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 think about your struggle with food. The Real Work Podcast: Apply and Spotify Enter the Giveaway

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 and how longtime listeners can be part of the transition. The Real Work Podcast: Apple and Spotify  Enter the Giveaway  

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 overeating in the first place. If you've ever wondered why the promise of weight loss never seems to deliver the fulfillment you expected, this episode will shift how you think about your relationship with your body and food. Click here to join vibe club  

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 feel vs. what your device tells you Why we've become fortune tellers using sleep and HRV data Your Body's Built-In Feedback System The information your body provides that no device can measure How civilization functioned for thousands of years without sleep tracking Why we've stopped trusting our own physical sensations The Obsession Cycle Signs that your fitness tracker has crossed from helpful to harmful The difference between awareness and compulsion When tracking becomes another form of self-abandonment Body vs. Brain Intelligence Why 95% of your subconscious mind lives in your body, not your head The tree metaphor: symptoms, behaviors, and root causes How chronic stress shows up in physical form The Whisper vs. The Scream How your body tries to communicate before things get serious Why we ignore subtle signals until they become impossible to miss The progression from anxiety to chronic symptoms Key Questions Explored What are you actually doing with all that health data? How has tracking changed your relationship with your body? When did we decide external metrics matter more than internal wisdom? What happens when you stop checking and start feeling? Who This Episode Is For Anyone who feels anxious checking their fitness tracker data People who've noticed their relationship with health tracking has become compulsive Those experiencing chronic stress, anxiety, or unexplained physical symptoms Anyone curious about reconnecting with their body's natural intelligence Resources Mentioned Vibe Club community for deeper nervous system work Gabor Maté's work on mind-body connection Dr. Joe Dispenza's teachings on subconscious mind and body

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 thought "I know what to do, I just can't seem to do it," this conversation will shed light on the real barriers between you and mindful eating - and why your resistance to slowing down might be the biggest obstacle of all. Click here to join vibe club  

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 their overeating urges and quickly realized they had urges for everything - and that maybe, just maybe, the urge isn't actually the problem. What we're diving into: Why you can put your phone down and pick it back up without even realizing it The difference between an urge and your fear of the urge (spoiler: one of these is way worse) How society normalizes certain escapes while shaming others Why some people are getting baby chickens and accidentally losing weight The weird thing that happens when you fight an urge so hard that eating becomes about ending the fight, not the food What it's like to sit in an Uber without your phone (harder than you think) Why working 12-hour days gets praised but it might be the same pattern as overeating Plus, I share my own struggle with my phone and how recovering from chronic pain made my phone my unfortunate companion. Ryan jumps in with his realization about work urges and how he uses productivity to avoid... well, you'll see. This isn't about perfection. It's about noticing what your habits are trying to tell you. Because every urge, every automatic behavior, every "I can't help it" moment - they're all messengers. The question is: are you getting the message? Click here to join vibe club  

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 really happening in your brain when advice hits this invisible wall. Click here to join vibe club  

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. Click here to join vibe club  

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 mountain you need to climb or found yourself giving up because the end feels too far away, this episode will shift everything. Click here to join vibe club  

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. Click here to join vibe club  

Ever find yourself saying "I'm stuck" in your weight loss journey and genuinely feeling like you can't move forward? What if that feeling of being stuck isn't actually something happening to you, but a choice you're making without realizing it? In this episode, we dive into why your brain keeps you in familiar patterns even when they're painful, and explore the surprising truth about confusion, overwhelm, and feeling paralyzed in your progress. We'll uncover why some people seem to hear the same advice over and over but can never actually implement it, and what's really blocking you from taking action even when you know what to do. This conversation will completely shift how you think about those moments when you feel like nothing is working and you don't know what step to take next.

If food is the highlight of your day and overeating feels like your only source of joy, relief, or excitement, this episode is for you. We're diving deep into why so many of us give overeating multiple jobs - from being our reward system to our only form of relaxation. You'll discover why treating overeating as the problem might be keeping you stuck, and why calorie counting alone never addresses what's really going on. This conversation goes way beyond typical weight loss advice to explore what happens when food becomes your entire life. Click here to join vibe club  

This episode is a rapid-fire mashup of my greatest rants from the past 4.5 years — no fluff, just the truth that actually helps women lose weight without dieting. If you're new here, this is the one to start with. If you’ve been around, you’ll hear the messages that hit hardest — again. Click here to join vibe club  

Do you have PCOS, menopause, or insulin resistance and feel like weight loss is completely different for you? You've probably joined Facebook groups, read books, and followed experts who told you exactly what to expect with your specific condition. But what if the beliefs you've borrowed from these communities are actually shaping your experience more than you realize? In this episode, we dive into how the stories we tell ourselves about our bodies might be creating the very struggles we're trying to solve. Get ready to question everything you think you know about why weight loss feels so impossible. Click here to join vibe club 01:09: Why People Think Weight Loss Won't Work Common beliefs about why conditions like PCOS, menopause, and insulin resistance make weight loss impossible. 03:30: How Online Communities Shape Your Beliefs The danger of adopting limiting beliefs from Facebook groups and influencers about your diagnosis. 10:00: It's Still About Overeating Real client examples showing that addressing overeating solves the problem, not the diagnosis itself. 18:30: Question Everything You've Been Told Why you should be careful about accepting beliefs from experts and be willing to test them yourself. 24:00: Your Beliefs Create Your Experience How what you think about your condition impacts you more than the condition itself.

Behavior change is hard - really, really hard. In this episode, Maggie gets real about why changing your habits feels impossible and shares her own current struggles with nervous system regulation. She explains how your brain and body will literally fight you when you try to change, throwing what she calls "the biggest tantrum" to keep you stuck in familiar patterns. But here's the thing: understanding why your brain does this actually makes the whole process less terrifying and more manageable. If you've ever wondered why you keep going back to old habits even when you know better, this episode will help you understand what's really happening inside your head. Click here to join vibe club 02:54: It's No Longer About the Trauma, It's About the Choices 08:36: The First Week Was Brutal 11:33: Your Body Will Throw the Biggest Tantrum 13:45: Retraining Your Body Like a Wild Animal 19:27: You Have to Go All In - No Dipping In and Out

Ever feel like you're crushing your weight loss goals for weeks or months, then suddenly find yourself right back where you started? You're not alone - this frustrating cycle of progress followed by what feels like "self-sabotage" is one of the most common struggles people face. In this episode, we dive into why your brain seems to work against you just when things are going well, and why that success can feel so dangerous and unpredictable. We'll explore what's really happening in your mind when you revert to old eating patterns, and challenge some of the dramatic stories we tell ourselves about why this happens. If you've ever wondered why you keep "going backward" despite your best intentions, this episode will give you a completely different way to understand what's really going on Click here to join vibe club 02:42: What Self-Sabotage Really Looks Like 07:30: How Your Brain Creates Habits 11:30: Why "Self-Sabotage" is a Loaded Term 16:00: The Real Reason You Revert to Old Patterns 21:25: Summer Weight Loss and Vibe Club

Rachel shares her remarkable journey of losing 40 pounds while navigating the challenges of moving countries and pregnancy. After trying countless diets including keto, Whole30, and Weight Watchers without lasting success, she discovered a completely different approach that finally worked. Join us as Rachel reveals the unexpected mindset shift that made losing weight on vacation possible for the first time in her life. She offers a refreshing perspective on maintaining progress during major life transitions and how her relationship with food transformed during pregnancy. This conversation is packed with insights for anyone who feels like they've tried everything without finding lasting success. Click here to join vibe club 01:46 Rachel's history with weight loss attempts 05:18: The turning point: losing weight on vacation  09:00: The power of focusing on one problem  14:30: How Rachel's relationship with urges changed  20:00: Seeing success through major life transitions  24:39: Rachel's experience with pregnancy  33:27: The unexpected exercise mindset shift  44:45: Final advice for those struggling with weight loss

You’ve learned how to sit with your emotions instead of eating through them—but now what? In today’s episode, Maggie explains why staying stuck in negative emotions can become its own form of sabotage. You'll learn how indulging in drama keeps you from real change, and how to shift your perspective to start feeling better without needing your circumstances to change. This conversation is a wake-up call to stop rolling around in the shit and start moving through it. If you’ve been feeling stuck, this is the nudge you’ve been waiting for. Click here to join vibe club  00:00 – Why we don’t coddle the drama 01:30 – What it means to “sit in the shit” 04:00 – Allowing emotion vs. avoiding with food 06:30 – When allowing becomes indulgent 08:45 – How stuck emotions become your identity 11:00 – Questions to shift your mindset 13:00 – Coaching examples of “I can’t” thinking 15:00 – The drama spiral: 30 things vs 3 18:00 – Changing your life by changing your story 21:00 – Final takeaway: Don’t sit in the shit too long

Ever wonder why you can listen to weight loss advice but still struggle to make progress? You might be missing something crucial that your own brain can't recognize. Despite your best efforts, hidden thought patterns could be sabotaging your progress without you even realizing it. Discover why having someone else look at your thinking patterns makes all the difference in finally breaking through weight loss plateaus. This episode exposes the gap between learning information and actually implementing it effectively. Click here to join vibe club 05:45: Why your brain has blind spots you can't see on your own 13:15: How avoiding triggers (like the scale) actually delays growth rather than helping it 19:21: Setting effective weight loss goals versus avoiding them due to past negative associations 34:30: When you might need one-on-one support versus group coaching for your weight loss journey

Ever notice how easy it is to spot what's wrong instead of what's right? In this episode, Maggie and Ryan discuss our tendency to focus on problems and complaints rather than beauty and joy. Our brains seem wired to notice the negative, making complaints and judgment our default mode. This negative focus impacts not just our personal happiness but also our relationships with others, as we bond over shared complaints rather than genuine connection. Learn why changing your perspective requires intentional daily practice and discover why this mindset shift might be the most important work you'll ever do. Click here to join vibe club 03:18: Clarification that Vibe Club is not an MLM and explanation of what their coaching program actually offers. 11:06: Ryan shares an inspirational quote about choosing between focusing on what's wrong or embracing what's right in life. 15:15: Maggie discusses how we weren't built to handle the constant negative information overload of modern life. 21:24: A powerful story illustrating how perspective determines what we see in our surroundings - we miss beauty when focused on problems. 29:57: Discussion about interrupting negative thought patterns and choosing healthier perspectives for your mental wellbeing.