Does 'Maintenance Phase' Reveal How Weight Loss Industries Mislead?

Maria Walker has spent her entire life under the weight of expectations in a world where reputation trumps happiness. As the daughter of the respected Walker family, every choice—including her relationship with kind, loyal Noah Bennett—is judged by high society, who see him as far beneath her standing. Daniel Rothfield faces a different pressure. The powerful, emotionally guarded CEO of Rothfield Holdings has avoided relationships since a devastating breakup left him unwilling to risk love again. Yet his parents and business partners insist a man of his status needs to project stability—and a serious relationship is the perfect image. When Maria and Daniel unexpectedly arrive together at a prestigious charity auction, a fleeting moment ignites rampant speculation. Within hours, social media explodes with rumors that the billionaire CEO and the Walker heiress are secretly dating. Rather than deny it, Daniel proposes a solution: pretend the rumors are true. A fake relationship solves both dilemmas. Maria’s parents would stop pressuring her about Noah, while Daniel’s family and associates would see him finally settling down. It’s meant to be simple, temporary, and strictly controlled. Rules are set: No real feelings. No crossing boundaries. No forgetting it’s just an act. But pretending to be in love proves far more complicated than planned. As they appear together at events, family gatherings, and public functions, undeniable chemistry emerges—shifting from performance to something dangerously authentic. Meanwhile, Noah grapples with quiet jealousy fueled by headlines and photos, Daniel’s past resurfaces to threaten the facade, and their carefully built lie begins to crumble. In a society that measures love by status and appearances, Maria and Daniel face an undeniable truth: the relationship they pretended to have may be the most real thing either of them has ever felt.

Big fat Aurora Wright has always been ridiculed and body-shamed by the ones she calls family…not excluding her husband - Ethan Slade, the man she loves so much. She thought marriage was for better for worse and she was ever so willing to go down that lane with him until the very end even though he feels absolutely nothing for her. But, tables turn when the man she loves, calls her a pest and wants her gone. Nothing broke Aurora's heart more than the fact that he didn't bat an eye watching her groan in pain. Anger, pain and hate for the Slade family, Aurora swore to make them pay and beg at her feet. Aurora is reborn into a more sophisticated woman bent on having her revenge after getting married to New York's youngest politician, Orion's Valois.

For as long as she could remember, Ivy Monroe had been told she was too fat, too plain, and too unworthy to be loved. Forced into an arranged marriage with billionaire CEO Julian Vance, she spent a year enduring humiliation, neglect, and heartbreak while her husband openly flaunted his mistress.  When Ivy discovers she's pregnant, she believes the baby might finally give her a reason to hope. Instead, she loses the child after a cruel act of betrayal and is thrown out into the night with nothing but a box of clothes and divorce papers. Left bleeding and alone, Ivy is rescued by renowned surgeon Dr. Ethan Knight, a man determined to help her rebuild the life others stole from her. As Ivy rises from the ashes stronger than ever, those who destroyed her discover that some women don't break—they become unstoppable.

I was the secret Hemsworth Deluca never wanted the world to see. To the public, he was Hollywood’s golden boy; to me, he was the husband who hid my plus-sized body in the shadows. While he basked in the limelight. I was his "XXL anchor," the daughter of the man who bought his career—until the night he broke my heart and left me for dead in a rain-slicked wreckage. But I didn't die. I was rebuilt. Quinn Cardiff, the "King of Entertainment" and Hemsworth’s most dangerous rival, pulled me from the flames. He offered me a contract: a fake marriage, a total transformation, and the lead role in the industry’s biggest blockbuster. He turned the "hidden wife" into a goddess, a woman whose every curve now commands the world's attention. Now, I’m back. At the Titan Media Gala, I didn't just walk into the room—I owned it. I watched the scotch slip from Hemsworth’s hand as he realized the woman he discarded is now the Queen he can’t touch. He’s desperate, begging for a second chance, drowning in a regret that tastes like ash. But Quinn isn't the only Alpha who wants to claim me. Anto, the billionaire director with tattoos under his suit and a predatory gaze that promises a different kind of trouble. While Quinn wants to protect me and Hemsworth wants to reclaim me, Anto wants to ruin me in all the right ways. One year. Three powerful men. A world of secrets, betrayal, and a love triangle that’s about to set Hollywood on fire. Hemsworth wants his wife back, but I’m no longer playing a role.

My mom is a retired supermodel. She's added a monitor to the weight scales at home so that she can monitor my and my sister, Abigail Teller's perfect body weight. If my data goes up by 0.1%, Mom will ban me from eating for the next three days. But the thing is, Abigail keeps eating fried chicken every day, yet her monitor's light is always green. Mom claims that Abigail's still going through puberty. I defend myself, saying that I've gained weight because of the bloating caused by my period. As Mom points at the red light emitted by my monitor, she exclaims, "The data is never wrong! If you've gained weight, that means you've been snacking far too much!" After getting punished many times, I begin believing that being fat is a sin. On the night of my 20th birthday, the long-term diet I've been placed on has triggered my kidney failure, which causes me to bloat up everywhere. I kneel on the floor and plead to Mom that I'm seriously ill. But that's when the monitor lets out a shrill alarm. When Mom sees the 5% increase in my body fat data, she puts me through a devillish punishment. I can feel the electric currents jolting through my body. "It's bad enough that you've secretly snacked on cake, but to even lie in my face about your illness? I'd like to see how long you can stay stubborn for!" Having said her piece, Mom locks the door and takes Abigail out to celebrate her birthday. I guess Mom is correct. Monitors never lie. I'm the one who's at the wrong for being a glutton. That's why I've transformed into a monster who doesn't deserve any love at all. I'm sorry, Mom. I'll only drink water in my next life.

Bima is just an introverted, scrawny kid used to living behind a gaming screen and being a constant target for body shaming. But his life takes a drastic turn when he wakes up in a ruined city crawling with zombies. In the midst of the chaos, something even stranger than the apocalypse emerges: the "Single Survival System," which hits him with absurd missions likes maintaining an ideal BMI, getting revenge on his bullies, and landing his first kiss. Every mission isn't just a ridiculous challenge; it’s a matter of life and death. Forced out of his comfort zone, Bima must face his dark past. He crosses paths with Donny, his former bully who is now a zombie, and Kevin, an ex-gym influencer who has transformed into a fanatical cult leader obsessed with the perfect physique and extreme protein intake. Amidst the chaos, Bima meets Lia, a tough convenience store clerk who harbors a deep-seated trauma toward food. Together, they survive nonsensical threats, ranging from zombie food vloggers obsessed with livestreaming death to grotesque mutants lurking underground. But the madness is only the beginning. Bima’s reckless actions catch the attention of a far more dangerous entity: the Master AI Fitness Freak, an artificial intelligence that views humans as inefficient unless they meet extreme nutritional standards. With the help of Riska, an AI with cold, business-like logic that shares a secret connection to Bima’s past, the battle shifts into a clash of ideologies: perfection versus happiness. In a world that worships muscles, protein, and ruthless efficiency, Bima fights back in an unexpected way, using Indomie as a symbol of balance, hope, and humanity.