Shape Shifters Team Chat - JULY 2023
Replies
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So here’s a random question— is anyone else shocked at how high calorie pasta is? Somewhere along the way, I thought 1 cup is 200cal. I’m not sure where I got that figure with but that’s what I’ve always gone with. I just weighed my penne yesterday and 2oz was like 20 noodles and that’s 200 cal! Mind blown! 😳🤯
Tracking helped me so much with portion control. I was surprised how many calories were in some of the ‘healthy’ snacks I was eating, like granola and dates. It’s really helpful to see where we might make substitutions. I started eating Greek yogurt or fruit with just a sprinkle of nuts or granola, instead of a whole handful or bowl. For pasta, I mix half regular pasta and half ‘high protein’ pasta, which is more filling. So, it helps me reduce the portion. There are some things I don’t want to substitute because I enjoy them too much, though — In those cases, I try to eat mindfully and enjoy every bite of a small portion.
I haven’t been doing that well with portion control lately so I appreciate your reminder. Earlier this week, I weighed my meals and tracked everything but I broke my momentum yesterday and then went out to dinner tonight so I’ll get back on track for tomorrow. I appreciate the chance to reflect and adjust based on your comment @Sbus12!
What food surprised other ShapeShifter team members once you began tracking and learned about the number of calories? — or maybe there was some other macronutrient breakdown surprise. etc.? Let us know what you learned —
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PatriceFitnessPal wrote: »So here’s a random question— is anyone else shocked at how high calorie pasta is? Somewhere along the way, I thought 1 cup is 200cal. I’m not sure where I got that figure with but that’s what I’ve always gone with. I just weighed my penne yesterday and 2oz was like 20 noodles and that’s 200 cal! Mind blown! 😳🤯
Tracking helped me so much with portion control. I was surprised how many calories were in some of the ‘healthy’ snacks I was eating, like granola and dates. It’s really helpful to see where we might make substitutions. I started eating Greek yogurt or fruit with just a sprinkle of nuts or granola, instead of a whole handful or bowl. For pasta, I mix half regular pasta and half ‘high protein’ pasta, which is more filling. So, it helps me reduce the portion. There are some things I don’t want to substitute because I enjoy them too much, though — In those cases, I try to eat mindfully and enjoy every bite of a small portion.
I haven’t been doing that well with portion control lately so I appreciate your reminder. Earlier this week, I weighed my meals and tracked everything but I broke my momentum yesterday and then went out to dinner tonight so I’ll get back on track for tomorrow. I appreciate the chance to reflect and adjust based on your comment @Sbus12!
What food surprised other ShapeShifter team members once you began tracking and learned about the number of calories? — or maybe there was some other macronutrient breakdown surprise. etc.? Let us know what you learned —
A couple for me. First is I learned to pay attention to serving sizes. A few weeks ago I picked up some specialty cookies for my family. The company had nutrition information online, but I didn't realize the 150-200 calories listed was for 1/4 of the cookie, not half the cookie like I assumed. Of course I didn't realize this until after I ate a full cookie.
Another is that I like to add chia seeds to cereal, overnight oats, etc. to get a little more fiber and protein. Those tiny things have about 50 calories per tablespoon, and quite a bit of fat.3 -
Username: kcpond
Weigh-in day: Thursday
PW: 236.3
CW: 233.03 -
Here’s my weekly weigh-in. My goal is to maintain my weight between 120 and 130 pounds so I’m eager to reach 135 as my next milestone.
Name: PatriceFitnessPal
Weigh-in Day: Thursday
PW: 136.1
CW: 135.7
SW: 168
LtD: 32.3
I’m 10.7 pounds away from my ultimate goal but it helps me manage expectations by setting up smaller milestone achievements. I’m hoping to reach 135 by August 10th. I hope everyone has a rewarding week!
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Cyncia1028 Steps - Goal is 7,000 steps a day
Sun July 16 = 10,347
Mon July 17 = 6,972
almost hit my goal
Tues July 18 = 6,867 almost hit my goal
Wed July 19 = 5,321 under goal. I wasn't wearing my watch for part of the day - I think I still would have been under my goal. I spent my evening prepping my yard for a fence install. Didn't make time for a walk.
My left foot and ankle are healing so I have been trying to take it easy. Keep exercise to bike rides, yoga, or pool.
I'm a big snoozer or I simply sleep through my alarms. What if I put a goal here with the accountability group....
My goal for Friday July 21st is to get out of bed at 6 am and take Hazel for a walk. I will have half of my steps done before I sit down for a day of work.2 -
PatriceFitnessPal wrote: »@Cyncia85 and @JenHul - Congratulations on the loss! It must have felt satisfying to ‘take the hill’ @Cyncia85! Breaking even is a win to me, @Armygirlarmyof1. Maintaining definitely feels better than gaining. Keep up the good work!
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed your vacation @JenHul. It looks as though your active family play time resulted in multiple positive results!
@Armygirlarmyof1 - Best wishes on the house hunting. I hope you are able to find something soon!
@Sbus12 - It feels so much easier to consume a pound than lose a pound, isn’t it?
@jessicakrall8 - Good idea to give the swelling a little time to go down — I know you drink plenty of water, so that should do the trick. Stay cool 😎!
I flipped in my boat today and took a swim in the river 🌊🚣♂️💦. I felt like the misfit rower as I tried to jump back into the boat while the coach and three other scullers waited for me. I hated making them miss part of their workout because it took me longer than usual to get back in the boat! 😅
Everyone was very patient, understanding, and supportive so I appreciated their positive attitudes. The strangest part is that I was rowing better, faster, and stronger than usual but my oar caught a speed zone marker and I lost my balance. I didn’t see it so I guess I’m lucky I didn’t hit it straight on because that could have destroyed the boat and injured me.
Well, at least I got a good workout treading water, turning my boat upright, jumping back in the seat, and rowing back with all that extra water adding weight to the boat as I rowed it along during the trip back to the boathouse dock. We were just about to finish a 10 minute practice piece so I was focused on getting through the fastest last minute when I took my dunk!
Oh well, back in the saddle tomorrow! 🤠. I sent an apologetic message to the group for delaying them and they were all so gracious and supportive. One guy helped me turn the boat over when it got heavy due to extra water, another woman helped me drain the water out, and everyone encouraged me with their ‘flip’ stories, etc. I hope everyone who had a tough day feels the support of your team like I did, so you can get back in the saddle!
You all know my favorite samurai expression now — Fall down seven times get up eight. Onward!!
This is great @PatriceFitnessPal! While I understand how you felt, I also admire your drive to be out there. It sounds like you're part of a great group. I'm sure you would be as supportive or more supportive if someone else took a swim. I went for a bike ride recently with a friend and I was apologizing for being slow. I felt like I was slowing her down. She responded, 'we're in this together."
Can you remind me, what exactly are you doing? Is it kayaking? Canoeing? Something different?
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My steps,
Sorry for the long list @Pupowl & @jessicakrall8
7/14 15,378
7/15 15,378
7/16 4,208 not a typo I was feeling 🤢 all day
7/17 14,738
7/18 10,203
7/19 12,393
7/20 13,521
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izzyred9400 wrote: »My steps,
Sorry for the long list @Pupowl & @jessicakrall8
7/14 15,378
7/15 15,378
7/16 4,208 not a typo I was feeling 🤢 all day
7/17 14,738
7/18 10,203
7/19 12,393
7/20 13,521
Exactly the same??
Jess1 -
jessicakrall8 wrote: »izzyred9400 wrote: »My steps,
Sorry for the long list @Pupowl & @jessicakrall8
7/14 15,378
7/15 15,378
7/16 4,208 not a typo I was feeling 🤢 all day
7/17 14,738
7/18 10,203
7/19 12,393
7/20 13,521
Exactly the same??
Jess
Sorry 7/15 should be 15,4052 -
PatriceFitnessPal wrote: »So here’s a random question— is anyone else shocked at how high calorie pasta is? Somewhere along the way, I thought 1 cup is 200cal. I’m not sure where I got that figure with but that’s what I’ve always gone with. I just weighed my penne yesterday and 2oz was like 20 noodles and that’s 200 cal! Mind blown! 😳🤯
Tracking helped me so much with portion control. I was surprised how many calories were in some of the ‘healthy’ snacks I was eating, like granola and dates. It’s really helpful to see where we might make substitutions. I started eating Greek yogurt or fruit with just a sprinkle of nuts or granola, instead of a whole handful or bowl. For pasta, I mix half regular pasta and half ‘high protein’ pasta, which is more filling. So, it helps me reduce the portion. There are some things I don’t want to substitute because I enjoy them too much, though — In those cases, I try to eat mindfully and enjoy every bite of a small portion.
I haven’t been doing that well with portion control lately so I appreciate your reminder. Earlier this week, I weighed my meals and tracked everything but I broke my momentum yesterday and then went out to dinner tonight so I’ll get back on track for tomorrow. I appreciate the chance to reflect and adjust based on your comment @Sbus12!
What food surprised other ShapeShifter team members once you began tracking and learned about the number of calories? — or maybe there was some other macronutrient breakdown surprise. etc.? Let us know what you learned —
for me it was peanut butter. i knew it was quite high in calories, the kind i eat is 90 calories per 15 g or 1 tbsp and the only ingredient is peanuts. what surprised me is what 15 g actually looks like when i use my food scale. prior to doing so i was easily putting maybe 20 gram per slice of bread or bagel, and eating 2 slices.1 -
PatriceFitnessPal wrote: »…
I went for a bike ride recently with a friend and I was apologizing for being slow. I felt like I was slowing her down. She responded, 'we're in this together."
Can you remind me, what exactly are you doing? Is it kayaking? Canoeing? Something different?
@Cyncia85 - Yes! It’s so nice to have workout friends who are supportive while also keeping us accountable because we want to show up for them, too!
I was sculling when my oar hit the water and I lost my balance, flipping my boat so I had to turn it over and jump back in (while treading water in the middle of the river). 😬
I’ll try to upload a picture of the Potomac River where we row (and I sometimes accidentally swim!) 🙄💦 — and one of a single scull I rowed on a lake recently. The middle picture shows the bruise I gave myself throwing myself over the boat to get back in and keep it from flipping again. It doesn’t hurt so it looks worse than it feels!
I also ‘sweep’ row in a boat with eight people a few days a week during the warmer weather. Usually, we start in March or April and end in early November.
P.S. Sorry I don’t know how to use the spoiler on my phone!4 -
Bearchested
Friday
PW: 185.4
CW: 183.2
LTD: 23.8
Jessica - I won't be able to weigh in next week.
I'm about to spend the next week biking across my home state of Iowa. Iowa hosts RAGBRAI every year, a week long social cycling ride across the state. As an Iowa native it's been on my bucket list and this year is the 50th ride.
This also marks a bit of a reflection point for me. My goal weight for the ride was 175-180, down from 195. I didn't make it, so that will be my goal by December.
I've always enjoyed cycling but I've never had a road bike until January of this year. I've learned a lot from it, including macro intake for fueling on longer rides (it's not really that much, like 30-60g of carbs per hour). I'm also glad I stayed with strength training during the last month, when I was also training on the bike every day to get used to multiple days in the saddle in a row. If I didn't have my coach I would have stopped strength training completely to focus on cycling over the last few weeks. He adjusted my training so I could recover easily and reduce the risk of overtraining, along with continuing to get stronger and leaner.4 -
dancingonstarz
Friday
PW: 159.8
CW: 157 (-2.8)
LTD: 9.64 -
@Bearchested Have a great time on the ride! My cousin, Julie, and her husband, Barry, and some of their friends will be riding with you!
@SavageMrsMoose
Friday weigh in
PW: 134
CW 135.5
Total loss to date: 37.1
Not super worried about the gain- flew yesterday and ate airplane food which was super salty. I often gain a pound or two after flying. I had some good runs and did a lot of walking on the trip. At least the trip home was better than going- everything on time!
@PatriceFitnessPal I will check out the link to the other group- thank you. I have lost a decent amount of weight before- In law school I got up to 165 pounds, then got down to 140 and stayed below 145 for about a decade. It is a different challenge. This time, I have my daughter's wedding in 10 months and possibly my son's the following year so I'm hoping those motivations will keep me at a lower weight for a good bit of time and allow me the opportunity to settle in to my lower weight. I know I can do 145, but I like being at 135.
My biggest change- drinking less alcohol. Snacking less (lots of mindless calories). Smaller portions. I have always exercised a great deal- I think I've run at least 1000 miles per year, sometimes, 2000 or more, every year except during pregnancies. I've added the bike and strength training in the last 5-10 years and my focus right now is to re-build some muscle- I feel a little flabby.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!4 -
Username: Kodakslim
Weigh-in day: Friday
PW: 158
CW: 157.4
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This reminds me of when I first started the Zone Diet years ago, at the urging of my doctor. The Zone Diet recommends a macro nutrient ratio of 30% fat, 30% protein and 40% carbs, and it defines a Food Block as containing 3 grams of fat, 7 grams of protein and 9 grams of carbs. A meal is 3 or 4 food blocks, and one's daily allowance includes an additional one or two "snack" blocks. So for me, I figured 4 blocks x 3 meals plus 2 blocks = 14 blocks/day. That translated to fat: 42 grams, protein: 98 grams, carbs: 126 grams.PatriceFitnessPal wrote: »So here’s a random question— is anyone else shocked at how high calorie pasta is? Somewhere along the way, I thought 1 cup is 200cal. I’m not sure where I got that figure with but that’s what I’ve always gone with. I just weighed my penne yesterday and 2oz was like 20 noodles and that’s 200 cal! Mind blown! 😳🤯
Tracking helped me so much with portion control. I was surprised how many calories were in some of the ‘healthy’ snacks I was eating, like granola and dates. It’s really helpful to see where we might make substitutions. I started eating Greek yogurt or fruit with just a sprinkle of nuts or granola, instead of a whole handful or bowl. For pasta, I mix half regular pasta and half ‘high protein’ pasta, which is more filling. So, it helps me reduce the portion. There are some things I don’t want to substitute because I enjoy them too much, though — In those cases, I try to eat mindfully and enjoy every bite of a small portion.
I haven’t been doing that well with portion control lately so I appreciate your reminder. Earlier this week, I weighed my meals and tracked everything but I broke my momentum yesterday and then went out to dinner tonight so I’ll get back on track for tomorrow. I appreciate the chance to reflect and adjust based on your comment @Sbus12!
What food surprised other ShapeShifter team members once you began tracking and learned about the number of calories? — or maybe there was some other macronutrient breakdown surprise. etc.? Let us know what you learned —
At the time, a favorite go to meal for me, being a non-cooking bachelor, was a Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie. So I was in for a big shock on my first trip to the market when I would be looking at Nutrition labels. My daily fat allowance was now supposed be 42 grams...
and there it was, on the label, "Fat: 46 grams"! (in one meal!)
🎶 So Goodbye Chicken Pot Pies! 🎶 (to the tune of Elton John's Yellow Brick Road)
Note: those pies are slightly smaller now:
Serving Size: 283 grams, Calories: 610, Total Fat: 36 grams, Protein: 17 grams, carbs: 55 grams.
By the way, I know a lot more now than I did then about nutrition in general, and I can see why I failed to stick to the zone diet years ago. As I understand it, given the calories per gram of fat (9), protein (4) and carbs (4), those 14 food blocks totaled less than 1300 calories, and my BMR is around 1800 calories. For a person my size, I was shooting for too low of a daily calorie allowance. I'm still basically following the Zone Diet ratios for macro nutrients, but I think in terms of calories consumed vs TDEE. (still struggling though to get down to a BF% that I can live with, literally and figuratively.)5 -
Daily step goal: 10,000
Tue 7/18: 10,057
Wed 7/19: 14,565
Thu 7/20: 8,6613 -
frankwbrown
July week 3
Weigh in day: Friday, July 21
PW: 242.6
CW: 240.8 ( lost 1.8 lbs; 0.74% this week)4 -
Cre804
PW 189.0
CW 189.0
Today ok with maintaining since it was my birthday week.
Admin please excuse next weeks weigh in as we will be on vacation. Looking forward to spending time with the family at Smith Mountain Lake, VA!4 -
Hi everyone! Just back from a couple weekends of vacation/travelling and starting to catch up on posts.
@savagemrsmoose Congratulations on reaching your goal weight! That's fantastic!
@jessicakrall8 I hope it cools down for you soon and that your swelling goes down as well.
@pupowl I hope you had a nice visit with your mom and enjoyed photographing the birds!
@PatriceFitnessPal I've flipped many times in singles, doubles and even in a four, which happened at the dock while taking our oars out before getting out of the boat
! I remember every single time it happened. It's not easy at all getting your boat upright and back in it on the water. You need very good strength and balance to do it! So way to go for getting back in and also for your improvements!
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ganival
friday
pw 174.4
cw 174.4
wow exactly the same as last week, interesting! while the scale isn't reflecting much change for me lately i do have some nsv, primarily my resting heart rate. i've noticed my RHR is 10 beats lower than a year ago which i know means increased cardiovascular fitness. i've been really focussing on zone 2 exercise and strength training. going to banff next week and i'm looking forward to hiking some hills. in the past i've literally cried on trails as i was so slow, breathing so hard and kept getting passed by people who looked way older than me! i'll take fitter over smaller for now and keep working on my calorie deficit
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pedal__power
PW 201.8 (from two weeks ago)
CW 201.8
I've been away the past couple weeks, travelling to see family and then for a little family getaway. While I'm still catching up at home and work, I'm feeling more recharged after taking some time off.
While we were away, I didn't track my food but was conscious of what I was eating and tried to be careful with portion sizes.3 -
Angmarie28
Wednesdays
Previous weight-177.6
Current weight-177.6
Same weight 3 weeks in a row. Well at least it's not going up4 -
7/13-5,265
7/14-6,538
7/15-12,371
7/16-11,315
7/17-10,225
7/18-5,784
7/19-8,498
7/20-8,4603 -
@bearchested - You’ve been so committed to your training in preparation for the ride — It’s very inspiring! I’ll look forward to hearing about your experience.
I’ve only been to Iowa once, but it seemed quite bike-friendly to me. I was in Des Moines visiting my brother when he was coaching the Iowa Wild hockey team; so, we spent more time in the arena than sightseeing, but I enjoyed the vibrant downtown and noticed the bike paths along the river. It must be pure pleasure for cyclists to have such long, uninterrupted routes. We had unseasonably warm weather that weekend, and enjoyed walking along the path at Pappajohn Sculpture Park, too. My nephews used to call my father - their grandfather - Papa John so it felt like a perfect day.
I’m sure the ride will be scenic and fun! My older son loved taking pictures of the clear night sky during our visit. I’m not sure if you are staying at hotels along the bike route, or camping out, but the stars will probably be beautiful.
Will you visit friends and family while you’re there?
Best wishes in your bucket list goal! I bet you’ll be at - or very close to your goal weight by the end of the trip! Good work 👍🏼 to both you and your support network at home!
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Nice job! @dancingonstarz and @kodakslim!
Wow 🤩 — We have four weigh-in reports that were exactly the same as the prior one. We sure are a consistent group! As @angmarie28 noted, it’s better than a gain. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for all the insights about tracking and maintenance! I like those chicken pot pies @frankwbrown but I haven’t had one in quite awhile so it’s good to know about the smaller portion size. Good point about alcohol calories @SavageMrsMoose!
It’s common to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed so I appreciate the general guidance on fueling longer workouts @bearchested.
Welcome back @pedal_power, and I hope everyone enjoys the weekend!
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Mulecanter
Friday
PW: 228.5
CW: 228.52 -
ganival
friday
pw 174.4
cw 174.4
wow exactly the same as last week, interesting! while the scale isn't reflecting much change for me lately i do have some nsv, primarily my resting heart rate. i've noticed my RHR is 10 beats lower than a year ago which i know means increased cardiovascular fitness. i've been really focussing on zone 2 exercise and strength training. going to banff next week and i'm looking forward to hiking some hills. in the past i've literally cried on trails as i was so slow, breathing so hard and kept getting passed by people who looked way older than me! i'll take fitter over smaller for now and keep working on my calorie deficit
@garnival I had 175.4 for last week. Please advise if that was incorrect. UPDATE: I figured it out...whomever recorded it last week listed them backwards...apologies.
Jessica0 -
I got to have lunch with an old friend today...it was really nice to talk to her, catch up on her life and relax for that hour. I've had a very hectic paced week...and I've missed her. We worked together for years and then she left to work at another company and we haven't connected other than on a note here or there on Facebook, so I really enjoyed that today.
Jessica5 -
@jessicakrall8 - I’m glad you were able to get off the work treadmill for a little while and enjoy time with your friend.
@garnival - That’s a very rewarding non-scale victory! Congratulations on your improved health.
Have a great weekend, everyone!3
This discussion has been closed.