The Breakup Diet Is a Scientifically Proven Thing
Getting dumped sucks.
Unless, of course, you’re the type of person who mourns a heartbreak by not being able to stomach anything. Then, at least, you feel really skinny even if you’re sad.
On the other hand, you might be the type of person who handles heartbreak by diving face first into a plate of nachos, a bowl of spaghetti, and a pint of ice cream.
Or, maybe, you’re both.
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Some people theorize that dumped peeps only turn to chocolate because their favorite movies convinced them that they are “supposed to,” but one MUNCHIES NL writer did a deep dive to figure out just why being broken up with can wreak so much havoc on our appetites and chalked it up to hormones.
A neurologist and couples therapist explained that after you get dumped, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode – which sounds super depressing. This can cause a higher heart rate and higher levels of cortisol and adrenaline, which basically equates to high-stress.
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Because your body is stressing, it puts hunger on the back burner, slows down your digestion, and suppresses the normal urge you have to feast.
When your body realizes that you’re not actually about to fight for your life against a wildebeest in the jungle and actually just moping around your apartment, your hunger will eventually come back, and it’ll come back swinging. To make up for the lack of food it got in the past couple days (or weeks, if you’re really sad), you crave fatty foods which can simultaneously feed the lowered oxytocin levels you may have from the break-up. Because when you can’t have bae, you might as well have pizza.
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Breakups can also cause the all-too-familiar feeling of being hungry, but not being able to stomach anything, which is the absolute worst. This is also caused by hormones, and the conflicting effects of the lowered oxytocin and heightened adrenaline.
The good news? You don’t have to feel bad about eating like a psycho after a break-up. I mean, honestly, you have enough shit to worry about. Eat the damn meatball Hot Pockets and focus on getting over that loser.
