Louisa's Weight Loss Blog

When a relationship ends, you may certainly be heartbroken. It is normal to cry and need a comforting hug from your friends and family, fun drinking sessions with friends and so on to forget about the emotional pain. The thing is that most people cannot get to the fun stage until they have finished the ‘wallowing’ stage and this is where the Heartbreak Diet comes in. We have all been there and most women will support you and try and help you by telling you of their experiences and how they got through it. You will get over it and you will meet someone nice again. I didn’t meet anyone remotely nice until Jonny came along which was three years after my last relationship!

Most women will be familiar with the Heartbreak Diet and it can go one of two ways.

• Some women won’t want to eat at all. They will only eat when forced and each mouthful of food sticks in the throat and you always feel sick afterwards. Normal eating will usually resume after a few weeks but women who have lost weight as a result will typically be thrilled with their new bodies and will work hard to maintain their new weight.
• Other women will turn to food for comfort and can’t stop eating. They will put on weight and may spiral into depression and feelings of low self-esteem.

When your heart is broken, you will either turn to food for comfort... or turn away from it.

There are ways around the unfortunate second option if you believe you may fall into this trap.

• Surround yourself with mates and maybe eat with them too. Cook healthy meals for each other and go to exercise or dance classes together.
• Keep your self esteem up, stay busy and treat yourself regularly with small gifts that aren’t food.
• Join the gym, spend all the time you would have spent with him exercising and working for the body you always wanted.

The relationships that we have with other women are more vital than you may think. Could Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte have got through their lives on SATC without each other? I doubt it! The support your friends can offer is invaluable when you’re on a diet. Why? Because women are so good at supporting each other. When I have been on a diet, my friends have helped me avoid ‘naughty’ foods, they have taken my mind off eating and they will always compliment me on losing just a tiny bit of weight because other women notice these things. Your male friends will only notice your appearance if you’re wearing a low cut top!

Your girlfriends may even go on your new diet with you for moral support. Dieting can be the most isolating and lonely experience of your adult life but a friend’s love, support and guidance changes the experience from a negative one to a positive one. Women are usually happy to discuss most things openly with each other. If you have a friend who you’re dieting with, you can discuss your meal plans, how much weight you hope to lose, your fears about losing weight and of course, all of the sexy clothes you’ll be able to wear once you’re slim! Did you know that cravings usually last 20 mins before they pass? That is just a short telephone (or text!) conversation with your friend that will get you through those darker moments. Losing weight isn’t easy and nobody expects you to do it completely on your own.. and why would you if you have good friends?

Louisa’s Top Tip: Tell your friends you’re on a diet. Good friends will help you stick to the diet and they will remove temptation from your path. They will take your mind off your cravings and might even exercise with you if you ask nicely!