March 7, 2025 • 15 mins
This Interview is from Ocean FM Ireland, on the North West Today programme with Niall Delaney - Tuesday March 4th 2025.
Paddy shares his transformative weight loss journey using GLP-1 treatment and challenges common misconceptions about obesity treatment.
He highlights how understanding obesity as a chronic disease rather than a willpower issue opens new pathways to effective treatment and can help breakdown the stigma we still experience within society.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm wondering if you saw that documentary on RT
television last night called theSkinny Jab Revolution.
It's a two-part documentarywhich looked at the root cause
of obesity and the huge rise inweight loss drugs now available
on the Irish market.
The programme was presented andproduced, indeed, by well-known
presenter, catherine Thomas and, as I say, the first of two
(00:23):
programmes enter CatherineThomas and, as I say, the first
of two programs, and I think itwas prompted in part by
Catherine's weight issues whichshe faced when she was a child.
But, in any case, the programdiscussed weight loss
medications such as Ozempic andWegovi and Monjara and explored
their impact I think they'recalled GLP-1s, as far as I know
(00:43):
and she criticised in theprogramme both the lack of
understanding and regulationsurrounding these weight loss
drugs and revealed how easy itis to access the medications by
providing false information, insome cases through an online
service in Ireland.
Paddy Cunningham is with us instudio from Coleraine County,
sligo, one of her own Ocean FMpresenters, as you know, and,
(01:08):
paddy, you're in this feature,isn't you?
You're in the second part.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I think that's right.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yes, I saw a clip of you last night.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, a few little clips on the ads in last night,
but yeah, so next week peoplewill get a bit of an insight
into my participation in theshow which we filmed.
August of last year was whenthe main part of it was filmed
and yeah, kind of.
You know, catherine found me onTikTok because I'd kind of been
sharing my journey on TikTokabout trying yet again to lose
(01:34):
weight.
You know, people that havemaybe followed me on Facebook or
stuff like that for years willknow that I've been in this kind
of, I guess, eternal space oftrying to lose weight.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, so and you agreed to do it and you were
happy, even though it's a verypersonal thing to do, but you
engaged with Catherine.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, I did.
I mean, initially I was a bitcautious about oh God, now are
they just going to try andsensationalise something or
what's the angle that they'retaking.
But, like again, 14 years ago,I took part in a different TV
show called the Biggest Loserand I guess at that time I kind
of thought I'm fixed now I'velost the weight.
You know and I think that'swhat people that have lived with
(02:12):
obesity would probably thinkyou know at times is that, oh,
if I get to a certain weight,I'm fixed.
Then, and that's what I thought, I said oh God, you know, I'm
14 and a half stone back then.
That sure I'm fixed now.
But what I found very quicklyafter that, and what a lot of
people that have lived theirlife with obesity, is that you
relapse quite quickly and whenyou relapse and start regaining
that weight again, more oftenthan not you'll regain more.
(02:34):
So, like at that instance I hadlost it was six and a half
stone during the biggest loserback in 2011.
But yet, over the years, interms of what I regained, and
like I peaked last year, havingregained over nine stone of what
I'd lost and ended up being 24stone, um, like last may, yeah,
no right, okay, so it was.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
It was at that stage you decided to look into the
possibility of taking the one ofthese weight loss yeah, yeah,
absolutely.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I mean like, look at I after the biggest loser.
I went off and qualified as apersonal trainer, um, and I
worked as a personal one ofthese weight loss medications.
Yeah, absolutely, I mean like,look after the Biggest Loser.
I went off and qualified as apersonal trainer and I worked as
a personal trainer for manyyears and ran classes here in
Sligo and in other places, and Iguess I would have seen myself
as the person that should haveknown then what to do to lose
weight ie, eat less, move more,which was what we hear people
talk about so much, and thatthat's the answer.
But what I now know is that youknow, based on the research
(03:27):
that has been done into obesityand based on the advances that
has been done in understandingobesity and the treatment of it,
both from a World HealthOrganization, from a HSE
perspective here in Ireland aswell, that there's a better
understanding that obesity is achronic disease and it is a
relapsing disease that, for themajority of people, just
lifestyle intervention alone isnot going to be effective for
them, and there's data on this.
(03:48):
This is not just, you know, afat person on a couch that
doesn't want to move saying this.
This is the data is out thereclinically to show that for
people who are living withobesity, just eating less and
moving more for the majority ofpeople will be ineffective.
So I had tried, literally like,not even just since the Biggest
(04:09):
Loser, but I'd say like for thelast.
Well, I'm 43 this year, so I'dsay like for not far off, like
25 years more or whatever,constantly living in a cycle of
diets, of going to slimmingclubs, of trying different
starvation diets, living onshakes and powders.
Every single time I wouldregain that weight.
And then you start feeling badabout yourself because you're
(04:29):
like I've tried this, I had lostweight, I'm now regaining it
again.
You start getting the looksfrom people again, particularly
when I was at my heaviest, andyou notice things Like I was
just saying to Mags before Icame in there, like we went to
Orlando and like you go to atheme park and you go to sit on
one of the rides and and it'sgas.
Like some people say, oh geez,but I wouldn't have thought you
(04:50):
were that big and it's like Iwas.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
I was 24 stone, but so last it was last summer or so
.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, I started yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
And did you know much about these particular no
Medications or I didn't like Ihad kind of thought.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
So what led me down the road to having to look into
this was I have lived a life ofliterally constantly dieting and
I was just becoming exhaustedand I was just constantly
worrying about calories andeverything to do with that.
So I had started looking atokay, based on my BMI at that
stage and BMI is absolutelyflawed in terms of measurement
of weight for people, but it'swhat's used still at the moment
my BMI kind of indicated that iflife didn't change, my life
expectancy was going to be about12 years less just because of
(05:35):
my weight, which meant thatthere was a strong chance that
in my late 60s, like I could die, or in 70, like I didn't want
that.
So I started looking at Ithought bariatric surgery was
going to be the answer, andthat's what I'd started looking
at was I don't seem to be ableto do this.
I'm failing at.
This is what I thought.
So maybe this is the extremethat I need to go to and that
wouldn't be an easy way outeither for anyone is bariatric
(05:57):
surgery.
But whilst I was looking at that, I had seen about Ozempic,
which obviously was getting alot of publicity in Hollywood,
and Glamorize and stuff likethat wrongly.
And it was during that journeythat I started finding out about
the different GLP-1 medicationsthat there were available.
So there was Ozempic, which washighly controversial because a
lot of people were like, oh,that's for diabetics, it's not
for people that are obese.
Like you know, you're taking itfrom the diabetics, which is,
(06:18):
excuse me, which is a horriblenarrative, because you shouldn't
be pitting diseases againsteach other.
And then there was Saxenda,which is a daily injectable
which was not available in theRepublic of Ireland.
It was available in the UK onlyfor a very short number of
months.
But I started looking into thatand I thought, you know, I
think this is the one that Iwould be most interested in
(06:39):
talking to my medical team about.
So I spoke with theendocrinologist and had a chat
about it and they weresupportive of me going on that
because I could access it fromGarrison and kind of bring my
prescription up there.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
So what is Monjara?
How does that work exactly?
So you've been taking it sincelast June.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Yeah, since last June .
Speaker 1 (06:56):
So how does it work?
What's involved?
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yeah.
So the way it works is it kindof helps to when you eat and you
get a feeling off like, say,when you have dinner, you're
probably like, oh, I'm full now,I'm satisfied when I eat.
I would never get that sensation, ever At all At all, niall.
In my entire life I would neverhave that sensation of I'm full
, I'm satisfied from my food now, whereas when I'm on my
(07:20):
medication, it helps to createthat sensation of I'm satisfied,
now I don't feel in any wayhungry and I don't feel that I'm
not full, so it helps createthat feeling of fullness.
So that's one of the mainthings it does is to help you
feel fuller for longer.
It basically slows down what'scalled digestive emptying, so it
basically slows down howquickly the food's going to
leave your body, and it mimicsthis hormone called GLP-1 to
(07:45):
help generate that.
Now, the thing that's reallyimportant, though, is that you
know the medications aren't justI'll just take this injection
and then I don't need to worryabout exercise, or you know, I
can eat whatever I want, so youstill have to eat responsibly
and exercise.
Absolutely, because there can beside effects with the
medication, which sometimes canbe linked to what you're eating.
And, as well as that, if you'regenuinely approaching this from
a health first perspective,which is what you should be,
(08:06):
this is where the movement sucha critical part as well, along
with your nutrition, and that'swhy I'd always encourage
somebody to, you know, maybework with a movement specialist
or a coach, or to maybe, youknow, get an appointment with a
registered dietitian that canhelp you with those aspects of
your journey as well.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Right, okay, so how has it gone since June?
Yeah, so you were as you freelyadmit.
You were 24 stone.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Yeah, so I was just over 24 stone and through, you
know, going to the gym, like youknow, religiously, three to
four times a week, focusing onthe nutrition as well.
I've lost just shy of sevenstone, Seven stone Since last
June yeah, and you would putthat down mainly to.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
I would put that down to Use of this particular
product.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
That's part of it.
Like the way that I kind oftalk about it is that the
medication for me is kind oflike the stabilizers.
That allows me to focus then onthe nutrition, on the movement
and also, though, on thebehavioral change that needs to
happen, because obviously a lotof people that have lived with
obesity will have a complexrelationship with themselves and
with food.
So that's something that needswork as well.
(09:05):
So, like that's something I'vebeen doing as well, working with
coaches to try and understand,you know, my triggers with food,
the reactions to food, to workon those.
So it's, I guess, the movement,the nutrition, and then that
kind of psychological bit aswell.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Right, okay.
So where's the downside?
Is there a downside here at all?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Or are you worried that you might again know more
than the biggest things of allthose years ago?
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Yeah, very fair, so like and I guess this is where
it comes down to probably twothings.
So I've been very fortunatethat I've had minimal side
effects, but that is not thecase for everyone.
There will absolutely be peoplethat will have side effects.
Some of those side effects willbe so extreme that they can't
continue on that treatment.
There'll be other people thatthis treatment will not work for
them as well, and this is whyit's so important that you're
working with your doctor to kindof go through that side of
(09:50):
things.
But then it comes down to OK,well, is this for life or do you
just stop it when you take it?
And this is where there's somedifference of opinions.
But through the doctors thatI've spoken with and the
endocrinologist that I'm kind ofdealing with, it, very much is
seen as a long term treatmentfor me, because it is just that
it is a treatment, not a cure,and like any disease, like if
you stop the treatment of it.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeah, but it's important to stress that you did
this in conjunction withconsultation with your
endocrinologist and your GP aswell.
Yeah, and that will continue tobe the case.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Absolutely yeah.
So like I would have beenworking with the endocrinologist
, the doctor and also adietician as well, and you know,
obviously, as I say, going tothe gym as well is really a
really important kind of part ofthat journey as well, and I
guess one of the things likewhen we're having these
discussions now as well, thatpeople the trolls online or
maybe some of the trolls in techsometimes or stuff like that as
well will be like obesity isnot a disease.
(10:44):
It's just because people are,you know, too hungry and they
can't be bothered to get theirbackside off the couch, and I
think this is where you know.
No-transcript.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
And I know when you say it's not right or proper to
pit one condition againstanother and you would in that
instance say obesity is amedical condition.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
It is Like if you look at, say, the World Health
Organization, the EuropeanMedical Bodies and the HSE, it
absolutely is categorized andreferred to as a chronic disease
.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
The program last night looked at.
It's a two-part program.
There is some controversy, asyou know, about access and how
easy it is to access some ofthese drugs and the regulations
surrounding them.
Are they genuine concerns?
You think that should behighlighted?
Regulations surrounding themAre they genuine concerns?
You think that should behighlighted?
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yeah, I think, like Ireland's at the early stages of
this, I think, if I look atwhat's been happening in the UK,
where these medications havebeen out a bit easier,
absolutely I would have had deepconcerns about how easy it has
been for some people in the UKto get access to these in terms
of you know kind of fraudulentpatient information they've been
putting in, information they'vebeen putting in black market
versions of it.
I think in Ireland we havestarted to see over the last few
(11:59):
months, some changes wherepeople are requiring, like a
phone or a video consultation orstuff like that.
But again, if you have anonline prescribing service that
is just issuing prescriptionswithout doing verification, that
is definitely a deep concern,absolutely, because the wrong
people could be getting these.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
You're baring your soul on national television
after the first time.
You did it before on Britishtelevision.
No problem with that at all.
You don't mind, or do you?
People Give?
A sneak peek.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Yeah, I think the difference is when I did Biggest
Loser, I was so fortunate interms of the support that I got,
particularly here locally, likeat home, and in terms of online
any time.
I've shared my journey and thestruggles and stuff since.
So I kind of see it as a way tohopefully give people an
insight.
Look, don't give up, becausethere is still light at the end
of the tunnel.
(12:45):
If you're somebody that hasbeen there and that you have
lived 20 odd years, whateveramount of time constantly
battling your weight, pleasedon't give up to you know, have
a talk to your healthcare teamand see is there alternatives
available for you.
So that's why, for me, it'simportant that I try to still
share my journey so that I can,I guess, hopefully give a bit of
(13:07):
I don't say inspiration, buthopefully, yeah, you know give a
bit of insight to those peoplethat there is still alternatives
available to you not to give up.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Do you know, are there more and more people?
Well, we do.
We hear it in our programmethere are more and more people
availing of these lost drugs.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Yeah, there are, and I think again, this is because
we know obesity has been adisease that has been on the
rise not just in Ireland butglobally, and I think to have
treatments that are now provento be effective for a large
amount of people that are livingwith obesity, the same way that
we have treatments for, youknow, somebody that is diabetic
or somebody that has otherchronic diseases.
(13:43):
You know, in time, I think it'llbecome more, less of a taboo
and less of a stigma Like, if wethink I don't know how many
years ago, but if we think ofeven some of the mental
hospitals that aren't too farfrom here, many moons ago they
would have been drilling holesinto the head of people to try
and fix them and doing thesetypes of things.
And I think at the moment whenwe talk about obesity, there is
still a lot of stigma off thateat less, move more, you're lazy
or stuff like that.
(14:04):
But that narrative is graduallyshifting and by me sharing my
journey online and other people,like the shows last night and
even conversations like thiswhen we're having today,
hopefully it can help, even ifit just sparks a small number of
people's mind.
Do you know what I have beentelling people just eat less,
move more.
I haven't been thinking fairlyabout that.
Maybe I'll just find out a bitmore.
It can just help people feelless bad about themselves, their
(14:24):
body, the kind of life they'vebeen having, and to maybe just
seek out some help and treatment.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Paddy, good luck with that.
Thanks for coming and you're inpart two.
Part two, which is next toMonday in RTE, and I think some
of the filming is in your homein North Leitrim, isn't that
right?
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Yeah, so we filmed in , actually, the radio station
here.
There's a wee snippet off it.
I know you're raging, youmissed Catherine's act there.
We filmed in Rom.
Thanks a million to them herein town as well, and out in
Drumheir, and also me going overthe border, because at that
stage Mun over the border,because at that stage Munjarra
wasn't available in the Republic.
That's a whole other thing.
The cost of the medicationsouth of the border versus the
(14:59):
north now it's available it'scrazy.
The price difference down southit's like the dose I'm on now
we think is going to be wellover 500 euro, whereas up the
north it's about 180 pound andlike that inequality.
Yeah, that we did a good bit offilming and yeah, I'm hoping
(15:20):
that when people see it they'llsee that it is a support, it is
not in place of movement andnutrition and that those are
critical parts of this journeyas well.
I'm wondering if you saw that documentary on RT
television last night called theSkinny Jab Revolution.
It's a two-part documentarywhich looked at the root cause
of obesity and the huge rise inweight loss drugs now available
on the Irish market.
The programme was presented andproduced, indeed, by well-known
presenter, catherine Thomas and, as I say, the first of two
(00:23):
programmes enter CatherineThomas and, as I say, the first
of two programs, and I think itwas prompted in part by
Catherine's weight issues whichshe faced when she was a child.
But, in any case, the programdiscussed weight loss
medications such as Ozempic andWegovi and Monjara and explored
their impact I think they'recalled GLP-1s, as far as I know
(00:43):
and she criticised in theprogramme both the lack of
understanding and regulationsurrounding these weight loss
drugs and revealed how easy itis to access the medications by
providing false information, insome cases through an online
service in Ireland.
Paddy Cunningham is with us instudio from Coleraine County,
sligo, one of her own Ocean FMpresenters, as you know, and,
(01:08):
paddy, you're in this feature,isn't you?
You're in the second part.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I think that's right.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yes, I saw a clip of you last night.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, a few little clips on the ads in last night,
but yeah, so next week peoplewill get a bit of an insight
into my participation in theshow which we filmed.
August of last year was whenthe main part of it was filmed
and yeah, kind of.
You know, catherine found me onTikTok because I'd kind of been
sharing my journey on TikTokabout trying yet again to lose
(01:34):
weight.
You know, people that havemaybe followed me on Facebook or
stuff like that for years willknow that I've been in this kind
of, I guess, eternal space oftrying to lose weight.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, so and you agreed to do it and you were
happy, even though it's a verypersonal thing to do, but you
engaged with Catherine.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, I did.
I mean, initially I was a bitcautious about oh God, now are
they just going to try andsensationalise something or
what's the angle that they'retaking.
But, like again, 14 years ago,I took part in a different TV
show called the Biggest Loserand I guess at that time I kind
of thought I'm fixed now I'velost the weight.
You know and I think that'swhat people that have lived with
(02:12):
obesity would probably thinkyou know at times is that, oh,
if I get to a certain weight,I'm fixed.
Then, and that's what I thought, I said oh God, you know, I'm
14 and a half stone back then.
That sure I'm fixed now.
But what I found very quicklyafter that, and what a lot of
people that have lived theirlife with obesity, is that you
relapse quite quickly and whenyou relapse and start regaining
that weight again, more oftenthan not you'll regain more.
(02:34):
So, like at that instance I hadlost it was six and a half
stone during the biggest loserback in 2011.
But yet, over the years, interms of what I regained, and
like I peaked last year, havingregained over nine stone of what
I'd lost and ended up being 24stone, um, like last may, yeah,
no right, okay, so it was.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
It was at that stage you decided to look into the
possibility of taking the one ofthese weight loss yeah, yeah,
absolutely.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I mean like, look at I after the biggest loser.
I went off and qualified as apersonal trainer, um, and I
worked as a personal one ofthese weight loss medications.
Yeah, absolutely, I mean like,look after the Biggest Loser.
I went off and qualified as apersonal trainer and I worked as
a personal trainer for manyyears and ran classes here in
Sligo and in other places, and Iguess I would have seen myself
as the person that should haveknown then what to do to lose
weight ie, eat less, move more,which was what we hear people
talk about so much, and thatthat's the answer.
But what I now know is that youknow, based on the research
(03:27):
that has been done into obesityand based on the advances that
has been done in understandingobesity and the treatment of it,
both from a World HealthOrganization, from a HSE
perspective here in Ireland aswell, that there's a better
understanding that obesity is achronic disease and it is a
relapsing disease that, for themajority of people, just
lifestyle intervention alone isnot going to be effective for
them, and there's data on this.
(03:48):
This is not just, you know, afat person on a couch that
doesn't want to move saying this.
This is the data is out thereclinically to show that for
people who are living withobesity, just eating less and
moving more for the majority ofpeople will be ineffective.
So I had tried, literally like,not even just since the Biggest
(04:09):
Loser, but I'd say like for thelast.
Well, I'm 43 this year, so I'dsay like for not far off, like
25 years more or whatever,constantly living in a cycle of
diets, of going to slimmingclubs, of trying different
starvation diets, living onshakes and powders.
Every single time I wouldregain that weight.
And then you start feeling badabout yourself because you're
(04:29):
like I've tried this, I had lostweight, I'm now regaining it
again.
You start getting the looksfrom people again, particularly
when I was at my heaviest, andyou notice things Like I was
just saying to Mags before Icame in there, like we went to
Orlando and like you go to atheme park and you go to sit on
one of the rides and and it'sgas.
Like some people say, oh geez,but I wouldn't have thought you
(04:50):
were that big and it's like Iwas.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
I was 24 stone, but so last it was last summer or so
.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, I started yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
And did you know much about these particular no
Medications or I didn't like Ihad kind of thought.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
So what led me down the road to having to look into
this was I have lived a life ofliterally constantly dieting and
I was just becoming exhaustedand I was just constantly
worrying about calories andeverything to do with that.
So I had started looking atokay, based on my BMI at that
stage and BMI is absolutelyflawed in terms of measurement
of weight for people, but it'swhat's used still at the moment
my BMI kind of indicated that iflife didn't change, my life
expectancy was going to be about12 years less just because of
(05:35):
my weight, which meant thatthere was a strong chance that
in my late 60s, like I could die, or in 70, like I didn't want
that.
So I started looking at Ithought bariatric surgery was
going to be the answer, andthat's what I'd started looking
at was I don't seem to be ableto do this.
I'm failing at.
This is what I thought.
So maybe this is the extremethat I need to go to and that
wouldn't be an easy way outeither for anyone is bariatric
(05:57):
surgery.
But whilst I was looking at that, I had seen about Ozempic,
which obviously was getting alot of publicity in Hollywood,
and Glamorize and stuff likethat wrongly.
And it was during that journeythat I started finding out about
the different GLP-1 medicationsthat there were available.
So there was Ozempic, which washighly controversial because a
lot of people were like, oh,that's for diabetics, it's not
for people that are obese.
Like you know, you're taking itfrom the diabetics, which is,
(06:18):
excuse me, which is a horriblenarrative, because you shouldn't
be pitting diseases againsteach other.
And then there was Saxenda,which is a daily injectable
which was not available in theRepublic of Ireland.
It was available in the UK onlyfor a very short number of
months.
But I started looking into thatand I thought, you know, I
think this is the one that Iwould be most interested in
(06:39):
talking to my medical team about.
So I spoke with theendocrinologist and had a chat
about it and they weresupportive of me going on that
because I could access it fromGarrison and kind of bring my
prescription up there.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
So what is Monjara?
How does that work exactly?
So you've been taking it sincelast June.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Yeah, since last June .
Speaker 1 (06:56):
So how does it work?
What's involved?
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yeah.
So the way it works is it kindof helps to when you eat and you
get a feeling off like, say,when you have dinner, you're
probably like, oh, I'm full now,I'm satisfied when I eat.
I would never get that sensation, ever At all At all, niall.
In my entire life I would neverhave that sensation of I'm full
, I'm satisfied from my food now, whereas when I'm on my
(07:20):
medication, it helps to createthat sensation of I'm satisfied,
now I don't feel in any wayhungry and I don't feel that I'm
not full, so it helps createthat feeling of fullness.
So that's one of the mainthings it does is to help you
feel fuller for longer.
It basically slows down what'scalled digestive emptying, so it
basically slows down howquickly the food's going to
leave your body, and it mimicsthis hormone called GLP-1 to
(07:45):
help generate that.
Now, the thing that's reallyimportant, though, is that you
know the medications aren't justI'll just take this injection
and then I don't need to worryabout exercise, or you know, I
can eat whatever I want, so youstill have to eat responsibly
and exercise.
Absolutely, because there can beside effects with the
medication, which sometimes canbe linked to what you're eating.
And, as well as that, if you'regenuinely approaching this from
a health first perspective,which is what you should be,
(08:06):
this is where the movement sucha critical part as well, along
with your nutrition, and that'swhy I'd always encourage
somebody to, you know, maybework with a movement specialist
or a coach, or to maybe, youknow, get an appointment with a
registered dietitian that canhelp you with those aspects of
your journey as well.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Right, okay, so how has it gone since June?
Yeah, so you were as you freelyadmit.
You were 24 stone.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Yeah, so I was just over 24 stone and through, you
know, going to the gym, like youknow, religiously, three to
four times a week, focusing onthe nutrition as well.
I've lost just shy of sevenstone, Seven stone Since last
June yeah, and you would putthat down mainly to.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
I would put that down to Use of this particular
product.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
That's part of it.
Like the way that I kind oftalk about it is that the
medication for me is kind oflike the stabilizers.
That allows me to focus then onthe nutrition, on the movement
and also, though, on thebehavioral change that needs to
happen, because obviously a lotof people that have lived with
obesity will have a complexrelationship with themselves and
with food.
So that's something that needswork as well.
(09:05):
So, like that's something I'vebeen doing as well, working with
coaches to try and understand,you know, my triggers with food,
the reactions to food, to workon those.
So it's, I guess, the movement,the nutrition, and then that
kind of psychological bit aswell.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Right, okay.
So where's the downside?
Is there a downside here at all?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Or are you worried that you might again know more
than the biggest things of allthose years ago?
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Yeah, very fair, so like and I guess this is where
it comes down to probably twothings.
So I've been very fortunatethat I've had minimal side
effects, but that is not thecase for everyone.
There will absolutely be peoplethat will have side effects.
Some of those side effects willbe so extreme that they can't
continue on that treatment.
There'll be other people thatthis treatment will not work for
them as well, and this is whyit's so important that you're
working with your doctor to kindof go through that side of
(09:50):
things.
But then it comes down to OK,well, is this for life or do you
just stop it when you take it?
And this is where there's somedifference of opinions.
But through the doctors thatI've spoken with and the
endocrinologist that I'm kind ofdealing with, it, very much is
seen as a long term treatmentfor me, because it is just that
it is a treatment, not a cure,and like any disease, like if
you stop the treatment of it.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeah, but it's important to stress that you did
this in conjunction withconsultation with your
endocrinologist and your GP aswell.
Yeah, and that will continue tobe the case.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Absolutely yeah.
So like I would have beenworking with the endocrinologist
, the doctor and also adietician as well, and you know,
obviously, as I say, going tothe gym as well is really a
really important kind of part ofthat journey as well, and I
guess one of the things likewhen we're having these
discussions now as well, thatpeople the trolls online or
maybe some of the trolls in techsometimes or stuff like that as
well will be like obesity isnot a disease.
(10:44):
It's just because people are,you know, too hungry and they
can't be bothered to get theirbackside off the couch, and I
think this is where you know.
No-transcript.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
And I know when you say it's not right or proper to
pit one condition againstanother and you would in that
instance say obesity is amedical condition.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
It is Like if you look at, say, the World Health
Organization, the EuropeanMedical Bodies and the HSE, it
absolutely is categorized andreferred to as a chronic disease
.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
The program last night looked at.
It's a two-part program.
There is some controversy, asyou know, about access and how
easy it is to access some ofthese drugs and the regulations
surrounding them.
Are they genuine concerns?
You think that should behighlighted?
Regulations surrounding themAre they genuine concerns?
You think that should behighlighted?
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yeah, I think, like Ireland's at the early stages of
this, I think, if I look atwhat's been happening in the UK,
where these medications havebeen out a bit easier,
absolutely I would have had deepconcerns about how easy it has
been for some people in the UKto get access to these in terms
of you know kind of fraudulentpatient information they've been
putting in, information they'vebeen putting in black market
versions of it.
I think in Ireland we havestarted to see over the last few
(11:59):
months, some changes wherepeople are requiring, like a
phone or a video consultation orstuff like that.
But again, if you have anonline prescribing service that
is just issuing prescriptionswithout doing verification, that
is definitely a deep concern,absolutely, because the wrong
people could be getting these.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
You're baring your soul on national television
after the first time.
You did it before on Britishtelevision.
No problem with that at all.
You don't mind, or do you?
People Give?
A sneak peek.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Yeah, I think the difference is when I did Biggest
Loser, I was so fortunate interms of the support that I got,
particularly here locally, likeat home, and in terms of online
any time.
I've shared my journey and thestruggles and stuff since.
So I kind of see it as a way tohopefully give people an
insight.
Look, don't give up, becausethere is still light at the end
of the tunnel.
(12:45):
If you're somebody that hasbeen there and that you have
lived 20 odd years, whateveramount of time constantly
battling your weight, pleasedon't give up to you know, have
a talk to your healthcare teamand see is there alternatives
available for you.
So that's why, for me, it'simportant that I try to still
share my journey so that I can,I guess, hopefully give a bit of
(13:07):
I don't say inspiration, buthopefully, yeah, you know give a
bit of insight to those peoplethat there is still alternatives
available to you not to give up.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Do you know, are there more and more people?
Well, we do.
We hear it in our programmethere are more and more people
availing of these lost drugs.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Yeah, there are, and I think again, this is because
we know obesity has been adisease that has been on the
rise not just in Ireland butglobally, and I think to have
treatments that are now provento be effective for a large
amount of people that are livingwith obesity, the same way that
we have treatments for, youknow, somebody that is diabetic
or somebody that has otherchronic diseases.
(13:43):
You know, in time, I think it'llbecome more, less of a taboo
and less of a stigma Like, if wethink I don't know how many
years ago, but if we think ofeven some of the mental
hospitals that aren't too farfrom here, many moons ago they
would have been drilling holesinto the head of people to try
and fix them and doing thesetypes of things.
And I think at the moment whenwe talk about obesity, there is
still a lot of stigma off thateat less, move more, you're lazy
or stuff like that.
(14:04):
But that narrative is graduallyshifting and by me sharing my
journey online and other people,like the shows last night and
even conversations like thiswhen we're having today,
hopefully it can help, even ifit just sparks a small number of
people's mind.
Do you know what I have beentelling people just eat less,
move more.
I haven't been thinking fairlyabout that.
Maybe I'll just find out a bitmore.
It can just help people feelless bad about themselves, their
(14:24):
body, the kind of life they'vebeen having, and to maybe just
seek out some help and treatment.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Paddy, good luck with that.
Thanks for coming and you're inpart two.
Part two, which is next toMonday in RTE, and I think some
of the filming is in your homein North Leitrim, isn't that
right?
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Yeah, so we filmed in , actually, the radio station
here.
There's a wee snippet off it.
I know you're raging, youmissed Catherine's act there.
We filmed in Rom.
Thanks a million to them herein town as well, and out in
Drumheir, and also me going overthe border, because at that
stage Mun over the border,because at that stage Munjarra
wasn't available in the Republic.
That's a whole other thing.
The cost of the medicationsouth of the border versus the
(14:59):
north now it's available it'scrazy.
The price difference down southit's like the dose I'm on now
we think is going to be wellover 500 euro, whereas up the
north it's about 180 pound andlike that inequality.
Yeah, that we did a good bit offilming and yeah, I'm hoping
(15:20):
that when people see it they'llsee that it is a support, it is
not in place of movement andnutrition and that those are
critical parts of this journeyas well.
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