Operation Transformation Week 2: Yes, they still did the public weigh-in

Okay,  I did watch the still very problematic Operation Transformation last week.

For Week 2, I tuned it for one very important reason:  to see if  the really had changed the format of the show.  If the show wasn’t about weight anymore, then would weekly weigh-ins be scrapped?

No, it was still a feature – and that is only only reason this show remains highly problematic.  It is quite simply a lost opportunity to educate Ireland about obesity as a disease and highlight it as a public health crisis.

Problems from Week 2 Operation Transformation.

1. If you think this show isn’t shaming, did you see the part when one leader cried when she saw her picture online? (Yes, I saw how they made it about her hair.) The website photos on each leader’s page in black lycra emphasizing  – shaming – their body shape – is simply unnecessary and stigmatising.
2. Yes, a weekly weigh-in. There is no valid, medical, or scientific reason for a weigh-in this week. You can review goals and accomplishments without a scale. It needs to be scrapped. I’ve written before on the how difficult it can be to get on the scales for patients, even in the privacy of a clinic.
3. Lost opportunity to emphasize the role of partners and families in the journey.
4. Lost opportunity to talk about the genetics, how obesity and Type 2 diabetes run in families, to talk about science of obesity, to include experts on obesity.
5. Food is to be enjoyed. Forcing leaders to eat food they hate is pointless. They are grown adults.
6. The role of physical activity in weight loss is highly debatable. It is essential for health.  However, the leaders are being encouraged to move to lose weight, which led to one leader doing potentially damaging levels of walking until a qualified coach stepped in.  This is something I have seen too often: patients with joint problems being pressured to walk when it isn’t the right exercise for their joint condition.   10,000 steps isn’t the right approach for everyone.
7. Last year’s leaders are being held up as success stories but I have noticed – have you? – that there is no public weigh in. Why is that?  Statistically, it is unlikely that last year’s leaders have maintained the weight loss [ read the science on that here]  or all the  health improvements without continued professional support.

In the interest of balance, let’s highlight the good.

1. Sumi Dunne taking the fit bit off of one leader. Yes!  (I had, ironically, actually talked about this myself earlier in the day on radio!)  Fit Bits and other wearables can stress many patients out. Stephanie’s words?   “I don’t have a clue about heart rate but I keep checking.”  Dr. Dunne’s expertise is simply just under-used or just lost on the editing room floor.  I can’t tell which.
2. Loved involving a physiotherapist for pre-exercise assessment. This is so important for sendentary patients with health problems, such as back or arthritis.
3. Families who exercised together. There were leaders who exercised with their families and partners – and other leaders whose families watched them exercise.  That is solely the fault of the show’s approach – emphasizing that this has to be an individual journey.    If you are doing positive changes together, it’s better.  Full stop.
4. Bringing up falls and balance as important metric of health. I demonstrated how you test yourself before here
5. Emphasizing the importance of regular meals and meal routines – rather than the tired – and outdated – mantra to just “eat less”

Dr. Kate McCann is a certified lifestyle medicine physician and SCOPE (obesity) certified physician.