Progress You Don’t Hear Coming

Writing these posts and sharing my journey isn’t always as easy as it might sound. Some weeks bring excitement—like discovering a new potato hack or choosing a cheese stick from CVS instead of giving in to a chocolate bar. Other weeks feel…quiet.

And it’s in those quiet weeks that I find myself stumped. Almost like writer’s block. I’ll sit there staring at my food sheet, replaying the days in my head, searching for a golden nugget worth sharing. Something motivational, honest, and maybe even a little entertaining—something I can re-read when I’m sick of weighing and measuring, to remind myself why I’m doing this.

Week six turned out to be one of those quiet weeks. But as I sat here staring at the Blue Book, it clicked: the third-to-last Behavior Modification Technique.

“Take a few minutes each day to sit quietly and visualize yourself being successful.”

Now, I don’t always do this quietly (music in my headphones is practically required), but I realized I actually do this more often than I thought. I spend plenty of time thinking about Thin’s In, and about what success looks like for me.

And I encourage you to do the same. Use a car ride, a dog walk, or even just a few minutes before bed to reflect. Think about how your week has gone—or what’s coming up. Picture what success on Program looks like to you.

For me, success is getting back to where I was before my sabbatical. It’s feeling confident and sexy again. It’s booking a snorkeling excursion on a cruise and actually looking forward to wearing a real bathing suit—not hiding in a tankini top and capri board shorts.

That’s when I realized something: visualizing success doesn’t have to be some big, formal exercise. Sometimes, it’s built right into the little habits. Planning food sheets, jotting down choices on sticky notes, keeping the Blue Book in my purse—all of those are ways I’m already picturing success, one meal or one day at a time.

Thin’s In and Program isn’t just about long-term goals – getting to Goal and being on Maintenance – it is also about those short-term goals – having a perfect meal, day, week or month. It’s about making it to the next category or having your jeans finally go from a size 20 to a size 18 and not feeling like a Pilsbury crescent roll can.

So maybe week six didn’t come with fireworks or epic potato hacks, but it still came with a win—4 pounds down! Turns out, quiet weeks can be just as powerful as the loud ones. Who knew consistency could be so sneaky?

This week’s loss: 4 pounds

Total loss so far: 27 pounds

Because every post needs a picture - this one just says "Contemplation" and "Meditation" to me.

Credit: Jake Wiseman