Can Hygge Help With Comfort Eating and Weight Loss?
Yes, adopting some of the principles of hygge could help with comfort eating by giving you more ways to create the feelings of warmth, pleasure and emotional comfort that you may sometimes turn to food to provide. It isn't a weight-loss method or another set of rules to follow. Instead, hygge can encourage you to slow down, nurture yourself and become more intentional about how you meet your needs — including how you eat.
As the days become cooler, darker and shorter, it's natural to find yourself seeking more comfort. And sometimes that means comfort food. Perhaps you find yourself reaching for something sweet when you're tired, snacking in front of the television or wanting warming, indulgent foods when you've had a difficult day.
I prefer to think of this as soothing with food rather than emotional eating. Food can be comforting, and there's nothing inherently wrong with enjoying it that way. The question is whether food has become your main — or perhaps your automatic — way of giving yourself the comfort you need.
That's where Hygge offers an interesting alternative.
Pronounced “hoo-gah”, the Danish concept of Hygge is associated with warmth, cosiness, connection and enjoying life's simple pleasures. But it's about more than candles and fluffy blankets. For me, its principles fit beautifully with self-compassion and intentional living.
What if, instead of trying to resist your need for comfort, you became curious about how else you could satisfy it?
A warm bath. A favourite book. Soft lighting. Music. Journalling. A walk wrapped up against the cold. Time with someone you enjoy being with. Or sitting down and genuinely savouring a nourishing meal rather than eating it distractedly.
Hygge isn't about taking comfort away. It's about discovering that comfort can come from many places — food being just one of them.
Why Might You Want More Comfort Food in Autumn and Winter?
As the temperature drops and the days become shorter, many of us naturally look for warmth and comfort. Food can be part of that. Warming meals, sweet treats and familiar foods can bring pleasure, nostalgia and a sense of cosiness when it's cold and dark outside.
Autumn and winter can also bring their own emotional pressures. Reduced daylight can affect mood for some people, while work, Christmas, financial pressures and busy social calendars can leave us feeling tired or overwhelmed.
And when you're tired, stressed, lonely or simply in need of something comforting, food may have become one of the ways you've learnt to soothe yourself.
Research indicates people may consume an average of 222 additional calories daily in autumn and winter* and this seasonal increase often leads to an average gain of around 1-2 pounds over the season.**
Eating more doesn't mean there's something wrong with you or with enjoying comfort food.
It can simply be useful to notice when food is providing more than nourishment and pleasure. What else might you be needing in that moment?
This is where hygge gives us another way of thinking about comfort. Rather than trying to suppress the need, you can explore different ways of meeting it.
How Can Hygge Help With Comfort Eating?
Hygge encourages slow, intentional living and surrounding yourself with sensory comforts that evoke warmth and relaxation, like fluffy throws, low lighting, or soothing music. It promotes the idea of creating warm, restful experiences that satisfy you on a deeper level than the temporary act of eating.
Hygge also fosters personal rituals that don’t centre around food, for example reading a book by the fire, journalling or taking a warm bath. By building small, daily practices that prioritise relaxation and engage your mind and body in satisfying ways, Hygge can help you broaden your idea of comfort, so food doesn't always have to be the thing you turn to when you need soothing, pleasure or a pause.
Creating moments of calm can also give you space to notice what you're feeling before automatically reaching for food. Sometimes you may still choose the food. Other times, you may realise that what you really need is rest, connection or a moment to yourself.
Finally, hygge celebrates gathering with friends and family, even in small ways. Studies show that human connection is also effective for stress relief, which could reduce your desire to eat when alone or out of boredom.
How Can You Bring Hygge to the Way You Eat?
Hygge doesn't mean that comfort has to happen instead of food. Preparing and eating food can itself become a comforting, nourishing experience.
Rather than focusing on what you should or shouldn't eat, think about how you would like eating to feel. Slower? Calmer? More pleasurable? More connected? Less rushed?
You might experiment with:
choose fresh, seasonal ingredients you enjoy, perhaps visiting your local market or farm shop.
make a warming meal, such as soups, stews or roast dinners.
cook from scratch rather than the ‘ready’ version, eg porridge made from rolled oats, overnight oats or chia pudding.
listen to comforting or uplifting music while you cook.
create a welcoming environment to eat with your favourite plates and cutlery and add a touch of candlelight and soft music.
slow down so you can appreciate each mouthful of your carefully chosen and prepared food.
create a favourite tea ritual.
deliberately include foods you enjoy rather than treating them as something you've “given in” to.
How Can You Build Hygge Habits That Support Your Wellbeing?
Hygge is about embracing a comfortable pace of life, which aligns with gradual, lasting weight loss rather than quick fixes. It is about managing and satisfying your emotional needs and appreciating the small joys in life. Making small changes and adding hygge habits to your daily and weekly routine will have a big impact on your relationship with food.
Hygge could be that tool that makes the difference, that helps you find balance in your lifestyle and sustain weight loss. Your path to comfort though is as individual as you are, so explore what feels right for you. These principles will help you create your personal hygge plan.
Comforting Rituals
Add moments of comfort to your routine. Experiment with different rituals to find your unique Hygge recipe. Perhaps that's reading, crafting, music, walking, having a bath or spending time with someone you enjoy. Notice which forms of comfort have nothing to do with food as well as those that do. The aim isn't to stop finding comfort in food, but to give yourself more choice.
Movement you Enjoy
Choose movement that you enjoy. For me, that would be nature walks, yoga or pilates. As a woman, it's advised to consider an activity that builds your strength and bone mass. Again, think outside the box, especially if you are exercise averse.
Patience and Self-Compassion
Be kind to yourself. For so many women, this is a struggle. They are super kind to others but not themselves. Nurture your inner voice with positive affirmations to change your thinking and promote self-belief. When you focus on kindness and wellbeing rather than restriction and judgement, you will find more balance around food and eating.
Time to Reflect
Keep a gratitude jar to remind yourself of the wonders in your life. Make journalling a regular tool for reflection so you can manage your emotions, feel safe and held, and stay focussed on your health and wellbeing goals.
Hygge is a gentle, sustainable approach to weight management that creates nourishing eating habits and reduces the need to soothe with food. It is the antithesis of deprivation dieting, and instead focuses on adding joy and comfort in a holistic way. I invite you to embrace small, cosy rituals that nurture your mind, body and soul and distract you from food.
Ready to Explore What Comfort Looks Like for You?
Hygge reminds us that wanting comfort isn't something we need to fight. The opportunity is to become more aware of what you're really needing in that moment and discover different ways of giving yourself the warmth, pleasure, rest or connection you're looking for.
You might like to begin by noticing when you find yourself wanting food for comfort. What was happening just before? What are you feeling? And what would feel comforting right now?
Sometimes the answer will still be food, in which case you can choose to enjoy it without guilt. Other times, you may discover that what you really need is rest, connection, movement, calm or simply some time for yourself.
Want to explore this in your own time?
The Mindset Diet will help you become more aware of the habits, emotions, beliefs and triggers behind the way you eat, with practical self-coaching activities to help you discover what works for you.
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In my one-to-one coaching programme, we'll look at what happens around food in your life, including the times you turn to food for comfort. We explore changes that fit you rather than giving you another set of rules to follow.
You'll also have regular protected time to focus on yourself, together with compassionate accountability to help you keep making space for your own wellbeing when life gets busy.
Because perhaps this autumn and winter don't need to be about trying harder to resist comfort food. Perhaps they could be about discovering more ways to comfort and nourish you.
