Why You Keep Overeating (It’s Not What Most People Think)

Dr. Ruth Machin explains the factors that conspire to get us to eat too much:

À la carte

In menopause, diminishing estrogen increases hunger while muscle loss and lower activity decrease the body’s ability to metabolize the extra calories.

So, for many people, there are three things we can do about that already:

1. Correct one’s estrogen levels with HRT
2. Take care to maintain muscle mass
3. Make sure to continue to be active

However, there are more factors at hand than just our own bodies, for example:

• Processed foods and eating speed: highly processed foods are eaten more quickly and can disrupt hunger hormones, leading to higher calorie intake even if they have similar nutritional profiles to less-processed versions.
• Portion size effect: larger portions lead to consistently higher intake without later compensation, so controlling portion sizes when serving is important. You’ve probably heard this tip before but: use smaller plates/bowls!
• Energy density considerations: high-calorie foods that aren’t filling are easy to overeat regardless of being homemade or processed, while low-calorie-dense foods like fruit, vegetables, beans, and lean protein help control intake.
• Liquid calories zip straight into places we don’t want them: drinks like sugary sodas, sweetened coffee, juice, and alcohol add calories without fullness, making them easy to overconsume and overlook.
• Food variety matters (this is both good and bad): greater variety on the table increases consumption by resetting taste satisfaction, but this can be used beneficially by increasing variety in fruits and vegetables!

As ever, slow and steady is the best approach, and gradually replacing processed foods with whole foods and aiming for “mostly whole-food” diet is more effective than strict elimination (that usually doesn’t last anyway).

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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The Science of Hunger, And How To Sate It

Take care!