Why Do I Eat When I’m Not Hungry? Exploring Overeating

Dear Reader,

In the bustling rhythm of life, many of us find ourselves reaching for food when we know we’re not physically hungry – we call it emotional eating. Today, we will look a little deeper into how it is that our emotions get so tangled up with our cues for eating.

Emotional eating and overeating is driven by an often unconscious desire to calm or soothe ourselves during moments of stress, anxiety, or when we’re experiencing challenging feelings.   And the food we reach for then becomes about so much more than nourishment, because from the time we were tiny children, we have all developed emotional attachments to particular foods and these foods then have their own deeper meanings.

Why Emotional Overeating Happens

When we encounter stressful situations or overwhelming emotions, reaching for food to comfort us can become a real strategy that helps us cope.  Insights from “Eating Out of Control” and our extensive podcast resources, explains how emotional eating serves as a temporary escape, it really does provide a sense of relief and pleasure for us.

Eating when we are not physically hungry often stems from a disconnection with our body’s natural hunger and satiety cues. Instead of addressing a need for nutrition, we might use food to numb ourselves from feeling the full brunt of difficult feelings, such as  sadness, loneliness, grief, anger, etc.

Breaking the Cycle: Strategies to Consider

Understanding the triggers for our overeating is the first step toward breaking the cycle. Here are some alternative strategies you could experiment with that might help you feel more in charge of your eating, instead of feeling that your eating is in charge of you.

1. Awareness: Begin by increasing your awareness of your emotional triggers. Keep a Feelings Diary to try to identify in hindsight what it was you were feeling before you reached for that particular food.
2. Emotional Expression: Find other outlets for expressing your feelings, you could try writing them down, colourfully drawing your feelings, singing them out loud, stomping and dancing your feelings into the ground, or playing a musical instrument that will help you release some more of that tension.
3. Body Trust: Develop a sense of trust with your body, see if you can honour your body’s own ancient wisdom that lets you know when you are genuinely physically hungry, and then see if you can differentiate when your body is telling you it is emotionally hungry instead.  Hint: physical hunger comes on slowly and gently and we usually find ourselves thinking about the healthier choices we could be making over a period of time, such as within an hour.  Emotional eating doesn’t wait – it is urgent and demanding and it’s rarely healthy food we’re after!
4. Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself during this journey. If a small child came to you and told you he or she was experiencing everything you are right now, what would be the kindest thing you could do or say to this child?  See if you can allow in for yourself, the very same kind of love and care you wish for this child.

At Support to Stop Overeating, we are committed to helping you navigate overeating with empathy and support.  Our Brisbane-based service is here to provide resources and guidance every step of the way.

Conclusion

Eating when we’re not hungry is often more about the emotions we’re hoping to avoid, rather than the food itself.  By embracing a new awareness, we can find some refreshingly different ways to cope that cost us much less, emotionally and yet still help us meet our needs for an inner connection on a deeper level.

Remember, you are not alone. Explore more about emotional overeating at supporttostopovereating.com.au.  Let’s work towards understanding and healing, together, with compassion and support.

With warmth,

Karla