WaistAways Team Chat - December 2024

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Here is your Team chat room for December 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:
Mission Slimpossibles - @19shmoo69
Weight No More - @rachelrjh and @BodyTalking
WaistAways - @MaddawgMadsen
Shape Shifters - @LaurieWrobo and @Cyncia85

HOW IT ALL WORKS: The December challenge runs for five weeks, from November 24th - December 28th.

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 leader board. 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 December on the road!
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Replies

  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,516 Member
    The December Week 1 Group Challenge is open and ready to begin tomorrow, Sunday, Dec. 1st and will run through Saturday, Dec. 7th. Join us for the Hello December Scrabble Challenge, a creative way to close out the year and begin 2025 with renewed motivation for your fitness/health journey! Here's your link:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10928188/december-week-1-group-challenge-hello-december-scrabble-challenge/p1?new=1

    Can't wait to see you in the chat thread! Bring a friend!
    Jessica :blush:
  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,540 Member
    Welcome to December 2024!

    I am Lauren, co-captain along with @ashleycarole86. I am 38 years old and from North Carolina, USA. I have been on a weight loss journey most of my adult life. I have done a lot of the yo-yo thing, losing a lot of weight in 2012 and then gaining it back. Over the last few years, I seem to be gaining and losing the same 10-15 pounds.

    November was a rough month and I gained 2 pounds overall. My husband had sugery and I was stressed for 2 weeks after amd my habits went out the window. My goal for November is to hopefully lose 6-7 pounds by tracking every day, getting 7,000 steps daily, and getting more sleep by not being on my phone in bed. My goal for the end of year weight is 195, so I have to put in some hard work!!

    Some helpful information/tools:

    Posting your daily updates
    We know from experience that posting daily (or as often as you can!) makes a huge difference to your success. Use any format you like to let everyone know how you are doing on your daily goals and habits. You can report on food, exercise, water, sleep, or whatever you are tracking and trying to stick with. While you're there, talk about how you are, ask questions, and if you can answer someone else, please do! Congratulate others, commiserate, enjoy someone's rant, or go ahead and rant yourself. It all helps make the kind of community where we are in each others' heads when the hand is reaching for that off-plan snack, or the couch is feeling way too inviting...

    Weighing in
    Please try to weigh in on time (but don't sweat it if you have to use a different day sometimes)! Put your weigh in at the TOP of a message, so it is clear and easy to find. If you cannot post your weight for whatever reason, you can request a week off, or if you need a longer break, you can be moved to the "Support Team" where you still participate but your weigh-ins will not be part of the weekly tally. This is where members who are ill, on vacation, or just needing a break can hang out for as long as needed.

    The F2F Habit Tracker
    If you want a simple place to track your most important habits, give this a try:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10928143/habit-tracker-december-2024#latest

    So everyone, tell us a bit about you, your goals, what steps you are going to work on. It's fun to know your name and where you live (if you're willing to share that), what brought you here, how your weight loss journey has been, and where you are headed now. We all have information to share, things we can learn, and lean on each other as a team for a successful month!
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,341 Member
    edited November 30
    Happy December everyone! I'm in Australia, so I've reached 1 Dec before the rest of you!

    I'm currently away on a girls weekend, it's so good for my soul but I need to mind my waist lol, we're all foodies.

    Yesterday we went for a 6 mile walk, and I'm hoping to get out again today.

    Edit: this post inspired to get off the couch (everyone else is still asleep) and get out there. The view was worth it!!

  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,540 Member
    Happy December everyone! I'm in Australia, so I've reached 1 Dec before the rest of you!

    I'm currently away on a girls weekend, it's so good for my soul but I need to mind my waist lol, we're all foodies.

    Yesterday we went for a 6 mile walk, and I'm hoping to get out again today.

    Edit: this post inspired to get off the couch (everyone else is still asleep) and get out there. The view was worth it!!

    Did you take any pictures? Have fun!
  • conleywoods
    conleywoods Posts: 995 Member
    Hi! I'm Kristi From Washington state USA. I'm 42, married with 3 kids, 3 dogs and 4 guinea pigs. I work part-time as a school based occupational therapist. This month is my 20th year as an occupational therapist!!! I have just started getting back to weight loss after a long break. I do want to try a few new things. Long sustained calorie deficits don't work for me beyond 10 or 12 weeks. I just get stuck and gain and loose the same 5 lbs after that. I will be trying diet breaks this time. Maybe eat in a deficit for 8 weeks, then at maintenance for 2 weeks and repeat. I also need to exercise smarter. Sometimes I start over exercising and I can't keep up the routine. I need a more sustainable routine. I'm planning to lift weight for my main exercise. With weights I can keep my workouts the same length of time and just lift heavier as opposed to cardio which I end up adding more and more time to get results.

    For this month, my main focus is on logging meals and hitting my calories. I also want to lift weights twice a week.
  • kristaede
    kristaede Posts: 10 Member
    edited December 1
    Sunday
    PW 147.5
    CW 147.5
    Day One
    My goal is to avoid slipping into the mentality that I can just let myself go because it’s a holiday month 🤶
  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,540 Member
    kristaede wrote: »
    Sunday
    PW 147.5
    CW 147.5
    Day One
    My goal is to avoid slipping into the mentality that I can just let myself go because it’s a holiday month 🤶

    Hey there! You were assigned to team downsizers, would you prefer to be on our team waistaways?
  • minstrelofsarcasm
    minstrelofsarcasm Posts: 2,627 Member
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    ~ Important Note about Holidays ~

    Remember that a single meal, even a full day of meals, cannot derail all of your progress!
    We gain weight for a million reasons over a holiday. Rarely is everything gained pure fat.
    If you consume more salt or sugar than usual, your body holds onto water to process it properly.
    If you are stressed or sick or sleep deprived, your body holds onto water due to inflammation.
    Sure, you may have eaten more than you normally would...
    But you also probably spent more time with people who care about you than you normally would.
    You took a well-deserved break.
    And now it's time to get back on it. You know what you gotta do, and you know you're not alone.
    ~ Moderator Ashley (Resident Scientist and Certified Personal Trainer)

    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
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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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  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,540 Member
    Celebrations

    Congrats team on coming in first place for the last week of November!! 🎉

    Big shout out to our top losers @cleaneater80 and @Lyss983 and for the month: @Lyss983 @leni1us @wishfuljune!

    @Kali225 has reach 31 pounds down from her highest weight!

    Great job! 🎉
  • Kali225
    Kali225 Posts: 720 Member
    Woo! I hadn't noticed! But that's nice. I'm a little concerned about holding onto my loss from last week because I have my team end of the year dinner on Tuesday (steakhouse and wine) and the office holiday party on Wed. It should be easy to get my protein goal in, on both those days, but overall may cause some bloat, esp with the alcohol.

    Intro: Hi all! I'm Kay, 30, living in the Boston area and working downtown in finance. I struggle with binge eating and emotional eating, and up until very recently, some tendonitis-like issues in my foot that have made me scared of walking and doing intense workouts. I am slowly but surely getting back up to the level of movement that I prefer. I do my strength and cardio workouts at home. I host some girlfriends (mostly virtually, sometimes 1-2 people in person in my living room) for a dance cardio workout each week, and then a subset of that group also tries to Zoom on Thursdays for a strength workout (everyone does their own but we gab throughout). I'm also starting to look forward to Yoga With Adriene's annual 30 day yoga journey, which happens each January on Youtube.

    Also very excited to be heading home to Long Island (NY) the middle/end of this month for the holidays.
  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,540 Member
    I had a rough day today. Yesterday evening my cough returned and then woke up short of breath and wheezy. I think I now have bronchitis and have an appointment with my PCP tomorrow.

    Discussion question:
    Do you eat snacks in addition to your meals? If so, what do you like to eat?

    I don't typically snack, but if I do, it is usually a greek yogurt or protein bar.

    Also we have some new (and returning) members joining us this round, so how about a getting to know you question:

    What do you like to do for fun or what are some of your hobbies?

    I have been getting into crocheting recently. I am making little stockings for my coworkers currently. I also made stuffed animals for my nieces and characters/items from video games my husband likes. Plus, it keeps my hands occupied so I don't snack mindlessly 😂

    I also enjoy puzzles and have been working on the couch 2 5k program which is fun to see progress!

    ( @StayFITTer )
  • leni1us
    leni1us Posts: 884 Member
    Hello everyone. My name is Lennie, I’m 5’2”, 65 years old and I live in California. I'm retired with my husband and an 12-year-old Boxer. I have two adult children that no longer live at home, so my husband and I are empty nesters. I love animals and volunteer at our local animal shelter. My husband and I love to travel. We love good food and good wine. That's how I ended up at my highest weight of 179. I am a returning member and really want to focus on getting healthy. I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol – not a good combination. I need to work on good eating habits, change my diet and figure out how to enjoy life and stay healthy. I’ve been able to drop 20 lbs. so far but I still have a ways to go. I've joined a local gym and I look forward to hearing about everyone's journey to living their best life. Let's end this year with a bang!!
  • StayFITTer
    StayFITTer Posts: 968 Member
    edited December 2
    Discussion question:
    Do you eat snacks in addition to your meals? If so, what do you like to eat?


    I do snack or graze. I love almonds and apples, or if I can make PB with PBFit I’ll do that too.

    Also when I have time, I like to make plain yogurt and add stevia with other frozen fresh and fresh fruit and nuts. My goal is to limit added sugar when possible so I try to eat as close to the ground or non-processed when I can.

    What do you like to do for fun or what are some of your hobbies?
    Fun? 🤔 *sigh* Umm well. Every Friday I go to the library and hang out for hours. It is my sabbath. I read something everyday. I use the kindle app on my phone or some book I own or check out. I’m a non-fiction girl. So I think studying and learning something new is very fun. I also Bullet Journal/hand draw my calendar every week/month and I engaged in weekly and monthly reflection.

    But if I were to have a hobby like before the pandemic—I would love to start making kombucha again and experimenting with essential oils or like making my own natural products like deodorant or body wash.

    Thank you for the tag and your faithfulness to our team @lauren_989
    I also hope you get better soon and start feeling more like yourself again.

    @leni1us Welcome back and thanks for sharing your journey with us. Congrats on being down 20lbs and making moves to get in alignment with your goals. I’m trying to maintain the 20lb weight release I made this year, but it’s been challenging since the summer to now. But I love learning through the ups and downs and trying to capture every moment so I can unlock the key for me.

  • strong_fit_ells
    strong_fit_ells Posts: 156 Member
    Good morning Waistaways :smiley:

    CW 244.6lbs - sadly fake gain because it is time of the month :disappointed:

    Back to basics:
    * minimum 10,000 steps a day
    * minimum 3 litres of water a day
    * stick to my preplanned meals and calories
    * minimum 3 strength training workouts a week
    * a small jog while I'll take my dog for a walk

    I just don't understand :disappointed:
    I want this weight loss so much, why can't I just do it?? Why do I sabotage myself all the time :tired_face:

    Anyway, here we go again :wink:

    I am Ellie, 46 years old. I am married and I have 3 teenage boys. I live in United Kingdom :smiley:

    Happy December Waistaways!

  • leni1us
    leni1us Posts: 884 Member
    @lauren_989 I'm going to need a pass for this weeks Friday weigh-in (12/6). I'll be on vacation from this Wednesday to next Tuesday. I'll weigh in as usual on Friday the 13th (wasn't that a movie?). Thanks.
  • Lyss983
    Lyss983 Posts: 60 Member
    Previous Weight: 154.8 lbs
    Current Weight: 156.0 lbs

    I opted to go to maintenance calories for Thanksgiving through last night (when the last of the leftovers was finished) and back to my standard deficit. No regrets, the food was delicious <3
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,341 Member
    @lauren_989 I’m envious of your talent, I want to learn to crochet! I have he equipment, but the YouTube vids I’ve watched just haven’t gotten through, I need to find someone to show me in-person. Maybe that can be a new year’s resolution!

    Congrats on the win for last week!!


    Hi @tim_1383 ! I just joined the challenge too :)

    Hi @conleywoods, my best friend just got qualified as an OT, I’m so proud of her! She’s going to be amazing.
    I’m with you on needing to start more lifting heavy. I’ve been doing pilates which has been very beneficial, but the goal is definitely lifting.

    I tried to post the pic of the view from my walk, but my internet was patchy – here it is! Stunning, and oh, so Aussie haha.

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    Anyway, I just got back from a girls weekend down the coast, and it was do good for my soul, and not too bad for the scale, surprisingly! I mean, I’m up, but I’m hoping to be down by tomorrow’s weigh in because my fingers are puffy, so I’m blaming water weight.

    Things are a bit crazed at home at the moment, but I'm going to try not to let that derail me, rather I'm going to seek control and balance where I can, and that means food and exercise. It's cool and rainy here today, so I might take advantage of that while I can and get a short hike in after work.

    It was very gratifying to go walking with my girlfriends and have one of them point out how much fitter I am now!

  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,540 Member
    @Alatariel75 I had a crochet kit for several years, tried to teach myself via youtube (I can knit, how hard can it be to learn to crochet?), however that was a fail. I ended up finding a crocheting and knitting class at a local yarn store. I did this for about a month or 2 to learn the different techniques and stitches along with doing 2 projects. In person was the way to go! Also that picture is beautiful! I have always wanted to visit Australia, but I am VERY afraid of spiders and here that Australia can have LARGE ones!

    @conleywoods as you can tell from her post, @Lyss983 will also have planned maintenance breaks. The key to remember is that it is maintenance calories, which is about 500ish more than your deficit...not eating like you used to (at least that's what I am trying to tell myself haha)

    @leni1us enjoy your vacation! Are you going anywhere fun?

    @tim_1383 were you able to get into the December discussion thread?

    @strong_fit_ells have you thought about talking to a therapist at all? I did this about a year ago and it helped me gain some clarity on my self-sabotaging and things that I can do instead of going to food/eating. Having a plan at work, a plan at home, for the different environments I am in.

    Well, I saw my PCP today and I have pneumonia. So now I am on 2 antibiotics and steroids. Hopefully I will feel better soon. Not too much movement over the past 2 days, but I am ok with that. I need to listen to my body and rest. I didn't sleep well at all last night from the prednisone and coughing, so I'm hoping I can sleep better tonight.
  • StayFITTer
    StayFITTer Posts: 968 Member

    11/30/24 (12/2/24)
    Weigh In Day: SATURDAY
    PW (Previous Weight): 171.6
    CW (Current Weight): 171.0
  • conleywoods
    conleywoods Posts: 995 Member
    Hope everyone is having a good Monday. The last few days have been good. I'm logging food and staying in my calories. Happy with my progress so far.

    I do eat snacks. My husband and I like to have a snack in the evening. I budget my snack in ahead of time. Go to snacks are popcorn, cheese/crackers/fruit, fruit parfaits, peanut butter toast or cereal.

    I like to do crafting things. I like to sew for my guinea pigs cage. I also have some blankets I'm making the kids for Christmas. I've been using resin lately to make the alphabet for work. I need to work on my Christmas themed ones soon. I like outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking and snowshoeing.
  • Kali225
    Kali225 Posts: 720 Member
    @lauren_989 so sorry that you have pneumonia! that is the worst. go easy!

    I do usually snack but they are never healthy choices, except for strawberries, which I almost always have on hand. Even when they are out of season and very expensive (!!), they are my 2nd favorite food of all time after potatoes. I can't go without them. I like cheezits and crackers too much. My strategy recently has been to just starting prepping/having dinner earlier, like right when I get home.

    That strategy did work today. I don't know how I did it, but I got up at 5:45am and I was out on a morning walk by 6:10am for the first time in AGES. It was very cold out today but I felt good and warm by the end of my walk. I didn't push myself to workout on top of the walk because I was sooo tired today. To that point, I need to get to sleep.
  • conleywoods
    conleywoods Posts: 995 Member
    @lauren_989 Sorry you are so sick! I hope you start to feel better soon. So true about maintenance calories, not free for all calories. I tracked my calories and my weight for 2 weeks to determine my maintenance calories. They were a lot higher than a lot of the apps calculators. I'm glad I did that to get an accurate number.

    @Alatariel75 That is so great your bestie is an OT! It's the best job ever. I spent my day playing with kids doing christmas playdough kits. I hope she loves it! Sounds like a great girls trip. Love the picture.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,341 Member
    I'm not a huge snacker, but I don't have set rules around when I eat, and if I'm hungry I will snack. Could be anything from pickles and olives, cheese sticks, corn thins, little bits of leftovers, boiled eggs etc. After dinner I always have a little something with my tea,either a couple of squares of dark chocolate or a tub of yogurt.

    Hobbies - food! I make my own smallgoods, and pickles, ferments, relishes. Related to that I have a lovely veggie garden I tend! Hiking/walking is my new one in the last 6 months, I am lucky enough to live 5 minutes from a lovely beach, and less than 10 from national parks with hiking trails, and wetlands with walking trails, so I have choices. I do want to start biking, too. I'm also a reader, jigsaw builder and Lego fan!
  • tim_1383
    tim_1383 Posts: 44 Member
    Hi All!!


    CW:176.6
    PW:176

    My name is Timi. I am 41 and mom to two girls. Absolutely love strength training and can’t do much running due to some ortho issues.my problem is more nutrition related than I think for exercise. I love to eat🙄 and hormone issues to add extra flavor to the problem. Working to add healthy stuff.

    Discussion question:
    Do you eat snacks in addition to your meals? If so, what do you like to eat? I do. Greek yogurt or nuts usually.

    What do you like to do for fun or what are some of your hobbies? I like to design stuff. Have two separate Etsy Shops for fun or add more stress to life. Loves art and craft with kids.

    @Alatariel75 : Hi!! So glad to start this with you. Beautiful pic.

    Lauren: oh no!! Hope you feel better super soon. I am finally able to join in the group.

    @strong_fit_ells : Ah!! I hear you. I am the same way. I loose and then gain back so fast like breathing air.

    Kay: you are blessed to have such a good friend group. Make it way joyful. Gr8 job in loosing 31lb. Congrats.

    Leni: 20lb gone and I hope you keep loosing till your goal weight. Keep crushing it.

    Today, I almost hit my 10k step goal. I Better try next time. Struggling with logging food.

  • Gidgitgoescrzy
    Gidgitgoescrzy Posts: 297 Member
    edited December 3
    So I have made the decision to take the month of December off from weighing in, I've been killing it with exercise, and it has caused my weight to increase, so although I am not taking December to goof off, I am taking it to not worry about the scale, I like the way exercise makes me feel, and with a cruise, and the holidays, I am afraid my eating will not be great, so I feel like I should make exercise a priority instead of diet, which means I can't look at the scale, cause it will just get me upset. So I'm still going to be around just not weighing in.


    I finished the Down Dog challenge in November, I did a practice every day. I won a prize too, and since I don't know anyone who will actually use it, I would like to offer it to one of you. It is a 3-month membership to the down dog apps, they have a few, Yoga, Pilates, meditation, workout (hiit), and barre. You can use all of them with the one log in. They are all completely customizable, like hiit you can tell it you want to use weights, or resistance band, or no equipment, etc. So if you like working out at home, and looking for a good app, take a look and let me know if you might want the 3 months.

    Oh actually I just looked at it and anyone can get it free for the month of December with no credit card needed. So yeah, you should definitely give it a try.

    https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=a4eb1be94a1f3f6b4e5ade2e3238abe247dd6b527e8e7c8c96eb310e1145c632JmltdHM9MTczMzE4NDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=0355cbd8-93da-6bd4-00b2-dee892436aa5&psq=downdog+app&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZG93bmRvZ2FwcC5jb20v&ntb=1
  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,540 Member
    PW: 201.2
    CW: 202.8

    I have been eating well even though I'm sick, but I think the prednisone is causing me to retain water. Also not sleeping well at all. I read through everyone's posts today, but am not feeling the best, so this reply is short.

    Also wanted to say @bowens1973 and @ashleycarole86 I have been thinking about y'all! 🥰