Understanding Emotional Eating and Its Impact on Weight Loss

We’ve all heard the term “emotional eating” but are not often told its impact on our bodies and how to curb it. For clarification, emotional eating refers to the practice of using food as a way to cope with or suppress emotions. Stress, sadness, boredom or anxiety can be triggers for emotional eating. Our bodies may ignore hunger signals which leads to the over consumption of comfort foods. Studies have found that up to 78% of individuals were reported engaging in emotional eating at least once a month. 

Reasons for Emotional Eating

Other than emotional eating as a stress response, there are a few other reasons for this coping mechanism.

• Emotional regulation - outside of stress, other emotions tend to be regulated with food or substances 
• Neurotransmitters - Certain neurotransmitters in the brain, such as dopamine, can influence emotional eating
• Cultural and social factors- Celebrations, social gatherings, and holidays often involve food, leading to emotional associations with eating in social contexts
• Unconscious habits - Emotional eating can become a habitual response to emotions, and individuals may not always be fully aware of why they are reaching for food when experiencing certain feelings

How Emotional Eating Affects Weight Loss

• Emotional eating can lead to overeating and consuming high calorie, unhealthy foods
• Emotional eating disrupts the body’s natural hunger and fullness cues
• Regulating food intake and controlling portion sizes is hard with emotional eating 
• The guilt and shame that follows with emotional eating can lead to an continuous cycle 

The American Psychological Association (APA) revealed a significant positive correlation between emotional eating and weight gain. The analysis found that individuals who frequently engaged in emotional eating were more likely to have higher body mass indexes (BMI) compared to those who didn't resort to emotional eating. Emotional eating tendencies are found to be associated with a higher likelihood of regaining lost weight, indicating that emotional eating can hinder long-term weight management efforts.

How to Overcome Emotional Eating:

Participants with a higher tendency for emotional eating showed slower progress in weight loss programs and were more prone to weight regain after completing the programs. So, what can they do to overcome emotional eating? 

They can…

• Learn to recognize emotional triggers and practice mindfulness to differentiate between emotional and physical hunger
• Find alternative coping mechanisms for dealing with tough emotions like physical activity, journalling or talking to a close friend or loved one
• Seek professional help from a therapist or counselor to address any underlying issues 

Emotional eating is a common practice that many of us engage in as a way to cope with or suppress emotions. Stress, sadness, boredom, and anxiety can act as triggers for turning to food for comfort. However, the impact of emotional eating on our bodies and overall well-being is significant and deserves attention. Studies have shown that emotional eating is linked to weight gain but fortunately there is a lot you can do! Reducing stress or finding alternative ways to cope with heavy emotions should take you on a much easier and more successful weight loss journey.