Fat is a thing you can’t hide. Many people struggle a lifetime with the uncontrollable urge to overeat, the frustration of diets that don’t work, and the stigma in a society that worships “thin.” Is it genes? Is it metabolism? Is it stress, evolution, or the lack of willpower? Why can’t the brain control hunger? What drives us to keep eating when we know we’re full? As the number of obese Americans climbs to frightening levels, the quest for answers is becoming even more urgent. Obesity experts have a growing — and sobering — awareness of the complex human puzzle that is driving this epidemic and creating so much personal pain. “Open abuse of fat people is our last accepted prejudice. A license for cruelty,” says Naomi Boak, executive producer of “
FAT: What No One is Telling You,” premiering April 11, at 9:00 p.m. on KUED-Channel 7. The two-hour program gives viewers a window into the intense human dramas that rage inside people who have been labeled obese and how hard their weight problem is to solve. Even the most disciplined effort is beyond the abilities of many people – not because of weakness, but because of the complex mix of environmental factors and biology that make it a lot easier to gain weight than to lose it. “Being fat is not a moral crime and not just a matter of personal responsibility,” says Boak. At 5-foot-3 and 200 pounds, she has waged a personal war on fat since childhood. “I couldn’t have made this film without the intimate experience of growing up fat.” The
last 30 minutes offer practical advice. Focusing on preventing obesity in children, which leads to almost insurmountable long-term weight and health problems, doctors, nutritionists and community activists will address questions from parents in a studio audience who want to help their kids avoid a lifelong health trap. “
FAT: What No One is Telling You,” airs April 11, at 9:00 p.m., on KUED-Channel 7. ###
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