That's what happened to comic Alec Bleyaert. He dropped 80 pounds in the year after a nasty breakup and shared his four-step process for losing the weight in a 2015 Tumblr post.
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Step one? "This is a big one, and one that you’ve probably heard before. Every time you drink a beer, it’s like eating seven slices of bread. That’s a lot of bread!"
Step two? "A good trick to do is when your meal comes, cut it in half and right away ask for a takeout container, so that you can save the rest for later — and even better, if you start your meal out right by ordering lean meats and veggies, you’ll slim down in no time!"
And step three? That's the subject of a new video starring Beck Bennett from Saturday Night Live.
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"Start going to the gym regularly, and even though you don’t know that much about exercise and you’re way too weak to do pretty much anything but lift 5 lb weights and use the elliptical machines with the old people, do it until your sweat makes a puddle on the floor," Bleyaert writes. "Then go home and go to bed early and the next day do it again. And then again. And then again."
how to lose weight in four easy steps
Eventually, you'll find some purpose outside your old relationship that inspires you to move on. That purpose, for Bleyaert, was his newfound strength — and a new ladyfriend he met at the gym.
"Her name is Melissa and she works in the building next to you," he writes. "She’s worked there for two years. She asks you out to dinner on Friday, promising it’ll be healthy."
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And while it's told from a male perspective, this holds true no matter your gender. The lesson is this: Life will get better after even a brutal breakup — and you'll probably find a way to improve in the process.
Oh, but don't forget step four in there, too. "No fruit juice. Too much sugar!!"