Summarize the following:
If you don’t take time to process your relationship, you will not be emotionally available when you start going on dates. The grieving process is important, and if you don’t follow it through, you may end up comparing your new date to your last partner.  You also want to ensure that you’re not bitter about how your last relationship ended. If you are, you may project this bitterness onto the new person or make them feel like you have too much emotional baggage to handle, making successful dating very difficult. Instead, work on forgiving your last partner. Forgiveness is the exercise of letting go of what you cannot change and not demanding justice for a wrong. It doesn’t mean letting someone treat you like a doormat. To gain closure and give yourself license to explore your identity again, you must fully believe the past relationship is over. Do whatever you need to do to prove that the relationship is truly dead.  If you were dumped, meet with the other person to hear her reasons for breaking up with you or watch her in a new relationship. If you’re the one trying to get out of the relationship, stop all contact with the former partner, move to a new location, or recall how much she damaged you or held you back. Studies have shown that your body actually experiences physical pain after a long-term relationship ends. This is because couples often end up dictating one another’s biological rhythms. This means disrupted sleep, loss of appetite, and change in rates of temperature and heart rate. After a breakup, keep your physical body in good shape even if you don’t feel like it. As you take time to forgive the other person and get used to being without him, your physical body will adjust. More than physical recovery, mental recovery is key for moving on. A breakup affects the way you perceive yourself and your level of self-esteem. Studies show that clearly defining who you are after breaking up with someone is the most important part of being able to move on.  You may not remember who you are without the other person. Re-identifying yourself is the only way you will be able to present a whole person to a new dating interest. Try “dating yourself” by going out to restaurants alone, seeing movies you like, and attending events you enjoy. You may even start to enjoy being single because you get to do things your former partner didn’t like. The more you focus on longing for your last relationship and regret how it ended, the worse your future will be. To move on, you must practice self-compassion. One study showed that those who practiced self-compassion directly after a divorce were coping much better nine months later than those who did not.  Practice being kind to yourself by having positive thoughts about how your relationship ended. You can say something like, "I'm not alone in this; I am not the only person to go through this. We had some good times, and I can take those with me, but it's best for the both of us if we move on." Focus on how it’s best to forgive the other person rather than blame yourself for how it ended, or playing the “what if” game (repeating alternate scenarios in your mind). No matter how it ended, choosing to learn from the mistakes both you and your former partner made will help you be more successful in the next relationship.  Common relationship errors include taking your partner for granted, not paying enough attention to her, gossiping about your partner to others, and constantly questioning the relationship.  Examine yourself closely for mistakes you made and determine not to repeat them. One way to help yourself forget the last relationship and focus on the present is to build a network of close friends. Even if they are friends you had before the relationship, these friends should be on your side and ready to help you find new love.  Friends can distract you from your pain by talking about other things, taking you on outings, and so on. Friends can encourage you when you are tempted to beat yourself up for how things went in the relationship.

summary: Recognize the importance of healing before moving on. Get closure. Acknowledge that you need physical recovery time. Acknowledge that you need mental recovery time. Avoid blaming yourself. Learn from the breakup. Surround yourself with friends.


Summarize the following:
Even with the best intentions, eating out at fast food restaurants or stopping by a convenience store may be the only option you have.  However, reading the entire menu or walking through the entire store can help you get a good idea of what healthy options are available.  Review menus online before choosing a restaurant and make sure you have some healthy options. Or become familiar with the menu of your favorite quick restaurants.  Find a few items that will fall into your healthy eating plan and stick to those. Review the nutrition stats of different foods. Restaurants that have more than 20 locations are required to have nutrition information online and in the store. Find options that fit into your calorie guidelines or other nutrition requirements. Avoid combo meals.  This is when the calorie count can get really high at fast food restaurants.  Stick to just a small sandwich or wrap if possible. Avoid deep fried items if possible.  Most fast food chains do offer grilled versions of a variety of sandwiches, wraps, and other meals.  Choose grilled over fried for a lower-fat meal. The typical fast food restaurants are not the only quick option.  Many places serve soups, salads, lower-calorie sandwiches and other items that are not as processed, are lower in calories, and are slightly healthier for you.  Try using a map app on your smart phone or doing a quick internet search of available options in your current location.  Look for something outside the typical burger and fry joint. Remember, although some restaurants offer fresh salads and sandwiches, their foods aren't necessarily low calorie.  Again, it's important to review the menu and nutrition information online first. If you're feeling famished and have no time to cook, swing by a grocery store for quick and healthy meal.  Most stores will have a variety of options to fit your timeline.  No time at all?  Pick up something from the salad bar or hot bar.  Choose lean protein, vegetables, fruit and whole grains.  Try to avoid things that are higher in fat (like mac and cheese) or fried (like fried chicken). Many stores also offer pre-made meals and cold pre-packaged salads (like chicken or tuna salad).  Be wary of the fat and calorie content, but a small cup of chicken salad with a piece of fruit is a great quick meal. Not all your meals need to be 100% home cooked or made from scratch.  Some convenience foods are still moderately healthy in addition to being quick. Surprisingly, gas stations sometimes have healthier food than fast food establishments.  Healthy convenience store foods can include:  frozen low-calorie dinners (but be aware of the sodium content), low-calorie canned soups (again, watch the sodium content), individual packages of nuts, or "protein packs" (many stores sell small packages of lean protein foods like nuts, cheese, hard boiled eggs or deli meat alongside a fruit or veggie). Convenience foods to avoid include:  high calorie/high fat frozen foods (like pizza or chicken nuggets), fried foods from grocery store/convenience store hot bars, canned pastas, processed meats (like hot dogs) and pre-made sandwiches or subs. Consume convenience store foods with awareness and moderation.  Many times what makes convenience foods "convenient" is extra processing.  Sometimes this doesn't affect the nutritional value all that much and other times it does.  Exercise caution and use your best judgement.
summary: Read the entire menu at restaurants. Choose restaurants with healthier options. Stop by the grocery store. Purchase convenience store foods.