I don't know about you, but with winter officially here in Chicago, my first thought is -- I'm going to gain so much weight! I'm going to gain weight because it is too cold to be outdoors and I simply sit indoors stuffing my face with comfort foods.

You all know the effects that stress can have on weight loss, right? Well, stress activates the adrenal glands in our bodies. The body's response to stress is then activated by cortisol and adrenaline hormone release; resulting in hormone surges, that inject energy into our bodies. Cortisol tends to hang around for a long while in our bodies when we are stressed AND this hormone increases our appetites. Then we crave sweet, salty, and high-fat foods because they stimulate the brain to release pleasure chemicals that reduce tension. Vicious little cycle, eh?

I have been in this mode for awhile now. I have developed a bad habit of eating once a day and pretty much eating only high carbohydrate foods when I do eat. I am now interrupting this cycle, breaking the stress and stopping the weight gain. I'm not getting any younger and I really want to be as healthy as I was just a few years ago.

How do I plan to get healthy in the New Year?

1. Eat a balanced diet -- and never skip a meal: I developed this really bad habit in high school of not eating during the day - like ever; and I still do it today. I only eat dinner and then snack at night. In truth, I have been depriving my body of necessary calories and nutrients it needs. My body is now in survival mode, storing fat and conserving energy by slowing my metabolism down. I regularly met with a nutritionist to help me figure out what was going on with my weight gain and I found out all of this information.

Since I have not eaten lunch or dinner for the better part of the past 20 years, I really need help in this area. The all-new Turbo10 from Nutrisystem is perfect for getting my healthy eating back on track.  Turbo10 is a four-week program that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks delivered right to my door.

Plus, I will get the all-new Turboshakes™ that are packed with protein plus probiotics to help support digestive health and bust belly bloat. I am really excited about the NutriCrush® shakes since I am used to drinking lattes and frappes all day long. I can't wait to lose (up to) 10 pounds and 5 inches in my first month!

2. Exercise: This is key for me as I constantly say I don't have time to exercise. As a home educating, work-from-home momma, I really do need to carve out some ME time for exercise. My family is going to be fully supportive of this and will give me my privacy and time for exercising.

Exercise will help regulate the amount of insulin released into my body. Exercise will also help me relieve stress ans sleep better. Exercising is key to my weight control because it burns calories. If I burn off more calories than I take in, I will lose weight. It's as simple as that.

3. Sleep: I don't sleep well and haven't for over a decade. Since I am always tired, I crave carbs from the lack of sleep. I will be putting a very strict sleep schedule on myself this year! Early to bed and early to rise will make me healthy and wise!

4. Avoid Caffeine: This will be the hardest for me to give up. I love my coffee and lattes and frappes and soda pop. I fill myself up all day long with caffeine because I don't eat food. This is going to change. I will be eating the healthy Turbo10 from Nutrisystem meals and avoiding caffeine all day long. I'm pretty sure once I completely eliminate caffeine, I will sleep better as well.

I won't have to worry about what to eat for breakfast or lunch any longer as the all-new Turbo10 from Nutrisystem weight loss meal plan has a perfect meal plan already selected for me. Nutrisystem has over 150 foods to select. The meals come delivered right to my door step and are frozen for easy storage. Each meal is balanced with protein, fiber and smart carbs. I won't have to worry about the calories, if it is healthy or how much to eat because Nutrisystem has already figured all of that out for me with their meal delivery plan.

5. Relax: I also happen to think once I am not hopping around from my high caffeine intake, I will be able to relax more as well. Once I relax, I will be able to sleep better as well.

This My 2016 Weight Loss Plans has been compensated by Blog Meets Brand and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NSNation #Turbo10