It has become a cliché that many dieters struggling to lose weight don’t realize how much they are actually consuming.
Channel 4’s Secret Eaters, which launched in 2012, aimed to highlight how easy it is to eat more calories than you think.
Despite first airing over 10 years ago, it appears to be gaining a cult following, particularly among Gen Z viewers, with social media users revealing how much they enjoy the show.
The show, hosted by presenter Anna Richardson, used hidden cameras in contestants’ homes to record their every surreptitious bite.
A press release promoting the programme said: “Britain has become a nation of binge eaters and overindulgent eaters. Many people don’t even know they’re doing it and are losing the battle against obesity because of it.”
Secret eaters (pictured) would film participants and then show them how much they were actually eating, often surprising them.
She added: ‘These families can’t understand why their diets are out of control – they think they’re eating healthily but can’t stop gaining weight.
“To find out what they really consume, cameras are placed in their shopping carts, cars, refrigerators and cupboards.”
When they were out and about, two private detectives secretly followed them and took photos of them as they secretly ate crisps, cakes, soft drinks and takeaway food.
After five days of monitoring, participants were shown images of each bite and were met with a table covered with all the food they had eaten over the previous few days, often leaving them shocked and sometimes in tears.
Speaking ahead of the programme’s launch, dietician Lynne Garton said: “You can see the look of shock on their faces when they see the food they’ve actually eaten. They have no idea.
‘Snacks can add up to over 500 calories a day, but too often people get distracted by their busy lives and forget about the chocolate bar or cookie they had earlier and it soon adds up.
‘Eliminating those calories can mean a weight loss of half a kilo per week.’
The show aired amid a spate of weight loss shows, many of which shamed their participants.
One of the show’s fans said on X (formerly Twitter) that “everyone” should watch Secret Eaters.
Fans find Secret Eaters less critical of its guests and more helpful in highlighting how easy it is to overeat without realizing it.
Numerous X (formerly Twitter) users have revealed their enjoyment of the retro show in recent weeks, with one writing: “Everyone should watch Secret Eaters on YouTube.”
Another added: “We need to get Secret Eaters back on the air.”
Meanwhile, a third wrote: ‘Please release me from work, I must go home to see the secret eaters.’
Numerous fans have written about the show on X (formerly Twitter) recently, even though it first aired in 2012.
And another admitted that they were “consuming episodes of Secret Eaters like it was crack.”
Meanwhile, a third wrote: “I’m so interested in the secret dining rooms lol.”
And another called for the show to return, writing: “We need Secret Dining Rooms back on the air.”
Other user X He said: ‘If you ever want to see a funny representation of how bad people are at calculating calories, watch “Secret Eaters” – they put cameras in people’s houses and follow them around with private investigators. Some people are off by thousands of calories a day.’