The Front Page: Is it time we rethink how we discuss ‘fatness’?

Sasha Borissenko New Zealand Herald photograph by Dean Purcel 03 July 2023

It’s hard to go through life in the 21st century without hearing daily about exercise, dieting and healthy eating.

But what if everything we know about obesity, weight and ‘fatness’ is wrong?

That’s what the Herald is exploring in a new podcast series from journalist Sasha Borissenko. In Chewing the Facts, Borissenko sets out to debunk a lot of the myths in New Zealand, with some surprising insights from experts and those with lived experiences.

Speaking to The Front Page podcast, Borissenko said that after spending much of her life dieting and dealing with weight, she decided to take a more investigative look into the food, exercise and dieting industry.

One of the things she has learned from experts is how the Body Mass Index - or BMI - has been largely discredited as a tool for measuring healthy weight.

“In June, when I’m four months deep into creating this series, the American Medical Association came out slamming the BMI. You’ve got the World Health Organisation, they’ve got this Lancet commission that’s looking at the diagnostics of ‘obesity’. The Medical Association said that it’s got problematic roots, it varies drastically among different populations, it totally is problematic when we think of people of colour, and yet it’s measured.”

Borissenko said that they have spoken to nearly 50 people for the series, either experts on weight, dieting and exercise, or those with lived experiences. She said many of those personal stories have stuck with her, particularly one person who went through bariatric surgery.

“I spoke to someone who almost died, so spent six months in hospital and they have issues going out for dinner, don’t drink. I asked whether they would you do it again. And I think the comparison of how they’ve been treated since the surgery as to before, they said absolutely. And I think that really had an impact on me.”

So what are the other ramifications of having bariatric surgery? Why are experts now turning against the term ‘obesity’? And how effective is dieting really?

Listen to the full episode of The Front Page podcast to hear more about how Chewing The Facts debunks the myths of weight.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.