Stress Eating: Why it Happens and How to Stop it

If you’ve ever over-indulged in sugary desserts or other unhealthy foods after a hard day at work, you’re certainly not alone. For many people, food is comfort, especially in times of stress. You may find yourself turning to food when experiencing difficult family problems, stressful days at work, or even because you’re feeling bored.

Stress eating is something many of us do from time to time, but it can sabotage weight loss efforts when it becomes a habit—especially because it can lead to overeating and making unhealthy choices. The good news is, by having a better understanding of the physical and psychological factors that lead to stress eating (as well as your own triggers and habits), you can take steps to make healthier choices and get back on track with your weight loss goals.

What causes stress eating?

With stress eating, there are physical and psychological factors at play; both relate to how our bodies react to food chemically.

When under stress, the body releases a hormone called cortisol, which is responsible for the “fight or flight” response. From a biological standpoint, fighting a threat (or running away from a threat) requires energy, so cortisol triggers cravings for quick-energy foods like processed sugars, grains, and fats. However, these cravings aren’t the result of actually being hungry; they’re due to the brain thinking there’s a potentially harmful situation that it needs to prepare the body for.

In addition, eating sugary and high-fat foods activates dopamine, a neurotransmitter that communicates with the reward pathway of the brain that controls memory and behavior. When dopamine is released, it makes you feel pleasure; the brain begins to make connections to the pleasurable behavior, which ensures you’ll repeat it. Although the reward system of the brain can be helpful, it also plays a large role in addiction.

In times of stress, processed and unhealthy foods have a chemical edge over healthier foods; they have a higher energy density, trigger dopamine, and they’re usually faster—which makes them an easier “go-to” food after a long, hard day at work. If a person is bombarded by stressful situations daily, and they don’t have healthy coping mechanisms, it can easily lead to high cortisol levels and overeating—especially if what they’re eating stimulates the reward center of the brain.

Stress eating is also associated with uncomfortable emotions, like grief, guilt, anger, loneliness, and boredom. If you’ve experienced the passing of a loved one, for example, it may be tempting to snack on a candy bar (and receive that hit of dopamine) rather than confronting or managing your emotions. Under emotional circumstances, you may also experience impulsive or binge eating, quickly consuming large amounts of convenient food without much enjoyment.

Emotions can become so associated with food that eating becomes an unconscious habit. You may find yourself reaching for a bag of chips without even realizing you’re doing it. Food may become a distraction from life’s problems as well. Regardless of the type of emotions that are causing stress eating, the act of overindulging can lead to guilt and an unhealthy cycle of emotional triggers, overeating, feeling guilty—only to do it all over again.

For some people, stress eating can be a learned behavior. For example, if you received treats as a child to deal with a rough day at school or to comfort you when you were sad, enjoying food as a reward may be deeply ingrained as a coping mechanism.

Stress eating can also be a response to the environment. Living in an environment with constant daily physical, mental, and emotional stress—like the COVID-19 pandemic—can increase the desire for comfort and escapism granted by unhealthy high-energy foods. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), nearly 8 out of 10 Americans say the pandemic has been a significant source of stress; 7 out of 10 Americans report that they have had higher stress levels overall since the pandemic started.

Healthy Sugars, Fats, and Carbs

Keep in mind that sugar, fats, and carbohydrates aren’t inherently unhealthy; they’re necessary for a well-balanced diet. The problem lies with unhealthy versions of these foods.

Fruits, for example, are a healthy source of sugar. Although fruit sugar isn’t healthier than sugar from other sources, fruit provides many healthy nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Many fruits are easily portable, too, which makes them a good option for a healthy snack.

Carbohydrates are similar to sugar. Many processed carbohydrates, like baked goods, have few to no nutrients. If you’re still craving carbs, choose whole grain options, like whole-grain bread or pasta. These complex carbs contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and they’ll also keep you feeling full for longer. If you enjoy making your own baked goods, use less processed flouts or a blend of processed and unprocessed flours.

Fats also have healthy and unhealthy varieties. Stay away from unhealthy fats like hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (which are often found in junk food), as well as animal fats. Choose healthy plant oils instead, like olive oil or sunflower oil. Healthier fats will help to feed your cravings while also keeping you on track with your goals.

Identifying Hunger Vs. Stress Eating

It can be easy to mistake emotional or stress hunger for physical hunger, but recognizing the subtle differences can be very helpful in identifying emotional or stress-based eating patterns. Here are a few things to ask yourself:

Does the feeling of being hungry come on quickly and urgently?
Are you craving a specific food?
Are you eating without paying attention to what (or how much) you’re eating—or do you find yourself eating without enjoying your food?
Does your feeling of hunger come from your head rather than your stomach?
Do you have feelings of regret or guilt after eating?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re likely engaging in stress eating.

Tips to Stop Stress Eating

Stress eating can become a vicious cycle that affects your self-esteem, as well as your waistline. However, with some simple tips and behavior modification, you can find healthier ways to counter stress and maintain your weight loss goals.

Check in with yourself. One of the best ways to prevent stress-eating is to understand what triggers you to do it in the first place. If you find yourself overeating or making poor food choices, take a moment to check in with yourself. Are you stressed out from work? Are you avoiding uncomfortable emotions, trying to distract yourself, or feeling bored? Or do you actually feel hungry? If you’re not physically hungry, you may want to find something else to do until the urge to eat passes, like take a walk or talk with a friend.

It’s also helpful to check in with yourself before you eat to evaluate what you’re feeling. Sometimes, simply pausing and being mindful of why you’re eating can help prevent choosing unhealthy foods or overindulgence.

Don’t deprive yourself. When trying to lose weight, you might be tempted to limit your calories too much, eliminate treats, and eat the same foods over and over. Unfortunately, this could lead to increased food cravings or getting into a dietary rut that makes you want to quit your weight loss efforts. Make sure you’re eating a satisfying amount of a variety of healthy foods and don’t forget to enjoy a treat every once in a while. Long-term lifestyle changes are all about balance!

Keep a food diary. A food diary is a great tool to help you understand your eating habits and patterns.Write down what you eat, when you eat, and how you’re feeling at the time. After a while, you’ll be able to see how healthy—or unhealthy—your food choices are, as well as any connections to your emotional state. A food diary can also help you set and stick to your weight loss goals.

Get support from friends and family. Having a good support system can help you stay positive and focused on sticking to a healthy lifestyle during times of stress. If you don’t feel supported by people in your life, you may want to consider joining a support group. Research has shown that those with high-stress jobs have better overall mental health when they have a strong support network.

Focus on your goals, rather than counting calories or watching the scale. When trying to lose weight, it can be easy to get overly focused on things like calorie counts, menu planning, and weighing yourself. Unfortunately, focusing on these things too much can lead to negative feelings (like guilt when you backslide or don’t hit a goal) or simply losing track of making lifestyle changes. Getting stuck in a food rut can also lead to more cravings.

Remove temptations. If you have unhealthy foods at home, it will be harder to resist them. Remove the urge by removing any you currently have at home and avoid going grocery shopping when you’re feeling emotional and stressed out. If you’re worried about making bad choices when you shop, write a grocery list with a list of healthy foods and stick to it once you’re at the store.

Make it easier to make healthy choices. Keep a supply of quick and easy healthy snacks available for when you get hungry between meals, like fresh fruit, nuts, vegetables with low-fat dip, or unbuttered popcorn.

Meal prepping can also help keep you on track. Many unhealthy foods are quick and convenient, which makes them easier to “grab and go” when you’re stressed out. Meal prepping allows you to cook large amounts of food ahead of time, so they can be heated up quickly and enjoyed later. Soups, stews, and casseroles are all great options. You can also meal prep a healthy breakfast the night before by putting a bowl of oats and water in the fridge before going to bed or making pre-scrambled raw eggs with cheese and diced vegetables. In the morning, all you’ll need to do is heat up or cook your prepared meal.

Don’t be hard on yourself. Remember, no one’s perfect. If you make a mistake, like eating too much or choosing unhealthy foods, don’t focus on failure. Doing so can lead to more stress, which could push you into making more bad decisions. Instead, learn from your mistakes and recognize what you can do differently to break the stress-eating cycle.

Make healthy substitutions. There are healthy ways to fulfill your cravings without abandoning your weight loss efforts. For example, if you’re craving pizza, try putting tomato sauce, veggies, and part-skim mozzarella on some pita bread. If you’re in the mood for tacos, make a taco salad instead. If you have a sweet tooth, try eating some fruit or some low-fat frozen yogurt.

Meditate. If you have the urge to eat, mindful meditation can help reduce stress and fight the impulse. Sit in a quiet place and observe your thoughts while focusing on your breathing. If you find it difficult to do on your own, try using a meditation app to help guide you. Don’t judge your thoughts or be hard on yourself if you lose focus. Just gently guide your focus back to your breathing and notice what you’re thinking.

Exercise. Exercise is a great way to support your weight loss goals and reduce stress and negative emotions. When you work out, it triggers your body to release chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins create a positive feeling in the body that reduces the sensation of pain and creates a more positive, energized mental state. You don’t need to do high-impact exercise to get the benefit of endorphins, either. Low-impact exercise, like yoga and tai chi, will also help you work up a good sweat.

Professional Help with stress eating

When you don’t have the support you need, or you’re just getting started on your weight loss journey, it can be difficult to know where to start. Discussing your eating habits with a doctor or healthcare professional can also help you identify what’s causing the stress in your life and some healthy ways to counter it.

If you’ve struggled to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, contact Dr. Jennifer Hubert. Her customized medical weight loss plans have helped many patients in Santa Rosa reclaim their health. Dr. Hubert takes a holistic approach to weight loss, with behavior modification, nutritional counseling, medical monitoring, and other tools to help you meet your weight loss and health goals. Schedule your consultation today at (707) 575-8446.