I said no weigh to wonder drug...
OT leader Noel turned down ‘magic pill’ to shed pounds
Exercise & diet are the most important things
NOEL O’CONNELL
OT LEADER
OPERATION Transformation leader Noel O’connell has told how he refused a weight-loss wonder drug.
Controversial medication Ozempic has split opinion on the RTE show.
The show’s former dietitian Aoife Hearne revealed last week how she left over not being allowed to prescribe it to contestants.
Now Noel said he refused to take “the magic pill” for his Type 2 diabetes.
The businessman from Kilcullen, Co Kildare, was prescribed Ozempic but didn’t go on it – saying he won’t take medication to lose weight when he can do it himself.
Noel – whose dad was a GP – told the Irish Mirror: “When it comes to diabetes, getting your diet and exercise under control is the most important thing. But often, it’s a case of, ‘Here’s the magic pill’.
“We should be giving people the information and education on what to do about lifestyle. It’s vital.
“General practice has become something of a conveyor belt since Covid.
“I was given the option of the Ozempic. I got prescribed that but I said, ‘You know what? No.’ I resisted the urge on that one.
“When I met medical expert Dr Sumi for the first time she asked why I didn’t take it.
“I said, ‘I might be thick but I’m not that thick’. Through changes in lifestyle, I should be able to reverse it.”
Dad-of-four Noel, 56, was told he had Type 2 diabetes last year after being diagnosed with tachycardia, high cholesterol and hypertension.
Risks for the condition include being overweight and inactive while physical activity, healthy eating and losing weight are part of the treatment.
He recalled: “I was over 17 stone and clinically obese.
“I was carrying visceral fat which was putting pressure on my organs. I now understand my lifestyle and eating habits contribute to it.”
Noel feels lucky to have had the advice and guidance from OT’S team of experts, but believes all patients should be given the same knowledge and support.
He said: “When I was diagnosed, I was given tablets, I don’t know what they are, I just take them in the morning and evening.”
“It is very reversible with the right lifestyle changes.
“Maybe I’m wrong but I think I’ll be off the diabetes tablets by the end of the show. I want to get control of it.”
Noel, who owns a bathroom showroom in Kildare, is an avid kayaker – but recent health issues made him realise he needed to make big changes around dietary habits, such as eating too much at night.
Meanwhile, Aoife said she asked to share information about weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic with the leaders but this did not happen, so she left.
She said: “Telling people who meet the clinical criteria for obesity to ‘eat less and move more’ is not just outdated, it’s unethical.
“I don’t understand how there is anyone who can recommend that on its own or without informing people about other supports now, given what we know about obesity as a chronic disease.”
Ozempic is a diabetes drug that causes weight loss and has been hailed as a wonder drug.
It has been used by celebrities such as Sharon Osbourne, Elon Musk and Oprah Winfrey.
Operation Transformation tonight at 9.35pm on RTE One.
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