Shape Shifters Team Chat - August 2025
Here is your Team chat room for August 2025. 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 @frankwbrown
Our Team Motivators:
Downsizers: @HorsesRock9999
Mission Slimpossibles - @micaroo4
Weight No More - @BodyTalking and @daria0919
WaistAways - @MaddawgMadsen
Shape Shifters - @LaurieWrobo and @nancyinmiami
HOW IT ALL WORKS: The August challenge runs for five weeks, from August 3rd - August 30th.
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 August on the road! 😎
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The August Week 1 Group Challenge is live and ready to begin on Sunday, Aug 3rd. Please join us for a 2nd week of our successful Partner Walking Challenge! Here's your link:
August Week 1 Group Challenge - Partner Walking Challenge (2nd Week) — MyFitnessPal.com
Find a partner and join us…it's great fun!! See you in the chat thread! LET'S DO THIS!!!
Jessica 😎
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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 FrankWBrown) in the chatroom or in a private message on MFP's mail and let them 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.
Who are our team Motivators?
LaurieWrobo and NancyinMiami are our two motivators. They’re here to answer questions, give suggestions and help with times when you need a little more support!
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 they'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 (in the monthly team chat thread), provide your daily step goal and share 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
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Hello, everyone, and welcome to our new Shape Shifter members! I’m Patrice, a 59 year old woman living in northern Virginia with my husband. Our 23 year old son graduated from college in May so he’s back home doing part-time research work related to his major while looking for a full-time job. Our older son is 24; he lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts, where my husband and I grew up. Most of our family is still in Boston so we frequently travel there to see friends and check in on our aging parents.
My husband and I started our own consulting businesses during the pandemic, when he retired from government national security work and the non-profit health/education organization I worked for downsized from about 20 people to three. Only the executive director, government relations, and office manager work there now, but I still take on contracts with the organization when state leaders request my services in support of children with disabilities, self-advocates, and their families and/or communities.
Right now, I’m about six pounds overweight. So, my short-term goal is to reach a “normal” Body Mass Index (BMI), with a long-term goal of maintaining my weight at 125-130. My highest non-pregnancy weight was 168 pounds, which led me to seek assistance from a nutritionist. She recommended MFP because it has such a comprehensive list of nutrition information in the food database. I joined in December 2019 but it took me a few months to build the habit of logging my meals and exercise. I learned about the F2F group in June 2021 and reached my goal in September 2021. After maintaining the 125-130 target for a year, I slowly gained back 20 pounds when we started socializing more as pandemic restrictions lifted.Now, I think I’ll always need to track my calories since the real work happens in the kitchen and not the gym for me. I enjoy exercising —
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Oops! I hit “Post Reply” before finishing that last thought.
… but I need to eat more fruit, vegetables, and legumes. I’d like to reduce my snacking, too. It’s a new month, with a clean slate. So, I’m eager to restart. 🏁 Best wishes, Shape Shifters!
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Happy Birthday @Krysless2! 🎉🎉🎉
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Hi team Shape Shifters! You have a new member joining. Please welcome @hera1064 😊
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Welcome @hera1064! It’s always great to have new members join our team.
You can bookmark this August Chat page by selecting the “ribbon” icon in the top right corner. It will turn blue when it’s activated and then you can click on your profile photo to find your bookmarks when you need them.
I’m looking forward to getting to know you a bit and hearing about your F2F goals. Please let us know if there’s anything special we can do to encourage and support you!
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Daily step goal: 10,000
🔹Fri 8/1: 14,225
🔹Sat 8/2: 11,4982 -
Hi team!
Little intro: I go by hera1064 (I think), but my name is Sharon. I am 60 years old, have medical issues and refuse to give up. I am challenged by exercising, both physically and mentally. I think I joined MFP a year ago, but had no idea about any of these support groups, so giving it a try. I strictly have logged my food, or tried to, which is a huge challenge and overly time consuming for me.
I am from PA by birth, but a Floridian transplant since 1990. I am a federal agent, now retired after 41 years of service. I retired right before covid ramped up due to an OTJ work accident and sent me down a rabbit hole that I am still coming out of. Between being on lock down nearly 24/7 and no longer doing what I did day in and day out, it kicked me hard!
I will also show my age for those of you who back in the day who may remember dot matrix printers and while employed, I stayed up with the best of them. Work requirements forced me to stay up with technology. Now, well I just laugh at myself at times because I feel like a fish out of water more often than I care to admit. In my defense, we are evolving at the speed of lightning in the world of technology, IMHO.
Please be patient with me as I try to figure all of this out. I did see the spreadsheet referenced above. Because I did not see anyone who had logged anything when looking at it, decided to surf around a bit and nothing more. I also wasn't sure which group I had been put into.
Have a great day! I welcome new friends.
- hera1064
- Sunday
- PW: 345
- CW: 248
- LTD: 100 pounds - give or take (LOL)
Sharon
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Hi again, I missed the assignment…..
User: hera1064
My PW was 248
My CW is 248
Sharon
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@hera1064 hi Sharon and welcome to the group! Just wanted to let you know that we’ve recently formed a book club, and we’d love for you to join us! You can find the Page Turners and Portion Burners page under “Announcements.” Our next read will be a mystery, and we’re taking suggestions! If you have any questions about it, please let me know.
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I would like to join the step challenge- I walk around my neighborhood
Daily Step Goal
8,000/day
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Hey Shape Shifters; I'm the Team Motivator- also, I'm an empty nester, post-menopausal, married 35 years on August 4; both me and my husband work remote from home; my son and daughter-in-law live 4 houses down the street from us with their daughter who is turning 1 this week; my youngest son lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife.
My husband is Type 1 diabetic from his Stage 1 pancreatic cancer as they removed 2/3 of his pancreas 3 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 12yrs ago
I also have an elder father who lives in an assisted living facility by himself and just gave up driving - my mom will be gone for a year in September
I also just endured the loss of my boss in May who was also a great friend to my husband who had been praying for him - saying the rosary every night when he was going through cancer
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I'm going to continue with August step challenge:
daily step goal: 10,000
Favorite place to walk: It's not really my favorite, but this morning I walked at the mall (before all the mall critters came out). During the summer, it's either get out really early, or walk really late, or walk at the [indoor] mall.
Who else is in, besides me and @LaurieWrobo?
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I'll post results of the July step challenge first thing tomorrow.
@angmarie28 hint, hint 😉
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@frankwbrown I'm in for the Step Challenge…10,000 steps a day (already recorded). Yesterday's 3 mile upset my knee, so moving slower and in ten-minute increments today.
Jessica
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Hi Shape Shifters and welcome @AnnaCuesta and @hera1064! I’m Rita (63) retired and currently living in Alaska with DH. I am still, probably always will be, working on consistent movement everyday, portion control and making more nutritionally sound food choices. June and July have been a bit of a challenge but I am still stumbling forward. I joined mfp in February 2024 and this group in September 2024. I’m grateful for the inspiration and support this group provides and looking forward to continuing this journey with everyone.
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@jessicakrall8 @frankwbrown I would like to join the August step challenge with a daily goal of 10000. I walk mostly around my neighborhood.
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Hi,
I thought I would do a brief intro as it seems we have a couple new members this month.
I'm 36, live in Arizona and am a SAHM to my 3 (almost 4!) year old twins.
My weight has always been up and down. My highest ever was around 180lbs when I was around 20 years old, working in fast food. More recently, I peaked at 160ish just about a year ago, following a deep depression after my twins were diagnosed with a genetic disorder that will significantly effect them both physically and cognitively. In this past year, I've lost about 20lbs. I am trying to lose another 10 or so. I am also training for a half marathon in October that I'm trying to get in better shape for.
I'm looking forward to another month with you all!
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8/2-11,396
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Steps
8/2 10,436
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Do you mean Sunday 8/3 10,436?
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Here's the results for week 5 of the Shape Shifter Team's July Step Challenge:
And here's the results for the whole month of July:
† zero step days were not included in computing average and standard deviation above.
Rather than take a simple average, which in this case would be your total steps divided by 35 days, I modified the formula to count only the non-zero-step days. For most people, this will make no difference. But for @FWSWCindy, the computed average & standard deviation is based on only three weeks of steps, not five. So in the future, if you want to take a day off, it won't hurt your average. 🙂
Congratulations to @Zaxa2021, @angmarie28 and @p8m6bwghh9, the top three winners of the Shape Shifter July Step Challenge! And congratulations to our 1st place winner @Zaxa2021 for averaging over 15,000 steps/day! 🥳🍾🎉🎊
(Not to take away from our winners, but you're a winner in my book even if you didn't place in the top three, because you're actively "chasing and pursuing" your own health and wellbeing.)
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I wholeheartedly agree with your closing statement, @frankwbrown —
“Not to take away from our winners, but you're a winner in my book even if you didn't place in the top three, because you're actively "chasing and pursuing" your own health and wellbeing.”
Congratulations to the winners and all the step participants! 🎉🥳🎉
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Hi everyone:
I put this in the Page Turners and Portion Burners page, but in case you didn't see it there: We've had a lot of terrific suggestions for our next read! I've narrowed down the choices to 10 (avoiding books in a series). Take some time to review the titles (you can find them on Goodreads, Amazon, Libby, etc.), and please try to submit your responses by this weekend. I will then tally the votes and we can pick a date for our next meeting! Thanks!
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Sunday, 8/3:
PW: 166.0
CW: 166.2 (hanging in there)
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Yes @frankwbrown I meant 8/3 = 10,436
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