Welcome to season six of 'What Happens Next?'.

You can’t go anywhere without hearing about the latest fad diet or workout, which often promise miraculously quick – and permanent – results. Does science support them? Is losing weight as simple as exercising more and eating less, or is there more to it? How has our understanding of obesity changed as our grasp on genetics and environmental factors grows stronger? And what’s going on with the way we talk about fat?

This season of Monash University’s 'What Happens Next?' kicks off with a conversation about weight loss. What does science really have to say about it? Should we change how we think about – and therefore talk about – diet, exercise and wellness?

Dr Susan Carland sits down with Dr Michael Cowley, founding director of the Monash Obesity and Diabetes Institute; bariatric surgeon Mr Ahmad Aly; psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Dr Hilary Offman; and celebrity personal trainer Michelle Bridges.

A full transcription of this episode is available on Monash Lens.

'What Happens Next?' will return next week with part two of this series, “Should We Change How We Think About Fat?”.

In the meantime, take a deeper dive into Dr Cowley’s research and rethink what it means to be fat or skinny.

If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe on your favourite podcast app, and rate or review 'What Happens Next?' to help listeners like yourself discover it.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.