NATIONWIDE, MONDAY — In what nutritionists are calling "the most bizarre public health shift in modern history," the $78 billion weight loss industry is facing potential extinction after people began spending so much time conversing with AI chatbots that they've stopped overeating, leading to widespread unintentional weight loss and the closure of major diet programs.
"I've been a weight loss counselor for 23 years," said former Jenny Craig consultant Patricia Hoffman, who was laid off last month. "I've helped thousands of people lose weight through portion control, exercise, and behavioral modification. Now people are losing weight because they're so engrossed in asking ChatGPT philosophical questions that they forget meals exist. I didn't see this coming."
The trend began emerging in late 2024 but accelerated dramatically in early 2025 as AI chatbot usage skyrocketed. Weight Watchers reported a 68% drop in membership. Planet Fitness has closed 340 locations. Nutrisystem filed for bankruptcy last week.
"Our business model was based on people struggling to lose weight," explained Marcus Webb, former CEO of SlimFast. "Turns out, if people are typing into their phones for 14 hours a day, they just... stop eating. Not because of discipline or healthy habits. They just forget. They're too busy asking AI to write them poetry or explain quantum mechanics. Who knew the solution to obesity was making people too distracted to remember dinner?"
Dr. Helena Rodriguez, an endocrinologist at Boston Medical Center, has observed the phenomenon firsthand.
"Patients are coming in having lost 30, 40, 50 pounds," Rodriguez said. "I ask them about their diet and exercise routine. They look confused. They say, 'What routine? I've just been really into AI conversations lately.' One patient told me she lost 35 pounds in three months because she was 'too busy debating philosophy with Claude' to eat lunch. She wasn't even trying to lose weight. She just got distracted."
The shift has devastated multiple industries simultaneously.
"We're seeing unprecedented drops in snack food sales," said grocery analyst Jennifer Kim. "Chips, cookies, candy—down 40% year-over-year. Meanwhile, ergonomic chairs and blue light glasses are through the roof. People have replaced emotional eating with emotional AI chatting."
Former emotional eater turned AI conversation enthusiast Derek Martinez, 34, exemplifies the trend.
"I used to eat a whole pizza when I was stressed," Martinez explained while typing a question to an AI about the meaning of existential dread. "Now when I'm stressed, I just open my chatbot and start asking it questions. Hours pass. I look up and realize I haven't eaten since breakfast. Sometimes I haven't eaten breakfast either because I was already chatting when I woke up."
When asked if this is healthier than his previous habits, Martinez paused mid-conversation with the AI about whether consciousness is an illusion.
"Healthier? I mean, I lost 45 pounds. My doctor is thrilled. But I also haven't left my apartment in three weeks, my eyes hurt constantly, and I had a dream last night that was just me prompting an AI. So... maybe?"
Weight loss support groups have seen attendance plummet.
"We used to have 40 people at weekly meetings," said former Overeaters Anonymous facilitator Tom Chen. "Now we get three. And those three spend the whole meeting on their phones asking AI chatbots for emotional support instead of talking to each other. Last week, someone said 'Sorry, can we pause? The AI is really helping me work through my childhood trauma right now.' I said, 'That's literally what this group is for.' They said, 'Yeah, but the AI doesn't judge me and it's available 24/7.'"
Gym chains are desperately trying to adapt.
"We installed WiFi boosters and phone charging stations at every treadmill," said Planet Fitness regional manager Ashley Tran. "We thought people would use AI chatbots while exercising. Instead, they just stand by the chargers having conversations with their phones. They're not working out. They're just... here. Typing. We've essentially become a co-working space for people who want to talk to robots."
The diet supplement industry has been hit particularly hard.
"We sell appetite suppressants," said GNC store manager Robert Johnson. "But why would anyone buy appetite suppressants when they've naturally lost their appetite because they're in a six-hour conversation with an AI about whether art has objective meaning? Our entire product line is obsolete. We're pivoting to eye drops and wrist braces."
Nutritionist Dr. Sarah Patel is struggling to advise patients.
"Traditional weight loss guidance is 'eat less, move more,'" Patel explained. "But these patients aren't eating less through mindful choices. They're not eating because they're literally forgetting food exists while asking AI to write fan fiction or explain string theory. I asked one patient, 'Are you getting adequate nutrition?' She said, 'Hold on, let me ask the AI.' I said, 'No, I'm asking YOU.' She said, 'Yeah, but the AI might have better data.'"
The most concerning cases involve people whose AI conversations have completely replaced meals.
"We're seeing what we call 'chatbot malnutrition,'" Dr. Rodriguez said. "People so absorbed in AI interactions that they skip multiple meals without noticing. One patient came in having lost 60 pounds in two months. Malnutrition, fatigue, severe deficiencies. I asked what happened to her appetite. She said, 'I've been really busy asking AI to help me write a novel.' I said, 'You need to eat.' She said, 'Can I ask the AI about optimal eating schedules?' I said, 'You're literally talking to a doctor right now.' She was already typing on her phone."
Former Weight Watchers group leader Monica Flores has pivoted her career.
"I used to help people count points and stick to meal plans," Flores said. "Now I run a support group called 'AI Addicts Who Forgot to Eat.' We meet twice a week to remind each other that food is necessary for survival. Half the group doesn't show up because they're too busy chatting with AI. The ones who do show up spend the meeting asking AI chatbots if they really need to eat or if humans could eventually evolve beyond nutrition."
The pharmaceutical industry is also feeling the impact.
"Weight loss drugs were a huge growth market," said pharmaceutical analyst David Wong. "Billions in projected revenue. Now prescriptions are down 55%. Doctors are telling patients 'You need to put your phone down and eat a sandwich.' It's unprecedented."
Fast food chains have noticed the shift.
"Drive-through times are way up," said McDonald's franchisee Linda Morrison. "Not because we're slow. Because customers are having conversations with AI chatbots at the speaker box. They order, pull forward, and by the time they get to the window they've forgotten they ordered food. Yesterday, someone said, 'Sorry, I was asking the AI about the trolley problem. What was I doing?' I said, 'Getting a Big Mac.' They said, 'Oh right. Actually, I'm not hungry anymore. The AI made me think about moral philosophy and now eating feels trivial.'"
Personal trainer Marcus Thompson has lost 90% of his clients.
"People would rather have a conversation with an AI about fitness than actually work out," Thompson said. "One client paid me $200 for a session and spent the whole hour asking ChatGPT about exercise physiology while sitting on a bench. I said, 'Sir, I'm here. I can actually train you.' He said, 'Yeah, but can you explain it in the context of Nietzschean philosophy?' I said, 'No, I teach deadlifts.' He said, 'The AI can do both.'"
The keto diet community is devastated.
"We had millions of followers," said keto influencer Brittany Walsh. "People obsessed with macros, tracking carbs, buying specialty foods. Now our engagement is down 80%. People are too busy asking AI to write them poetry or explain quantum mechanics to care about whether bread has carbs. Someone commented on my post yesterday: 'Sorry, can't focus on keto. In deep discussion with AI about whether free will exists. Makes dieting seem pointless.'"
Some entrepreneurs are attempting to bridge the gap.
"I launched an app called 'ChatBot Bites,'" said tech founder Kevin Zhao. "It interrupts your AI conversations every three hours to remind you to eat. Users hated it. They said the notifications were 'disrupting important philosophical discussions' and 'breaking their flow.' The app failed in two weeks. People would rather starve than pause their AI conversations."
Dr. Rodriguez warns that trading one unhealthy behavior for another isn't the solution.
"Yes, people are losing weight," Rodriguez said. "But they're also developing repetitive strain injuries from constant typing, vision problems from screen time, vitamin D deficiencies from never going outside, and social isolation from replacing human interaction with AI interaction. We've solved obesity by creating a generation of malnourished shut-ins who can discuss epistemology but can't remember to eat breakfast."
Some former diet industry workers have found unexpected employment.
"I used to design weight loss meal plans," said nutritionist James Park. "Now I work for an AI company designing 'meal reminder prompts' that chatbots can give users. Basically, I teach AI to say 'Hey, have you eaten today?' It's the strangest pivot of my career. Yesterday I programmed a chatbot to end philosophical conversations after two hours and suggest a snack. Users complained it was 'too paternalistic.'"
The cultural shift has reached corporate America.
"We used to have vending machines and snack rooms," said office manager Teresa Gonzales. "Employees would stress-eat during the workday. Now they stress-chat with AI. Our snack budget is down 70%. Our IT bandwidth costs are up 300%. People aren't eating. They're just typing. We had to add a policy: 'Please take actual lunch breaks, not just AI conversation breaks.'"
At press time, Weight Watchers announced it was pivoting to "AI Conversation Watchers," a program to help people moderate their chatbot usage and remember to eat.
The first meeting had three attendees. All three spent it asking ChatGPT whether the meeting was a good use of their time.
None of them had eaten lunch.
When the facilitator suggested they break for a meal, one participant said, "Hold on, the AI is really helping me work through my relationship with food."
The facilitator quit on the spot.
