Background: Social isolation and confinement were some of the public health measures continually employed in several countries around the world throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Such measures had a strong influence on public health management and care. Objective: This study sought to understand the influence of lockdown confinements during the COVID-19 pandemic on the eating behaviors of patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A study was conducted via an interpretive-qualitative approach in two primary health care centers located in Eusébio, Brazil, in 2022. We collected relevant patient health information, such as sociodemographic data, quality-of-life indicators, physical activity levels, nutritional status, and overall eating habits. We then carried out home visits to conduct in-depth interviews with 11 patients with type 2 diabetes and poor metabolic control (glycosylated hemoglobin levels > 7%). The data analysis was supported by the software Iramuteq, and by the interpretive description approach. Results: The sample group mostly consisted of physically active, middle-aged women showing poor glycemic control, and negative experiences linked to the disease. In the patients reports, we verified the prevalence of words associated with strategies of individual diabetes control. During home visits, we uncovered 20 pieces of data related to two main recurring themes: distress and passive dependency regarding their own eating behaviors. Conclusions: It is necessary to intensify measures of health education aiming at the empowerment of diabetic individuals under confinement regarding the self-management of their eating. This is due to the fact that, in this scenario, these individuals experience feelings of distress and of lack of autonomy over the management of their meal choices and eating patterns.