Alan exceeds weight loss target after first week of operation transformation
Rosemount man Alan Mullen is off to a good start on his Operation Transformation journey, as he exceeded his weight loss target in the first week of the new series on RTE One.
However, the panel of experts said they had some concerns that Alan, a self-described 'Mammy's boy', was not taking enough personal control of the changes to his lifestyle.
The episode broadcast yesterday (Wednesday) evening showed the 21-year-old and his parents, Ailish and John, watching his debut appearance on the show the previous week. All three shed tears as they watched the programme.
'Seeing my father cry and my mother cry - that's where it hits in. Now is the time to cop on,' said Alan, who is the biggest-ever leader on Operation Transformation .
Dietician Aoife Hearne visited him and, on the kitchen table, she laid out the amount of take-away food and coca cola cans he consumes in an average week. Later, the family was shown shopping for healthier food at Tesco in Athlone's Golden Island Shopping Centre.
Alan chose Weetabix as his breakfast on day one of his weight loss programme and asked his Mum to 'whip it up' for him - something the experts commented upon later.
When he weighed at the end of the first week he was found to be 26 stone and one pound, a loss of 7 and a half pounds on his previous week's weight. This exceeded his target by half a pound.
'I'm delighted you hit your target,' said dietician Aoife, but she added that were some issues that needed to be addressed to ensure the weight loss was sustained.
'The biggest thing that jumped out at me is that you're not really taking responsibility yourself for the changes. You're 21 years of age, you're a young man, and I saw your mother putting two weetabix into a bowl for you.'
GP Dr. Ciara Kelly told him: 'From what I've seen, you're the centre of your own universe and it hasn't worked out for you. You get to do whatever you want and you're fed and looked after and cared for. But that's treating you like a child, and we then have a grown man acting like a child.... you've got to do this for yourself.'
Alan responded: 'I'm a Mammy's boy through and through, and a Daddy's boy. I get away with murder. But I understand that, yeah, it is time to grab a hold of the reins.'
The next episode of Operation Transformation airs at 8.30pm this evening (Thursday).