"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you." - Fred Devito

This week has been a tough one for me. I've struggled in week two with stress, anxiety and wicked cravings for chocolate. All women know "that week" once a month where we become an emotional mess, which always leads me down the path of feeling depressed about how I look and burying those feelings in ice cream and cake. But not this time. This time I simply...struggled. I didn't give into the cravings, which essentially made me feel like I was crawling out of my skin. Throw in my youngest son being diagnosed with Lyme Disease and my ex-MIL passing away, and it was a week frought with stress. I can feel that my size large shirts are becoming looser. But I beat myself up looking at the scale. Like it's taunting me. My weight fluctuated all week long. At first I had lost 2.5 pounds this week on Nutrisystem, only to end up gaining it back (even though I continued to eat the way I should.) Thank goodness for friends like Teri from Beautiful Makeup Search, who is also on the Nutrisystem weight loss program. I would email her about my struggles, about how I was putting myself to bed early just to avoid raiding the refrigerator, etc. That's also how I discovered that my shipment had come with an old Daily Planner that showed that a Nutrisystem dessert was to be eaten as an afternoon and evening snack. She directed me to the awesome app Nutrisystem has (free) and that not only showed that a SmartCarb should be eaten for the afternoon snack, but how many calories I'm taking in per day, a list of grocery items that fit into PowerFuel and SmartCarb, as well as logging my exercise, weight, measurements, etc. The app is super helpful! I'm glad I toughed it out through the cravings, but it definitely showed me that anxiety and stress play a major factor in my comfort food snacking. I would definitely love to hear your suggestions on how to make it through this without going crazy. So in week two, no weight was lost, however when logging my measurements into the Nutrisystem app this morning I realized that I have lost 8 inches since I started. While I know I should be thrilled, I'm still disappointed not seeing the pounds drop off when I am eating a much lower calorie count, exercising and eating healthier than ever before. What have your weight loss challenges been so far and how have you overcome them? Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog. Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest and check us out on Instagram and G+. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too! Shannon on G+ *Disclosure: Sponsored