how do you lose weight with a heartache... part 2...

I've found that lifting weights, doing push-ups, or carrying heavy stuff (like landscaping materials) really helps me when I'm depressed. For me, it has something to do with putting pressure on my upper body joints and muscles; I think it must release better endorphins than simply running. When I've gone through bad bouts of depression and the tears start flowing for no reason, I will drop and do 25 push-ups and then some jumping jacks in my office. It helps me feel better almost immediately.

If you're having trouble eating, substitute protein shakes or Ensure for meals. I don't like Ensure but I relied on them in college when I had a 4-month bout of salmonella. It was literally painful to eat solid food; ice-cold vanilla Ensures kept me going. They do have quite a bit of sugar in them, though, so you might be better off making your own protein shakes. I really like Jay Robb's protein powder; it's very minimally processed and only has a few ingredients, and almost no sugar. Making your own protein shakes is a good idea because that way you can cut back on the grams of protein, if necessary. I use Jay Robb vanilla whey powder, So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk, and fresh fruit. If I want to thicken the shake, I use either fat-free Greek yogurt or So Delicious vanilla coconut milk yogurt.

I also think it's important to realize that we all hit plateaus in fitness routines. Even when everything is fine, sometimes you just hit a plateau, and that's ok. If you're really concerned about it, mix up your exercise routine. Throw in some high-intensity interval training. Check out http://www.tabataprotocol.com for some ideas.

I hope this helps and that you start to feel better soon! Some studies have found that it takes an average of 17 months to get over a divorce or other long-term relationship. I know it took me a little over a year to get over my major breakup. Now, looking back, I can see it was definitely for the best!