How to Stop Stress Eating

Do you eat in times of stress? Sadness? Happiness?

If you do, you are not alone. Emotional eating is a way we comfort ourselves when we need a distraction, or want to feel better.

Emotional eating is particularly difficult to manage when it is “triggered” by certain things like stress at work, anxiety, boredom, anger or a difficult relationship.

How do I Know If I am Stress Eating?

If you head to the refrigerator or pantry if you’ve eaten less than a couple of hours ago, you might want to ask yourself if you are really hungry. If the answer is no, then ask yourself, “Why do I want to eat?”

Once you identify why you want to eat, you can prepare yourself to face the situation again – without food, if possible.

If you are, in fact, hungry, try drinking a glass of water instead. Sometimes, when we think we are hungry, we are really just thirsty.

Why We Stress Eat

There is, in fact, good reason why we find ourselves eating our of emotion or stress.

When we are stressed, our bodies create the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that makes you crave carbohydrates and fatty foods as if you needed the fuel to provide energy for the defense.

Eating may also be a way we distract ourselves from what is really bothering us. That is why it is so important to learn what causes emotional eating, not just how to deal with the after-effects of eating.

What to Do Instead of Stress Eating

It’s important to learn why you are eating before it happens. Only when you discover what is causing you to crave food, can you get to the root of the issue and deal with it head on.

Dealing with the emotions that trigger stress eating can be difficult, and you don't have to do it alone. Talking to a friend, therapist or someone you trust can be the first step in tackling emotional eating and getting back on track to your health. Professionals at Penn’s Stunkard Weight Management Program are recognized authorities in the treatment for weight loss and eating disorders.

Lose Weight at Penn Medicine

Learn about medical weight loss in Philadelphia, and the Penn Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Program at a free information session about weight-loss surgery in Philadelphia.

There, you will hear about your weight-loss surgery options, and how Penn can help you lose weight and get healthy for good.

Register for a free information session today.