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Help for Compulsive Eaters: Eight Traits of Emotional Hunger

Emotional and physical hunger can feel the same unless you’ve learned to identify their different characteristics. The next time you feel at risk of over-eating or eating compulsively, consider whether the urge to eat may be based on feelings rather than on true physical need. Becoming more aware of the differences between physical hunger and emotional eating can reduce binges and overeating. It can also be a key element in sustaining one’s recovery from an eating disorder.

Emotional Hunger	Physical Hunger
Is sudden. One minute you’re not thinking about food at all, the next minute you’re starving. Your hunger goes from 0-60 within a short period of time. Is for a specific food. Your craving is directed towards a particular type of food, such as chocolate, or chips. With emotional eating, you feel you need to eat that specific food- nothing else will do. Is “above the neck.” An emotionally based craving begins in the mouth and mind. You want to taste that pizza or chocolate biscuit. You begin to focus intently on how to obtain and consume the desired food.	Is gradual. First your tummy begins to rumble. One hour later, it growls. Physical hunger gives you steady, progressive clues that it’s time to eat. Is open to different foods. With physical hunger, you may have food preferences, but they are flexible. Your appetite remains open to alternative choices. Is based in the stomach. Physical hunger is connected to stomach sensations. You feel gnawing, rumbling, emptiness, and even an ache in your stomach with true physical hunger.
Is urgent. Emotional hunger compels you to eat right now. There is a strong desire to instantly ease or soothe oneself with food. It can’t wait. Is often connected to difficult feelings or situations. Emotional hunger can be triggered by strong feelings or reactions (e.g. anger, resentment, helplessness, envy, etc) or certain states of being (including boredom or tiredness) Involves automatic or absent-minded eating. Emotional eating can feel as though you’re in a trance (automatic eating). You may eat standing up, walking, in a car, or very quickly. Or you may not particularly notice what you’ve eaten (absent-minded eating). Does not pause or stop in response to fullness. Emotional overeating gets tangled up with feelings. The person stuffs him/herself to deaden troubling emotions and continues to eat even when over-full. Feels guilty about eating. The paradox of emotional over- eating is that the person eats to feel better but ends up berating him/herself for bingeing or eating “bad” foods. Promises are then made to make amends (“I’ll exercise, diet, skip meals, etc tomorrow”.)	Is patient. Physical hunger would prefer that you ate soon, but doesn’t command you to eat right at that instant. It can wait a bit longer. Occurs out of physical need. Physical hunger occurs because it has been four or five hours since your last meal. You may even experience light-headedness or low energy if overly hungry. Involves deliberate choices and awareness of the eating. With physical hunger, you are aware of the food in your hand, in your mouth, and in your stomach. You consciously choose whether to eat only half your sandwich or to consume all of it. Stops when full. Physical hunger stems from a desire to fuel and nourish the body. Once that intention is fulfilled, the person stops eating. Realises eating is necessary. When the intent behind eating is based in physical hunger, there’s no guilt or shame. The person accepts that eating, like breathing or sleeping, is a necessary behaviour.

Emotional Hunger

Physical Hunger

Is sudden. One minute you’re not thinking about food at all, the next minute you’re starving. Your hunger goes from 0-60 within a short period of time.

Is for a specific food. Your craving is directed towards a particular type of food, such as chocolate, or chips. With emotional eating, you feel you need to eat that specific food- nothing else will do.

Is “above the neck.” An emotionally based craving begins in the mouth and mind. You want to taste that pizza or chocolate biscuit. You begin to focus intently on how to obtain and consume the desired food.

Is gradual. First your tummy begins to rumble. One hour later, it growls. Physical hunger gives you steady, progressive clues that it’s time to eat.

Is open to different foods. With physical hunger, you may have food preferences, but they are flexible. Your appetite remains open to alternative choices.

Is based in the stomach. Physical hunger is connected to stomach sensations. You feel gnawing, rumbling, emptiness, and even an ache in your stomach with true physical hunger.

Is urgent. Emotional hunger compels you to eat right now. There is a strong desire to instantly ease or soothe oneself with food. It can’t wait.

Is often connected to difficult feelings or situations. Emotional hunger can be triggered by strong feelings or reactions (e.g. anger, resentment, helplessness, envy, etc) or certain states of being (including boredom or tiredness)

Involves automatic or absent-minded eating. Emotional eating can feel as though you’re in a trance (automatic eating). You may eat standing up, walking, in a car, or very quickly. Or you may not particularly notice what you’ve eaten (absent-minded eating).

Does not pause or stop in response to fullness. Emotional overeating gets tangled up with feelings. The person stuffs him/herself to deaden troubling emotions and continues to eat even when over-full.

Feels guilty about eating. The paradox of emotional over- eating is that the person eats to feel better but ends up berating him/herself for bingeing or eating “bad” foods. Promises are then made to make amends (“I’ll exercise, diet, skip meals, etc tomorrow”.)

Is patient. Physical hunger would prefer that you ate soon, but doesn’t command you to eat right at that instant. It can wait a bit longer.

Occurs out of physical need. Physical hunger occurs because it has been four or five hours since your last meal. You may even experience light-headedness or low energy if overly hungry.

Involves deliberate choices and awareness of the eating. With physical hunger, you are aware of the food in your hand, in your mouth, and in your stomach. You consciously choose whether to eat only half your sandwich or to consume all of it.

Stops when full. Physical hunger stems from a desire to fuel and nourish the body. Once that intention is fulfilled, the person stops eating.

Realises eating is necessary. When the intent behind eating is based in physical hunger, there’s no guilt or shame. The person accepts that eating, like breathing or sleeping, is a necessary behaviour.

Adapted from original source: Doreen Virtue, Constant Craving A-Z (Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 1999)