Daily step goal: 10,000
Sun 12/31: 20,329
Mon 1/1: 10,905

Hello Shape Shifters, and welcome to all the new and returning members! I’m Patrice, a 57 year old woman from the USA. I’ve been living in the Washington, DC area with my husband for almost 30 years and we raised our two sons here. They are visiting now, but they’ll be returning to their college classes next weekend. My husband and I grew up in Boston, and spend time there - about every month or two - supporting aging relatives (my mother, great aunt, father-law, etc.).

In 2019, the longtime Executive Director of the private nonprofit where I worked retired. The professional organization serves state leaders responsible for implementing health and education laws. When he retired, the new Executive Director and Board Members decided to reorganize and they only kept the Executive Director and one assistant on staff full time. My position was grant-based and the organization decided not to pursue the U.S. Department of Education funding that paid my salary and benefits. Some of the states I was working with still needed support so I established my own business and they contracted with me directly.

There’s been a lot to learn but my work is rewarding because I can see positive results for the children and families we serve in those states. I still do a little bit of contract work for the organization where I worked for about 20 years, but they no longer have a brick-and-mortar building so most of the work is virtual. The national office is about 1.5 miles from my house so it was convenient while raising my children and volunteering in my local community. Now, I continue to promote the work we did to ensure state decision makers engage practitioners - and the intended beneficiaries of their health and education programs - in finding solutions to the complex problems they face.

So, I’m experiencing many life transitions that consume much of my free time — aging family members, a new business, and trying to declutter/ downsize the ‘empty nest’ when my sons are back at school. On the health and fitness side of my personal journey, I’m up and down. I met my goal of 125-130 and then regained some weight once I started focusing more on other areas, like business development and downsizing.

I feel most energetic when I’m in the 125-130 pound range, which is the mid-point of a healthy BMI for my height (just under 5’4” or about 164cm). Right now, I have about 15 pounds to lose. So, my goal is to reach my target weight of 125 by the end of July 2024 and stay within the 125-130 range once I get there. Best wishes everyone!

Pupowl wrote: »

@tatilove1988 It is very common that different scales give different weight readings. It is best to just use the same one when possible. making sure the scale is on a flat and hard surface is also very important. I can only weigh in my bathroom. If I put it in the bedroom that has a softer floor, it gives me a different reading. While the gain is annoying, I would just go with your scale at home since that is the one you have most access to. We can update your starting weight so you won't immediately start off with a gain. Just let us know the new number and then weigh in again on Saturday.

Hi, thanks so much for your answer 😃. The new number is 192.4 instead of 188. It’s really odd that it’s such a big difference.

I’m wondering if I should switch to a mechanical scale. Or at the very least, get a better digital one. I hate the thought that I might be getting the wrong reading depending on where I am.

Anyway, thanks again! Happy new year 🥳

Wednesday Weigh In
PW: 135.4
CW: 134.8

I've been working hard, so I'm glad to see it reflected on the scale. I've started logging my food again and going to run. I've been having 1 beer at night just to get through what we have in the fridge, but other than that, ive had a couple days that were as close to perfect as I am going to be.

Steps: 15,980

Steps
1/2 4,739

Steps low - I'm doing a lifting program and have been sore the past 2 days