Emotional Eating and Menopause. My Story.

I would say I’ve been an emotional eater all my life. But it wasn’t a big deal. I was just about able to keep a handle on my cravings with willpower.

But when I hit perimenopause, it was a completely different story.

My cravings went through the roof. My willpower was non-existent.

I’d find myself reaching into my daughter’s cupboard, where there was a reliable stash of cheap chocolate and biscuits (the idea was to keep them away from me!).

You know those little conversations you have with yourself? Well I’d tell myself I shouldn’t be eating this. Only to reply back, ‘F*** it. I’m going to have it anyway!’

And of course I did.

The problem with cravings is that they don’t go away.

One biscuit leads to two.

A square of chocolate to a row.

When I managed to walk away, I’d be good for an hour or so.

Then I’d be back.


A 10kg Weight Gain That Had Nothing to do with Hormones

Do this on repeat for long enough and you’ll gain weight. Which is exactly what happened to me. 10kg of it.

What’s interesting though, was that for a long time, I overlooked my eating habits and placed the blame on hormones instead - which in some ways was easier. It meant it wasn’t my fault.

But at some point I owned up to what was really going on. 

I added up how many calories I thought I’d eaten in little bites and nibbles throughout the day. And it came to 700!

700 extra calories a day adds up to 3,500 a week. Which is just about what it takes to gain one pound a week. 

Now I have a much better understanding of the effects of menopause, and importantly, what we can do to protect our health during the transition, whether we choose to take HRT or not. 

Learning about cravings and how to manage them has been a huge part of my journey. 

Yes I still have them. Yes I still give into them sometimes. 

But I have created a much healthier relationship with food that I’m grateful for every day. 

And if this is an issue that affects you, I hope the following information helps you too.


What’s Going On?

Hormonal changes are linked to increased hunger and more cravings. Insulin, cortisol, oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, leptin and ghrelin all have a role in food cravings. Know that fluctuating hormones are out of your control and it’s not down to a sudden loss of willpower. 


Increased Stress

Menopause symptoms are stressful and we can also find it harder to cope with stress. This can have an impact on how we eat; e.g. not having time for proper meals, relying more on time-saving processed and convenience foods, emotional eating becoming harder to control and more frequent.

Fatigue & Low Energy

There’s a known link between being sleep deprived for even one night, and increased appetite and a greater attraction to ‘junk’ foods. More sleep is what we really need, but we crave foods that will give us a quick energy boost when we have to keep going. 

Low Mood

High fat, high sugar foods light up our brain’s pleasure sensors, and a common menopause symptom is low mood and dulled emotions. It’s not surprising then that we turn to highly palatable foods to give us a much-needed pleasure hit when nothing else seems to lift our mood.  

What You Can Do to Help

Stop dieting & start fuelling yourself. And no, this won’t lead to weight gain. In fact it often leads to weight loss as your hormones and appetite stabilise.

Eat 3 filling & nutritious meals a day that contain around 30g of protein. Add plenty of filling veg, a portion of carbs (because they are not evil) and healthy fats.

Eat a regular intervals. Don’t let yourself get too hungry.

Plan in foods you enjoy. Banning your favourite foods doesn’t work (you know that right?), so plan them in for a time when you can really savour them.

12 Week Coaching Package

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