Does meditation help you lose weight?
Not on its own. In trials, people lost about the same weight as on a normal diet plan, not more. But it did cut a kind of eating that has little to do with hunger.
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Does meditation help you lose weight?
Not by itself. Mindfulness courses train you to notice your thoughts and body without judging them. A review of 12 trials found these courses no better for weight than diet or exercise programmes.
A review of 10 trials of mindful eating found much the same. It beat doing nothing by about a third of a kilo. Against normal diet plans, there was no difference.
| Compared with | What happened to weight | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Doing nothing | About 0.35 kg more lost with mindful eating. | 10 trials |
| Normal diet plans | No difference. | 10 trials |
| Diet or exercise programmes | No better. | 12 trials |
| Same diet and exercise, plus relaxation | 1.7 kg more lost at 18 months, which may be chance. | 1 trial, 194 adults with obesity |
Sources: Fuentes Artiles 2019; Mercado 2021; Daubenmier 2016
So why do websites say it works? One review reports an average of 6.8 lb lost. But that compares people before and after, with no comparison group.
So it can’t show what meditation added.
Reviews don’t all agree. A 2023 review of studies with comparison groups found a small fall in weight and BMI (weight for your height). The fall was bigger when mindful movement was added.
Think of meditation as the brakes, not the engine. Food and activity move the scales. Meditation may help you stop before the snack you didn’t really want.
Your next step: keep your eating plan, and add meditation for the moments that plan lets you down.
What does meditation change, if not your weight?
That eating is emotional eating: eating because you’re stressed or upset, not hungry.
A review of 14 studies found mindfulness meditation cut binge eating and emotional eating in people who ate that way. Its effect on weight was mixed.
| Habit | What happened | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Binge eating | Fell, in adults with overweight or people who binge. | 12 trials; 14 studies |
| Impulsive eating (eating on the spur of the moment) | Fell. | 12 trials |
| Emotional eating | Fell, in people who ate that way. | 14 studies |
| Physical activity | Rose. | 12 trials |
| Sweets | People who ate more mindfully ate fewer sweets. | 1 trial, 194 adults |
Sources: Ruffault 2017; Katterman 2014; Mason 2016
Binge eating means eating a lot in a short time and not being able to stop when full. The review authors called these short-term benefits.
Your next step: notice when you eat without being hungry. That’s where meditation earns its place.
How do I use meditation to stop stress eating?
One trial taught a short “mini-meditation” before meals. Nobody was told to ban any food.
A mindful pause before you eat
- 1
Pause
Stop and take a few slow breaths before you eat.
- 2
Check hunger
Is it your stomach, or stress, boredom or a craving?
- 3
Eat slowly
Notice the taste, the texture and how full you feel.
- 4
Name it
If it wasn’t hunger, say silently: “This is stress.”
Sources: Mason 2016; NHS mindfulness
Want a daily practice too? The NHS says there’s no rule on length, but 20 minutes is a good guide.
Breathe in and say “breathe in” in your head. Then breathe out and say “breathe out”.
Mind wandered 10 times? Bring it back 10 times. That still counts.
Mindfulness isn’t for everyone. Some people find it doesn’t help or makes them feel worse. If your mind feels too busy to sit still, the NHS says some people find gentle yoga or walking easier.
Does stress make you gain weight?
It can change how you eat. The NHS lists eating too much or too little among the signs of stress.
Meditation helps with the stress side. The NHS says mindfulness can help with stress, anxiety and depression.
But one review found the stress benefit was small and showed up only in the first 3 months. It found no clear effect on weight.
Sleep counts too. Poor sleep may make you more likely to choose high-calorie foods, and too tired to exercise. See meditation for sleep.
Wondering about the stress hormone? See does cortisol cause belly fat. For more ways to ease stress, see stress management.
What helps you lose weight, then?
Six steps to start this week
- Eat and drink fewer calories than your body uses. On average, women use around 2,000 a day and men around 2,500.
- Aim to lose 0.5 to 1 kg (1 to 2 lb) a week.
- Get active for 45 to 60 minutes a day. You can split it into shorter sessions.
- Cut down on alcohol, which is high in calories.
- Weigh yourself regularly to check how you’re getting on.
- Take a mindful pause before you eat when stress, not hunger, is driving you.
Sources: NHS: overweight and obesity; Mason 2016
Losing just 5 to 10% of your body weight can improve your health, the NHS says.
Want free help? The NHS Weight Loss Plan app gives you a 12-week plan. Some NHS weight programmes include CBT, a talking therapy, and you can refer yourself to some.
For the numbers, see calories to lose weight and walking to lose weight. Stuck? Try struggling to lose weight or weight loss programmes.
When to speak to a GP
Book an appointment if:
- Your BMI (a measure of weight for your height) is overweight or obese and you want help to lose weight, or your waist is more than half your height. See the NHS advice.
- Your BMI is overweight or obese and you have pre-diabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint pain, sleep apnoea (your breathing stops and starts while you sleep) or heart or circulation disease, or obesity runs in your family.
- You often eat a lot fast and can’t stop when full, or feel guilty or ashamed after. The NHS says to see a GP as soon as you can about binge eating disorder.
- You’re struggling to cope with stress, or the things you’re trying aren’t helping.
Have an eating disorder now or in the past, a medical condition, or a special diet for your health? Talk to a GP first, before you change how you eat or move. Beat’s adult helpline is 0808 801 0677.
Aged 18 or over? You can refer yourself to NHS talking therapies for stress. In some areas it’s 16 or over.
Need help urgently, but it’s not an emergency? Call 111. Call 999 or go to A&E if you’ve seriously harmed yourself, or someone needs help right now.