Diabetes x Binge or Emotional Eating: Carbs or No Carbs?

"I know I need to eat better for my blood sugars... so why can’t I stop eating like this?"

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes or insulin resistance (aka. pre-diabetes), chances are you've already been told to:

• Cut back on carbs
• Lose weight
• Get more control over your eating

And maybe you’ve tried. You’ve tried to follow the meal plan, count the carbs, skip the snacks—only to find yourself bingeing at night or emotionally eating after a stressful day.

Now you’re not only frustrated with your blood sugars... but also deeply ashamed about your eating.

It’s exhausting. And it’s not your fault.

The Real Struggle: Cravings vs. Blood Sugar Fears

You want to protect your health. But cravings—especially at night—feel relentless.

You’re told that carbs spike your blood sugar. That sugar is the enemy. That you need to be more “disciplined.”

But the more you restrict or fear food, the more out of control it feels.

You find yourself stuck in this cycle:

Be "good" all day → feel deprived → binge or emotionally eat → panic about blood sugars → vow to do better tomorrow → repeat.

This tug-of-war between managing your health and the urges you feel around food is real—and overwhelming.

What’s Really Going On: A Science-Backed Reframe

Most of the time, bingeing is your body’s response to restriction—whether from dieting, skipping meals, or emotional overwhelm.

And if you’re also managing diabetes or insulin resistance, it’s easy to fall into the trap of blaming yourself.

So what is insulin resistance and diabetes?

When you eat carbs, they’re broken down into glucose (sugar), which your body uses for energy.

Insulin is a hormone that helps move glucose from your blood into your cells.

In insulin resistance, your cells stop responding well to insulin. That means more sugar stays in your blood, and over time, this can lead to type 2 diabetes—where excess glucose starts damaging your blood vessels and organs.

One of the most harmful myths out there is that diabetes—especially type 2 or insulin resistance—is caused simply by being at a higher weight or eating the “wrong” foods (especially carbs).

❌ This is not true, and it’s definitely not helpful.

Diabetes and insulin resistance are complex. There are many factors that influence your risk—some you can change, some you can’t:

• 🧬 Genetics – If diabetes runs in your family, you’re more likely to develop it too.
• ⚖️ Chronic dieting & weight cycling – Research shows that repeatedly losing and regaining weight (yo-yo dieting) may increase insulin resistance—even more so than just being in a higher weight range. ^(1,2)
• 🌏 Ethnicity – People from Asian, Middle Eastern, Pacific Islander, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds have a higher risk.⁽³⁾
• 🚬 Smoking and certain health conditions – These increase inflammation in the body, which can make insulin work less effectively.

But Yes—Binge and Emotional Eating Can Make It Harder

Now here’s the nuance: while binge eating doesn’t cause diabetes on its own, it can make managing it harder.

During a binge, you may eat large amounts of food—often quickly, in secret, or during distress. The foods tend to be easy-to-absorb carbs (like sweets, crackers, or baked goods), which can cause sharp spikes in blood sugar. And if this happens regularly, it may worsen insulin resistance over time. ⁽⁴⁾

What’s more, the stress, shame, and guilt that follow a binge also raise stress hormones like cortisol—which can make your blood sugars even harder to manage.

And remember: most binge eating episodes don’t come out of nowhere.

They’re often triggered by:

• Skipping meals or under-eating during the day
• Emotional overwhelm
• Feeling deprived or out of control around food

So no—it’s not just about food. It’s about unmet needs, unmet nourishment, and unmet care.

What Actually Helps: A Gentle, Effective Approach That Doesn’t Trigger Binges

Managing diabetes or insulin resistance doesn’t have to mean cutting out all carbs, fearing food, or obsessing over the scale.

In fact, Diabetes Australia notes that low- or no-carb diets don’t lead to better remission or recovery rates compared to consistent carbohydrate intake—and may even increase cravings and distress around food.⁽⁵⁾

Research and lived experience now show that a rigid, weight- and carb-obsessed approach doesn’t lead to better health outcomes—and may even make things worse.

A good resource is Intuitive Eating for Diabetes by Janice Dada, it applies a more compassionate and sustainable approach that works for people struggle with binge eating and emotional eating. It highlighted 4 key pillars:

1. Letting Go of Diet Mentality

Strict dieting—especially cutting carbs too low—often leads to increased cravings, rebound eating, and binge patterns.

Diabetes Australia states that low- or no-carb diets do not lead to better diabetes remission or recovery rates compared to consistent, moderate carb intake. ⁽⁵⁾

In fact, cutting carbs too severely can intensify food cravings, especially for the very foods you’re trying to avoid.

This is called the “forbidden fruit” effect—when a food becomes off-limits, your brain becomes more obsessed with it, increasing the likelihood of overeating when you eventually give in.⁽⁶⁾

2. Diabetes Self-Care

A self-care lens means understanding how food, movement, sleep, stress, and emotional support all influence blood sugar and eating patterns—not just the number on the scale.

Weight-centric advice often leads to guilt, shame, and short-term results at best.

Weight-focused advice often leads to guilt and shame, which can fuel binge and emotional eating. In contrast, self-care supports stability—not just in blood sugars, but in your sense of safety around food.

Research shows that people with diabetes who focus on weight loss have much lower recovery rates than those who adopt a self-care approach grounded in intuitive, mindful eating.⁽⁷⁾ Research shows that people with diabetes who go through repeated weight loss and regain (weight cycling) are about 45% more likely to develop heart and vessel complications compared to those whose weight stays more stable, regardless of their weight and BMI.⁽⁸⁾

So instead of chasing control through restriction, focus on compassion-driven care. Because healing binge eating and managing diabetes are not at odds—they share the same foundation: nourishment, not punishment.

3. Gentle Nutrition That Works With Your Body

Gentle nutrition is not about restriction—it’s about nourishment and smart pairing.

When you include carbohydrates alongside fats, protein, and vegetables, digestion slows down. This not only keeps you fuller for longer, but also softens blood sugar spikes and improves nutrient absorption.

This way of eating doesn’t require obsessing over every gram. It’s about building balanced, satisfying meals that keep your body and brain happy. A 2011 study showed that intuitive eating and emotional regulation strategies helped improve both psychological wellbeing and glycemic outcomes.⁽⁹⁾

4. Your Individualised Treatment Plan

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to diabetes care—especially when binge or emotional eating is part of the picture.

That’s why your plan should reflect your body, lifestyle, culture, food preferences, and emotional needs.

An individualised approach focuses on:

• Creating structure without rigidity
• Making room for pleasure and satisfaction
• Reducing blood sugar spikes in a sustainable way
• Building trust with your body, not fighting against it

What Working With a Specialist Dietitian Feels Like (Spoiler: It's Not a Food Police Situation)

Healing binge eating and managing insulin resistance or diabetes isn’t one-dimensional—it’s a delicate balancing act. When we focus only on food or only on emotions, it often leads to burnout, backlash, or feeling stuck.

As a specialist binge eating dietitian with training in diabetes and hormone health, I take an integrated, non-diet approach that supports both your biology and your relationship with food.

Here’s what we’ll work on together:

• Understanding your eating patterns—what, when, how, and why you eat
• Uncovering emotional and physical triggers behind binge or emotional eating
• Build a stable consistent satisfying meals to stabilise blood sugar
• Rebuilding trust with food and your body
• Develop strategies to address emotional needs so food isn’t your only coping options
• Creating flexible routines and build health-promoting habits to treat diabetes

So you can experience:

• A calmer, more confident relationship with food
• Stable energy and improved health markers (without food anxiety)
• Feeling in charge—not controlled—by food or cravings
• Living a life guided by self-respect, not self-restriction

That’s what’s possible when we care for your body and your relationship with food.

Let’s Rewrite Your Story With Diabetes or Insulin Resistance

💬 If you’re feeling stuck in the cycle of binge eating while also trying to manage insulin resistance or diabetes—know that you don’t have to navigate this alone.

If you're ready for support that honours both your health and your relationship with food, I invite you to work with a specialist dietitian who understands the full picture.

✨ Curious what support might look like for you? EXPLORE OUR SERVICES HERE and let’s find the right fit together.

References:

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2. Swartz AZ, Wood K, Farber-Eger E, Petty A, Silver HJ. Weight trajectory impacts risk for ten distinct cardiometabolic diseases. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2025 Jun 11:dgaf348
3. Harding JL, Shaw JE, Peeters A, Cartensen B, Magliano DJ. Impact of population ageing on diabetes incidence and prevalence: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Diabetologia. 2019;62(4):595-603. doi:10.1007/s00125-018-4763-6
4. van Strien T, Ouwens MA. Effects of distress, alexithymia and impulsivity on eating. Eat Behav. 2007;8(2):251-257. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2006.06.004
5. Diabetes Australia. Position statement: Low carbohydrate eating for people with diabetes. 2018. Available from:  https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au
6. Polivy J, Herman CP. Dieting and binging: a causal analysis. Am Psychol. 1985;40(2):193–201. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.40.2.193
7. Tylka TL, Annunziato RA, Burgard D, Daníelsdóttir S, Shuman E, Davis C, Calogero RM. The weight-inclusive versus weight-normative approach to health: evaluating the evidence for prioritizing well-being over weight loss. J Obes. 2014;2014:983495. doi:10.1155/2014/983495
8.  Ceriello A, Lucisano G, Prttichizzo F, Eliasson B, Franzén S, Svensson AM, Nicolucci A. Variability in body weight and the risk of cardiovascular complications in type 2 diabetes: results from the swedish National diabetes Register. Cardiovasc. Diabetol. 2021;20(1):173
9. Tylka TL, Kroon Van Diest AM. The intuitive eating scale–2: Item refinement and psychometric evaluation with college women and men. J Couns Psychol. 2013;60(1):137–153. doi:10.1037/a0030893