Article: Having a meal plan can keep your healthy habits on track. It can also help you avoid unhealthy behaviors. As you deal with the emotional and physical impact of your breakup, compose a meal plan each week to ensure that you continue your healthy eating habits.  Prepare as many of your own meals as possible to avoid triggers such as rich pastas or booze. Review your meal plan to ensure each meal has a variety of vitamins and nutrients. Start your day with a healthy breakfast. Pack your lunch or pick out a dish from an online menu before you go to a restaurant. Include restaurant meals, exercise, rest and other activities such as seeing friends on your plan. These can help you feel better in addition to maintaining your healthy eating habits.  Be aware of places you may be more likely to indulge and stress-related food cravings.  Avoid putting these in your meal plan to keep you on track. Visiting with friends can often soothe the blow of a breakup. Many people get together with friends for meals at restaurants. You also may simply not feel like cooking. If you are going to a restaurant, it can derail your otherwise healthy habits. Consciously staying away from certain foods at restaurants can help maintain your good eating habits.  Steer clear of unhealthy offerings such as breadbaskets, buffets, dishes in heavy sauces, and fried foods. Choose healthy options such as salads, steamed vegetables, lean steaks, and fish. Select fruit for dessert or share a piece of fruit pie or cake with a friend. Some days you may just feel like giving in to your food cravings. No person is perfect and sometimes it's ok to indulge yourself. Allowing yourself an occasional cheat day won't set you off track and may help you maintain your healthy diet in the longer term.  Incorporate a cheat day or two into your weekly meal plan. You may want your cheat day to be when you're spending time with friends or don't have any plans and can stay at home and eat to your heart's content. Eat whatever you want on your cheat day without guilt or worry. This may help you feel better about your breakup or drown out bad feelings you're having. Alcohol can alter feelings and perception. You may reach to booze to drown out the feelings you have after a breakup. However, alcohol is a depressant and may actually make you feel worse. In addition, it can derail your healthy eating habits because it lowers your inhibitions and ability to metabolize food properly.  Have no more than one drink per day if you are a woman and two if you are a man.  Stick to low calorie drinks such as wine spritzer or light beer. Steer clear of calorie bombs such as mixed cocktails.

What is a summary?
Write a weekly meal plan. Enjoy healthy foods at restaurants. Let yourself cheat occasionally. Drink alcohol in moderation—or not at all.