Week 9- Getting Off The Emotional Roller Coaster Of Stress Eating -Nutrisystem #NSNation #ad

Even when you’re on Nutrisystem there comes a point in time when you have one those weeks where life is full of ups and downs and sometimes, there’s a whole lot more downs than there are ups. You find yourself on the emotional roller coaster of stress eating and for some reason, you just can’t get off the ride.  We’ve all had those days, and maybe even weeks where you feel like you just can’t seem to catch a break and the gallon of ice cream is looking mighty good right about now.  Yep this was me over the last few weeks. With family emergencies and unplanned cross country trips to be handed an unexpected diagnosis of Lyme’s Disease to suddenly your daughter rushed to the hospital and feeling that life was out spiraling out of control and you had no one there to hold your hand, hug you and see you through and let you know you weren’t in all of this alone, the 3 Musketeer Bars in the vending machine were once again your new best friend.  Add in that for the first time in your life when once you were excited over the prospect of walking the red carpet and having dresses fit and then being hit with the fact that the shoes weren’t going to come together, the hair and make-up weren’t going to come together and then taking the moment to be livid with yourself that how you looked in a dress became more important than the real issues of the week-family, and yep, not my most shining of moments to say the least.

So what do you do? Thanks to Nutrisystem and The Leaf, their online support newsletter that happened to have many articles on stress eating and how to overcome it and the counselors that are always there for you no matter what time of the day of night, you slowly remembered that although there may not be that support shoulder to cry on here, you were in no way alone. The tips in the articles seemed so simple, and filled with things that I really already knew but yet it was as if I needed someone to give me permission to act upon them.

The article on Stress Eating in particular really resonated with me:

Keep Notes

Awareness is key: keep track of what you eat, when, how much, and how you’re feeling. Over time, you may see patterns developing that reveal the connection between mood and food. Even easier? Use an online tracker. Try NuMi, Nutrisystem’s FREE online tracking tool that makes it easy to log your food, water, physical activity and weight.

Learn Replacement Techniques

You often know when you’re using food as consolation for a bigger issue. Refocus your attention on what’s really bothering you and, in those moments, try some methods to manage the stress―like deep breathing or meditation.

Think Future

When you’re on the brink of stress eating, take a second to focus on your long-term goals―whether it’s to lose those last 10 pounds, or to be able to run more with the grandkids. Some research suggests that might help you get out of the moment and make healthier choices.

Give Yourself a Break

If you overdo the junk food in a moment of anger, forgive yourself and start fresh. Just try to learn from the setback so you can make a plan for how to deal better in the future.

So I took a moment to take a deep breath, I may have shed a tear or two or three and let go of the things I couldn’t control.  I put down the candy bar, realized there was nothing I could do about the past but I could do something about moving past it and got back to focusing on the future. Then I took the time to look back to those first few weeks where I thought I was up against insurmountable odds and I took a moment to look and see just how far I actually have come in the last two months. And then I channeled my friend Alice in Disney’s Alice Through The Looking Glass, when she said “The only way to believe the impossible is to believe that it is possible, ” and life can and will go on.  

A week has passed and I’ve decided that everyone should fly to Philadelphia and back in 36 hours just once in their life if for no other reason than to have a cheesesteak (yes I had a cheesesteak because being on Nutrisystem teaches you that you can still eat whatever you want, it just doesn’t have to be the whole thing), my daughter is on the road to recovery and my red carpet dress, well sadly there was a glitch with that but not for the reasons you think-it was too big so I had to keep a sweater on all night but as I had that once in a lifetime experience for one brief moment in time when I got to experience something that few do, and I looked around at the 24 wonderful, incredible, talented women that I was with and I looked back at our group picture I realized that each and every one of them had something that I had lost over the past week-confidence. 

So much of this is not about weight loss any more. After so many decades of being a mom and an educator to suddenly finding yourself alone in the world, I’m trying to find who I am, where I fit in and how to tackle the next part of my life on my own and that’s one of the best lessons that have come with this journey-that sometimes being alone may not be preferable but it doesn’t have to be the end. Would I love to have someone there and hug my and hold me and tell me that everything is going to be Ok-who wouldn’t but if it never happens, I’m still going to be all right.

 Plus there are more that a few advantages- I have the remote to myself, I can take walks whenever I want and the responsibility of what I eat begins and ends with me and no one else. And who knows, maybe when this is all said and done, who knows what awaits me in the future but I’m now learning to realize that while I can’t change the happened in the past, I can control today and that’s a good thing.  And as far as my weight, for reasons I can’t begin to understand, remarkably I didn’t gain any weight and while I didn’t lose any this week, tomorrow begins right now.

Want to find out more about Nurtisytem and take your own first steps towards change and a new you? You can find all the information you need and more here:

Nutrisystem Website: www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog

The Leaf: https://leaf.nutrisystem.com

And the Nutrisystem Social Media sites:

• Facebook:   www.Facebook.com/Nutrisystem
• Twitter:       @Nutrisystem
• YouTube:    www.YouTube.com/Nutrisytem

To read about how my journey started:

Week 1 – It’s Time For A Change-My Journey Begins

Week 2- Turbo Takeoff Took It Off

Week 3- It’s All About NuMi

Week 4 – Cruise With Nutrisystem

Week 5 – The Secrets Nutrisystem Doesn’t Tell You

Week 6- When You Fall Off Nutrisystem, It’s Easy To Pick Right Back Up

Week 7-You Can Take It With You

Week 8- It’s What You Gain

Disclosure: I am a Nutrisystem Blogger Ambassador. I have received the food and support for free in exchange for my honest opinions and weekly up-dates. All opinions are 100% my own. No other form of compensation was received.