Losing weight after a breakup
Love-loss and nutrition, why heartbreak affects your appetite — The Be Well Collective
Heartbreak is universal; it is something that will touch every single person at some point in our lifetimes. There are different types of heartbreak that come from the ending of romantic relationships, the dissolution of friendships or the passing of family members. The pain from these events is something that everyone can relate to. In this article the nutritional impacts as a result of romantic heartbreak are discussed.
The Heartbreak Diet
The ‘heartbreak diet’ is used to refer to weight loss that often accompanies a breakup or divorce. The stress from heartbreak creates physiological and physical changes that can often result in a loss of appetite. Specifically, the body produces the hormone epinephrine, (also known as adrenaline) in direct response to the onset of grief. The production of this hormone triggers the body’s fight or flight response, which temporarily suppresses appetite.
However, this is a short-term response to heartbreak. If stress on the body persists long-term, the reverse can also be seen, with many people reporting gaining weight following romantic loss.
Hollywood Heartbreak
The other side of the ‘heartbreak diet’ is the romantic comedy depiction of breakups, which is the image of indulging in comfort foods, such as, ice cream and chocolate. It has been shown that changes in food preferences takes place following a breakup, as a result of the stress hormone cortisol. Emotional distress has been linked to the increased consumption of processed foods that are high in saturated fats and sugar (Chao, 2017). In addition to high cortisol levels, high insulin levels and the ‘hunger hormone’ “ghrelin” have also been found to be elevated, making us biologically biased to reach for sugary snacks during heartbreak.
Apart from stress what other factors play a role in fluctuating weight and nutrition choices following a breakup?
Lack of sleep has also been found to cause hormonal imbalances in the body.
Specifically reduced sleep causes the “fullness hormone” leptin to drop and the “hunger hormone”, grehlin to increase (Becutti, 2011). A Meta-analysis conducted by King’s College London found that partial sleep deprivation resulted in an extra 385 kcal per day being consumed. Going through heartbreak and having changes in daily routines can be unsettling with most individuals reporting changes to their usual sleeping pattern. Sleep has also been found to affect nutrition choices, with a preference for high sugar, high carbohydrate processed foods.
In addition to stress and sleep, alcohol consumption has also been shown to impact nutrition. When experiencing heartbreak most people tend to go out more socially and in turn consume more alcohol than they usually would whilst in a relationship. Alcohol is empty calories with no essential nutrients and similarly to stress and sleep, influences food preferences in favour of high-sugar processed foods. Alcohol is also a depressant and can exacerbate low mood as well as dehydrating the body.
*It should also be noted that gender and individual differences in a person’s stress response would largely affect how they metabolize food in the weeks and months following heartbreak and the factors mentioned above (stress, sleep and alcohol) will vary in their effects from person to person.
During heartbreak, good nutrition is key. The Be Well has provided some practical nutrition tips below that you can implement to stay healthy during the transition of heartbreak:
· Limit your alcohol intake
· Drink plenty of Water
· Incorporate tryptophan rich foods, which take the form of proteins in our diet such as, oily fish, nuts, eggs etc. This will increase the levels of serotonin (the hormone responsible for stabilizing mood and feelings of wellbeing) available in the body.
· Aim for slow releasing carbohydrates, such as brown rice, quinoa and barley that will keep you energized and help to balance blood sugar.
· Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables
· Limit processed foods then tend to contain added sugar & salt.
Get creative and cook from scratch.
· Get plenty of exercise
· Go for dark chocolate or cacao for something sweet. These are high in antioxidants and magnesium.
References
Stress, Cortisol and other appetite – related hormones: Prospective prediction of 6 month changes in food cravings and weight
Ariana M. Chao,Ania M. Jastreboff,Marney A. White,Carlos M. Grilo,Rajita Sinha, March 2017
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.21790
Sleep and Obesity Guglielmo Beccuti & Silvana Pannain, July 2011
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632337/
The Effects of Partial Sleep Deprivation on Energy Balance: A Systematic Review and Meta – Analysis H K Al Khatib 1, S V Harding 1, J Darzi 1, G K Pot, November 2016
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27804960/
About Laura Jennings
After five years working in the corporate world in luxury fashion and technology, Laura trained as a yoga teacher and joined the team at My Method, curating exciting and diverse wellbeing programmes for private clients and corporates.
Laura has a passion for holistic wellbeing and nutrition and has joined the Be Well team to support with content creation, workshop development and more. She is progressing in the world of health and wellness and is continuing her studies, starting a Masters in Nutrition at King's College London in September 2021.
What Really Happens To Your Body When You Go Through A Break Up
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By Daniela Uslan/Updated: March 23, 2018 12:52 pm EST
Let's face it — breaking up sucks. Not only did your relationship end, but you also feel like a crazy person. Some days, it's hard to get out of bed. Others, you have to physically force yourself to put down the phone so you won't call your ex. While it's undeniably hard to break up, it might make you feel better that some of your post-break up "craziness" is just your body's natural response to your break up. Here's what the experts say is really going on.
You experience physical pain
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If you feel like you're in actual pain after a break up, it isn't just you. Dr. Cwanza A. Pinckney, a board certified emergency physician, told me, "After a traumatic emotional event like a break up, your body truly does experience physical pain. Medical research shows that the same pain receptors that are triggered when you break a leg light up just the same after a painful break up. Pain medications have even be used to calm these receptors and blunt the pain response."
Jenev Caddell, psychologist, author, and couples therapist agreed. "'Sticks and stones break my bones but names will never hurt me' may be a rhyme you heard as a kid, but it's completely false," she said. "Research in the past few decades [has] shown us that social and emotional pain DO hurt us; in fact, this kind of pain is registered in the same part of your brain as physical pain. Break ups can therefore be extremely difficult for us to endure, and do have physical effects.
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Licensed Psychologist Marni Amsellem added, "Often when we are feeling stress or emotional hurt, it can manifest in increased sensitivity to physical pain. On the one hand, we have a heightened sensitivity to feeling [negative things] when we are in a negative emotional state, and on the other hand, when stressed, our muscles tense and blood vessels constrict. Our sympathetic nervous system is relied on when we are feeling acute stress."
You go through withdrawal
If you've ever told a friend, "I am going through withdrawal from my ex!" it turns out you actually are. Just like you can experience withdrawal if you quit smoking, you can experience similar symptoms after a break up.
Dr. Pinckney told me, "A break up with an intimate partner can truly elicit withdrawal symptoms that mimic withdrawal off of drugs. Love relationships cause the brain to secrete pleasure producing hormones that feed our internal pleasure and reward system much like heroin or cocaine.
The rapid withdrawal of an intimate partner can cause your body to crave your former partner much like drug addicts crave their drug of choice."
Maybe that's why you're eating so much more ice cream than usual — it's the equivalent of a break up nicotine patch!
You gain or lose weight
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When I broke up with my ex after college, I lost ten pounds without even trying. If you find yourself gaining or losing weight, you're definitely not alone.
Dr. Pinckney explained, "Weight loss and gain is very common after a break up. If you are gaining weight most likely it is the little stress monster in your brain known as cortisol that when over stressed will convince you that you need to devour an entire pizza or chocolate cake because you have to have it."
If you're more like me and tend to lose weight, she explained it this way. "On the reverse side your body is being flooded with adrenaline which essentially overstimulates your cortisol levels but in a great many people the flooding of adrenaline will suppress the appetite and cause weight loss by metabolic stimulation and appetite suppression.
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You get stressed out
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Break ups are incredibly stressful, and that stress can lead to additional problems, as well. Caddell told me, "Stress hormones like cortisol are released, which over time can lead to decreased immune functioning and a lot of other health problems. Your body is essentially weaker after a break up."
Dr. Lynn Anderson, yoga therapist and natural health expert, added, "In survival mode cortisol can be lifesaving. It helps to maintain fluid balance and blood pressure, while regulating body functions that aren't so important when stressed such as reproductive drive, immunity, digestion, and growth. When we are going through a break up we tend to dwell on the issues and this constant producing of cortisol suppresses the immune system, increases blood pressure and blood sugar, and may contribute to obesity. Over the long run this can create severe health issues."
But don't let that stress you out further — instead, be even more intentional about taking care of yourself.
If you feel like going for a massage, go ahead and splurge. It's better that you deal with your stress now than let it get out of control.
Your hormones get out of whack
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Cortisol isn't the only hormone in your body that's acting up, either. Dr. Anderson explained, "Adrenaline and norepinephrine are two hormones that the body produces in the face of stress. Both hormones push the response button by raising your heart rate, tensing your muscles, producing quick short breaths and making you sweat."
She added, "They shift blood and oxygen away from areas that might not be so crucial, like your skin, immune system and vital organs. Often loss of appetite, skin breakouts, headaches, and illness due to ineffective immune responses are the results. What you feel is a rush of tense energy surging through your system, a shortness of breath, foggy thoughts, and a pounding heart."
If you feel tense or overstressed, take a deep breath, meditate, or do something calming for yourself.
You may not be with your ex anymore, but you can still give yourself the love and attention you deserve. Dr. Pinckney told me, "Meditation and breathing [have] been scientifically proven to decrease stress hormones, promote a sense of well being, and help you reconnect to the power within yourself as you go through this time of transition."
You have brain activity that leads to obsessing over your ex
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Have you ever obsessed over your ex without knowing how to stop? I know I have. I was relieved to find out that this is actually a completely normal response to breaking up.
Caddell told me, "Helen Fisher has done a great deal of brain research on love and break ups. She and her team have found that among people in love, there is increased activity in the region of the brain that produces the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is highly related with the brain/body's reward system, focus, and intense interest.
" She went on, "After a break up, this area of your brain also gets activated, so you may be likely to obsess about the person, without any rewards. Anyone who has been in this situation understands how difficult it can be to get out of because you would like to forget the person and move on, but unfortunately, you can't stop thinking about them."
The next time your best friend tells you to "Just get over it," point her to this article and explain that it isn't you being obsessive — it's just your brain reacting normally.
You have brain activity that leads to endless pro and con lists
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Another completely normal (yet very frustrating) thought pattern is making constant mental pro and con lists about your ex. Caddell explained, "Another part of your brain, related to your reward system, that also gets activated after a break up is responsible for calculating all kinds of gains and losses, rewards, and making meaning out of the situation, according to Dr.
Fisher's research (this is called the nucleus accumbens). This has to do with why you are questioning and thinking and weighing all kinds of pros and cons and revisiting history a thousand times in your head."
It can be very painful to constantly revisit the past and ask yourself "What if?" The bottom line is you broke up with your ex for a reason, so try to trust yourself. When rehashing the past gets to be too much, just chalk it up to your nucleus accumbens and take a nice long bath.
You feel lethargic
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Do you ever feel like you can't through the day without multiple naps? After a break up, your body naturally feels more lethargic because it's processing the emotional experience you just had.
Stephen Duclos, certified sex therapist, family therapist, mental health counselor, and rehabilitation counselor, told me, "When we break up with a close relational or sexual partner, we experience a sense of fatigue, as if we have just finished a kind of emotional marathon.
This is our body's way of moving backwards before it can move forward again."
Let yourself indulge in a few extra naps, knowing that your fatigue is temporary and you'll be back to your old energetic self soon.
You feel relieved
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Let's be honest — sometimes a break up brings a natural sense of relief with it, as well. Duclos told me that relief (and guilt about being relieved, are common. "Relationships are complicated. When we uncouple from a troubled relationship, we almost immediately have a sense of relief, which is accompanied by a sense of guilt for feeling relieved of the responsibilities of being in the relationship. Our relief feels irresponsible, with a tinge of shame."
If you feel shame along with your relief, know that your relief is completely normal and understandable. Letting go of the emotional trauma of a failed relationship does bring a sense of relief, because now you have more energy to devote to other things.
How to feel better after a break up
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While it's not simple to start feeling better after a break up, there are things you can do to get through it. Caddell told me in our interview, "Surround yourself with social support, even if all you want to do is isolate. This social support from friends and family do not replace the relationship you had, but can definitely help you cope better and experience a decreased stress response as a result."
In addition, she suggested, "Try something new. Even if you feel like holing yourself up in your room and obsessing about your ex, try to motivate yourself to try something new. Now is a great opportunity to take that dancing class you've always thought about but never done or traveled somewhere you've always wanted to go but never been. Consider it medicine."
If your friends just can't handle hearing you obsess about your ex anymore, Caddell recommended, "Find a therapist to talk these things through with and work them out with.
With your therapist's help, you can develop a narrative and understand meaning around what happened so that you can properly grieve the loss and move on with your life."
This won't last forever
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The physical aftereffects of a break up are painful, but they won't last forever. Soon, you'll be back to your happy, energetic self. Your ex will just be a blip on the radar of your life. Until then, take care of yourself, be patient, and stock up on your favorite ice cream. This is a great time to indulge and enjoy the little things in life.
Recommended
Stars who noticeably lost weight and got in shape after breaking up with their lovers
Everyone experiences a breakup with a loved one in different ways: someone becomes depressed and withdraws into himself, someone tries to find solace in alcohol, and someone then, on the contrary, he pulls himself together and radically changes his life.
We talk about the stars for whom parting with the second half became an incentive to get in shape
Mariana Pankina
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Kourtney Kardashian
Adele
Despite the fact that Adele and her ex-husband Simon Konneki broke up without scandals and maintained a good relationship, the breakup with her husband became very painful for the star. The singer developed panic attacks, she fell into depression and became addicted to alcohol. However, then the singer realized that this was not an option. Adele took up sports and changed her lifestyle. However, her main goal was not to lose weight, but to fight anxiety and take care of mental health. Thus, the star put in order not only her thoughts, but also her body, having lost more than 45 kilograms. She also improved her personal life by meeting sports agent Rich Paul, with whom she is very happy.
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Khloe Kardashian
Khloe Kardashian started exercising and eating right after she filed for divorce from her husband Lamar Odom in 2013. The TV star began to follow a low-carb diet with a high protein content. However, then Chloe changed her mind about getting a divorce and withdrew her application. Only in 2016, the couple broke up completely, and Kardashian began to transform even more. She lost a lot of weight, started exercising daily, dyed her hair and changed her style. Khloe noted that playing sports helped her cope with stress after a divorce. nine0003
However, she achieved her ideal form after breaking up with Tristan Thompson. Having given birth to a child from him, Chloe quickly returned to shape and began to hone her figure, which now causes only one admiration.
Kourtney Kardashian
After separating from the father of her three children, Scott Disick, Kourtney Kardashian followed the same path as her sister: she lost weight, began to exercise every day and began to dress more sexually.
Courtney said that parting with her lover was a hard blow for her, so she went in for sports to cope with stress. “For me, exercise is not only about taking care of my body, but also about my mental state,” Courtney noted. nine0003
The star is a supporter of proper nutrition, she adheres to the keto diet. Courtney works out with a personal trainer and is a fan of high-intensity interval training.
Ciara
Three months after the birth of her son, Ciara broke up with his father, rapper Future. The singer found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her.
In just four months, the star managed to lose 27 kilograms. As soon as the doctor allowed her to play sports, Ciara began to train with a personal trainer two, and sometimes three times a day. The singer completely changed her diet and noticeably changed. Now she sometimes allows herself her favorite junk food - the star has a weakness for french fries and cookies.
But this does not prevent her from looking great and keeping an excellent result. nine0003
Eva Longoria
In 2011, Eva Longoria officially divorced her second husband, basketball player Tony Parker. The reason for the separation of the couple was the betrayal of the athlete. After the divorce, the actress lost a lot of weight, but not of her own free will - due to stress, she practically ate nothing. Despite the fact that everyone around admired her figure, the star herself was not happy with her appearance. After recovering from personal experiences, Longoria pulled herself together, began to eat right and began to exercise regularly. After the birth of a child four years ago, Eva quickly got into shape and over the years began to look only better. nine0003
I lost a lot of weight after the breakup
I lost a lot of weight ...
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Sveta
You have to grow up so hard to lose your health because of some crazy guy.
Ugh.
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9000
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LO
And what do you usually eat? What servings and how many times a day?
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Guest
I also got weight into dystrophy because of this, I just couldn’t eat for a couple of years, I ate, because it’s necessary), and wine .
