1. Biological response to calorie deficit and starvation

Sumithran, P., et al. (2011). Long-Term Persistence of Hormonal Adaptations to Weight Loss. New England Journal of Medicine, 365(17), 1597–1604.

Research shows hunger hormones increase and metabolism slows down after weight loss, causing intense cravings for food – this is not a lack of willpower, but a physiological reaction.

2. Overcoming Binge Eating

Fairburn, C. G. (2013). Overcoming Binge Eating: The Proven Program to Learn Why You Binge and How You Can Stop (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.

A foundational evidence-based self-help and clinical resource that explains the psychological mechanisms behind binge eating and offers structured cognitive-behavioural strategies to overcome it.

3. Intuitive Eating

Tribole, E., & Resch, E. (2020). Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach (4th ed.). St. Martin’s Essentials.

Presents the principles of intuitive eating, helping individuals rebuild trust in internal hunger and satiety cues and reject restrictive diet culture, promoting psychological and physical health.

4. Anti-Diet

Harrison, C. (2019). Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating. Little, Brown Spark.

Explores the harms of chronic dieting and weight stigma, advocating for intuitive eating as a pathway to improved well-being and a sustainable relationship with food.

5. Risk Factors for Eating Disorders

Solmi, F., et al. (2022). Risk factors for eating disorders: an umbrella review of published meta-analyses. Journal of Eating Disorders, 10(62).

Synthesises evidence from multiple meta-analyses to identify major risk factors for eating disorders, including dieting, body dissatisfaction, childhood obesity, and exposure to weight stigma — highlighting that many risk factors are modifiable.

6. Mindful Eating and Binge Eating Disorder

Rossi, A., et al. (2024). Effects of Mindful Eating in Patients with Obesity and Binge Eating Disorder. Nutrients, 16(5), 852.

Demonstrates that mindful eating interventions can significantly reduce binge frequency and improve emotional regulation in individuals with obesity and binge eating disorder, suggesting mindfulness-based approaches as effective adjunct therapies.

7. Emotional eating and stress

van Strien, T. (2018). Causes of emotional eating and matched treatment of obesity. Obesity. Curr Diab Rep 18, 35 (2018).

The study explains that emotional eating is a response to stress and negative emotions, and its treatment should include emotional regulation skills, not just dietary control.

8. Physical activity and appetite

King, J. A., et al. (2012). Exercise, appetite and weight management: understanding the compensatory responses in eating behaviour and energy balance. Br J Sports Med. 2012 Apr;46(5):315-22.

It shows that intense exercise, especially when combined with a low-calorie diet, can increase appetite and lead to compensatory overeating.