Episode 124 : The science of over-eating and how to overcome it with Dr. Helen McCarthy
Why do we eat when we’re not hungry—especially at night? Willpower isn’t the answer. In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Helen McCarthy reveals the Appetite Pendulum—a powerful framework that helps you understand hunger, fullness, and emotional eating without shame.
We dig into why evenings are the danger zone, how to tell the difference between hunger and emotion in your body, and how a 10-second Pause Technique can change your relationship with food starting tonight. You’ll also learn the four biggest saboteurs of healthy eating, why GLP-1 medications like Ozempic help some people but aren’t the full solution, and the one small habit change that makes the biggest difference.
If you’ve ever struggled with “food noise,” night-time grazing, or the cycle of willpower and regret, this conversation will give you practical, evidence-based tools you can use immediately.
About Dr. McCarthy:
Dr Helen McCarthy is a Clinical Psychologist, and is the "Appetite Doctor". She developed Appetite Retraining to help people lose weight by re-learning to eat in tune with their body's natural hunger and fullness signals.
Helen is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society who has worked as a Clinical Psychologist since 1989. She has a B.Sc. Honours degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Durham and a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Oxford.
After leaving Oxford Helen trained as a Clinical Psychologist within the British National Health Service and worked as a Clinical Psychologist in the NHS and then in private practice.
She was a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Bristol and served as a Faculty Member for the UK Royal College of General Practitioners Leadership in Obesity Programme. She has also served as a member of the Advisory Panel for the UK and International Health Coaches Association.
Helen has appeared on ITV and Channel 4 TV channels on programmes dealing with the psychology of weight loss.
She says, "What I love most of all, is putting psychology into practice to help people overcome what’s troubling them in their relationship with food".
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