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This article highlights my journey with Jenny Craig for the week of March 20-26
I'm a creature of habit. I don't like surprises. I like to live by a relative schedule and I like to have things in order. And when they're not ... anxiety takes over.
So when the stay-at-home orders began as the coronavirus spread throughout the United States and schools from preschools to colleges shut down our world, like everyone else's, was turned upside down. Our "school year" family of 3, became a family of 5 once again as the twins returned home from college early, and my home reflected it.
Dishes were everywhere, miscellaneous socks and sweatshirts were strewn across furniture, and the laundry room was on overload. Throw in the fact that I could not keep enough food I the house to keep these three grown kids bellies sated because the delivery services were now taking up to five days before they could deliver our groceries... Let’s just say life was pretty chaotic around here.
And then there were the arguments, and the anger because we wouldn't let the kids go anywhere. They didn't get the severity of the situation yet, and their stress and grief became everyone's and we were all beginning to get a little cranky as we adjusted to our new normal.
I feared I would begin to experience panic attacks. They're often hard to stave off when I'm feeling out of control, and this situation was definitely beginning to feel out of control. I often look for comfort in food at these times, as somehow after a panic attack a big bowl of chocolate ice cream will make everything feel better (at least it had in the past).
But I didn't have a panic attack, and I was able to keep the anxiety at bay. I didn't reach for the ice cream, or the chips or the Oreos. Why?
Well, medication helps. I suffer from bipolar disorder and anxiety, and I need to take medication daily. But even on the best of medication, I've been known to struggle. And being cooped up in the house with one other adult and three nearly-adult children, with an air of fear and uncertainty lingering over us was definitely threatening my ability to function. But you know what helped me stay in control?
Mealtime routines.
It might sound crazy, but because I was on Week 6 of Jenny Craig, I had a pretty set routine around my eating:
- 7:30 a.m.: Coffee
- 8:30 a.m.: Breakfast
- 11:30 p.m.: Morning Snack
- 1:30 p.m.: Lunch
- 3:30 p.m.: Afternoon Snack
- 6:30 p.m.: Dinner
- 7:30 p.m.: Nighttime Snack
And because Jenny Craig was committed to finding ways to ensure their members could continue on their Rapid Results Programs despite the COVID-19 Crisis, there wasn't a single break in my routine. Food arrived on time, my Friday afternoon calls from Norma continued as usual, and at a time when groceries were hard to come by, I didn't have to worry about turning to junk food when my Jenny Craig meals and snacks ran out, because they NEVER DID. No delays. Nothing.
This week, for me, wasn't as much about the weight loss (I didn't lose any weight, but I didn't gain any either ... **Avg. weight loss 1-2 lbs/week for members following the program) but more about getting through a stressful time without reverting to old habits. So thank you, Jenny Craig, for helping keep a little normalcy in my life during a time that is far from normal.
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This post was sponsored by Jenny Craig but the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
