Dr Kathryn Williams has had patients cry when they go on anti-obesity drugs. “[They] say, ‘oh my God, this is the first time I haven’t felt hungry,’” says Williams, an endocrinologist at the University of Sydney, “because hunger is just something they have to live with every single day.”
Shows like The Biggest Loser perpetuated the idea that with radical enough lifestyle change and exercise, anyone can lose weight. But like so much reality television, it’s a far cry from reality. “This whole thing where we think everyone’s equal and it’s about choice is just a complete lie,” Williams says. “We still need to understand that there are some people that have biological reasons as to why they gain weight and those people need treatment.”
