
@jessicakrall8 please could you put me down for 13,000 steps for July.Although I won't be doing that many until I get back home.My favourite place to walk is my local park or along the many varied walks along the canals & the Peak District.1 -
@jessicakrall8 thank you for the birthday wish!!!
@PatriceFitnessPal thank you!! Yes, one of my favorite things to do on my birthday with my family is do a mini-hike. Usually it's too hot down here this time of year for us to do a full hike, so we did a short hike yesterday!
Step Goal: 8,000/day
6/27: 5,447
6/28: 7,530
I was SO CLOSE yesterday! So I am promising myself to get to 8K today!!
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@PatriceFitnessPal
@CasandraW
Thank you both for your nice comments! I am glad Tinus doesn't appear sick; he is his happy self. So far the medications seem to help. Regarding the food, he is either lazy or really dumb. Because of his flat face, he has some trouble picking up his kibble and he often drops pieces. When he gets treats, I just feed him those because the shape is a bit awkward for him. So either he figured out me feeding him is so much easier, or he thinks they are treats when I hand them over. I am not really sure yet! This morning I hand fed him since he wouldn't touch his bowl and in the afternoon he deigned to eat himself. Tinus has been really sick once before in the past and I had to force feed him for over a week so I am very happy this isn't anything like that. He is hungry and happy to eat, just not always by himself. -_-
I will let you all know how doing a puzzle at the table is going sometime next week. I was really excited to start one already, but because my mom is coming over I need the couch and I wasn't sure I could finish one before Thursday since I am cleaning a lot as well. Puzzles are really rough on my back too when using a normal table, so I really hope this will feel better! When I told my mom about my idea, she mentioned doing something similar with a POÄNG chair from Ikea. Those chairs are very suitable for having a board or something on the arms. Good to know if you want to try something like my table.
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Steps 28 June: 15.788
Hello Shape Shifters. I had a busy day cleaning on Tuesday. I figured it was time to dust off everything in my book cases and managed to behead a geisha figurine in the process, oops. I also rearranged some stuff and somehow ended up with 3 empty shelves upstairs, despite not throwing anything out! I washed the bed sheets in the guest room, got some groceries and in the evening I did the worst bit; mowing the grass. It always looks so nice when it is done, but I rather eat dirt. My body was super exhausted so I had a pretty early night.
Happy Wednesday everyone 4
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