Emotional Eating vs Binge Eating & Questions You Need to Ask Yourself.
Okay, let's be honest—how many times have you reached for that tub of ice cream, pizza, chicken bucket or bag of chips after a stressful day? Don’t worry, no judgment here! It's something most of us have experienced. But the question is: Why are we doing it? And when does it go from occasional indulgence to something deeper?
I'm going to break it down for you as well as share my own experiences of both emotional eating and binge eating. I'll admit I knew about my tendencies to emotionally eat in the past but it wasn't untill I began writing my program and book that I realised that I also had a binge eating episode; but more on that later.
Firstly, let's go over:
1. What exactly emotional eating is?
2. How does it differ from binge eating?
3. And why is understanding this difference so important for our health, both physically and mentally?
As we go through this, I encourage you to reflect on your own habits and ask yourself: When I eat, what am I really hungry for? Let’s start with emotional eating.
Emotional Eating Habits
Emotional eating is when we use food as a way to deal with our feelings, rather than to satisfy physical hunger. This might look like reaching for comfort food when you're feeling down, stressed, or even bored. The food becomes a way to fill a void, to soothe, or to distract from uncomfortable emotions.
You might not even realize you're doing it. It’s the kind of eating that happens mindlessly—you're not necessarily thinking about the food itself, just how it’s making you feel.
And emotional eating isn't inherently bad. I mean, food is supposed to bring comfort and joy! The problem arises when it becomes the main way you deal with difficult emotions. Let me ask you something: When you're feeling upset or anxious, do you find yourself craving specific foods? Do you eat, even when you're not physically hungry?
If you said yes, you’re not alone. But it’s important to recognize that emotional eating is typically linked to specific situations or emotions. It’s like a quick fix—food makes you feel better temporarily, but it doesn’t address the root of the emotion.
Binge Eating – A Deeper Dive
Now, binge eating is something quite different. While emotional eating tends to be tied to certain emotions or situations, binge eating is characterized by a loss of control. When someone binge eats, it’s not just about emotional comfort—it’s about consuming large amounts of food, often very quickly, and feeling unable to stop, even when they’re uncomfortably full.
After a binge, people often feel guilt, shame, or even disgust. It’s more than just overeating during the holidays or having an extra slice of pizza. This is a repeated pattern that becomes deeply emotional, but it’s driven by compulsion rather than a conscious emotional trigger.
What really separates binge eating from emotional eating is this sense of losing control. Binge eating episodes are frequent and often leave people feeling out of control and distressed. It can even lead to significant health issues like weight gain, digestive problems, and increased risk of emotional disorders like depression.
Breaking it Down
Let’s break this down so it’s crystal clear. There are several key differences between emotional eating and binge eating. Understanding these can really help us recognize which patterns are showing up in our own lives.
Emotional Triggers vs. Loss of Control
Emotional Eating is driven by emotions like sadness, stress, or even boredom. You’re eating to feel better emotionally.
Binge Eating, on the other hand, is less about the emotion itself and more about feeling out of control with food. The eating is often automatic and compulsive, with a sense that you can’t stop—even if you want to.
Amount of Food
With emotional eating, you might turn to comfort foods, but the quantity of food isn’t usually excessive. You eat to soothe yourself, but you're still aware of your hunger and fullness signals.
In binge eating, the amount of food consumed is significantly larger than what most people would eat in a similar time frame, and it’s often consumed quickly and in secret.
Frequency and Patterns
Emotional eating happens occasionally, usually tied to specific triggers or situations—like eating after a stressful meeting or breakup. It’s not a regular habit for most people.
But with binge eating, the behavior is more frequent and can become a recurring cycle that’s harder to break. You might binge several times a week, or even more.
After the Eating
With emotional eating, you might feel a bit of guilt or frustration afterward, but it often passes. You may think, "I shouldn't have eaten that," but it doesn’t spiral into overwhelming shame.
After binge eating, however, there's often a deep sense of shame, guilt, or even disgust with oneself. It can feel like you’ve lost control and that feeling lingers, affecting your mood and self-esteem.
Emotional Focus vs. Numbing
With emotional eating, the focus is often on the emotion itself—you eat because you’re aware that you're feeling stressed, sad, or lonely. Food becomes a way to soften those feelings.
In binge eating, the act of eating is more about numbing or avoiding those emotions entirely. You’re not necessarily aware of what you're feeling; instead, you're using food to drown out or disconnect from uncomfortable thoughts and emotions.
Take a moment to think about these differences. Do you recognize any of these behaviors in your own relationship with food? Do you find yourself occasionally eating out of stress, or do you feel more of a loss of control with food? Let me know in the comments because this awareness is the first step toward change.
Why Understanding the Difference Matters
Why does it matter if we know the difference between emotional eating and binge eating? Because the way we approach and address these behaviors is different. Understanding where you fall on this spectrum helps you develop the right tools to manage it.
With emotional eating, the goal is to become more aware of your emotions and find healthier ways to cope. Often, emotional eating is about seeking comfort or relief, and the key is to identify other strategies that offer the same soothing effect—without always turning to food. Maybe that means journaling, talking to a friend, taking a walk, or practicing mindfulness.
In these cases, it’s about learning to pause when the urge to eat arises and ask yourself: What am I feeling right now? What do I actually need? It’s about finding alternatives that help you process your emotions rather than suppress them with food.
Now, with binge eating, the situation is more complex. Binge eating often comes from deeper psychological and emotional roots. You’re not just eating to cope; you’re eating in a way that feels out of control. It can feel overwhelming and isolating, and it’s important to recognize that this is not about lack of willpower. It’s often connected to issues like anxiety, depression, trauma, or low self-esteem.
If you feel like you’re struggling with binge eating, it’s important to seek help—whether that’s through therapy, support groups, or working with a nutritionist. Binge eating often requires professional support to break the cycle and understand what’s driving those behaviors. And that’s okay! The important thing is to take that first step.
If you are still wondering, however, here are 30 questions to ask yourself to determine if you are emotionally eating or binge eating:
Emotional Triggers
When I eat, am I responding to stress, sadness, loneliness, or boredom?
Do I reach for food when I feel anxious or overwhelmed?
Am I eating to celebrate or reward myself, even when I’m not hungry?
Do I notice a particular pattern of eating after emotional events or tough conversations?
Do I find comfort in certain foods when I'm upset?
Am I aware of my emotions before I decide to eat?
Hunger Awareness
When I eat, am I physically hungry, or am I trying to soothe an emotion?
Do I confuse emotional cravings with physical hunger?
Do I eat out of habit, even when my body isn't hungry?
Do I often eat when I’m not physically hungry but feel emotionally compelled?
Control Over Eating
Can I stop eating when I’m full, or do I feel compelled to continue?
Do I feel out of control when I eat certain foods?
Do I find it hard to stop eating once I’ve started, even when I feel discomfort?
Do I hide my eating or eat in secret to avoid judgment?
Have I ever eaten large amounts of food in a short period and felt unable to stop?
Food Choices
Do I frequently turn to specific comfort foods like sweets, chips, or fast food when I’m emotional?
Am I craving certain foods based on my mood or feelings?
Do I eat foods that I wouldn't normally choose just because they make me feel better emotionally?
What are your feelings about the following foods:
Sweets like ice cream, chocolate, doughnuts, cookies, cake, candy?
Starches like white bread, rolls, pasta, and rice?
Salty snacks like chips, pretzels, and crackers?
Fatty foods like steak, bacon, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pizza, and French fries?
Sugary drinks like soda pop?
5. How often do you eat the above foods: hourly/daily/weekly/monthly/rarely or never?
After Eating Feelings
How do I feel after eating? Satisfied or guilty?
Which emotion is more prevalent when you finish a meal or snack; shame or regret?
Does eating leave me feeling worse emotionally than I did before I ate?
Do I feel numb or disconnected after eating large quantities of food?
Patterns and Frequency
How often do I eat in response to emotional triggers?
Do I find myself binge eating or emotionally eating multiple times a week?
Are there certain times of day or situations where I’m more likely to engage in emotional or binge eating?
Physical and Emotional Impact
Does my eating leave me feeling uncomfortably full or bloated?
Does my eating behavior affect my mood, energy, or self-esteem negatively?
Have I noticed weight fluctuations or physical symptoms like indigestion or fatigue as a result of overeating?
Coping Mechanisms
Do I use food as a way to avoid dealing with my emotions?
Are there healthier coping strategies I avoid in favor of eating, like talking to someone, journaling, or exercising?
These questions can help you reflect on your habits and patterns with food, making it easier to recognize whether you are eating to manage emotions or experiencing loss of control in a binge eating cycle.
If you said yes to most of the top questions then it is likely that you are emotionally eating, however, if you said yes to the last questions, then it is likely that you are binge eating. I
YFAS Questions - Are You Addicted to Food?
Are substance/s taken in larger amount/s and for longer period/s than intended?
Is there a persistent desire or repeated unsuccessful attempt/s to quit?
How much time/activity to obtain food/s, use food/s, and/or recover from consumption?
Are any important social, occupational, or recreation activities given up or reduced?
Does the use continues despite knowledge of adverse consequences (e.g., failure to fulfill role obligations, still use when physically hazardous)?
What is your tolerance level (marked increase in amount; marked decrease in effect)?
Are there characteristic withdrawal symptoms; and then substance/s taken to relieve the withdrawal?
Reflections On My Own Experience of Both Emotional Eating & Binge Eating
A huge betrayal by a business partner left me abandoning my dreams and embracing feelings of FAILURE, SHAME, GUILT. I was outwardly successful, but drowning in sorrow and grief.
I was burning the candle at both ends in my role as a lone parent, a full time executive, a restaurant side-hustle all while battling with the feelings of embarrassment, abandonment and fear.
Every night after work I played the competent mummy role then later sought comfort for my loneliness in the kitchen and a bottle of wine "BECAUSE I WAS WORTH IT" and because I deserved it! Wasn't I being a fantastic human being doing parent hood ALL BY MYSELF? God**** I deserved to give good stuff to myself!
I was emotionally exhausted, physically burnt out, broken hearted, humiliated full of remorse but the one thing I could do was OPEN MY MOUTH. Every evening a bottle of wine made it's appearance in a staring role as my best friend. The supporting role was the white comfort foods. The usual suspects that turn into sugar: plates of rice, roasted potatoes, chips, and of course, pasta and pizza.
The combination carried on for 3 years until one day I saw a picture of myself and I wondered who that person was? I had gained 2 stone, lost my waistline and my vitality.
The binge eating came from a darker and heavier place. It was intense but short lived.
Having lost control in one aspect of my life I fell into a numb depression and binge eating was a place where I could exercise exacting control.
I did not recognise myself as I ate quantities of a particular fast food, not stop eating until I felt over full and a sense of bursting, physical sickness and gagging. This was a shadow side of myself where I didn’t want to nor have to “do the right thing”
How to Start Making Changes
So, now that we know the difference, what can we do about it? Let’s talk about practical steps. For emotional eating, here are a few tips to get you started:
Get clear on the emotions that are driving your behaviour - you can find my FREE A-Z of emotions workbook here.
Pause before you eat – Ask yourself, am I physically hungry, or am I eating because of how I feel?
Find other ways to comfort yourself – Whether it’s calling a friend, going for a walk, or doing a quick mindfulness exercise, find alternatives to food when you're emotional.
Practice mindfulness – Being more aware of what you’re eating and why can bea game-changer. Slow down, savor your meals, and pay attention to how food makes you feel.
Use self-hypnosis techniques to assist you in your self mastery - link here to my YouTube Playlist
Additionally, the Emotional Eating Detox is a comprehensive 24 hour program to shift your tendencies for good.
For binge eating, it’s important to seek professional help if you feel like things are spiraling out of control. And remember, it's not just about stopping the binge; it’s about healing the underlying reasons that led to it.
Here is the Eating Disorder Organisation in the UK and here is the NEDA in the USA.
At the end of the day, we’re all on a journey with our relationship to food. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. But by understanding these behaviors and approaching them with compassion, we can begin to make lasting changes.
So, here’s a coaching question to leave you with: How can you start tuning into your feelings before reaching for food? What’s one small step you can take to check in with yourself before you eat? It’s these small steps that lead to lasting changes. This is a journey, and the fact that you’re here, wanting to learn more, means you’re already on the path to healing.