Jenny Craig is causing depression. Help?

I tried NutriSystem many many years ago. The prepackaged meals weren't too bad and there were even yummy brownies. But not a lot of fresh, real food. I knew I was done when someone walked by with a plate of tuna salad and I started salivating like it was an ice cream sundae.

I know for me to be successful I have to be able to make the food I want, and have lots of fresh, whole foods. MFP is working great for me so far and I get to decide what is on the menu each day. And I drink alcohol ;-).

I would consider stopping that program, and (assuming you are not under direct medical pressure to lose weight) I would take a diet break entirely.

Do you have a professional that you can talk to about this, like a doctor or therapist?

I don't mean to sound like an alarmist, but it sounds like you're having some unhealthy food issues that you might want to get control over sooner rather than later.

Good luck.

It's not a side affect of the diet. It's that you're letting the diet run your life. You're focussed on it so much that you're starting to miss out on other, normal things because you don't want to stray from your "plan". Even on a fixed diet plan like that, there's always wiggle room. Like, you don't have to completely give up drinking. You could even just substitute red wine, which is lower in sugar and is actually good for you. Just stop being so hard on yourself, and you'll be fine. If nothing get's better, i'd recommend seeing a therapist as the problems could run deeper. Good luck and I hope this helped a little

You need to be doing something you can maintain for a lifetime, not just a temporary diet, It sounds very unhealthy for you emotionally, try counting calories then you can allow yourself anything in moderation. That is much more sustainable. Maybe consult with a nutritionist (one who isn't selling you anything) to come up with a good balance for your goals.

December 2, 2010 I was at 212 pounds.......11/25/2011 158.5

I don't know how many people in this world whose "natural/normal" diet ONLY consists of eating what someone else made, loaded with chemicals, packaged and shipped from a FACTORY.

This is only an opinion here but NO WONDER you're feeling down about this! Do you seriously see yourself eating like this for the rest of your life? And let's talk about the here and now~ you obviously are feeling like some sort of "freak" or "oddity" in your present life......"No, I can't go to lunch with the girls and order a nice salad with grilled chicken and enjoy your company because I have to eat from a BOX".

Again, my opinion only, diets like Jenny and Nutrisystem are very drastic and life altering for some people. You can still follow a healthy eating plan, including alcohol (sorry, does NOT include BINGE drinking festivals) and "blend in" with the rest of your world.

Consider checking out the diaries of some of the more succesful MFP folks and get some ideas for REAL food plan and get yourself OUT of the box!! (don't forget exercise!)

The very best of luck to you.

I've never tried any purchased diet plans/meals like this, but I went through a spell in college with very disordered eating. It started with innocent calorie counting. There was nothing 'wrong' with what I was doing. I always ate enough food, and never even teetered into starvation. From the outside, I'm sure it appeared just fine because I wasn't doing anything physically bad.

Mentally, I turned into a mess. I OBSESSED over calories and counting. I never wanted to continually lower my calories (which I think is a typical issue people run into), I just couldn't think about anything else. For me, I became so overtaken with counting calories, I ultimately started to fail and eat over my limit (even if I wasn't hungry - I think it was some power struggle thing, but I don't know). Then I'd feel incredibly guilty and awful and fat and worthless etc. and then I'd go eat more. I honestly believe that this contributed in my road to binge eating. I never purged, but I would binge like crazy. It turned into some mentally twisted game where after several 4000 calorie days I'd promise myself to diligently count again. I would for a few days, maybe a week and then ultimately binge again. I felt awful.

I probably should have sought out professional help, but I didn't. I think maybe because I only thought that anorexia and bulimia were eating disorders, that I would be looked at as silly for talking to my doctor about my problem since it wasn't either of those. Did I have an eating disorder? Maybe not, but I had very disordered eating. The only thing that got me out of it, was coming home from college, which put me in a new environment, forgetting about calories all together (because even when binging, dieting was on my mind), and just trying to be active and happy. I probably gained a little weight in this time (5-8lbs) but it was so worth it, and I lost it later (without counting calories!) I'm not sure how helpful this is, but I just wanted to let you know you're not the only one who goes through something of this nature I honestly refuse to count calories ever again, because I think it's just a slippery slope for me. (I'm actually toeing into the paleo thing which just says eat meats, veggies, fruits, nuts/oils whenever hungry, but I'm not sure I'll ever go at it 100% I'm probably 80% paleo because I don't want to tell myself "you cannot eat grains." I don't even want them that much because they make me feel lethargic and bloated, but when I crave a half a bagel, darn it I'm going to eat it!)

Anyhow, best of luck - and know you're not alone! I wish I could offer real help, but I'm certainly not qualified for that!

To me it is a math game...calories intake opposed to calories burned. Eat, Drink and burn up the calories....Myfitnesspal.com works for me.

I'm very happy to know this, and that it's working so well for you, because every diet I've ever tried makes me obsessive about food. It's hard enough burning off what I eat even with exercise, but at least that means I mostly get to eat what I want!

And yes- I don't think this is a Jenny Craig issue either - im sure it can be a great program that works for many. I think it's a mentality that can develop no matter you're doing. Anything that is strict/regimented I think can lead to it. I also know that very addictive personalities and OCD run in my family. (usually with alcohol - which I don't see as an excuse for them, but I do think addictive mentalities can run in families- learned or otherwise.. Sort of irrelevant to me how it happens). Just to clarify I'm not bashing on Jenny Craig