Rachel Thompson

I have spent years testing spreadsheet-based weight trackers, and the debate between Google Sheets and Excel for tracking weight and measurements comes down to how you work. Some people want a free cloud tracker they can open on any phone, while others want a desktop powerhouse with advanced formulas and charts. This guide breaks down … Read more

Tracking your weight in a spreadsheet gives you full control over your data, your formulas, and your privacy. Unlike subscription apps that lock your history behind a paywall, an Excel weight tracker lives on your computer and works the way you want it to. I have built dozens of these spreadsheets over the years for … Read more

I built my first Google Sheets weight tracker during a frustrating plateau three years ago. After weeks of staring at raw numbers in a column, I gave up. The numbers told me nothing about whether I was making real progress. Everything changed when I added an automatic progress chart. The chart updated itself every time … Read more

I’ve lost 38 pounds over the past 11 months, and I built my own weight loss tracker in Google Sheets to do it. In this step-by-step guide, I’ll show you exactly how to build a weight-loss tracker in Google Sheets using formulas, charts, and conditional formatting so you can stop guessing and start seeing real … Read more

Last spring, I spent an entire Sunday afternoon searching through browser bookmarks, dog-eared cookbooks, and a Notes app graveyard trying to remember where I saved my chili recipe. That was the moment I decided to build a single home for every recipe I cook and a weekly meal plan that actually pulls from it. Two … Read more

If you have ever ended up eating the same bowl of pasta with jarred sauce three nights in a row, you are not alone. Most people who try plant-based eating run into the same wall: Monday’s enthusiasm crashes into Wednesday’s exhaustion. That is exactly why learning how to plan vegetarian meals for a full week … Read more

Figuring out how to plan meals when you eat out several times a week can feel like a losing game. I used to cook a beautiful Sunday meal prep, only to toss out wilted greens by Thursday because lunch meetings, date nights, and spontaneous takeout kept me away from my own kitchen. If that sounds … Read more

Staring at the fridge at 5:30 PM asking “what’s for dinner?” used to be my nightly ritual. Then I learned how to sync my meal plan with my calendar and prep reminders, and that question basically disappeared. After 90 days of using a calendar-based system across two phones, a shared family iPad, and a desktop, … Read more

Yes, meal prep breakfasts you’ll actually eat are possible when you build variety into the rotation from day one. After testing 4 weeks of breakfast prep with my family, I’ve learned that the secret isn’t cooking 5 days of one recipe. It’s cooking 2 to 3 base recipes and rotating flavor toppings so your brain … Read more

Most workdays start the same way: you sprint out the door, skip breakfast, and by noon you are standing in front of a vending machine or a takeout app. I lived that loop for two years before I built a grab-and-go lunch system that takes the decision out of my mornings and keeps my weight … Read more