The September Week 1 Group Challenge is open and ready to begin on Sunday, August 31st. This week, we're working on Meal Planning, a great opportunity to work on your Prep Methods and share tips with others on the team. Here's your link:

September Week 1 Group Challenge - Meal Planning — MyFitnessPal.com

See you in the chat thread!

Jessica 😀

@minstrelofsarcasm my starting weight for September is 183.2 lbs. I will weigh in on Saturdays

@melaniedscott I would like to join back the steps challenge, daily goal of 10000 steps

Hello September! The new text editor and I are not friends, and my super long introduction post's format is no longer supported, so we're gonna write this over again from scratch and then copy and paste the new intro month after month…

ANYWAY

Hi, I'm Ashley! I'm one of your captains here for Team Weight No More. I am also one of the Moderators for the Fat2Fit group, so let's just say I keep plenty busy. If there are any questions or concerns or things you need, I'm your girl!

Here's the Basics…

Name: Ashley

Age: 30

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Ohio, USA

Occupation: Chemical Engineer and Intellectual Property Manager by day, and Certified Personal Trainer by early morning/late evening (since November 2023!)

Height: 5'7"

Highest Weight: 234lbs

Current Weight: 182lbs

Lowest Weight: 6lb 10oz (August 28th, 1995)

Lowest Adult Weight: 155lbs (although there were some heavy ED vibes, so I wouldn't romanticize that time of my life too much)

Medical Diagnosis: Multiple Sclerosis

My (Abbreviated) Health Journey…

I've struggled with my health my entire life, spent a lot of my childhood in and out of hospitals, all that fun stuff. I also grew up in a Clean Plates Club™ household, around people who taught me how to eat my feelings (my delicious, delicious feelings) and were not fond of physical activity or spending time outside. Needless to say, this resulted in an unhealthy relationship with food, a distaste for exercise, and being uncomfortably overweight.

Around the time I graduated from college, a doctor told me that I was on the verge of being pre-diabetic. As a child of a type 2 diabetic who did not take good care of himself, this terrified me. The same week I started my first "big girl job", I took my first spin class. Little did I know it would be the first of over 1200 spin classes (and counting!). Even littler did I know that it would lead to me attending bootcamps, trying out every fitness studio in the area, and eventually getting my personal training certification. And now? Now I coach group fitness classes (approx. 8 classes every week), have a personal trainer of my own, and design my own workouts.

This isn't to say that all the results I've reached are from exercise alone. I've established healthier eating habits, begun drinking more water, getting better sleep, and giving myself proper time to recover. From experience, I can say that your shape is determined by how you move, but your size is determined by what you consume. At over 180 lbs, I am more comfortably wearing clothing that I bought when I was "skinny-fat" at 160 lbs - I have more muscle, less fat, and noticeable muscle definition. That number on the scale is not a sign of health, just a measure of how much mass you have.

I have struggled against an eating disorder, an exercise addiction, a multiple sclerosis diagnosis (which still shapes my life to this day), long-term international travel, frequent work trips, dramatic break-ups, the general dating scene, debilitating health complications, family drama, holidays… whatever you're experiencing, know that you are not alone in your struggles. Whatever your situation, things are not hopeless, even when they feel like they are.

Hi all,

My chosen weigh in date is Sundays but I didnt see my group assignment until this am. I did weigh in yesterday though!

Starting weight: 170.9

Goal Weight: 140

Goal Weight for Sept: 165

Happy to be here!

I realise I didn't find myself in the challenge last month so I want to leave the challenge for September and to stick only to topics that go more with my goals: running and walking as my ultimate goal is to run long distances again.

Good luck everyone and success with your goals.

For the matter of statistics: Sunday 75.4 kg

Back again after several months of ghosting the group!

I'm Emery - non-binary, 39 years old, 5'6", acupuncture researcher, and training for my first marathon in October!

Weigh in day: Friday

PW: 174.4 (8/29/25)

Step challenge: 6000 steps/day

Participate in the weekly challenges at least once weekly.

Weigh in day: Monday (oops it's Tuesday)

CW: 270.9 lbs
PW: 270.7 lbs

Holy moly, how is it September already?

I expected to be up a bit this week. We had a big family dinner on Saturday ahead of my sister's wedding next weekend, and ate lots of delicious food, and there was cake. My weight might be on the higher side for a week or two with all of that going on, but I am going to try to keep the sweets to a minimum this week and hold off for the lovely dinner and cake on Saturday.

Ankle tendinitis/plantar fasciitis symptoms continue. I hope the physio sessions I'm doing will help in the long run.

Steps - Week of Aug 24-30

S-7127
M-6527
T-8549
W-7010
T-7982
F-7507
S-8466

my son was married on Friday, so we had a lot going on Thurs and Fri. I danced as much as I could with my back hurting. I did pay for it when it was time for bed, I was in so much pain. I do start physical therapy tomorrow so hopefully that will help relieve the soreness after the surgery. I did walk on the treadmill yesterday and today. I am going to try to get that in my routine at least 4-5 days a week is my plan. Not sure what my bodies plan will be. I am in the process of trying to find a new job. I am supposed to go back on Monday. I am becoming physically sick every time I think about it. So I hope I get something quick.

@jennyell85 - Sounds like you've got the right strategy in mind; moderation is everything! I don't know about you, but I grew up with the mindset of needing to "try everything" which led to me eating a ton of desserts that were not worth my time, energy, or calories. It's difficult pushing past that mindset, but it's so rewarding when I can truly prioritize which foods are going to serve me best (from a nutrition and/or happiness perspective)

@ljdanny - Sending you so much support! Finding a new job is rough right now, but I am sure there's something out there that's a better fit for you than your current role. And I hope your body calms down soon, that has to be frustrating!

@kakemery - What kinds of strategies do you think would help you stick to healthier habits? Do you have a plan in mind to reach your goals?

@BodyTalking - Absolutely valid. Are you planning on weighing in later this week, or should I excuse you for this week?

Amazing that your strength is improving. Imo, the most important part of getting and staying fit are those types of experiences- being able to do those functional everyday things in life with ease. Moving a washer full of water is no easy task! Great work!

Hopefully your mood improves today. It does have a lot to do with getting fit, at least for me. When my mood is off, my goals become much harder for me. Good job sticking with things, even when feeling off.

@purple1butterfly - Love that you're noticing shifts in your strength!! It's such a subtle thing, changing little bits at a time, but when you notice it… that's when the accomplishment really sets in. Way to go!

@kakemery - Stress eating is so incredibly relatable. My feelings are delicious, why wouldn't I eat them? What kinds of swaps do you normally make in your diet? Are you the rice cake + peanut butter type, or veggies + hummus, or…?

Alright folks, we are missing a LOT of weigh-ins for this week. If you are new, the weight you registered with is NOT your weigh-in for Week 1 and you must submit your weight for this week.

If you cannot weigh-in for some reason, let me know and I will excuse you for the week. If you need to take a break longer than a week or two, let me know and I can move you to the Support Team (you will still be part of the team, but this is a good way to take a break without impacting our team numbers)

If you do not provide a weight and also do not request to be excused for two weeks in a row, you will be dropped from the team.

Here's who I am missing:

Sunday: @BeeSoBlessed and @BodyTalking

Monday: @busoxnardmg @CassieGetsFit2013 @Pearla14 @rockitfree and @seesaw1977

Wednesday: @blessedgrandma5 and @Linette1234

Thursday: @ljdanny

Here's who I am expecting updates from today:

Friday: @JenSamuel94 and @cedarfoxy

Here's who I am expecting updates from tomorrow:

Saturday: @Emilienewme and @marlalynns6304

Our Current Support Team - Let me know if you're ready to return!

@andja87 @daria0919 @melaniedscott @Laurabb99 and @Zumba_Luvah

Results are tabulated on Sunday mornings, I post them on Sunday afternoons. If you want your weight to count for the week, make sure you get it posted BEFORE Sunday morning (usually around 9am EST). Weighing in after results are calculated just means that your numbers do not contribute to the results for the week and you are not eligible for the leaderboards.

Emery (cedarfoxy)

Weigh in day: Friday

PW: 174.4 (8/29/25)

CW: 173.6 (9/5/25)