When I first read this email from our dear reader Mike, I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. The email was funny and very original but I immediately sensed the excruciating pain that was behind it. Someone who knew what he was talking about obviously wrote it.

I replied back if he would like to share his story and he did. I will post it below with his permission, I hope it will inspire you as it did me.

Here it is:

The Break-Up Diet Recipe

You want to lose weight? This diet guarantees to suppress your appetite.

Mike’s Story

After more than five years my relationship was over.

That was 10 months ago and all the pain, hurt, and sadness cannot be put into words even though I’ve tried many times to explain to anyone who would listen what it was like to live this hell I was going through.

I was so hopeful that maybe someone, anyone, would have some magic words that would help me to at least be able to breathe. My life, my world was over and nothing would/could repair it. She was out of my life and had made it clear that she didn’t want anything else to do with me.

I then started what many people have experienced due to a breakup – unintentional self destruction.

I was so absorbed by the pain that nothing in my life mattered. Sleep was the only thing I looked forward to when it would come because that was the only time the hurt subsided. But as soon as I awaken it was back to the hell I was so dreading.

I wanted her back so badly I was willing to do anything but she had made it so very clear on that October day – it was over.

I began throwing out anything that would remotely remind me of her in hopes of just getting through the next minute and then maybe… just maybe the next hour. I felt I was alone on an island and no one knew what I was going through. It just seemed so hopeless.

My appetite suffered and the only thing I could eat was cereal and then only at night (Thus the breakup diet).

I of course began to lose weight and eventually decided that maybe something positive may come out of all of this suffering. So I just embraced the appetite loss and began to exercise more and started eating right.

I went from 207 down to 157 and have maintained that give or take a couple of pounds.

The one thing that I have done that has helped more than any book, article, conversations, counseling, and yes even prayer is No-Contact. I realize how hard that is to do and don’t beat yourself up if you have failed at it but that along with the passing of time is so much help.

A couple of weeks ago a co-worker ran into my ex whom I haven’t seen nor talked to in 10 months and her statement to him was “I miss him (me) every minute of every day”.

Now imagine what that did to me – I didn’t know how to process that information. Hearing that she misses me as much as I do her of course made me want to contact her.

But I did some inventory of the past 10 months of suffering and decided it wasn’t worth the chance of going even one step back that contact would cause. Yes I still love and miss her in every way and every day but I have come so far that I don’t want to look back.

I hope in some way these words will help someone that has a broken heart to know it WILL get better.

Mike

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I remember to have experienced a similar weight-loss back then: from 150 to 134 pounds, which was really not so good considering my height (6 feet). It took me some time to regain my normal weight.

What about you? Have you lost or gained weight during your break-up? Please share below.

Your friend,
Eddie Corbano