272 - Breaking Free from "Protein Prison": Why Your Food Choices Might Be Coming From Diet Mentality
Why We Overeat with Maggie Sterling
Release Date: 03/28/2025
296 - Your Weight Problem Isn't About Food
Why We Overeat with Maggie Sterling
You've tried every diet, counted every calorie, and switched up your workout routine more times than you can remember - but you still feel completely out of control around food. What if the reason you can't stop overeating has nothing to do with willpower, meal plans, or even the food itself? In this episode, we dig into why traditional weight loss approaches keep failing you and what your body is actually trying to communicate through your eating patterns. If you've ever found yourself asking "why can't I just stop eating when I'm not hungry?" this conversation will completely shift how you...
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295 - The End of Why We Overeat (And What's Next)
Why We Overeat with Maggie Sterling
After nearly six years of podcasting, Maggie and Ryan make a major announcement about the future of Why We Overeat. They share the honest truth about why they've decided to end this podcast and what they've learned about the limitations of staying focused on certain topics. The conversation reveals how much their understanding has evolved since the early days, and why they feel called to make a significant shift in their approach. They explain what's been frustrating them behind the scenes and why they can't continue down the same path. Plus, they share exciting news about what's coming next...
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294 - Why Your Life Still Feels Empty (Even If You Lost the Weight)
Why We Overeat with Maggie Sterling
You've been told that losing weight will make you happier, more confident, and finally give you the life you want. But what happens when you actually reach that goal weight and still feel just as empty inside? This episode challenges the widespread belief that weight loss is the solution to deeper life problems. We explore why so many people achieve their "dream body" only to discover they're still battling the same internal struggles they had before. The conversation reveals how focusing on the scale can become a dangerous distraction from addressing the real issues causing emotional...
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293 - Why Fitness Trackers Are Making You More Anxious
Why We Overeat with Maggie Sterling
In this episode, we dive deep into the unexpected dark side of fitness tracking technology. What happens when the tools meant to improve your health actually increase your anxiety and disconnect you from your body's natural wisdom? What We Discuss The Oura Ring Confession Why one host ditched their beloved fitness tracker after years of use The surprising relationship between data obsession and anxiety When "helpful" technology becomes a source of stress The Data Trap How checking your readiness score first thing in the morning affects your entire day The disconnect between how you actually...
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292 - Top 4 Mindful Eating Habits
Why We Overeat with Maggie Sterling
Ever feel like you're doing everything "right" but still can't figure out why you're overeating? You know you should listen to your hunger signals, stop when you're satisfied, and eat without distractions - but something keeps getting in the way. In this episode, we dive into why the simple tools for weight loss feel so impossibly hard to actually use. We explore the uncomfortable truth about why you can't seem to put your phone down during meals, why you eat like you're being chased by a tiger, and what's really happening when you look down and your plate is suddenly empty. If you've ever...
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291 - Why You're Using Food, Shopping, and Scrolling to Escape
Why We Overeat with Maggie Sterling
Ever notice how you can put your phone down and then 20 seconds later it's mysteriously back in your hand? Or how you tell yourself you'll stop overeating, but then find yourself at the gas station buying snacks you don't even want? In this episode, I'm getting real about urges - not just food urges, but ALL the urges that run our lives. The scrolling, the shopping, the working until midnight, the constant need to be doing something other than just... being here. We just wrapped up a 3-week Urge Challenge in the club, and the insights that came out of it blew my mind. People started tracking...
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290 - Why You Hear the Solution But Can't Make Yourself Do It
Why We Overeat with Maggie Sterling
Have you ever received advice that you know would work - advice that makes perfect sense and has helped countless others - but somehow you just can't make yourself follow it? You hear it clearly, you understand it completely, but when it comes time to actually implement it, something inside you resists. It's not that you lack willpower or motivation, and it's definitely not that the advice is wrong. There's actually a hidden barrier that most people don't even realize exists, and it's the real reason why perfectly good guidance never seems to stick. In this episode, we dive deep into what's...
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289 - Why Being Hard on Yourself Makes You Overeat
Why We Overeat with Maggie Sterling
You know that voice in your head that never cuts you any slack? The one that calls you a failure every time you overeat and tells you to just "snap out of it"? What if I told you that voice is actually making your overeating worse, not better? Most women think they need to be harder on themselves to see results, but the opposite is true. In this episode, we're diving into why self-criticism creates the exact cycle you're trying to break and what actually works instead.
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288 - How To Set A Weight Loss Goal
Why We Overeat with Maggie Sterling
Do you have a big weight loss goal but find yourself making choices that work against it every single day? You're not alone - and the problem might actually be the goal itself. In this episode, we dive into why focusing on your ultimate weight loss number can make daily food decisions feel impossible and keep you stuck in cycles of overeating. We'll explore the surprising psychology behind why that "60 pounds to lose" goal might be sabotaging your progress and discuss a completely different approach to thinking about weight loss that actually works. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the...
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287 - I Keep Saying I Won't Overeat Today (But I Always Do)
Why We Overeat with Maggie Sterling
You wake up every morning with the best intentions. Today will be different. Today you won't overeat. But by evening, you've done it again - and you're left wondering what's wrong with you. If you're tired of this exhausting daily cycle of promising yourself you won't overeat and then breaking that promise hours later, this episode is for you.
info_outlineAre you stuck in "protein prison" - forcing yourself to eat foods you don't even like in the name of weight loss? In this episode, Maggie and Ryan explore the complicated relationship between nutrition choices and diet mentality, diving into why our reasons for eating certain foods matter more than the foods themselves. They discuss how many women get trapped in patterns of restriction and binging when they prioritize "healthy eating" without considering mental satisfaction. If you've ever choked down Greek yogurt mixed with protein powder while secretly craving something else, this conversation about finding balance without sacrificing results is for you.
03:20: Diet mentality is about energy, beliefs, and thoughts - not specific foods.
07:00: "Protein prison" happens when forcing yourself to eat protein you dislike, causing mental dissatisfaction.
10:20: Choosing foods that make you feel good isn't diet mentality if your reasons are balanced.
14:50: Finding balance often requires swinging to extremes first before settling in the middle.
18:30: Ryan's experience losing muscle when not prioritizing protein he enjoys.
21:30: When to move beyond food neutrality toward intentional choices that support goals.