[mitchdoogle]

It's a chronic disease and there are many chronic diseases that are treated with permanent medication - diabetes, blood pressure, mental illness, HIV, to name a few. You can't will yourself to stop being obese any easier than you can will yourself to stop being depressed. We simply aren't consciously in control of our appetite or metabolism.

And it's worth remembering that obesity contributes to many other diseases and premature deaths. Treating it long term will prevent a lot of human misery and billions in healthcare costs down the road, even with the high price tag that it currently has.