system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do liquids feel like 'less' food?

Since I started drinking more soups and smoothies and less solid foods, I have dropped a bit of weight. Not a lot, just a few pounds. In addition, I feel less 'full' after having liquid meals.

Why is this? Shouldn't calories be the same, regardless of whether something is in solid or liquid form?

For example, I had a smoothie with two bananas, a cup of blueberries, and two cups of oat milk today. I could never bring myself to actually eat two bananas, a cup of blueberries, and two cups of oat milk *separately,* but blended together I can consume all of that, no problem. Why?
gpt
If you crumble pieces of paper and throw them in the waste bin, you'll find the bin can only hold some 10s of sheets. Now, use a shredder on the paper before emptying into the bin and you'll find the bin can hold 100s of shredded sheets.

The blender is the shredder for your food, cutting it up to smaller bits than your mouth can. Thus, blended smoothies fills less volume in your stomach than chewed food.

As for your weight loss, your example with the fruit smoothie should be the same calories if you ate the food or drank it blended. You'll have to consider other parts of your diet. You said you're drinking more soups. Our body can mistake dehydration for hunger, making us eat or snack more than intended. Soup would help relieve your thirst as well as hunger.

Solid food is also more calorie dense and harder to judge portions unless you have a scale. Meanwhile, you can easily measure out portions of soup and smoothie in a cup or bowl. You may be doing a better job tracking what you're eating.