The Week the Scale Tested Me

It’s official. I am human.

In life, when things go wrong, sometimes you can pinpoint the exact moment it all unraveled.

Like the first time I left Thin’s In—when I chose to put a guy before myself and before Program. That was the breaking point.

Or even the other day on a date, when one slip of the tongue sealed the deal. The look on his face told me everything: this was going to be a one-and-done situation. Clear, direct, and easy to trace back.

But sometimes? There isn’t a clear culprit.

This week, I gained. Four pounds.

And unlike those other moments in life, I can’t circle one bite, one lick, or one meal and say, “This is where it went wrong.”

Sure—maybe I licked my fingers while frosting cakes. Maybe I slacked a little when it came to measuring meat and shrugged off those extra 0.3 ounces. I know I wasn’t as laser-focused in Week 11 as I had been in those early weeks. But four pounds’ worth? That stings. And it feels less like one choice and more like a series of small, careless ones stacking up.

The scale doesn’t lie. So now the question is: how do I fix it?

The answer isn’t sexy or dramatic. It’s not a magic reset button. The fix is… Program.

The basics.The tools I already know work.

That means drinking exactly 48 ounces of water—not “close enough.” It means giving the scraps to Penny instead of sliding them into my own bowl. It means variety, even if chicken and I aren’t on speaking terms. It might mean skipping the elective list for a while—because while I don’t think a glass of beer here or there caused this gain, maybe those extras have been quietly stacking up too.

Most importantly, it means recommitting to the habits that got me here:

• Planning my food sheet in advance.

• Using sticky notes.

• Writing things down as I eat them, not two days later.

• Keeping HALT and WAIT front and center.

  
  

This week was a step backward, but I’m not quitting. I’m human, and this is part of the journey. I’ll take the lesson, pivot my energy, and keep pushing forward.

Because even if I’m up today, I am not out. And next Wednesday? I’ll be fighting to send those four pounds packing.

If you’ve ever had a week like mine—where the scale doesn’t go your way and you can’t quite pinpoint why—remember this: one gain doesn’t erase all the progress you’ve made. It’s just a reminder to reset, refocus, and keep going. We’re in this together, step by step and pound by pound.

This week’s loss: 0

Total loss so far: 32 pounds