What to Do If You're Feeling Out of Control Around Food - SELF

Facing a gamut of triggers and unable to rely on their usual support mechanisms, many individuals may find themselves grappling with a sense of feeling out of control around food.

Here are six actionable, expert-backed tips that may help if you’re struggling with food-related anxiety or, in particular, that unnerving feeling of being out of control when it comes to what you eat.

Skipping meals or restricting food can be a reason some people tend to feel a loss of control around food.

For some people that could look like three meals a day plus a snack when you’re hungry.

This is similar to intuitive eating, an approach whereby people don’t intentionally try to control their eating and instead focus on tuning into their senses of hunger and satisfaction.

Of course, eating regularly can be a difficult task for someone who does feel out of control around food or who has had issues with eating before.

Reframing unhelpful thoughts and beliefs is a crucial step toward food freedom.

While I predominantly make what I consider to be “healthy” food choices, I refuse to label certain foods as “good,” “bad,” and “off-limits.” In turn, mealtimes are no longer the emotional battlefield they once were.

Another reason a person may feel out of control around food is due to challenging emotions like stress or sadness, says Dr.

That’s why it can help to give ourselves a moment to pause and self-reflect so that we can work to unravel the root cause of our emotions rather than turn to food as a way to numb or escape them.

Meditation has helped create space for thoughts to feel less urgent and intrusive.

We often turn to food as a source of pleasure, especially if we’ve been restricting our dietary intake, Melissa I.

However, if you think eating for pleasure is one reason you feel out of control around food, it may be helpful to develop alternative sources of pleasure and ways of responding to emotions like boredom or frustration.

Eventually, you might be able to turn to these kinds of activities for comfort or pleasure in moments when you would have felt out of control while looking to food for those feelings instead.

A caveat to bear in mind is that people feel out of control around food for a wide spectrum of reasons, which is why a one-size-fits-all approach is unrealistic.

With that in mind, it’s important to consult with an expert, if possible, to determine the underlying causes for why you’re feeling out of control.

If you really don’t know why you’re feeling out of control around food, if it feels more physical than mental, or if it’s a sudden change for you, it may be helpful to see your primary care doctor to rule out physical causes.

This includes virtual peer support chat rooms like Supportiv and HealthfulChat, and clinician-led support groups for people with eating disorders, some of which can be found via the NEDA and Eating Disorder Hope websites.

There are also numerous 12-step programs with online support group meetings that are dedicated to helping people with issues around food, including Overeaters Anonymous, Eating Disorders Anonymous, and Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous.

Even if you don’t choose to follow the 12-steps (they aren’t for everyone), it’s possible to attend a meeting if you’re feeling particularly unsettled around food and want to connect and be part of a supportive community.

It’s important to remember that disordered eating and the thoughts that accompany it are deeply complex.

If you’ve had a long history of dysfunctional eating and adhering to food rules, it can take some time to repair a fraught relationship with food.

But it’s possible in many cases to learn to become attuned to your body and its natural signals again, and gradually feel more empowered with your eating.