#026

April 24, 2026

Hey there,

Think of the last time you were really stressed. How was your eating during that time? Were you eating more than usual, eating less, or choosing foods you typically wouldn’t?

What most people might not be aware of is that stress has a way of changing how we eat.

Some people overeat when they’re stressed, while others completely lose their appetite. Either way, stress can affect your fitness goals.

If you’re trying to lose weight, stress can lead to overeating and emotional eating, making it harder to meet that goal.

If you’re trying to gain weight, build muscle, or even have enough energy to train properly, stress can make eating feel like the hardest thing to do.

Neither response makes you bad at your fitness journey. It simply makes you human.

Stress affects people differently, and sometimes your eating habits are your body responding to how much you’re dealing with mentally and emotionally.

And to be honest, you don’t have to feel guilty about it. But it is important to become aware of it so you can respond better instead of staying stuck in the pattern.

There’s a lot of conversation around stress overeating, but not enough about people who “stress undereat”. That’s the category I personally fall into.

When I’m stressed, whether it’s from work or life in general, I struggle to eat. My appetite gets really bad, and I can go hours without feeling hungry.

This sometimes leaves me feeling low on energy and struggling to train the way I’d like to.

The thing with stress and fitness is that people overlook it because it doesn’t look like a workout problem.

But really, your body responds to your life in general, not just your gym routine. If you’re stressed in general, it affects your gym performance and the way you eat.

This is exactly why I keep bringing stress management into the fitness conversation, because fitness is not always about the workouts.

How to manage stress around food

1. Notice your triggers

Pay attention to when stress starts building up and get familiar with your stressors. Ask yourself what usually triggers it. Is it work deadlines, a presentation coming up, exams, a certain time of the month, or relationship issues?

Knowing your triggers helps you catch stress earlier so you can manage it before it starts affecting your eating habits.

2. Practice mindfulness

There are many mindfulness practices you can try to help regulate stress. Meditation, yoga, breathwork, journaling, coloring, or even going for a short walk can help bring you back to your baseline.

These don’t have to take a lot of time. Even 5-10 minutes a day can make a difference over time.

3. Don’t deprive yourself

For overeaters: Allow yourself to eat mindfully. Choose foods that are filling, nutrient-dense, and aligned with your goals. A friend of mine trying to lose weight likes to snack on apples and bananas because they’re naturally sweet and require no prep.

You can also choose lower-calorie processed snacks or simply become more intentional with portion sizes instead of restricting yourself completely.

For undereaters: If you’re like me and food feels stressful when you’re already stressed, look for quick meals that don’t require too much effort. I personally love smoothies because I can make a large amount and sip on it throughout the day. Mashed kenkey also works well.

You want to keep fueling yourself, but in a way that doesn’t add more stress. Drinking your calories also feels much easier than chewing.

4. Get support

Spend time with friends, family, and people you trust. Social connection can help lower stress levels and make the hard times feel less lonely.

You can also reach out to a professional, whether that’s a doctor or therapist, especially if your eating habits are starting to feel difficult to manage on your own.

Challenge of the week

Every week, I’ll share a simple challenge to help you stay intentional with your fitness, wellness, and personal growth journey.

This week, take 5 minutes to write down your stressors and keep them somewhere you can revisit. You can always add to the list later if you notice new patterns.

This helps you become more aware of what affects you, so it becomes easier to notice when stress is building before it starts showing up in your eating habits.

Sometimes your progress in the gym might come from paying attention to the small things you’d otherwise overlook. So allow yourself to slow down, pay attention to your body and build self-awareness, so you can take care of yourself through the stressful times.

I’d love to know, are you a stress overeater or stress undereater like me? Feel free to hit reply and tell me!

Take care and talk soon,

Maame.

PS: I’m always looking for ways to improve the newsletter and I’d really love your input!

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