Body and Soul
As fi ve more people bare their bodies and open their hearts for Operation Transformation, we ask what has driven them to challenge their physical and emotional limits
We ask the ve OT leaders some leading questions about why they have decided to step into the national limelight and onto the weighing scales for the TV show of their life
Cathal Gallagher START WEIGHT: 26ST 12.5LBS 170.7KG
Cathal ( 48) works as a paramedic with the ambulance service based in Ballyshannon and lives with his wife Agi and their daughter Maja ( 2). Before working with the ambulance service, Cathal worked in a factory. It was here that he was in an accident and had to have the top of his middle finger amputated. Cathal has type- 2 diabetes, has high cholesterol and as a paramedic, he knows all too well the damage his weight is doing to his health. He fears he will die in his sleep but wants to be around to see his daughter grow up.
Why are you doing Operation Transformation?
I didn’t apply. It was my good lady wife Agi who did. I didn’t want to bare my soul and my body to the country. Then one evening, Agi announced that Operation Transformation would be contacting me. I was annoyed initially but the more I thought about it, the more I reckoned that this was something I could do. Four years ago, I did lose 12 stone though diet and exercise, mainly cycling, but I couldn’t keep it off. Now I’m embracing this opportunity to get the expert help that I need. inside me now. I just want to get the weight off and I want to get healthy. I want to be on this earth longer than I would be if I were to stay at this weight. I work as a paramedic so I know the dangers of being diabetic, of having high blood pressure and cholesterol. I know that this requires a lifestyle change that I will have to adhere to for life. I’m not afraid of dying but I don’t want to die just yet because I have this bundle of joy in my life now.
What do you think will be the toughest part for you?
We don’t have structured meal breaks at work and eat when we can on the go. It’s known as ‘dashboard dining’, stopping off at delis and chippies or wherever to grab a bite. Some people’s waistlines can cope with that; mine can’t. So now I’m looking at two months of hard work which will be the kick- start for me and then with the guidance of the experts that will be the foundations for a new life for me.
Paul Murphy START WEIGHT: 20ST 127KG
Paul (41) is the manager and owner of Murphy’s Hotel in Tubbercurry where he lives with his wife Sonya and two children Ava (8) and Ethan (1). The hotel has been in the Murphy family for 40 years. Paul and Sonya have been together for 12 years. Since getting married a year ago and having another child, Paul wants to change his lifestyle and start looking after his health. He is just two years older than his father was when he died so he doesn’t want to leave his wife alone with their two children.
Why are you doing Operation Transformation? When my youngest, Ethan, was born in 2017, I realised that I had to do something about my weight. I applied to Operation Transformation, but told no one. My father died when he was just 39 years old from blood poisoning. I was 12 at the time, so I know the impact on a family when the father dies quite young. I knew I had to change my lifestyle. I have two businesses, a supermarket and a hotel and I work long hours and don’t really look after my health and well-being. I realised that the strain of that would not be good for my longevity.
What is your goal?
I never admitted to myself that I had a weight problem. Now I have. In the past I have dieted, lost weight and put it on again. I need to completely change my whole lifestyle. This has to be for the rest of my life. 20 stone is the heaviest I have ever been. I’d like to lose three stone in the initial stages. That would be my ideal. More importantly, it is about getting healthy and t. I want to run the OT 5K but also on St Patrick’s Day in Tubbercurry we have a 10K road race and nothing would
make me prouder than to run that race.
What do you reckon will be the toughest part for you?
My big problem is to stay away from the junk food: chocolate, zzy drinks, chips and such like. I don’t imagine the exercise will be as tough. Food is the big thing. I have a supermarket and a hotel so there is temptation everywhere. Of course, the sta will be watching me like a hawk from now on and there will be nowhere to hide, so there will be no sneaky eating of chocolate bars!
Pamela Swayne START WEIGHT: 13ST 12.5LBS 88.2KG
Mother of four Pamela (36) lives in Youghal with husband Sean and their children Ally (18), Leigh (10), Lilly (7) and Mickie (4). Pamela found out she was pregnant at the age of 17, just months after she lost her father in February 1999. Pamela has tried all kinds of diets in the past but she’s never managed to keep the weight o . Now she just wants to tackle her weight once and for all. With four years to go to her next big birthday Pamela wants to be 40, t and healthy.
Why are you doing Operation Transformation? My daughter, Lilly, who is making her Communion in May, told me that I looked like the one out of The Greatest Showman who sings This Is Me. I nearly crashed the car when she said that. A week later there was this saying on Facebook that went ‘if you could only see yourself through your kid’s eyes’ and I was like, I have! Around that time I decided what have I got to lose and applied to Operation Transformation.
What is your goal?
I have lost weight in the past. One time, over eight weeks, I lost 28 pounds and that was without doing any exercise. I have no exercise whatsoever in my life at the moment. Now I’d like to lose two stone over the duration of the show and my ultimate weight goal is nine and half stone. I’m only ve foot. In four years time I will be the big 4-0. By then, I will have my belly button pierced, be in a bikini and be on a beach somewhere hot. I haven’t seen my belly button in 17 years or so!
What do you reckon will be the toughest part for you? De nitely the exercise for me will be the toughest. I walk the small fellow to school but that’s only six minutes from my house and it’s downhill. So I know that I will be under savage pressure when it all kicks o . But my family, the whole town and thousands more around the country are behind me and so I want to show them that I can do it. And I started on my birthday, January 6. What better way to start o your 37th birthday? I’m thinking a red bikini for that beach, something like Pamela Anderson on Baywatch.
Siobhán O’Brien START WEIGHT: 17ST 4.5LBS 110KG
Siobhan (30) is a secondary school teacher in Luttrelstown Community College in north Dublin. She grew up in nearby Clonshaugh and is the youngest of three girls in a very close family. Her Mum Rita and Dad Joe have always been very supportive of her and this time is no di erent. In the seven years since nishing college, Siobhan’s weight has uctuated. She wants to be a good in uence on her students’ lives by showing them how to live healthily instead of just telling them. Her ambition is to run the Dublin City Marathon.
Why are you doing Operation Transformation? Firstly, as a secondary school teacher the new Junior Cycle has a big focus on student well-being and looking after your health, both physical and mental. I felt like a bit of a hypocrite because I’m overweight and I’m not the best role model for my students. So I wanted to do something about that. And it’s also for my own health. In the last year or so I’ve felt that my weight has been having a real negative impact on my life and shaken my con dence.
What is your goal?
I used to be really sporty and sport was something I really enjoyed so in many ways that is probably the biggest thing that I have lost. Now I’m hoping over the eight weeks to get back into organised activities and meet people that way and be con dent enough to get involved. Beyond that I want to get back to a weight where I feel healthy. A life-long ambition is to run the Dublin Marathon so I want to get into the run series this year and after the 5K, do a 10K and then a half marathon. Also over the eight weeks, I’d like to lose close to 2 stone but my ultimate weigh loss target is 5 stone. If I can get the running going that will be a huge start.
What do you reckon will be the toughest part for you?
The toughest part will be exposing myself to the nation and speaking openly about my feelings. It was never my ambition to be on telly. I’m a private person and it was so tough at the start where we had to articulate how we feel out loud. And of course the students are so excited about the show and they will watch it and get to hear their teacher’s darkest secrets!
Jean Tierney START WEIGHT: 15ST 1LB 95.7KG
Jean (33) lives in Holycross, Limerick with her ancé Paddy. Last January she gave birth to a little girl, Sloane, who was well for her rst few days, but suddenly developed a serious lung disorder. Despite the best e orts of the medical sta , baby Sloane passed away at ve days old. Jean wants to try to move on now, thankful that she got to hold her little girl for a little while. She wants to lose weight, get t to enjoy her wedding day and hopefully start a family at some stage.
Why are you doing Operation Transformation?
It has been a tough year for me. I lost my daughter last January and I had a miscarriage in September. After losing my daughter, Sloane, I started to eat. I’m an awful emotional eater and ended up putting on two stone in weight. Then following the miscarriage, I realised that something had to change because you can’t outrun a bad diet. I also couldn’t sleep and I kept thinking about Operation Transformation.
Eventually I decided to go for it because I gured it would help me with my emotional eating. Also by talking about my little girl and what happened, it might help someone else.
What is your goal?
I’m planning to get married this year and I have already bought my wedding dress but I need to lose about seven inches o my waist. I’m putting myself under pressure, I know, but I do believe that 2019 will be my year. I would like to be back around 13 stone which is what I used to be. I don’t need to be a size 8. I just need to feel happy and good in my own body again. On those days that I feel sad it’s hard to motivate myself but I want to still get up and get out on those days.
What do you reckon will be the toughest part for you?
Dealing with my emotional eating, especially as my daughter’s rst anniversary is this month. I know that will be tough. After that it will be all about getting back into the good habits, getting out and about and staying on track. I know that there will be days that I will just want to hide under the blankets but I can’t do that. I’m a leader now.