Operation transformation plans to shed a million pounds from the nation’s waistline
The Million Pound Challenge by RTÉ’s Operation Transformation has been inspired by Oklahoma Mayor Mick Cornett, who announced in 2007 that the city was going on a diet.
He was shocked when a fitness magazine ranked his city as one of America’s most obese places to live.
Admitting that he was obese himself, he challenged the citizens of Oklahoma to join him on a weight loss programme to collectively lose one million pounds.
Mayor Cornett lost three stone and the city joined him with more than 50,000 citizens registering to track their weight.
Local restaurants and gyms were encouraged to support the campaign through healthy menu choices and discounts.
Five years later, the city hit its million pound weight loss goal and landed a spot on America’s Top 10 fittest cities.
Supported by Healthy Ireland, the Operation Transformation Million Pound Challenge begins on Wednesday, January 6 next.
Registration will open during the first episode of Operation Transformation at 8.30pm on RTÉ One.
The minister said Operation Transformation was aiming high but if everyone could pull together as a nation he believed it could be done.
“Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising and It would be fantastic to mark that by making Ireland healthier than every before,” he said.
“There are still too many people who smoke; most adults drink a little bit too much and most of us are not as active as we ought to be in our daily lives,” he said.
The minister said he would be watching his weight in January.
“I run anyway but I think I will cut back on the alcohol in January, if not cut it out altogether for the month,” he said.
“I try and make sure I exercise two or three times a week. There is an election coming so it will be an opportunity to get some miles up.”
