Why Can’t I Stop Thinking About Food?

By: Jennifer Rollin, LCSW-C, Therapist & Founder Of The Eating Disorder Center

If you feel like food is always on your mind, you are not alone.

This is one of the most common concerns I hear from adults struggling with eating disorders and disordered eating. People often come in feeling confused or even ashamed, wondering why their thoughts seem so consumed by food.

You might notice that you are constantly planning your next meal, thinking about what you ate earlier, or negotiating with yourself about what you feel like you “should” or “shouldn’t” eat. You might feel distracted at work, preoccupied in social situations, or stuck in a loop of food related thoughts that feels hard to turn off.

And a lot of people worry that this means something is wrong with them.
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In reality, there is a very understandable reason this happens.

Why you can’t stop thinking about food

One of the biggest drivers of food preoccupation is restriction.

Restriction does not just mean eating very little. It can also look like skipping meals, not eating enough for your energy needs (while still eating meals), delaying eating, cutting out certain foods, or trying to follow rigid food rules.

When your body is not getting enough energy or enough consistency, your brain responds by increasing your focus on food.

Your body is doing this to try to protect you.

There is actually research showing that when people are underfed or restricted, their thoughts become increasingly focused on food. This was demonstrated in classic studies where participants became preoccupied with recipes, meals, and eating even if they had not been that focused on food before i.e. The Minnesota Starvation Study.
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So if you feel like you are “obsessed” with food, it is often a sign that your body is asking for more nourishment or more consistency.

The mental restriction piece

Even if you are eating enough physically, mental restriction can still play a role.

This includes labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” telling yourself you cannot have certain things, or feeling like you have to earn or compensate for what you eat.

When something feels off limits, your brain tends to fixate on it more.

Think about the last time you told yourself you could not have a certain food. There is a good chance you ended up thinking about it even more.
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This is not random. It is how our brains work.

How the cycle keeps going

Food preoccupation can also become part of a larger cycle.

You might restrict or follow rules, which increases thoughts about food. Eventually, that can lead to feeling out of control or overeating. Then guilt or shame shows up, which can lead to more restriction.

And the cycle continues.

From an ACT perspective, you might also notice that a lot of your energy is going toward trying to control or get rid of these thoughts.
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But the more you fight with them, the more attention they tend to take up.

A DBT perspective on food thoughts

From a DBT lens, it can be helpful to look at what function these thoughts might be serving.

Sometimes focusing on food can be a way of avoiding or numbing other emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected, food thoughts can become a place your mind goes to stay occupied.

That does not mean the solution is to force the thoughts away. It means we can start to build other ways of coping with emotions so that food does not have to carry that role.
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DBT skills like distress tolerance and emotion regulation can help you create more space to respond to urges without getting pulled into the cycle.

What actually helps reduce food preoccupation

The solution is often the opposite of what people expect.

Instead of trying to think about food less, we work on changing the patterns that are driving the thoughts.


This often includes:

• Eating consistently throughout the day
• Reducing rigid food rules
• Allowing a wider variety of foods
• Responding to hunger cues more regularly​
• Practicing flexibility 

As your body starts to trust that it will be nourished, the urgency around food thoughts often decreases.

This does not happen overnight, but it does shift over time.

​Additionally, for those who struggle with binge eating disorder we work on all of the above, as well as the triggers that drive binge urges, utilizing tools for coping with binge eating urges, as well as addressing the underlying issues that are contributing.

You don’t have to figure this out alone

If you are constantly thinking about food and feeling stuck in the cycle of restriction and preoccupation, support can make a meaningful difference.

At our practice, we provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, Maryland, serving Bethesda, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Gaithersburg, and Silver Spring. We also offer virtual eating disorder treatment throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

We specialize in helping adults break free from food obsession and build a more peaceful relationship with eating.
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Our team uses evidence based approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Exposure and Response Prevention.

If this is you

If you feel like food is taking up too much space in your mind, it’s likely that your body and brain are trying to communicate something important.

You deserve to feel more at ease around food. You deserve to have more mental space for the things that matter to you.
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And with the right support, it is absolutely possible to get there.

Schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation to explore how eating disorder therapy or recovery coaching can help you to find freedom.

🌟 Available in MD, VA, DC, PA, FL, and CA for eating disorder therapy
🌍 Offering recovery coaching worldwide

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Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C (she/her), is an award-winning eating disorder therapist and the founder of The Eating Disorder Center, a specialized therapy practice for eating disorders and body image concerns. Jennifer uses ACT, CBT, and DBT to help clients find freedom from eating disorders and body image struggles.  Jennifer is recognized as a leading eating disorder expert and was named one of the top professionals in the field by a premier treatment center. She is the recipient of the Best of Bethesda Award for Best Individual Therapist (2025) and the Best of Rockville Award (2020–2024). She helps clients to live full, meaningful lives, beyond food and body image concerns.

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The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping children, teens, and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington, D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in Florida, Pennsylvania, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland and Virginia. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com