Beyond Diets: Why ‘Hunger’ Exposes the Weight-Loss Industry’s Biggest Lies

The Billion-Dollar Business of Selling Shame

For anyone who has ever tried—and failed—to lose weight, Roxane Gay’s ‘Hunger’ is a revelation. The memoir exposes the empty promises of the weight-loss industry: the fad diets, the miracle pills, the expensive programs that promise transformation but deliver only shame and disappointment. Gay recounts her own journey through this minefield, from diet clinics to bariatric surgery, and the physical and emotional pain that followed. She reveals how the industry thrives on repeat customers, profiting from failure and perpetuating the myth that thinness is the only path to happiness.

Gay’s critique is both personal and political. She details the complications and trauma of weight-loss surgery, the isolation of being the largest person in the room, and the emotional toll of never feeling ‘good enough.’ Her story is a warning against the quick fixes and harsh judgments that dominate diet culture. Instead, she advocates for self-acceptance and approaches to health that honor the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.

If you’re tired of being sold shame, Gay’s memoir offers a new way forward—one rooted in compassion, honesty, and the radical idea that every body deserves respect. 1 3