FAT 2 FIT WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE AND SUPPORT GROUP

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Shape Shifters Team Chat - August 2024

Megan_smartiepants1970
Megan_smartiepants1970 Posts: 43,567 Member
edited September 1 in Social Groups
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Here is your Team chat room for August 2024. This is where you weigh in, post your goals and progress, discuss any issues or topics of interest, share ideas, support your teammates, receive help when you need it, and dream big. Try to post often, and help each other succeed! Bookmark this thread to make it easy to land here any time.

Fat2Fit has five great teams. The group and team leaders are as follows - contact them any time!

Our Moderators:
Ashley - @minstrelofsarcasm
Jessica - @jessicakrall8
Lauren- @lauren_989
Megan - @Megan_smartiepants1970

Our Team Captains:
Downsizers - @Megan_smartiepants1970 and [open]
Mission Slimpossible - @Katmary71 and @trooworld
Weight No More - @minstrelofsarcasm and @melaniedscott
WaistAways - @ashleycarole86 and @lauren_989
Shape Shifters - @jessicakrall8 and @Pupowl

Our Team Motivators:
Downsizers - @NachDeezy
Mission Slimpossibles - @19shmoo69
Weight No More - @rachelrjh and @BodyTalking
WaistAways - @MaddawgMadsen
Shape Shifters - @LaurieWrobo and @Cyncia85

HOW IT ALL WORKS: The August challenge runs for four weeks, from August 4 - August 31.

Everyone weighs in weekly on their chosen day right here in the team chat. At the end of each week, the tallies are done to determine the team and individuals with the most weight lost. The best losers are announced with full fanfare every Sunday. The team competition is all in good spirits - may the most losing win, and may everyone else get to work on next week!

We also celebrate those small, steady losses. If you lose, however small an amount, you are in the green! At the end of the month, we celebrate everyone who lost at least a bit every single week. You are heading steadily towards your goal even if you aren't at the top of the weight loss leaderboard. In March we are aiming for every team to hit 50% green every week - let's do this!

To make your weigh-in easy to find for your team Captains, please put it right at the top of a message, and use this format:
Weigh In Day:
PW (Previous Weight):
CW (Current Weight):

If you miss two weigh-ins in a row without asking for a break, you will be dropped from the team, so be sure to inform your team captain if you are traveling, sick, or just need some time off. If you want a break, you can be excused for a week or two, or can be moved to the Support Team for as long as you need. You still participate in the discussions, you can weigh in if you want to, but it will not count in the weekly tally. Don't worry! You can always come back even if you get dropped.

Once you reach your goal weight, you join the Goal Zone. You continue to weigh in every week. If you have 2 weeks above your self-defined goal zone, you go back to the regular team to lose that amount before it builds up. You will have a chance to hone those maintenance skills and stick with your team.

In addition to your own team, there are weekly F2F Full Group CHALLENGES. You can do all or none - it's up to you. Participating adds a lot to your success, so we hope to see you there often! These can involve anything fitness, health, or nutrition - and they’ll get you moving, thinking, and learning about this journey. Check the Announcements section for full group challenges.

Let’s show our fellow challengers some F2F love Introduce or re-introduce yourselves right away, and let's get August on the road!
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Replies

  • Pupowl
    Pupowl Posts: 2,099 Member
    edited July 30
    Hello Shape Shifters! I hope you are all doing well.
    I am one of the captains of the team together with Jessica. We take care of all the data such as your weigh ins and the steps. If you have any questions, let us know! I joined this team in August 2021 and I have found it a very valuable tool on my weight loss journey.
    There are a lot of things being offered here; there is the step challenge, the habit tracker, the weekly challenges, your personal weigh in and of course the Shape Shifter group chat itself. The more you engage with the group, the more you will get out of it.
    Don't hesistate to reach out when you are having a hard time, chances are you aren't the only one and everyone here is kind and supportive. I often see people feel bad about posting a gain, please don't! We are all aware that weight loss isn't linear. Sometimes the scale just does what it wants, even when you do everything right. So post it, shrug it off and keep going. As long as you put in the work, the results will come, promise. Remember that one day of overeating does not erase any progress! <3
    I wish everyone a great August with lots of victories, big and small!
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  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,516 Member
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    FAQ for New Shape Shifters Members

    How do I post my weigh in?

    Userid
    (Day of Week) Weigh-in
    PW: 204 lbs (previous weight)
    CW: 202 lbs (current weight)
    LTD: 12 lbs (optional loss to date)

    Where is the Weigh in stats spreadsheet?
    Start at the Fat2Fit Main Page and under the header information, you’ll see a section at the bottom that says “TO ACCESS THE SPREADSHEETS FOR JANUARY CLICK HERE” followed by the link in blue. Once you click on that link, it will take you to the Summary page. Find Shape Shifters on the tabs at the bottom and click on that and that brings you to the stats page. Also on this page (scrolling down), you’ll find the Step Challenge chart as well. This is where we record your daily steps if you sign up to be part of the monthly step challenge. More info on how to sign up is below! Join us!

    How often should I post in the chatroom?

    Whenever you have a question, suggestion, story, news announcement or just want to brighten someone's day!! There's never too much...and please share recipes, tips, laughs, challenges, cartoons, pictures of your pets, pictures from walks you've taken, etc...we love it all!!

    What if I have to be out of town during my weigh in?

    Send a message to one of the Captains (JessicaKrall8 or Pupowl) in the chatroom or in a private message on MFP's mail and let her know your circumstance...if it's just for a week or two, you can be excused from the weigh-in. If you must leave for longer than a month, you may be moved to our support team until you return. When you're ready to come back, send another message and the MODS will move you back to active status.

    What happens if I miss a weigh in?

    If you're late, you'll be marked as LWI (late weigh in). If you fail to report in at all, you'll be labeled as NWI (no weigh in). After two NWIs, you're put on the drop list if no explanation has been provided. It's always best to let your Captain know what's going on and she'll make sure you're covered.

    How do I sign up for the Step Challenge?

    Send the Captains a message that you'd like to join, provide your daily step goal and tell her your favorite place to walk. It's that simple! Please be aware though, you're making a commitment to post your steps every 2-3 days, which helps the Captains keep the stats caught up. If you're not willing to do this, please do not sign up. (THANKS!!)

    Do I have to re-register each month to remain part of Team Shape Shifters?

    No, your membership will carry over month to month. The only place where this is NOT true is for the Step Challenge. You have to sign up each month to participate in it and this gives you the opportunity to adjust your daily step goal.

    If I've missed anything or questions arise, just post them! We'll find the information you need as much as possible! Hope this helps!

    Welcome!
    Jessica :smile:
  • indoorsy_
    indoorsy_ Posts: 182 Member
    happy august! someone in the last chat asked about goals, here are mine for aug
    • track food intake daily. i cook a lot so sometimes this isn't perfect as i don't have the time to enter recipes accurately, but just the act of using the app helps me be mindful
    • going on vacay for 1 week, goal is not to go nuts as i usually do with a free for all with car snacks
    • stick to my calorie deficit

    that's all for me, no exercise goals. i do run 1-2x per week, have a gym membership, bike etc...but all i want for aug is to keep it simple and focus on food and go after that elusive food/lifestyle/relationship change.

    someone else commented on weight loss goals being vanity goals. i can just speak for myself in that feeling confident in my appearance is a big driver for me. i did not know that getting my picture taken and posted online was going to be such a big part of my current job. will i feel better if i look a certain way? actually i don't know... i'm actually a little fearful that i won't feel different even if i lose the weight but i'm open to exploring this and learning about myself.
  • CasandraW
    CasandraW Posts: 668 Member
    @ganival I don’t feel that wanting to feel like you look good in your skin is vanity. I just wonder sometimes if that’s my only goal, is it vanity. Probably not. It’s hard to have goals that are just for me. I have always been such a caregiver it almost feels wrong.
  • CasandraW
    CasandraW Posts: 668 Member
    @Pupowl @jessicakrall8 can you please excuse me from the next 2 weigh ins.
  • indoorsy_
    indoorsy_ Posts: 182 Member
    CasandraW wrote: »
    @ganival I don’t feel that wanting to feel like you look good in your skin is vanity. I just wonder sometimes if that’s my only goal, is it vanity. Probably not. It’s hard to have goals that are just for me. I have always been such a caregiver it almost feels wrong.

    Goals that are just for oneself can be deeply fulfilling as they can lead to long term personal growth and happiness. Feeling or looking good can have a positive impact on how we interact with the world and those that we care for.
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,472 Member
    edited August 1
    Hi Everyone and welcome to our new Shape Shifter team members!

    I’m Patrice, a 58 year old woman living in Alexandria, Virginia in the USA. I started tracking my nutrition in March 2020 when I weighed 168 pounds, my highest non-pregnancy weight. I joined this group in May/June 2021 at 135 pounds because I was seeking support from the F2F group as my weight loss slowed down. I got closer to my goal. I also thought the accountability of weighing in weekly would motivate me. I don’t like to let people down, and I met my goal of 125 in September 2021. So, I lost a total of 43 pounds and moved from an ‘overweight’ BMI to the mid-range of ‘normal’ for my height — not quite 5’4”.

    As @ganival and others noted in the July Chat space, it takes a lot of mental effort and time to accurately track CI/CO*. When I shifted my focus to other areas of my life I wanted to improve, I gradually gained back half the weight I had lost. Now, I weigh about 146 with a goal of sustaining my weight at 125-130. My short-term goal is 140 pounds so I can move back into a healthy range instead of my current ‘overweight’ BMI.

    I like the quote that @Pupowl shared above: “Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today.” (Tim Fargo)

    Lifestyle changes take time and effort to adopt but I know that’s the only way I’ll maintain my goal. So, I’m working to build habits that turn into lifestyle changes in the 8 dimensions of wellness. Under the health/ physical category, my objective is to eat vegetarian meals 50% of the time and vegan 25% of the time in August (and beyond). For physical and emotional wellbeing, I’m trying to exercise at least 30-minutes every day — usually rowing 3x, soccer 2x, personal trainer (body weight exercises for bone density, strength, and balance) 2x, and yoga 2x to improve my flexibility.

    My exercise schedule is going fairly well, except I need to work harder to achieve my yoga target. 🎯 My husband attends a class at the gym across the street but I haven’t joined him lately. Eventually, I’d like to increase my stretching to daily but, for now, I’m aiming for twice a week. I have a ‘buddy system’ set up with my younger son to do daily abdominal workouts together, but we seem to ebb and flow because he’s 22 and enjoying his summer with friends. About once a month, I visit Boston to help my mother and other aging family members. So, that interferes with my exercise routine but I’m trying to build a consistent plan for those times.

    I work as a consultant in the health and education fields, helping leaders collaborate with practitioners, families, and community members to improve outcomes for children, students, and young adults. Business development is not easy for me but I’m working hard to improve my skills. In my free time, I like reading, traveling, and learning new things. My older son is teaching me to play the guitar right now but I have a long way to go before I can play a song. Another month, another long-winded introduction. I’ll look forward to hearing from others. Best wishes for the coming month!

    *Calories In/ Calories Out
  • DaffyGirl88
    DaffyGirl88 Posts: 5,173 Member
    Good morning all! 🙋‍♀️

    My name is Sue, and I am 64 years old. I live in southern Maryland, am married, have two grown kids (1 in Seattle, 1 in VA), 2 grandbabies (VA) and 1 fur baby 🐶. I work full time, currently teleworking. I love to read, ride my bike, quilt, and make greeting cards. I am always up for a challenge and am usually involved in multiple reading, fitness, Fitbit and/or Stridekick challenges at any given time. 📚🚶‍♀️

    I have been on MFP for over 10 years now. Wow...time sure does fly!! I hit my “official” goal of 140 lbs two years ago but have crept steadily up since then to over 150, which is my “I must do something now” threshold. It took me years (almost 20) to crack the 150 barrier so I never wanted to pass it again. :( Some stress and a LOT of traveling over June and July took its toll on both my exercise schedule and my eating plan, but I'm ready to get both back on track.

    I am travelling 2 of the 4 weekends each month and that is always a challenge for me. We recently bought our “retirement” home in VA near the grandkids so we are going down there frequently. We had been gradually moving stuff in but we had a pipe break in June and are still dealing with that. It'll be months before it is put back together so not sure what that will do to our plan of retiring and moving permanently in the spring. Time will tell I guess.

    Anyway, that’s me. I am happy to be here and look forward to a great month!

  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,534 Member
    The August Week 1 Group Challenge is live and ready to begin on Sunday, August 4th. Please join us for a 7-Day Mental Health Challenge! Here's your link:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10921224/august-week-1-group-challenge-mental-health-challenge#latest

    See you in the chat thread! B)
  • Tomsgal1985
    Tomsgal1985 Posts: 1,086 Member
    Tomsgal1985
    Weekly Post
    Weigh In Day: Saturday
    Highest weight: 239.8
    PW (Previous Weight): 227.8
    CW (Current Weight): 229.2
  • indoorsy_
    indoorsy_ Posts: 182 Member
    frankwbrown wrote: »
    Having been inspired by the Olympics and challenged by my Garmin watch, I did my own version of a triathlon today: rode 6.6 miles, ran 3.1 miles and swam 1800 yards, then rode 3.5 miles back home. So, I checked the times for the Olympic triathlon to see how I match up. lol
    I've decided not to try for the next Olympics, since they are all four times faster than me while running twice as far and biking four times as far. But hey, I swam further than they did (admittedly in a pool rather than open water).
    triathlon badge:
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    5km run badge:
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    1500 meter swim badge:
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    Have a great Saturday, everyone!

    sounds like a great day! backyard decathalon next?
  • DaffyGirl88
    DaffyGirl88 Posts: 5,173 Member
    ganival wrote: »
    frankwbrown wrote: »
    Having been inspired by the Olympics and challenged by my Garmin watch, I did my own version of a triathlon today: rode 6.6 miles, ran 3.1 miles and swam 1800 yards, then rode 3.5 miles back home. So, I checked the times for the Olympic triathlon to see how I match up. lol
    I've decided not to try for the next Olympics, since they are all four times faster than me while running twice as far and biking four times as far. But hey, I swam further than they did (admittedly in a pool rather than open water).
    triathlon badge:
    itv8clwq0y8v.png
    5km run badge:
    1zpgbb5ncff0.png
    1500 meter swim badge:
    nxh32l3pxvcl.png
    Have a great Saturday, everyone!

    sounds like a great day! backyard decathalon next?

    @ganival 🤣🤣

    @frankwbrown great job! 🥇
  • CasandraW
    CasandraW Posts: 668 Member
    @Pupowl have you tried eating at maintenance for a while? I find that is a good reset. That way I don't go from the extreme of over eating to eating a deficit.
  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 13,180 Member
    edited August 4
    On another thread, someone asked if MFP had a weight chart. I answered that person explaining that they need only go to Reports and select report type Weight and a reporting period. I selected the 180 days reporting period for myself, and saw what I already knew, which is I've been gaining weight for several years since getting down to 225 from 330.

    @DaffyGirl88's comment about being on MFP for 10 years made me wonder how long I've been on MFP. That and the EXPORT option on reports inspired me to download from MFP, import into a Google Sheet and create a chart. So, as an introduction, I'm sharing the good and the bad of my weight loss fitness journey below.

    The chart starts in January of 2015. What preceded that was this: I graduated from college in 1984 at the age of 35. At that time, I weighed ~220 pounds and was running daily, working out, and sailing. I joined MFP in January 2015, after gaining 100 pounds during those 31 years of working at a desk job and neglecting my health. I vaguely recall losing some weight at one point during the late 1980's while on the Set Point diet, but I didn't stick with it. The demands of a major 1½ year project in 1989 put an end to any thought of personal health.
    In January 2015, I joined MFP, joined a gym and began swimming daily. I lost about 50 pounds by late September, but then was hit with a case of anemia. That put a stop to my swimming. I slowly gained back the 50 pounds plus another 10 until July 10th, 2020 when, at 330 pounds, I started again. In December 2021, I got down to 225 pounds. I hovered there until July 2022, but I've been slowly gaining since then. My goal is to get below 225 by the end of year.
    year 1: ↓87 lbs; year 2: ↓18 lbs; year 3: ↑16 lbs; year 4: ↑15 lbs
    highest weight: 330, lowest weight since: 225, current weight: 254

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  • Pupowl
    Pupowl Posts: 2,099 Member
    @CasandraW Thank you for the suggestion! I just looked up my maintenance calories, since I honestly had no idea. The number is way higher than I expected so I have been eating around that mark already for the past 2 months with a few binge days thrown in. I think eating the lower calories should be fine. If the food I eat is healthy, high protein and high fiber, then I am not hungry. It's the chocolate, croissants, chips, pizza etc that has been the problem. It is still a big difference in eating though which is why I am fine with anything up to 1800 calories. To me that is quite a lot already. In the past, I would be upset with anything over 1500. Just got to make the right food choices.
  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 13,180 Member
    edited August 4
    CasandraW wrote: »
    @Pupowl have you tried eating at maintenance for a while? I find that is a good reset. That way I don't go from the extreme of over eating to eating a deficit.
    Many experts recommend eating at maintenance periodically if you're in a long term weight loss endeavor. The reasoning has to do not only with a psychological benefit but with a physiological effect called adaptive thermogenesis aka metabolic adaptation. Just be careful it doesn't lure you into complacency like it did me. I think I'm finally ready to do some steady deficit eating, hopefully until the end of the year.

  • CasandraW
    CasandraW Posts: 668 Member
    @frankwbrown i planning on eating around maintenance for the month of August and hit it hard come September when our routine is back. All these injuries and health issues have really set me back and lead me to complacency. One more hand surgery to go.
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,472 Member
    Good discussion of how to deal with the fluctuations that we have to deal with while trying to make positive changes in our lives — motivation, calorie targets, etc. It’s hard work but the support of the group feels helpful to me! 🙏🏼

    Thanks for continuing to share your photos @Pupowl. Usually, I see your posts in the morning and the nature photos seem to center/ ground me as I face the day — calming, soothing, warm! ☺️

    Great job taking inspiration from the Olympics and channeling your inner triathlete @frankwbrown! 🤩🥇🤩

    I’m finding it difficult to get motivated today and the day is getting away from me so I’m glad my son just asked me if I wanted to do our regular ab workout— it broke my inertia!

    So, I’m going to drink a glass of water to get closer to my habit tracker goal for the day, and accomplish some tasks! I hope everyone is having a good weekend.
  • LaurieWrobo
    LaurieWrobo Posts: 1,481 Member
    Hey Shape Shifters; I'm an empty nester, married 33 years; both me and my husband work remote from home; my son and daughter-in-law moved 4 houses down the street from us and are expecting their first baby - a girl and she will be induced this Tuesday; my youngest son lives in Atlanta,
    GA with his fiancee - they are getting married in September destination wedding in CO - to be married on a mountain
    My husband is Type 1 diabetic from his Stage 1 pancreatic cancer as they removed 2/3 of his pancreas 2 years ago in April. He is currently in remission from pancreatic cancer but has residual effects from chemo - neuropathy in both feet plus other nerve damage issues from herniated disk 11yrs ago
    I'm also dealing with elder parents in assisted living
  • looneycatblue
    looneycatblue Posts: 1,488 Member
    looneycatblue
    Steps, 8/3/24 10,234
  • minstrelofsarcasm
    minstrelofsarcasm Posts: 2,627 Member
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    Team Results
    By Percentage
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    By Pounds
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    Individual Results
    By Percentage
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    By Pounds
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    Team Winners
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    Percentage of Members in the Green!
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  • minstrelofsarcasm
    minstrelofsarcasm Posts: 2,627 Member
    n1bx52w74edw.png
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    Team Results
    By Percentage
    ojohmx8jjchp.png

    By Pounds
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    Individual Results
    By Percentage
    uf3edhzay7lg.png

    By Pounds
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    1o9rthujx5v3.png

    Team Winners
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    Percentage of Members in the Green!
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This discussion has been closed.

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