Baria-E-18

Emotional eating

Emotional eating is the tendency of people, who suffer from this condition, to respond to stressful and difficult emotions by eating.

On certain occasions, it may be acceptable to use food as an energizing snack, reward, or celebration. However, if eating becomes your primary emotional overcoming mechanism (if your first reaction is to open the refrigerator when you are feeling stressed, sad, angry, lonely, exhausted, and depressed), you will fall into an unhealthy cycle where the real feelings or problems are never dealt with.

Finding different ways for intrinsic satisfaction

Emotional hunger cannot be satisfied with eating. Eating may make you feel better at that moment but the emotions triggering eating behavior are still in place. Besides, you feel worse than before due to the consumed unnecessary calories.

If you do not know how to manage your emotions without the involvement of food, you will be not able to control your eating habits for very long. Diets often fail because they offer rational nutritional advice, which only works if you consciously control your eating habits. A diet will not work when emotions take over and you seek momentary results by eating.

Alternatives for emotional eating

You have to find other ways to satisfy your emotions to avoid emotional eating.

The following alternatives can be considered instead of emotional eating:

If you feel bad-tempered or lonesome: Call someone who always makes you feel better, play with your dog, or cat or look at your favorite photos or souvenirs.

If you are concerned: Try to get rid of negative energy by dancing to your favorite song, playing with the stress ball and going for a brisk walk.

If you are very tired: Indulge yourself with a hot cup of tea, take a bath, light a scented candle, or wrap yourself in a warm blanket.

If you are bored: Read a good book, watch a comedy, walk outdoors, or do an activity you enjoy (woodworking, guitar playing, basketball, drawing etc.).

Despite these alternatives, if you cannot overcome emotional eating, you need professional support. You can contact us and make an appointment with our psychologist.

What is an eating disorder?

Eating disorders are disorders characterized by irregular eating habits and serious anxiety or concerns about body perception. Eating disorders are usually accompanied by other diseases such as anxiety disorders, drug abuse or depression.

Some eating disorders:

Emotional eating

Binge eating disorder

Night eating syndrome

Bulimia nervosa (eating-vomiting disorder)

Anorexia nervosa (refusing eating due to weight gain phobia)

Emotional eating and eating disorder

The main difference between emotional eating and overeating is the amount of consumed food. Although there is a problem related to the control of eating drive in both cases, emotional eating is related to moderate to large amounts of food consumption, while eating disorders may be related to very small or very large amounts of food consumption.

Emotional eating may be the only symptom, or it may be a sign of an eating disorder like bulimia (eating-vomiting syndrome) or overeating disorder or other emotional diseases like depression.

If you think that you have emotional eating or the abovementioned eating disorders, you should seek psychological support for sustainable weight loss.

Emotional eating is a common response to stressful, difficult feelings by eating – even when you’re not actually hungry.

Using food occasionally as a pick-me-up, a reward, or to celebrate is perfectly alright. But when eating becomes a primary emotional coping mechanism – when your first impulse is to open the refrigerator whenever you’re stressed, upset, angry, lonely, exhausted or bored – this can trigger an unhealthy cycle which may alleviate in the short term, but does not address the underlying feelings or problems.

Finding other fulfilment

Emotional hunger can’t be met with food. Eating may feel good in the moment, but eating does not make the feelings go away. And it can leave you feeling even worse, for instance because of the guilt associated with this type of behaviour.

It is important to learn to manage your emotions in a way that doesn’t involve food in order to sustainably maintain healthy eating habits. One reason why diets so often fail is because they offer logical nutritional advice without addressing the issues that trigger emotional eating.

Alternatives to emotional eating

The trick to stopping emotional eating is to find other ways to achieve emotional fulfilment. These might include:

Feeling out or sorts or lonely? Call someone who always makes you feel better, play with your dog or cat or look at a favourite photo or cherished memento.

Feeling anxious? Release nervous energy by dancing to your favourite song, squeezing a stress ball or taking a brisk walk.

If you’re exhausted? Treat yourself to a hot cup of tea, take a bath, light some scented candles or wrap yourself in a warm blanket.

Feeling bored? Read a good book, watch a comedy show, explore the outdoors or turn to an activity you enjoy.

If you need extra support, speak with your GP or psychologist.

What is an eating disorder?

Eating disorders are characterised by irregular eating habits and severe distress or concern about body image. Eating disorders commonly coexist with other conditions, such as anxiety disorders, substance abuse or depression.

Emotional eating can be a sign of a more serious condition.