Emotional Eating: How To Stop Stress Eating And Lose Weight

Introduction

People who use food as a coping mechanism for stressful situations are said to engage in emotional eating. Some people might call this behavior “stress eating.”

Emotional eating is something that many individuals have experienced at some point. Eating a chocolate bar after a challenging workday or a bag of chips while bored are two examples of how it manifests.

Nevertheless, a person’s life, health, happiness, and weight may suffer if emotional eating occurs regularly or takes priority over other coping mechanisms.

Quick information on emotional eating:

• Emotional eating can have both psychological and physical causes.
• Stress or other intense emotions are frequently the cause of emotional eating.
• When someone is attempting to reduce the most severe symptoms, coping mechanisms might be helpful.

Emotional eating occurs when you eat in reaction to your feelings. Everyone occasionally does it.

For our bodies to survive, we must eat. Eating naturally elevates your mood and activates your brain’s reward system.

It can be an issue if you frequently engage in emotional eating and have no alternative coping mechanisms.

Eating may seem like a coping mechanism at those times, but it doesn’t deal with the underlying problem. Food won’t make you feel better if you’re depressed, anxious, bored, lonely, or exhausted.

For some, this pattern of using food as a coping mechanism leads to feelings of shame and guilt, which are more difficult to deal with.

The core of a lot of our activities is food. Our festivities include food. Making food for someone who is struggling is a way to show them you care. Connecting with others through food sharing is possible.

A sentimental attachment to food is normal.

The idea is to give you the freedom to choose how, when, and what you consume. Sometimes it makes sense to use food as a coping mechanism for intense emotions. There are more effective coping mechanisms for other times.

Emotional eating: what is it?

We eat for reasons other than physical hunger. A lot of us also use food as a form of reward, comfort, or stress reduction. And when we do, we often reach for sweets, junk food, and other items that are soothing but harmful. For example, you might order a pizza if you’re lonely or bored, grab a pint of ice cream when you’re feeling low, or stop by the drive-through after a demanding workday.

Using food to satisfy emotional demands rather than your stomach is known as emotional eating. Emotional eating does not, regrettably, resolve emotional issues. It usually makes you feel worse, in fact. Not only does the initial emotional problem remain, but you also experience guilt for consuming too much.

Are you an emotional eater?

• When you’re under stress, do you eat more?
• Do you eat when you’re satisfied or when you’re not hungry?
• When you are depressed, angry, bored, nervous, etc., do you eat to feel better—to calm and comfort yourself?
• Do you treat yourself to food as a treat?
• Is it your habit to eat till you’re full?
• Is eating a source of security for you? Does food seem like a buddy to you?
• Regarding food, do you feel helpless or uncontrollable?

The cycle of emotional eating

It’s not always a bad idea to use food as a celebration, reward, or pick-me-up. You become trapped in an unhealthy loop where the true emotion or issue is never addressed when food becomes your main emotional coping mechanism—when your first instinct is to open the refrigerator anytime you’re anxious, unhappy, angry, lonely, tired, or bored.

It is impossible to satisfy emotional hunger with food. The emotions that led to the eating are still present even if eating may seem pleasant at the time. Additionally, the extra calories you just eaten frequently make you feel worse than you did before. You punish yourself because you made a mistake and lacked self-control.

Compounding the issue, you feel more and more helpless over food and your emotions, you struggle to control your weight, and you stop learning healthy coping mechanisms for your emotions. But you can change for the better, regardless of how helpless you feel about food and your emotions. You may stop emotional eating by learning better ways to manage your emotions, avoiding triggers, and overcoming cravings.

Find out what triggers your emotional eating.

Determining your individual triggers is the first step towards stopping emotional eating. In what circumstances, environments, or emotions do you find yourself reaching for comfort food? Emotional eating is typically associated with negative emotions, but it can also be prompted by positive ones, like celebrating a holiday or a joyous occasion or rewarding yourself for reaching a goal.

What triggers an emotional eating behavior?

The need to eat can be triggered by almost anything. The following are typical outside causes of emotional eating:

• Stress at work
• financial concerns
• medical conditions
• relationship difficulties

Emotional eaters are more likely to be on restricted diets or have a history of dieting.

Additional possible internal reasons include of:

• Absence of introspective awareness, or the ability to recognize your feelings
• The inability to understand, perceive, or articulate feelings is known as alexithymia.
• The incapacity to regulate one’s emotions, or emotion dysregulation
• underactive cortisol response to stress, or reversed hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) stress axis

Emotional eating is frequently a reflexive action. The more food is utilized as a coping mechanism, the more established the behavior develops.

Do eating disorders include emotional eating?

By itself, emotional eating is not an eating disorder. An eating disorder may emerge as a result of disordered eating, which it may indicate.

Disordered eating may consist of:

• having very strict dietary preferences
• Designating meals as “good” or “bad”
• regular food restriction or dieting
• Frequently, emotional eating takes place over physical hunger.
• inconsistent scheduling of meals
• Obsessive food-related thoughts that begin to disrupt your existence
• feeling guilty or ashamed about consuming what you consider to be “unhealthy” foods

When a person’s eating habits fit specific criteria, eating disorders are recognized, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Many people who don’t fit the criteria for an eating disorder nevertheless exhibit disordered eating practices.

You can get therapy without having an eating disorder diagnosis. You are deserving of a positive connection with food.

Consulting a qualified dietitian or mental health professional is recommended if you suspect disordered eating practices.

What about food?

Food can be used as a coping mechanism for a variety of reasons. A sense of emotional blank or emptiness might result from difficult feelings.

By eating, dopamine is released. We feel good because of a neurotransmitter called dopamine in our brains.

Through eating, we also form patterns and behaviors. If you tend to go for food when you’re under stress, you may not even be aware that you’re doing it.

Aside from that, food is available everywhere and is lawful. Seeing and hearing about food can make you feel more hungry.

How to recognize emotional eating in yourself

Emotional eaters may feel the following:

• unable to restrain oneself around specific meals
• a desire to consume when experiencing strong feelings
• a craving for food even when they’re not actually hungry
• such as how eating soothes or rewards them

Ways to Avoid Emotional Eating

Emotional eating is one of those habits that can be difficult to break, but it is achievable. v

Start a journal of your feelings.

Understanding your habits better is a good thing. In reaction to feelings, eating may occur spontaneously. The more you realize the feelings you experience when you perform specific actions, the more likely you are to make changes.

Try recording the instances in which you eat without feeling very hungry. Note down:

• what was taking place
• How you were feeling
• What feelings did you notice when you felt the need to eat?

You could also want to add a space for you to write down what you accomplished. Did you eat at once? Did you hold off for a few minutes? Did you engage in any self-distraction?

Avoid evaluating yourself based on your results. Try to have a sincere interest in the reasons behind your emotional eating.

A lot of practice is required for this. Treat yourself with kindness as you begin to explore. It is not required to be flawless.

Find alternative coping mechanisms.

Changes can be initiated if you have a better understanding of the feelings, circumstances, or ideas that can lead to eating.

It’s the stress that needs to be addressed if you find that you always eat when you’re anxious. In order to reduce your stress, consider some strategies.

If you find that you eat when you’re bored, think about strategies to deal with your boredom. How else would you spend your time?

Making the mental change to focus on other tasks instead of grabbing for food takes time and effort. Try a variety of things until you find what suits you.

Make physical movements.

Stress and anxiety can be effectively managed by moving your body.

Stress hormone levels in your body can be lowered with exercise. In order to improve your mood, it also releases endorphins. Underlying emotional eating causes can be managed with the aid of an exercise regimen.

Intense is not necessary. If you aren’t active right now, think about stretching gently or going for a five-minute walk. Take note of your feelings.

There appears to be an additional advantage to mindfulness practices like yoga. Regular yoga practitioners report reduced stress and anxiety levels overall.

Practice mindfulness.

There are several advantages of mindfulness for mental wellness. Research indicates that it is an effective method of treating depression and anxiety. It has been demonstrated to lessen stress eating as well.

Focusing on the present moment is the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness techniques could be beneficial if you discover that anxiety, stress, or depression are what cause you to overeat.

Here are a few instances of mindfulness exercises:

• Focusing on your breathing while sitting quietly
• Finding any tense spots on the body and deliberately relaxing them
• engage in a guided meditation.
• Pay attention to your surroundings and list a few items you can see, touch, hear, smell, and taste.

A method of eating known as mindful eating bases food choices on internal cues. In addition to being linked to psychological well-being, mindful eating is a powerful tool for enhancing your relationship with food.

It allows you to savor the act of eating to its fullest. Slowing down and paying closer attention to the food’s look, flavors, textures, sounds, and scents is encouraged.

The goal of mindful eating is to take the time to thoroughly consider what is needed at that particular moment before eating. Is it a meal? If yes, what kind of meal? What else, except eating, will satisfy this need?

Being a mindful eater requires time and patience. Consider consulting with a nutritionist who has knowledge of mindful or intuitive eating if you’re interested in learning more.

Be sure to eat enough.

We are aware of the severe variations between bodily and emotional hunger. On the other hand, eating enough food is a crucial background habit.

For our survival, our brains are programmed to ensure that we eat enough. You might observe that if you haven’t eaten enough that day, you have more cravings later in the day.

Eating a range of foods during meals is the most fulfilling for many people. To find the meals that fill you up the most, try different ones.

Increasing your protein intake may help if you frequently feel physically hungry during the day. Protein-rich foods may prolong feelings of fullness. 30% protein should be your daily goal.

The following are sources of protein:

• fish, poultry, meat, and seafood
• eggs
• dairy goods
• tempeh, tofu, and soy beverages
• lentils and beans
• Seeds and nuts

Observe your hunger

Being aware of your hunger and fullness cues can be challenging if you’ve been on and off diets for a long time. Knowing what physical hunger and fullness feel like can take some getting used to.

You can identify when you are eating for emotional reasons by being mindful of the bodily signs of hunger.

A few indicators of physical hunger are:

• gastrointestinal complaints
• experiencing dizziness or trembling
• a decrease in energy
• trouble concentrating
• shifts in mood
• rise in food-related thinking

Consider your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10 if you want to re-establish a connection with your feelings of hunger and fullness.

The first level is acute hunger. You can feel weak and physically ill, wanting to snatch at anything that might be edible. Like after a huge holiday meal, ten is the extreme level of fullness.

Asking yourself how hungry you are should be a regular part of your routine. By doing this, you can become more aware of your natural hunger and fullness tendencies.

As you get more experience, you can begin to recognize some of the initial indicators of hunger. Additionally, it might assist you in recognizing when you would like to eat but are not actually hungry.

Seek assistance

Avoid being alone while you’re feeling depressed or anxious. Managing those emotions alone is difficult. A brief phone conversation with a friend or relative might have a profound impact on your attitude. Formal support groups are also available for assistance.

Participants in one self-reported pilot study felt that social support and accountability improved their dedication to eating-related behavior change.

Overeaters Unknown is a group that deals with eating disorders, compulsive overeating, and emotional eating. If you think this could be a suitable fit for you, you can look through their website.

Think about seeking additional professional assistance.

Look for a dietician who has worked with individuals who have disordered eating or emotional eating. They can assist you in recognizing eating triggers and devising strategies to control them.

As you stop using food to deal with challenging emotions, a mental health expert can help you discover alternative coping mechanisms. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a common tool they employ.

Put an end to distractions

Your brain gets rid of the complete eating experience if you eat while working or watching TV. When you eat, try to focus entirely on the meal. You may love the cuisine more as a result of this.

You could be less inclined to look for something new after you’re fulfilled.

Additionally, you are more inclined to consume more quickly when you are distracted. Your stomach takes time to communicate fullness to your brain. Fast food may cause you to consume more than your body requires before your brain signals you to stop.

This might be the result of Pavlov’s dog-like conditioning. Mental health practitioners employ stimuli control as a behavioral method to deal with this training. The way stimulus control functions is by altering your food cues.

When to ask for assistance

It takes effort to make changes, but you deserve to feel great. You may be able to improve your emotional eating habits and gain a better understanding of your emotions.

Emotional eating may be a component of eating disorders. The development of an eating disorder can result from disordered eating patterns. You can get therapy without having an eating disorder diagnosis.

Seek assistance if you are experiencing discomfort related to your meals. It takes courage to seek for assistance when you need it.

Your healthcare provider can discuss your worries with you. A dietician or mental health specialist can also be contacted to assist you in addressing the psychological and physiological aspects of emotional eating.

Triggers to stay away from

Emotional eating can be caused by a variety of factors besides emotions, such as stress. Other typical causes mentioned by people are:

Boredom: Emotional eating is frequently triggered by boredom or a lack of activities. People who lead busy, active lives often resort to food to fill the empty space left by their lack of activities.
Habits: These are frequently motivated by childhood memories or sentimentality. Baking cookies with a grandma or enjoying ice cream after receiving a good grade are two examples.
Fatigue: Being exhausted, especially after completing an unpleasant work, makes it simpler to overeat or eat carelessly. When one no longer wants to engage in a certain activity, food may appear like the solution.
Social influences: Everybody has that friend who, after a night out, invites them out for dinner or drinks, or rewards them for a successful day with a pizza. With friends or family, it’s easy to overeat.

Coping Mechanisms

Recognizing the conditions and triggers that relate to one’s life is the first step towards overcoming emotional eating.

Identifying times when someone is more inclined to eat due to emotional hunger rather than physical hunger might be facilitated by keeping a food diary or journal.

Another technique to understand someone’s eating habits is to observe how they behave.

Among the actions they document are:

• patterns of appetite, possibly on a scale of 1 to 10.
• what they’re doing and whether it’s unpleasant and tiresome
• what they’re experiencing, be it boredom or rage,

After identifying the triggers, they might want to come up with a list of potential strategies to combat them. As an illustration:

• If someone eats when they’re bored, they could want to start a new hobby that could be challenging or discover an intriguing book to put on their reading list.
• A person who overeats due to stress can find that yoga, meditation, or going for a walk might help them manage their feelings.
• while someone eats while they’re feeling down, they might want to contact a friend, take the dog for a walk, or organize an activity to help them deal with their emotions.

Discussing alternative strategies to end the emotional eating cycle with a therapist or psychologist might also be beneficial.

An professional reference or more information on developing healthy eating habits and a better relationship with food may also be available from a doctor or nutritionist.

Lack of self-control or the need to eat less are not the only factors contributing to emotional eating. Similarly, those who eat to cope with stress are not just lacking in self-control.

These are complicated causes that could include some of the following:

Development in childhood

Emotional eating is a taught tendency for some people. When they are young, their parents give them goodies as a way to cheer them up or as a reward for a job well done.

The toddler who reaches for a cookie after receiving a poor grade on an exam might eventually grow up to be an adult who, after a difficult day at work, seeks for a box of cookies.

Emotional eating has deep roots in situations like this, which can make it very difficult to overcome the practice.

Inability to control one’s emotions

People frequently battle with uncomfortable or challenging emotions and feelings. The urge to immediately eliminate or rectify these bad emotions can result in undesirable behaviors.

And negative emotions are not the only emotions associated with emotional eating. Overindulging in candy during a festive Halloween party or overindulging over Thanksgiving are instances of eating for the sake of the holiday.

Effects of stress on the body

Additionally, there are a few physiological explanations for why stress and intense feelings might lead to overeating:

High cortisol levels: Stress first reduces hunger in order for the body to cope with the situation. Cortisol, another hormone, is released if the tension does not subside. One may overeat as a result of cortisol’s ability to stimulate hunger.

Cravings: Stress can raise cortisol levels, which can intensify appetites for fatty or sugary foods. Additionally, stress raises hunger hormones, which can worsen desires for unhealthy meals.

Sex: Men are more prone than women to smoke or drink alcohol, according to some study, and women are more likely than men to use food as a coping mechanism.

Physical vs. emotional hunger

It is quite simple to confuse physical hunger with emotional hunger. However, they are distinguished by certain traits.

Helping people stop emotional eating patterns begins with recognizing these tiny variances.

Is the hunger triggered suddenly or gradually?

Emotional hunger often strikes suddenly and with urgency. Unless it has been a long time since a person last ate, physical hunger is typically not as sudden or intense.

Is there a particular cuisine that you’re craving?

Junk food or other unhealthy urges are typically linked to emotional hunger. Whereas someone who is emotionally hungry will want something specific, like pizza or fries, a physically hungry person will frequently eat anything.

Is it possible to eat without thinking?

Consuming food without enjoying it or paying attention to it is known as mindless eating.

Eating the entire tub of ice cream while watching TV, even though you didn’t plan to consume that much, is one example. Usually, emotional eating—rather than eating out of hunger—causes this habit.

Does the head or the stomach cause the hunger?

The stomach does not produce emotional hunger, unlike a rumbling or growling stomach. The thought of a yearning or a desire for a certain food usually triggers emotional hunger.

Does emotional eating result in feelings of guilt or regret?

Eating out of stress or giving in to a craving might make you feel guilty, ashamed, or regretful. These reactions are frequently linked to emotional hunger.

Resolving a physical hunger, on the other hand, is not linked to unpleasant emotions and simply provides the body with the calories or nutrients it needs to function.

Alternatives to emotional eating

Call a person who always lifts your spirits, play with your dog or cat, or gaze at a treasured photo or memento if you’re feeling down or lonely.

Dance to your favorite music, squeeze a stress ball, or go for a vigorous stroll to release your nervous energy if you’re feeling uneasy.

Treat yourself to a nice cup of tea, take a bath, light some scented candles, or curl up with a warm blanket if you’re feeling worn out.

If you’re bored, try reading a good book, watching a comedy show, going outside, or engaging in a hobby you like, like scrapbooking, woodworking, guitar playing, or hoops shooting.

When cravings arise, stop and take stock of yourself.

Emotional eaters typically feel unable to control their urges. You can’t think about anything else when the need to eat strikes. You’re under an almost intolerable strain that needs to be relieved immediately! Your willpower isn’t strong enough, you think, because you’ve tried to resist before and failed. You may be surprised to learn that you have more control over your appetites than you may realize.

Count to five before giving in to a craving.

Emotional eating often happens automatically and without any conscious thought. Before you even know it, you’ve already grabbed for and consumed half of an ice cream container. However, you give yourself the chance to choose differently if you can stop and think about it when you’re confronted with a hunger.

Is it possible to postpone eating for five minutes? Or just give it a minute. Don’t convince yourself that you can’t give in to the urge; keep in mind that the prevented is extremely appealing. Remind yourself to wait.

Take stock of yourself as you wait. What’s up with you? What’s emotionally going on? You will have a clearer understanding of why you did it, even if you do wind up eating. This can help you prepare for a different reaction in the future.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle to help yourself.

You can better manage the unexpected turns that life will undoubtedly throw at you when you’re physically fit, at ease, and getting enough sleep. But any minor setback could drive you over the edge and straight to the fridge when you’re already worn out and overburdened. Healthy lifestyle choices, such as getting enough sleep and exercising, will help you cope with stressful situations without turning to emotional eating.

Make working out a daily priority. Being physically active improves your mood, gives you more energy, and is a great way to decompress. It’s also easier than you might believe to develop an exercise habit.

Try to get eight hours each night. Sugary foods that will offer you a quick energy boost are what your body desires when you don’t get enough sleep. Sleeping a lot will improve your appetite.

minimize and manage urges for food. Permit yourself to take a minimum of half an hour each day to unwind, de-stress, and rest. This is the moment for you to take a break yourself from your duties.

Make connections with other people. Don’t undervalue the significance of intimate bonds and social interactions. Being around positive individuals who make your life better will help shield you from the damaging impacts of stress.

Summary

A widespread occurrence, emotional eating is not typically linked to physical hunger. Periodically, some people give in to it, while others realize that it affects their lives and even poses a risk to their physical and mental health.

If someone feels bad about their eating habits, they should schedule a consultation with their doctor to talk about their problems. A certified dietitian or another therapist might also be able to help them come up with solutions or coping strategies.

Along with our physical health, it’s critical that we pay attention to our mental health. Emotional eating is normal, and there are several indicators of it. Determine the emotional pattern that triggers this cycle of emotional eating if you wish to break free from it. A expert should be consulted if you are unable to recognize the pattern.

FAQs

Reference

• Smith, M., MA, Robinson, L., & Segal, J., PhD. (2025, January 16). Emotional eating and how to stop it – HelpGuide.org. HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/wellness/weight-loss/emotional-eating
• Rd, C. W. (2022, September 15). Emotional eating: What you should know. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/emotional-eating
• Galan, N., RN. (2018, February 15). How do I stop stress eating? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320935
• Aneesh, A. (2024, July 31). Emotional eating: How to stop stress eating and Lose weight. https://fitelo.co/diet/emotional-eating/

Emotional Eating: How To Stop Stress Eating And Lose Weight | Fitelo