Breakup is a universal experience that will affect everyone at some point in their lives.
The loss of romantic relationships, the breakup of friendships, and the death of family members…all of these cause distinct sorts of sorrow. Everyone may relate to the suffering caused by these tragedies.
The fact is that some individuals lose weight and others gain weight when they are stressed. This has to do with various sorts of metabolisms in different people, as well as how we deal with stress mentally. Because grief and despair decrease the body’s metabolism, we need less food.
Alternatively, our anxiety levels may rise dramatically, resulting in physical symptoms, particularly in the digestive, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems.
Does Heartbreak Cause Weight Loss?
Is it acceptable to keep the weight off while building a newly single life if you lose weight on a heartbreak diet? The answer is contingent on a number of things, including your health and your weight-related sentiments.
If you intended to lose weight before the breakup and the breakup prompted you to lose weight, you may be driven to keep the healthy living practices that your slimmer body requires.
However, if you were previously satisfied with your weight and lost weight as a consequence of stress, it’s possible that when you rebuild your life, you’ll revert to your old eating habits and your weight will recover.
The transformation, however, is partly dependent on the habits that led to the weight reduction.
They may not be feasible to keep, therefore even if someone is driven to do so, it could be unrealistic. It’s also crucial to get professional guidance on the ideal healthy weight for you.
Why Did I Lose Weight After Breakup?
There’s no denying that breakups may disrupt our world. Although we all cope with them in various ways, such as developing sadness after a breakup or making self-destructive actions, many individuals have gone on a “breakup diet.”
Given how closely the body and mind are linked, it’s understandable that if you’re unhappy, your body would be impacted. The body responds by producing more adrenaline, which then rushes into the body, raising cortisol levels.
It’s as if our stomachs and hearts are linked, and every meal that crosses our lips causes us bodily discomfort. We can’t swallow anything.
We push ourselves to eat something, but it is quickly forgotten. We don’t want to suffer any more agony, so we refrain from eating until we are ready to sense healing and hope.
The body can only ever be in one of two states: repair or slumber. Your body will be in a condition of repair if you are suffering from heartbreak.
Your appetite will be influenced if it is always in a condition of repair since your body will be working overtime.
Losing weight is a component of the equation, but starving yourself isn’t caring for yourself, even if it does help you lose weight.
Why Does Heartbreak Make You Lose Weight?
When you’re pleased and in love, your body produces dopamine and oxytocin, which are pleasure and happiness chemicals.
When a relationship ends, these hormones go into hibernation, and stress chemicals take their place.
When you’re agitated, your body releases cortisol and epinephrine, which the body uses to assist us deal with potentially harmful circumstances in brief spurts.
However, when these stress hormones are generated in excess for an extended length of time, they may be harmful.
The stress hormone overproduction directs blood to the muscles, preparing them for fight or flight. This causes swollen limbs and might cause headaches, neck pain, and a tight sensation in the chest.
Because so much blood is sent to your muscles, less is directed to your digestive system, causing unpleasant bowel behaviors in those who are unhappy and stressed for a long time.
Stress hormones also have an effect on the immune system, making you more susceptible to contracting a cold or virus. Neither the physical nor the mental environment is conducive to eating.
Can You Lose Weight From A Heartbreak?
It can be difficult to get over a breakup. It’s not only in your thoughts; it may also have bodily consequences. Heartbreak is a strong emotion, and the mind is a powerful organ.
When the two come together, a bodily response is almost bound to occur.
Although specialists agree that a breakup may result in physical pain and other negative health consequences, the “why” is unclear. According to a new study, when individuals who have just had a breakup are given photographs of their loved ones, their brain activity is identical to when they are in physical agony.
Rejection, as well as emotional and physical pain, are all processed in the same areas of the brain, according to the researchers.
This might be due to the simultaneous activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
The parasympathetic nervous system is in charge of relaxing tasks such as digestion and saliva production. It causes the heart rate and respiration to slow down. On the other hand, the sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for action.
The “fight or flight” reaction sends chemicals flowing through your body, speeding up your pulse rate and waking up your muscles. When both are switched on at the same time, the body is certain to endure discomfort, potentially even chest pains.
Though we may not understand why sadness affects our bodies in the manner it does, the consequences are many and can be crippling. Heartbreak may cause changes in appetite, motivation, weight loss or increase, overeating, headaches, stomach discomfort, and an overall feeling of ill health.
It may be difficult to treat the effects of sadness while still enabling the individual to grieve the loss of a relationship.
Some of the most frequent emotional responses to heartbreak following a breakup include depression, anxiety, and isolation from friends, family, and normal activities.
It’s a catch-22 because, although we want people to experience their emotions and lament their losses, we also don’t want them to become isolated, depressed, or anxious.
How Much Weight Can You Lose From A Heartbreak?
We’ve undoubtedly all experienced the crippling emotional ache of a shattered heart. And broken is a fitting term because, whether it was your first adolescent love or your marriage, your world was turned upside down and your body didn’t know what to do.
As a result, the break-up diet was created to shed a few pounds while everything else was in flux. This is seen as a silver lining by many women.
According to research, women who did not instigate the breakup lost 5 pounds on average in the first month following the breakup.
If they were the ones who started it, they would lose 3 pounds. Furthermore, they will be a stone lighter after a year of being alone after a long-term relationship if they remain unmarried for a year.
In Conclusion
Since stress affects your body in a variety of ways, your weight may vary during and after your breakup. After you’ve completed the heartbroken diet, you can experience a period of break-up weight gain.
Take precautions to keep healthy throughout the transition so you may enter your new life with more confidence and a strong, fit physique.
