Emotional Eating: what it is, why it happens, and how to regain control

Emotional eating is the act of using food to cope with emotions rather than to satisfy physical hunger. It can be triggered by both negative and positive emotions, such as:

• Stress, anxiety, or overwhelm
• Sadness, loneliness, or grief
• Boredom or restlessness
• Fatigue or mental exhaustion
• Reward, celebration, or nostalgia

It’s often automatic, impulsive, and focused on specific “comfort” foods high in sugar, salt, or fat.

• You eat in response to emotions rather than hunger cues
• You crave specific foods and feel urgent or “compelled” to eat them
• You eat quickly or secretly and feel regret afterward
• You often eat when you’re tired, bored, anxious, or upset
• You feel like you’re not in control of your eating

Biological Drivers

• Cortisol: The stress hormone increases appetite and cravings for high-calorie foods
• Dopamine: Eating triggers a short-term reward response in the brain
• Serotonin: Carbohydrates can temporarily improve mood by increasing serotonin levels

Psychological Triggers

• Learned behaviour: Food used as comfort or reward in childhood
• Avoidance: Eating to distract from difficult feelings or thoughts
• Low self-awareness: Difficulty recognising or naming emotions

Environmental Factors

• Constant access to food
• Marketing that links food with mood or reward
• Unstructured schedules or lack of routine

• Weight gain from frequent non-hungry eating
• Disrupted appetite signals, making it harder to identify true hunger or fullness
• Mood disturbances, including guilt, shame, or low self-esteem
• Binge/restrict cycles, where emotional eating is followed by overcompensation or dieting

1. Increase Emotional Awareness

• Use a food and mood journal to track what you eat and how you feel
• Ask: “Am I physically hungry or emotionally triggered?”
• Learn to name emotions more clearly (e.g. anxious, restless, frustrated)

2. Create a Toolbox of Coping Strategies

• Develop a list of non-food strategies to soothe or distract (e.g. journaling, walking, calling a friend)
• Build routines that promote emotional resilience like movement, rest, or creative hobbies
• Address core stressors with professional support if needed (e.g. work, relationships, mental health)

3. Improve Your Eating Habits

• Eat regular, balanced meals to reduce vulnerability to emotional triggers
• Don’t overly restrict,  under-eating increases emotional drive to eat
• Practise mindful eating: slow down, taste your food, check in with how it feels to eat

4. Be Compassionate With Yourself

• Emotional eating is a coping strategy,  not a character flaw
• Avoid “all-or-nothing” thinking (e.g. “I’ve ruined everything now”)
• Progress comes from curiosity and awareness, not perfection

5. When Medication Might Help

• GLP-1 medications can reduce appetite and food cravings which is especially helpful if emotional eating is linked to compulsive or binge behaviours
• They help enhance satiety and reduce the biological drive to seek food for comfort

If emotional eating is frequent, distressing, or getting in the way of your health and wellbeing, you’re not alone, and you’re not “weak.” Support can make a big difference.

Medicspot offers a free 15-minute 1-2-1 call with a member of our weight loss support team. You can ask questions, discuss any concerns, and find out whether we might be able to support you.

Emotional eating isn’t about a lack of willpower. It’s often a sign you’re using food to meet an emotional need. With greater awareness, healthier coping strategies, and the right support, you can develop a calmer, more confident relationship with food.

Medicspot offers a free 15-minute support call to help you explore your eating patterns and whether behavioural or medical options could help.

Book your free call now.