Experts calling for Operation Transformation to be taken off the air

kaymin

'It is now agreed that body weight is largely outside individual control and is certainly not attributed to “greediness, laziness and lack of willpower.'

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/operation-transformation-is-adding-to-weight-stigma-and-dehumanising-experts-warn-in-open-letter-to-rte-chief-kevin-bakhurst/a573912379.html

Irish medical professionals seem to fall over themselves to absolve people of all responsibility for their obesity. HSE takes a similar position and goes as far as making no reference to food intake or lack of exercise as a cause of obesity (granted they skirt around these causes by referring instead to appetite and 'where you play').

Per HSE:

'There is no single cause of obesity. But there are many factors that can influence obesity.

These factors include:

• your genetics
• stress
• your appetite and your appetite hormones (the hormones that control your hunger)
• where you live, work and play, and how they affect your eating and activity
• your sleep habits
• some medicines
• other medical reasons
• certain times in your life'

https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/obesity/causes/

Surely absolving people of all personal responsibility will just fuel our obesity crisis and increase our reliance of obesity fighting drugs - it is at odds with medical authorities around the world who certainly don't take the view that 'body weight is largely outside individual control':

NHS:

'If you consume high amounts of energy, particularly found in high fat and high sugar foods, and do not use all of the energy through physical activity, much of the extra energy will be stored in the body as fat.'

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/causes/

Mayo Clinic:

'A healthier diet, increased physical activity and behavior changes can help you lose weight. Prescription medicines and weight-loss procedures are other options for treating obesity.'

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/symptoms-causes/syc-20375742

Cleveland Clinic:

'On the most basic level, obesity is caused by consuming more calories than your body can use.'

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11209-weight-control-and-obesity

WebMD

'Among the things that contribute to obesity are what and how much we eat, and how much we move.'

https://www.webmd.com/obesity/causes-of-obesity

drury..

People love the idea of losing weight but don't like doing it

Stupid talking about taking the show off air , there's a market for it

jackboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058352037/experts-calling-for-operation-transformation-to-be-taken-off-the-air

There is a massive push now from the pharmaceutical industry to promote and normalise their products as a primary treatment for obesity. Expect much more of this and more rubbishing of the importance of lifestyle changes.

SuperBowserWorld

It is not fair of someone who can control their weight through simple regular exercise and a simple healthy diet does not do this, and instead puts the costs on the quality of their life, their family, society and the taxpayer.

Now, there can be many reasons why someone can't do this as you outlined. But for others, simple changes can make a huge difference.

Operation Transformation like programmes and content can help but they trigger an obsession with body image in society . I don't think RTE do this intentionally or try to profit from it. They do it from best intentions point of view.

But if you look at social media in general, there is an avalanche of diet/weight/body related issues and this stuff causes huge mental health eating disorder, body dismorohia issues. And disgustingly there are bad actors profitting from this.

kaymin

Then you have the Irish obesity tsar, Donal O'Shea, saying 'Eat less, move more is not the treatment of obesity – get over it'. It's hardly a surprise we have an obesity crisis when this is the view of those at the top.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/doctors-warned-to-stop-telling-obese-patients-eat-less-move-more-is-their-treatment/a1838111061.html

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122149356#Comment_122149356

"Weight gain is 90pc irreversible for 90pc of people"

Could be influenced by one of the companies developing drugs

nigeldaniel

When I first saw op transformation my reaction was it tended to patronise people. Standing near nude on a scale and hold your breath for 30 seconds while you find out if you lost or gained in the previous week. It could be done far more kindly if some one gave it proper thought.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122149356#Comment_122149356

I'm always baffled when I hear him on the radio.

As a medical expert, you'd think that he would acknowledge that people sitting in front of tv, taking no exercise and having too many takeaways, is the major cause of obesity in Ireland.

But he never mentions people eating too much. Is this a new tact the authorities are taking? Afraid to blame the victim? Or call them out?

He keeps calling it a disease. And keeps saying its not the overweight person's fault.

kaymin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122149556#Comment_122149556

Agreed, I think they've stopped doing that over the last couple of years. The one thing Op Transformation tries to do is to get participants to permanently change their lifestyle. And it works in that they lose weight over the course of the programme. If anything it proves Mr O'Shea wrong in that exercising more and eating less does help fight obesity - it's a new lifestyle that has to be maintained though.

purifol0

In a country where GP's are legally allowed to be bribed by big pharma, taking what they say at face value is not smart.

Neither is watching O.T.

Hell even my mum who is their target demograpghic found it unwatchable due to the saccharine bullshit backstory attached to "contestants".

Happy to say that my mum also was done with being overweight and losing mobility so she joined a gym and now goes three times a week & walks in the park on the other days. Lost a noticable amount in under a year and is able to go on hill walks with her grandkids. All this due to willpower. No ozempic prescription needed, thanks Doc.

Oh and OT can go **** itself trying to make out that the excercise needed is running in the pissing rain on the side of a busy road in the dark. They dishonestly take the joy out of a good workout.

NIMAN

The experts view seems to be 'give all the overweight people Ozempic and it'll save us a fortune in 40 years time'.

The manufacturers are going to get VERY rich out of the over eaters.

The Black Oil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122149356#Comment_122149356

Despite scientific evidence to the contrary, the prevailing view in society is that obesity is a choice that can be reversed by voluntary decisions to eat less and exercise more. These assumptions mislead public health policies, confuse messages in popular media, undermine access to evidence-based treatments, and compromise advances in research  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0803-x

But you don't want to hear the science, do you?

Deeper Blue

It's now been cancelled according to Rte themselves.

I used to watch it and enjoyed it but it became more and more about sob stories as it went on. Probably the right decision

purifol0

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150287#Comment_122150287

Ah yes the $cience.

Witcher

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122149356#Comment_122149356

Would he know more than you on this topic I wonder?

Sonic the Shaghog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150307#Comment_122150307

I'd say it's more their desperately trying to cut anything they can to cut costs. Their dying to get rid of dancing with the stars too but the viewership remains high so it's got another season. God knows what the "experts" and KT cost them on OT

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150363#Comment_122150363

do you think eating less and moving more would not be beneficial for an obese person? Im sure there are people who legitimately have underlying health problems that make them prone to obesity, the same way im sure that people eating 2,000 empty calories for lunch dont and just need a lifestyle change.

HBC08

Never had any time for OT,just not for me.

I did watch it a few times and I felt its no harm educating people about weight loss exercise,lifestyle,calories, etc.

Of course there are exceptions but for the vast majority maintaining a calorie deficit (however you want to do that) will result in weight loss.Its does take a bit of discipline and control but hey,that's life.

Kathyrn Thomas will probably be cancelled in a few years over hosting this show.

JayRoc

I spent years telling people (in a professional capacity, I was working as a coach in personal training/weight loss clinic) that if you consume more calories than you expend, you gain weight. And if you expend more calories than you consume, you lose weight.

No one wants to believe it's that simple (because, apart from anything else, there is a multi-billion euro international industry telling you it isn't). Simple doesn't always equal easy, too, to be fair.

Exercise is vital for overall health, longevity and quality of life, but (even though few people who make money from the personal training industry will admit it) if you're eating calorie-dense crap all day exercise will make very little/no difference in weight loss terms.

Want to lose weight? Find out how much energy is in the food you eat. It has never been easier. Then simply make choices that mean you consume less energy than you expend.

That's it.

Jinglejangle69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150433#Comment_122150433

Em you’re hardly some genius for telling us what 99% of people already know.

JayRoc

Meow!

If everyone knows it (and they should, I agree) then what is being discussed on this very thread?

rowantree18

I'm always baffled by O'Shea too. I spent 20 years in Medical Genetics and the number of people presenting with truly genetic causes for their obesity was miniscule. (There are, certainly, multifactorial causes of obesity where a person's genetic makeup contributes to the propensity to obesity).

If you look at "Reelin' in the years", Irish people were way slimmer. It seems reasonable to say that cheap, fatty, sugary, processed foods which are literally everywhere and less movement has made people heavier.

I actually liked operation transformation when Eva was the doctor. We need straight talking Finns and fewer american style touchy feely crap. Tell it like it is. In one EU country I lived in, if your kid was too fat at school, they were sent to a special school during the summer to learn about healthy food/cooking/exercise and basically made lose weight. We'd have a national outcry here if that happened, and yet if parents won't take responsibility who will???

kaymin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150363#Comment_122150363

You would think so but then does he know more than the NHS, WebMD, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic etc etc, combined?

Murt2024

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058352037/experts-calling-for-operation-transformation-to-be-taken-off-the-air

Lets promote been a fast lazy slob eating crap food. I've never seen someone become obese on a proper diet and regular exercise.

The Black Oil

Laughable to suggest WebMD is a 'medical authority' as you did in your OP. Next well be hearing James Patterson should get the Nobel prize for literature.

Galwayguy35

Looks like OT was eating into the RTE budget.

It started out good but all the hard luck stories and telling them they were great because they lot 2 lbs was annoying to have to listen to every week.

It sould have been like The Biggest Loser Australia where they were pushed until they nearly passed out.

The fat would fall off them after a few weeks of that.

kaymin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122151150#Comment_122151150

It's accredited by URAC.

Nermal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150287#Comment_122150287

It's simply a statement of fact that obesity is a choice, how on earth could it be otherwise?

The evidence may show that the population largely lack the willpower to choose otherwise, and if we want we may accept this as a fait accompli and develop policies with this in mind.

But there's nothing scientific about pretending that the choice never existed.

Jizique

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122149301#Comment_122149301

Bad actors profiting? Ever heard about the pharma industry? Remember covid? Novo and Lilly the new poster boys

Jizique

There is alot to be said for returning Miss World and Miss Universe contests to the screen - kids need role models that they can aspire to, and there is nothing wrong with people admiring beautiful women. Kids spend all their time on social media anyway looking at pics and videos of their fave stars so just put it back on telly for all of us to enjoy

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150415#Comment_122150415

So a silver lining then with that last sentence