Fat Chance (ATOM Study Guide)

Fat Chance is the story of Yuka Sekiguchi, a fat, 49-year-old single mother who decides to stop bingeing on pizza, to lose weight and to find love before she turns fifty.

Yuka has learnt the hard way that diets have a guaranteed failure rate. Plastic surgery might be a quick fix but the cost would drive even those with unwavering willpower to comfort eat. Online dating doesn't prove positive. There might be plenty of men who 'prefer Asian women' but there's not much call for the likes of Yuka. After consulting a scientific expert, Dr Garry Eggers, Yuka settles on what she hopes will be the winning formula: eat less and exercise more. This time she's committed to the cause.

Yuka's decision to lose weight once and for all is supported by Dr George Blair-West, a psychiatrist who specialises in weight issues. Dr Blair-West encourages Yuka to accept that her weight gain isn't a matter of what she eats but rather why she eats.

In the space of six months, Yuka stops regarding exercise as 'punishment', swaps Western junk food for home cooked Japanese cuisine and starts enjoying telephone calls with her mother. Turning fifty is worth celebrating because Yuka has not only lost weight; she's found a more certain sense of self.

Fat Chance provides students with an opportunity to realise the connection between physical, emotional and social health. Yuka's story identifies that a person's weight is linked to their sense of self and their sense of purpose. The documentary highlights the dangers of obesity, the significance of sound nutrition, the relationship between physical activity and wellbeing and how a person's weight can impact on their relationships. Having watched Fat Chance, students can discuss their own lifestyle, diet and exercise, and then devise strategies to ensure their futures and the futures of their family and friends are healthier and happier.