Thin's In

I thought the quiet weeks—the ones where nothing particularly interesting happened, but the scale still moved—were the hardest blog posts to write. I was wrong. Last week, I posted my blog before weighing in. After publishing it, I went to see Dianne, stepped on the scale, and... Nothing. The scale didn't move. Now, if I'm being completely honest—as I always try to be—I wasn't entirely surprised. It wasn't my best week. There were definitely areas where I could have done bett

Happy July, everyone, and a very Happy Birthday to Dianne! This week's post is being written a little early, as I'll be attending jury duty tomorrow instead of weighing in. While I missed last week's blog, I haven't stopped thinking about the results. Although the scale moved in the wrong direction, I didn't walk away discouraged. Over the past few months, I've noticed a pattern. When my hormones fluctuate, so does the scale—and usually by more than I'd like. After making som

I almost didn't write a blog this week. Not because anything bad happened. Not because Program wasn't working. Honestly, I looked at the calendar and wondered where the week went. Between spending time with friends, hosting speed dating events, volunteering, baking and cooking for work, and trying to keep up with everyday life, the week disappeared before I knew it. It was one of those weeks where every day was busy, every evening had something planned, and suddenly it was ti

After last week’s emotional post and the decision that Grampy would want me to keep going and give Program my all, I knew I needed to find a way to make the journey feel exciting again. In the past, exploring new recipes and experimenting with different foods has helped when Program started to feel repetitive. While that still has its place, this time I realized I needed something more. I needed accountability. I think that’s part of the reason gyms charge membership fees. On

To all my faithful blog readers and supporters of my journey on Program—I apologize for missing last week’s blog post. While I’m unsure how many people noticed, my posts have been becoming increasingly delayed since returning from the cruise and losing my grandfather in February. I’ve been struggling. Not just with his loss, but also with Program and with writing this blog. The previous week, I had lost another pound, which did feel like a small success. This week, however, t

This week was fairly quiet from a Program perspective. No major food experiments. No dramatic moments involving the DMV, questionable zucchini recipes, or voodoo dolls. Just a solid, consistent week that ended with a three-pound loss. Honestly, I think part of what helped was spending the week house sitting and dog sitting at my parents’ house. And I have to give them credit—they were incredibly thoughtful. Knowing I was staying there, they removed all the junk food from the

Program doesn’t have to mean boring food. This week included zucchini boats, one salty disaster, and a six-pound reminder to trust the process. 😄

This week was one of those weeks where, if you looked only at the scale, you’d think the story was simple. But it wasn’t. Because the truth is, this was actually a good Program week. My food was on point. I got my water in. I made sure to exercise. I did the things that matter. And yet, sometimes our bodies decide to write their own version of events. At this point, I’m blaming my hormones because I truly don’t know what else to blame. Something clearly decided to go wildly

One of the interesting things about goals is that we often treat them like finish lines. We pick a number, a date, or an event and tell ourselves, “Once I get there, that’s the goal.” But most successful journeys don’t run on one goal alone. They run on layers of goals. There’s the big goal—the one in the distance guiding everything. And then there are the smaller goals along the way, the ones that keep us motivated when the finish line still feels far off. For me, the big go

This week didn’t come with anything particularly exciting. No big events. No dramatic highs or lows. Just a normal, routine week—which, if I’m being honest, should make this an easy blog to write… and yet, here we are. What did happen? I lost one pound . Not huge, not flashy—but still progress. That said, I would like to take a moment to address whoever is currently in possession of the voodoo doll version of me. First of all—hi. Second—can you kindly remove the pin from my

As I begin Week 39 of this journey, I realized that it doesn’t really matter how many weeks I’ve been doing Program. What matters is the consistency—showing up week after week, learning, growing, and continuing to move forward. This week brought a meaningful win: I lost two more pounds . With Passover and Easter coming to an end, the week was filled with traditions, gatherings, and plenty of opportunities to stray from my routine. Holidays have a way of shifting our schedule

With the holidays coming up—Passover, Easter, and everything in between—it got me thinking about how different this time of year feels on Program compared to before. Holidays have always been centered around food. Not just eating, but traditions . The dishes we look forward to all year. The ones that show up once, maybe twice, and feel special because of it. And if I’m being honest, there are certain foods that I used to love that fall squarely into that category. For me? Cha

Spring is officially here. A wise woman once told me that we tend to forget spring isn’t actually all that warm. March arrives, and we expect Mother Nature to snap her fingers and magically turn it into sundress weather—time to pack away the winter coats and fully embrace the sunshine. Sadly, in New England, that’s not quite how it works. Spring is a process. A slow one. It doesn’t happen overnight. Just the other day, I woke up thinking I’d only need a light jacket by noon.

Week 35 just wrapped up, and it’s time for another episode of My Culinary Journey Through Program . Although I didn’t lose or gain this week, I still had fun in the kitchen trying out four new recipes—all Program-friendly—and wanted to share them. This week, I focused on a very versatile vegetable—one that works across Mexican, Italian, Asian-fusion, American, and more: Spaghetti Squash This winter squash is a highly nutritious vegetable, rich in fiber, vitamins, and antioxid

One of the nicest things about this past week had nothing to do with the scale, the food sheets, or even Program itself. It was the weather. Spring is finally starting to show up. The days are getting a little longer, the temperatures are creeping up, and for the first time in what feels like months, I can walk outside without the air hurting my face. Anyone who lives through a New England winter knows exactly what I mean — that biting cold that makes your eyes water and your

Some weeks on Program come with exciting updates—both in life and on the scale—but this week wasn’t one of them. This was another quiet week. At weigh-in, the scale showed exactly what I already felt the week had been: neutral. No loss, no gain. I stayed the same. And honestly, that felt fitting. It was a heavy week emotionally. We had the funeral for my grandfather, and the days surrounding it were filled with family, friends, memories, and a lot of feelings. When life gets

This week was an emotional roller coaster—but not the fun kind. Not the smooth, engineered kind with safety checks and predictable drops. I’m talking about the pop-up fair kind. The ones assembled in a few hours, probably violating several OSHA guidelines, and leaving you questioning every life choice while strapped in. Ironically, the scale cooperated. I’m officially back to my pre-cruise weight. On paper, that’s a win. Emotionally? This week was heavy. It started Monday nig

This week didn’t come with a big reveal, a dramatic weigh-in, or a feel-good milestone to celebrate. It was one of those quiet, in-between weeks—the kind that can feel boring, uneventful, or even a little discouraging if you’re looking for something exciting to report. But the more I sat with it, the more I realized that these are the weeks that actually matter. The weeks where nothing flashy happens are often the ones where habits are built, routines are reinforced, and real

I started last week on such a positive note after writing the blog—which, unfortunately, ended the moment I hit post . I didn’t set myself up for success after coming back from vacation or in preparation for last weekend’s lovely snowstorm. I skipped grocery shopping entirely, relied on takeout and vending machine snacks for both lunch and dinner, and didn’t drink nearly as much water as I should have. Instead, I downed tea like it was going out of style in an attempt to nurs

I’m back!! And honestly—this was probably one of the best cruises I’ve ever taken. Before I even get into how amazing this cruise was, I have to start with one of my biggest wins: movement. Every single day on this trip, I hit my step goal—and not just once. Most days, I doubled it. Between walking the ship, dancing late into the night, exploring ports, and choosing stairs over elevators whenever possible, the steps added up fast. It didn’t feel like “exercise” at all; it jus