Why can’t I stop eating?
Why can’t I stop eating? This is a question many people wonder about. Many of our Atlanta, Georgia therapy clients, as well as our clients across the United States, struggle with the feeling upset about the amount of food they eat. Even after they’re full, they continue eating and find it difficult to stop.
This pattern of overeating often leaves individuals feeling trapped in a cycle they blame on a lack of willpower. However, the causes go much deeper. So, why is it so hard to stop eating?
What Is Compulsive Eating?
Compulsive eating or overeating, where you feel like it is hard to stop, can be attributed to a combination of neurobiological, psychological, and behavioral factors.
Compulsive eating occurs when an individual has an urge to eat and then eat more, and the urge is hard to fight off. Compulsive eating differs from binge eating disorder due to the nature of the habit. Compulsive eating can turn into binge eating disorder if it becomes a constant recurrence; however, compulsive eating can also occur during high periods of stress and disappear.
The Neurobiological Aspect of Compulsive Eating
There is not one simple answer to the question of “Why can’t I Stop Eating?” The neurological aspects of compulsive eating show that this act is rooted in the brain circuits related to impulse control, rewards, and emotional regulation. Studies of the brain have shown that compulsive eating activates the area of the brain that works with rewards.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that connects with our brain to have feelings of motivation, rewards, and pleasure. The dopamine pathways are in the reward system, and compulsive eating activates these pathways similarly to the way they activate with substance and alcohol addiction. When an individual overeats chronically, they may become less sensitive to food rewards, thus having to consume more to achieve the same level of satisfaction.
Another part of the brain that is studied with compulsive eating is the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for self-control and decision-making. Individuals who are struggling with overeating seem to have decreased activity in this area, thus making it hard to resist food noise and control impulses. This research shows that compulsive eating is not due to a lack of willpower, but is closely related to neurobiological activity.
The Psychological and Emotional Side of Compulsive Eating
Compulsive eating is not a lack of willpower; it can also be closely linked to psychological disorders and feelings. Using food as a coping skill is common among individuals. In times of high stress, life changes, or emotional periods, individuals may rely on food to make them feel better.
The cycle goes that an individual feels a heightened emotion, like anger, and then turns to food to cope. Immediately, there is relief; however, after a short time, the individual starts to feel shame or guilt, and this causes the cycle to repeat.
People may also turn to food as a way of breaking free from rules, restrictions, and feeling stuck. When you compulsively eat (which are typically the foods you view as “bad” or “off-limits”), you do not have to think or plan or worry. You are free to do what you want, and that can feel good in the moment. You may be breaking free from all the rules you have around food, or it may be something like this is your chance to do what you want and take a break in the day. With therapy, it helps you get to the bottom of what is going on.
The Behavioral Aspect of Compulsive Eating
Some people believe that compulsive eating has many similar aspects to addiction disorders. In regard to behavior, there are four reasons why scientists believe that individuals do compulsive behaviors.
One is cognitive flexibility, which is one’s ability to adapt to change. Someone struggling with compulsive eating might have low cognitive flexibility and have a hard time changing their eating habits because they struggle with adapting to change.
The second reason is set-shifting, which is the ability to shift from one task to another. Individuals who are overeating might have a hard time set-shifting because their focus might just be on food cravings and urges, and their mind is stuck on food-related thoughts. They might also rely on food in different situations and have rigid eating patterns.
Another aspect scientists have studied is attentional bias/disengagement, which refers to the tendency to remain focused on certain stimuli while disengaging from others. People with compulsive eating habits may have stronger attentional bias to foods, thus they focus more on food when it is around.
The last reason scientists have studied is habit learning. This is when a behavior becomes automatic after partaking in it repeatedly. Individuals might rely on the same eating pattern in certain situations, like during times of high stress, when they turn to food.
Research has shown that people who struggle with disordered eating might have stronger habit-based learning than others. In studies researching eating disorders, researchers have found that across individuals who have eating-related problems, individuals with eating disorders are more likely to struggle with compulsive behaviors than others who don’t.
Compulsive Eating? Not a Lack of Willpower
Compulsive eating is linked to all aspects of our mind and occurs for many reasons. It is important not to blame yourself if you are struggling. It is not a lack of willpower.
If you are asking yourself, “Why can’t I Stop Eating?” it is important to know there is not just one simple answer. There are many reasons why people struggle with compulsive eating, and it can be difficult to find the root cause on your own.
How Therapy Helps Compulsive Eating
If you are asking yourself, “Why can’t I stop eating?” it often means you have already tried willpower, rules, or self-control – and those strategies have not worked. That is not a personal failure. Compulsive eating is rarely about food alone, and it is not something most people can resolve by just by trying harder.
Working with a therapist who specializes in eating behaviors helps you understand why the urges show up, what purpose the behavior is serving, and how to interrupt the cycle without replacing it with restriction or shame.
Therapy focuses on identifying emotional triggers, reducing food noise, increasing flexibility around eating, and building coping tools that do not rely on food. Therapy provides a structured, supportive space to change those patterns in a way that is sustainable, compassionate, and individualized. If you would like to schedule a therapy appointment or complimentary consultation you can complete a form here.
Thank you to Best Within You Therapy & Wellness intern Jamie Rubin for this blog post about compulsive eating and the question of “Why can’t I stop eating?” This blog post was clinically reviewed by Dr. Vincent Fitch, an Atlanta psychologist at Best Within You Therapy & Wellness.
Dr. Fitch works with compulsive eating and binge eating clients and has helped many positively change their relationship with food. This includes reducing or eliminating binge eating and overeating, removing food as a coping skill, and being able to incorporate all foods into a client’s diet. He works with clients in Atlanta, throughout Georgia, as well as throughout the United States. If this sounds like something that might benefit you please complete an appointment form.
