Dr Eddie Murphy
Op Trans: the final analysis
It’s overwhelming restrictions. all over. It’s We with feeling. missed great What the optimism fun a different of the and 5k relief series run that in it Phoenix was we have this Park, year, got to taking all this the point. buzz into account of All the safe, first the is time the pandemic our leaders get to meet the wider public and those cute dogs! And the experts missed the scaled down grand finale in the RTÉ studios, the excitement, all so different with just the family bubbles and Kathryn there, so small and intimate rather than glam and loud! As ever, the weight losses were good to amazing. However it’s the inner transformation that I track and this year, I can thankfully report changed mindsets and enhanced mental well-being all round.
Paul, 41, Tuam, Co Galway
Paul brought us smiles and laughs every week. Karl laid down an early gauntlet and Paul proved him wrong. He talked about his stomach as a ‘pigeen’. The real issue was Paul’s health. As a 40-year-old, he was in a very poor state. He used a sleep apnoea machine due to his neck size and he was pre-diabetic too – he was heading down one road only. A traditional spuds, meat and veg man, he struggled with some of Aoife’s noodles and beans recipes, even calling it scutter! However, the joker in the pack only missed a target once as he tried to integrate the food and fitness plan and ploughed through reducing his neck size, getting great sleep, more energy, reducing his body weight by 10% from the start. His family – Bubbles, Michaela and Katie – were amazing supporters and now he is not pre-diabetic.
Given his wonderful diary keeping, I expect a letter every week! Thanks Paul for your brilliant humour – it was the best tonic.
Andrew, 32, Clondalkin, Dublin
Andrew is a leader who powered through OT. He represented everyone wishing to lose those Covid kilos. Andrew exceeded that and went range from throughout the overweight the programme. to normal He weight is a 2021 leader to remember, having made OT history. He reached his target weight and was given a target of zero weight loss for two consecutive weeks of the eight. But apart from the scales, he embraced the kitchen, having never done much cooking, Aoife didn’t want him to leave the show unable to cook. He also showed us that baton-twirling is pretty amazing. Andrew faced the impact of being bullied during his schooldays and moved from surviving these experiences to thriving. Finally, he found the joy of running and the fabulous feelgood hormones that it releases. Throughout, Andrew was supported by his husband Jay, whose own selfconfidence soared in step with Andrew’s.
Susuana, 48, Cavan Town
Susuana brought African joy and dance into OT. She showed us all that body confidence
is a wonderful thing and for Susuana this transformation was about her health. Food portion sizes and movement were the key lessons for her. In the weigh-ins, my heart was in my mouth every week: was Suasana going to make it or not? It was hit and miss a few times. However, I am going to focus on movement: Susuana’s gait and mobility were so restricted, that she began with just 2,000 steps a day, but now they are up to 10,000 a day. She feared exercise, feared falling and still moved from zero to hero on daily movement. In terms of blood pressure, this silent killer was morbidly high; now it’s moving towards the normal range. Susuana is a 2021 OT hero who will be hard to forget.
Sharon, 44, Drimnagh, Dublin
Sharon is a grafter and her family – parents Frank and Colette and her children, were amazing. I was always struck by Sharon’s honesty and her ability to look at herself and to face those hard bits and confront them to get to a different place. She was a sad mammy who was ashamed she had let herself go like this. Sharon had lost sight of herself. She wanted to reboot her life and I believe she achieved this. This is Sharon’s time and she is moving on from divorce. The accountant, the numbers queen, never missed her targets. She is an inspirational role model for her children: her teenage daughter Paige was inspired to complete the 5k. I admired Sharon’s efforts every week; she is the best of us, raising a family, home schooling, working, and no excuses. Her dream is to walk on a beach in the Canaries and she deserves this dream. Hopefully, we can all get to do that this year!
Hazel, 47, Pallaskenry, Co Limerick
Incredible and inspiring, Hazel stole the viewers’ hearts. When we first met, I was struck by the negative thinking patterns that Hazel had, particularly her self -loathing. She used food to sooth this pain. Yet this was turned around and her self-belief soared. More importantly, there was healing and honouring for all her family, including daughters Niamh and Chloe. As a frontline healthcare worker, we looked at the role that self-care plays and the power of nature in healing. Week on week, despite night duty and shift working, Hazel made her targets. There is a wonderful hub of love in the house with Richard, Tommy and Grace – all proudly wearing Team Hazel t-shirts. You can tell that Hazel touched so many hearts as the messages from supporters came in weekly and inspired Hazel during low times, while her story of healing and health evolved. A moving and uplifting leader.