This post-breakup apathy toward food typically lasts one to ten days, according to Dr. Durvasula. But while it's common, it's anything but healthy. "A lot of women pride themselves in The Breakup Diet, and are like, 'Oh, I look good!'
A study has revealed that women lose 5lbs on average in the first month after a break-up if they did not initiate the split. This is compared to a loss of 3lbs if they were the initiator.
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.
Jennifer Kelman, licensed clinical social worker and life coach, says that heartbreak can lead to appetite changes, lack of motivation, weight loss or weight gain, overeating, headaches, stomach pain, and a general sense of being unwell.
Heartbreak can cause a large amount of stress, especially if the loss is a sudden one. This stress can affect how we feel emotionally and physically, and may take weeks, months or even years to recover from.
They are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, according to Mental-Health-Matters. These are the natural ways for your heart to heal.
In some research studies, the time it takes to forget someone is around 11 weeks. In other studies, time to forget someone was much higher at around 18 months. Such differences clearly indicate that time taken to forget someone will vary based on various conditions.
A breakup usually sinks in for a man when they start to regret their mistakes when he misses the intimacy and connection he had, and once he acknowledges that there's no way to get the good times back. Sometimes, it can take a long time for all of this to sink in.
Some people describe it as a dull ache, others as piercing, while still others experience it as a crushing sensation. The pain can last for a few seconds and then subside, or it can be chronic, hanging over your days and depleting you like just like the pain, say, of a back injury or a migraine.
When we break up, our brains lose their regular supply of these neurotransmitters, and we go into neurological withdrawal. This is how broken hearts break brains. Subjectively, the deficit in these chemicals can make us feel anxious, depressed, and isolated.
The triglycerides release fat as carbon dioxide and water atoms during fat metabolism or oxidation. In other words, fat leaves the body as carbon dioxide when you exhale. The fat which becomes water mixes into your circulation until it's lost as urine, tears, sweat and other bodily fluids.
Exercise is a great way to release all the tension, stress, nervous energy, anger, and frustration that builds up when you are suffering emotionally. During exercise your brain releases endorphins. Endorphins are natural “feel good” chemicals that produce feelings of pleasure, happiness, and euphoria.
Boost your serotonin levels with foods
Some foods, such as cheese, eggs, salmon, and nuts, can help elevate levels of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep and impulse control (both of which are sometimes needed during a time of heartbreak).
A study in the Journal of Family Issues also found that divorced people had lower body weight than people who were either continuously in a relationship or continuously single. 2 According to Dr. Gionta, grief and depression can slow the metabolism of the body, so we require less food.
"We see changes in our heart rate and blood pressure, we release more stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, our blood gets a bit stickier, our immune system can be a bit vulnerable and our sleep can be disturbed."
While it is established that about half of all marriages end in divorce, it is commonly assumed that the breakups are initiated by both genders equally. In fact, it is surprising to most people that women are actually more likely to end their marriages than men.
“There are likely several reasons for this,” she says. “Men are not reinforced or socialized for emotional communication the same way as women, relationships may often have a different functionality for men, and men at a certain younger age may not feel the same pressure about family planning and marriage.”
Researchers asked participants to rate emotional and physical pain of a breakup and found that women tend to be more negatively affected by breakups, reporting higher levels of both physical and emotional pain. While breakups hit women the hardest, they tend to recover more fully.
Men often go through an emotional state called “Dumpers Remorse” after the woman finally goes away. This state hits after one month to six weeks after the man passes through the initial happy phase after a breakup. He starts to give away signs he knows he messed up the whole thing from that time.
So, a few weeks to two months is the answer to the question, “How long does it take for a guy to miss you?” Typically, men realize what they lost when they can't find a woman with their personality. By then, they learn not all women are the same, and they shouldn't have broken off the relationship.
Ongoing sadness and intermittent tears are a normal part of grief; wanting to cry ALL the time, as you say, is quite another. Your pain seems relentless and unbearable, as if there's nothing of value or meaning left for you. That sounds like depression.