Overeating during a breakup? 5 ways to control gaining the inches over a lost partner

If there are half eaten and half-opened food packets strewn around your bed, room or dining table, it can either mean a celebration or a break-up. With the trends of overeating and cutting long hair, cinema has already established its dichotomy of how (mostly) women behave when they are going through a break-up. And it truly is so! Although time is slowly changing, many still resort to either of these. While the hair can grow back, digesting excessive food and unwanted nutrients can cause adverse effects on the health. Thus, here are five ways in which you can control over-eating as you navigate your emotional turmoil during this time.  

How to control overeating during break-ups?

While you may think that overeating is an exact response to having your heart broken, it is not so. It may be triggered by an unsuccessful relationship or proposal but it is expanded by other parameters like hidden binge-eating traits, psychological distress, easy access to food and emotional instability. However, stuffing yourself with excess sugar only harms your body more than anything. Thus, to prevent any negative effect of your heartbreak on your body, here are five easy steps that you can follow.

Eat sufficient food during regular meals: Do not skip your daily meals and eat sufficiently while you are at it. This ensures that you get the desired nutrition in your body and that your stomach is full so that the mind doesn’t feel hungry all of a sudden. Adequate protein, fibre, carbohydrates, vitamins, etc. should be consumed by the body so that a food-deprived brain doesn’t trigger over-eating under emotional stress.

Delay overeating: This needs your will power to be at its peak. Every time after a full meal, your mind starts craving for more food, try to delay it. You may wait for a while, drink a glass of water, scroll on social media, etc. These are done to get your mind off the hunger sensation. After a while, the sensation subsides, you have successfully prevented an over-eating impulse.

Remove snacks that trigger binge eating: If you have a lot of food around your house that easily qualify as binge-eating foods, get them removed at the earliest. Emotional triggers can set off any moment and if there is easily accessible food around the house, that can mean the red signal. Moreover, it is advisable to disconnect from food ordering applications till emotional stability sets in. further, ensure that you sit with your friends or family while you eat and definitely avoid eating alone, in your bed, and from direct food packages.

Create a diversion for you: Try to use your intellect and rationality in other activities. Enroll in some classes or pursue a hobby you wanted to practice for a long time. Learn a new language, take to journaling, do some gardening, start walking outside with your camera, capturing beautiful frames, read books, or just keep a manifestation journal. Engaging in different activities helps your mind calm down and the emotional distress slowly starts healing with time.

No emotional shaming: Once you have had a fit of overeating, do not shame yourself for it. Re-iterating things like taking to starving or crash diet or strict punishments don’t work out. Instead, wake up fresh the next day, eat regular meals, sleep properly, keep yourself engaged throughout the day in work or hobbies, and let time be the healer.  

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