The Fat Doctor Podcast Ignoring the Harm: Why We Justify Suffering for Weight Loss
Nov 12, 2025
The podcast discusses the often-overlooked harms of intentional weight loss, emphasizing ethical responsibilities in healthcare. It reveals how dieting can lead to reduced metabolism, increased appetite, and hormonal disruptions, along with risks of eating disorders and mental health issues. With a critical eye, it challenges the societal narrative that prioritizes thinness over the well-being of fat individuals, exposing the profit-driven motives behind the weight loss industry. Ultimately, it advocates for a compassionate approach that doesn't impose suffering for the sake of appearance.
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Weight Loss Causes Lasting Metabolic Change
- Intentional weight loss triggers predictable physiological responses like reduced resting metabolism and loss of skeletal muscle.
- These changes persist long after dieting ends and make weight regain more likely.
Increased Appetite Is A Biological Response
- Dieting increases appetite and food preoccupation, a phenomenon Asher calls 'food noise'.
- This is a physiological response to energy deficit, not moral failure or lack of willpower.
Dieting Disrupts Hormones And Body Composition
- Intentional weight loss disrupts multiple hormonal systems and can change body composition permanently.
- These hormonal and compositional changes may be irreversible and have long-term health consequences.