Why Diets Don’t Work for Emotional Eating (And What Does)

November 29, 2024•6 min read

Let me ask you something: Have you ever felt completely out of control around food, promising yourself, “This time, I’ll stick to the diet,” only to find yourself reaching for your favourite comfort food after a stressful day? And then the guilt sets in, and you think, “What is wrong with me?”

First of all, let me reassure you: nothing is wrong with you 💚 Emotional eating isn’t about you lacking willpower or discipline (so don’t blame yourself!) - it’s about something much deeper. It’s a sign that there is something inside of you asking you for your attention. So here’s the truth that most diets won’t tell you: food isn’t the problem. It’s just the symptom.

If you’ve been stuck in the diet-eat-shame cycle, I’m so glad you’re here. Together, let’s explore why going another diet won’t help you with your emotional eating, and what you can do instead to break free for good.

What Is Emotional Eating?

Emotional eating is what happens when we turn to food to soothe our feelings instead of using food to simply feed our physical hunger. Maybe it’s reaching for biscuits after a hard day at work or snacking mindlessly during a Netflix binge because you’re feeling lonely. Sounds familiar?

Here’s how the cycle often looks:

You feel an emotional trigger - common ones are stress, boredom, sadness, loneliness or even happiness.
You turn to food for comfort, even when you’re not physically hungry.
Guilt and shame creep in because you “gave in.”
The emotions return, as you haven’t addressed them, and the cycle repeats.

It can feel like an endless cycle, and I can tell you from first hand experience, it’s exhausting.

But let’s pause here for a moment, because I have an important reminder for you: it’s not about the food. Emotional eating is your body’s way of saying, “Hey, I’m craving something, and I need you to solve this.” But you know what? If you’re not actually hungry, food is not the answer.

Why Diets Don’t Work for Emotional Eating

Now, here’s where diets fail us. Diets are designed to control what you eat, not why you eat. They focus on the symptom (food), while completely ignoring the root cause (your emotions).

Think about it:

Restrictive diets where you have a meal plan to follow or calorie goals to hit often create feelings of deprivation, which only brings you more cravings.
They reinforce a cycle of guilt and shame by labelling foods as “good” or “bad.” You might feel like if you eat something outside of your plan you’ve been “naughty” or “bad".
And most importantly, they don’t address the deeper emotional triggers driving your eating habits. So you might be able to prevent yourself to eat those comfort foods for a couple of day, relying purely on your willpower, but at some point your body is going to bring your attention back to what’s inside of you that you’ve still not addressed.

I worked with a client who had been battling emotional eating since childhood. Growing up, she watched her mum cope with emotions through food, and that pattern became her own. Every time she ate emotionally, she was consumed by guilt and shame, thinking, “I know I’m not hungry, so why can’t I stop?”

Sound familiar? It wasn’t until we dug deeper that she realised what she was really craving: permission. Permission to be herself. Permission to ask, “What do I actually need right now?” and giver herself exactly that.

That’s the key. Emotional eating isn’t about food. It’s about unmet needs and emotions asking for your attention.

What’s Really Behind Emotional Eating

Here’s the game-changer: food isn’t the issue. It’s the signal.

Emotional eating often points to something deeper - stress, loneliness, overwhelm, or even the belief that you’re not enough. When you treat food as the problem, you miss the opportunity to address the real need.

For my client, the breakthrough came when she started asking herself a simple question whenever she felt the urge to eat emotionally: “What do I really need right now?” Sometimes the answer was rest. Other times it was connection, creativity, or simply letting herself feel the emotions she’d been trying to bury. The recurring one, however, was that she needed to show up as herself, and to stop hiding who she really was. And you know what? Once she had addressed all those emotions by listening to the messages she was getting, the emotional eating stopped. She now knows what to do when the triggers hit!

So remember: it’s not about fighting your cravings, it’s about listening to them.

What Works Instead of Dieting

So, if diets don’t work, what can you do to stop your emotional eating? Let’s break it down:

1. Pause and Check In

Before reaching for food, take a deep breath and ask yourself:

Am I physically hungry?
What emotion am I feeling right now?

This tiny pause creates space to listen to your body and your heart. Bringing awareness to what you’re feeling is a game-changer.

2. Ask Yourself What You Need

Here’s the magic question: “What do I need right now?”

Is it comfort? Connection? A break?
How can you meet that need in a way that feels nurturing?

3. Give Yourself Permission

This one’s big. Give yourself permission to feel your emotions instead of stuffing them down. Permission to ask for what you need. Permission to treat yourself with kindness instead of criticism.

Healing emotional eating isn’t about controlling food - it’s about learning to care for yourself.

How My Programme Can Help

I know this work isn’t easy. It’s deeply personal and often requires support, and that’s exactly why I created my Body Freedom 1:1 coaching programme.

In this programme, we:

Dive into the root causes of your emotional eating.
Break the cycle of dieting, overeating, and guilt.
Build a nurturing relationship with food and, more importantly, with yourself.

This is a safe, supportive space where you can let go of the shame and start healing from the inside out. Because you deserve to feel free: free from diets, free from guilt, and free to show up as the beautiful, authentic person you truly are. ✨

It’s Time to Break Free

Here’s the truth: food isn’t the enemy, and you don’t need another diet. You need understanding, compassion, and tools to meet your real needs.

So, let me ask you: What do you need right now?

If you’re ready to take that first step, I’d love to invite you to book your complimentary consult today. Together, we can uncover what’s really behind your emotional eating and help you break free - for good 💚

Maëlle

Hey, I'm Maëlle, and I'm a Mind and Body Eating Coach, and a Self-Love Coach. My goal is to help women who've dieted their whole life finally make peace with food and their body, so that they can go after the things they really want in life!

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I'm a Mind and Body Eating Coach, and a Self-Love Coach. My goal is to help women who've dieted their whole life finally make peace with food and their body, so that they can go after the things they really want in life!

WORK WITH ME

Why Diets Don’t Work for Emotional Eating (And What Does)

Emotional Eating

November 29, 2024•6 min read

Let me ask you something: Have you ever felt completely out of control around food, promising yourself, “This time, I’ll stick to the diet,” only to find yourself reaching for your favourite comfort food after a stressful day? And then the guilt sets in, and you think, “What is wrong with me?”

First of all, let me reassure you: nothing is wrong with you 💚 Emotional eating isn’t about you lacking willpower or discipline (so don’t blame yourself!) - it’s about something much deeper. It’s a sign that there is something inside of you asking you for your attention. So here’s the truth that most diets won’t tell you: food isn’t the problem. It’s just the symptom.

If you’ve been stuck in the diet-eat-shame cycle, I’m so glad you’re here. Together, let’s explore why going another diet won’t help you with your emotional eating, and what you can do instead to break free for good.

What Is Emotional Eating?

Emotional eating is what happens when we turn to food to soothe our feelings instead of using food to simply feed our physical hunger. Maybe it’s reaching for biscuits after a hard day at work or snacking mindlessly during a Netflix binge because you’re feeling lonely. Sounds familiar?

Here’s how the cycle often looks:

You feel an emotional trigger - common ones are stress, boredom, sadness, loneliness or even happiness.
You turn to food for comfort, even when you’re not physically hungry.
Guilt and shame creep in because you “gave in.”
The emotions return, as you haven’t addressed them, and the cycle repeats.

It can feel like an endless cycle, and I can tell you from first hand experience, it’s exhausting.

But let’s pause here for a moment, because I have an important reminder for you: it’s not about the food. Emotional eating is your body’s way of saying, “Hey, I’m craving something, and I need you to solve this.” But you know what? If you’re not actually hungry, food is not the answer.

Why Diets Don’t Work for Emotional Eating

Now, here’s where diets fail us. Diets are designed to control what you eat, not why you eat. They focus on the symptom (food), while completely ignoring the root cause (your emotions).

Think about it:

Restrictive diets where you have a meal plan to follow or calorie goals to hit often create feelings of deprivation, which only brings you more cravings.
They reinforce a cycle of guilt and shame by labelling foods as “good” or “bad.” You might feel like if you eat something outside of your plan you’ve been “naughty” or “bad".
And most importantly, they don’t address the deeper emotional triggers driving your eating habits. So you might be able to prevent yourself to eat those comfort foods for a couple of day, relying purely on your willpower, but at some point your body is going to bring your attention back to what’s inside of you that you’ve still not addressed.

I worked with a client who had been battling emotional eating since childhood. Growing up, she watched her mum cope with emotions through food, and that pattern became her own. Every time she ate emotionally, she was consumed by guilt and shame, thinking, “I know I’m not hungry, so why can’t I stop?”

Sound familiar? It wasn’t until we dug deeper that she realised what she was really craving: permission. Permission to be herself. Permission to ask, “What do I actually need right now?” and giver herself exactly that.

That’s the key. Emotional eating isn’t about food. It’s about unmet needs and emotions asking for your attention.

What’s Really Behind Emotional Eating

Here’s the game-changer: food isn’t the issue. It’s the signal.

Emotional eating often points to something deeper - stress, loneliness, overwhelm, or even the belief that you’re not enough. When you treat food as the problem, you miss the opportunity to address the real need.

For my client, the breakthrough came when she started asking herself a simple question whenever she felt the urge to eat emotionally: “What do I really need right now?” Sometimes the answer was rest. Other times it was connection, creativity, or simply letting herself feel the emotions she’d been trying to bury. The recurring one, however, was that she needed to show up as herself, and to stop hiding who she really was. And you know what? Once she had addressed all those emotions by listening to the messages she was getting, the emotional eating stopped. She now knows what to do when the triggers hit!

So remember: it’s not about fighting your cravings, it’s about listening to them.