Catherine Matthews
Nutritionist
Did Bridget Jones have the right idea after all? Is having your heart broken a sure fire way to lose weight? Marriage break ups, cheating boyfriends, football widows...most of us have experienced heartache at some point in our lives.
Imagine the moment your one true love whispers those gut wrenching words “I don’t love you anymore”, how do you cope when the invisible, nevertheless fatal wound is inflicted? Perhaps you kick and scream or do you just crawl under your duvet and sob uncontrollably.
Maybe you fall into another group…hands up those that decided to show their awol ‘soul mate’ exactly what he was missing by becoming a toned goddess with an unhealthy addiction to cosmetics and any other lotion or potion to help improve your attractiveness?
A friend that I can only refer to as a serial monogamist once told me exactly how she dealt with a painful relationship break up. With out a hint of sarcasm she declared that she had 2 choices:
1. Mope around the house and refuse to eat.
2. Hit the gym with the enthusiasm of a pumped up body builder in an effort to lose those comfort pounds she gained during her relationship.
It struck me that either solution would ultimately lead to the same thing-weight loss and probably dieting.
After spending 5 years in a relationship that played havoc with her waistline she decided to repossess her life and banish all the bad habits she had allowed to creep into her lifestyle in the first place. But fortunately for her sanity and unfortunately for her model like figure she met John a few months ago. He is wining and dining her with zealous effort, so she is almost back to her buxom best.
As part of a couple it can be easy to lose sight of your individuality, if your partner loves to eat junk food the chances are you will be tempted to indulge yourself. It’s as if their preferences and perhaps even energy requirements become your own. Great for those that are married to a gym buff, not so good for the girl that ends up with the curry loving, beer guzzling couch potato. So before getting trapped in the rut of pigging out with your partner, think of how you would eat if you were single and eating to suit yourself.
Don’t be misled into believing that your favourite celebrities have escaped heart ache. There seems to have been a deluge of celebs recently that are transforming themselves after a traumatic break-up. Losing weight and toning is their way of saying “Look what you’re missing!”
Just cast your mind back to Vanessa Feltz, she broke up with her husband, gained a personal trainer and shed stones. Every time Britney breaks up with a boyfriend she tends to undergo a transformation that sees her body return to its former svelte shape.
But does the Heart Break Diet achieve any long lasting results and are they really worth it?
Most of us undergo heart break during our lives and yes it’s devastating at the time but LIFE GOES ON! Life is too short to spend your days starving yourself and obsessing over someone that wasn’t right for you in the first place. So if you are thinking of trying out the Heart Break Diet don’t bother, get in shape for yourself and the future partner that actually deserves you!