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RTÉ’s Celebrity Operation Transformation returns for its second episode tonight. Each week, one of the participants will write a diary piece for TheJournal.ie about their experiences trying to lose weight. This morning it’s the turn of RTÉ radio broadcaster Brenda Donohue:
FOR THE LAST 25 years, I’ve been working as a reporter and presenter on RTÉ 2fm and now RTÉ Radio 1.
Like most working parents, my week is incredibly busy between looking after three children, working full-time and commuting from Kildare to Dublin. I spend a lot of time in the car and eating on the go.
Over the years I’ve experienced weight-loss and weight-gain so when the opportunity to take part in Operation Transformation came along I thought it was my chance to put myself first and make some healthy changes.
Making better choices on-the-go
By far the most challenging part of the OT plan so far has been the amount of cooking involved. When it comes to recipes, four steps is my limit. Once it gets more complicated, I’m totally lost.
This week dietician Aoife Hearne called to the house to give me a masterclass in cooking. I’m not Gordon Ramsey yet, but I have a few new tricks.
When I’m travelling all over the country for The Marty Squad and CountryWide, it isn’t always possible for me to have lunch pre-prepared. I needed advice from Aoife about making better choices at the service station deli counter.
I thought wraps were a lighter choice, and I was shocked to learn about all the sugar in them. It’s brown bread for me when on the road in future.
[image alt="Celebrity Operation Transformation leaders with Kathryn Thomas," src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2016/09/celebrity-operation-transformation-leaders-with-kathryn-thomas-3-296x197.jpg" width="296" height="197" title="" class="alignnone" /end]
Support
In last week’s episode, we saw how much support I’ve got from the local community in Johnstown and Kill. I’ve been out walking with huge groups a few nights a week. I can’t go anywhere without people stopping to ask me about the OT plan and how I’m getting on.
The support is really great and, to be honest, I just love the social aspect of group walks. The park run on Saturday in Naas with Dr Eddie Murphy was a real howl. Thanks to all the people who took part in the 5km with us.
We will announce at the end of tonight’s episode which People’s Challenge all five leaders will do for the final episode next week. These are special events held by groups, workplaces and communities to promote fitness. I can’t wait to get together with Katherine, Gerald, Elaine and Karl and to do something fun.
When it comes to our weekly weigh-in, all five of us are really nervous. I was already a fan of the regular series of Operation Transformation, but now I have even more respect for the leaders from all the previous series. It takes real guts to get on scales in front of the nation.
I just hope I can inspire more women to make a change.
Brenda Donohue – vital stats
Celebrity Operation Transformation is on tonight at 9.35pm on RTÉ One. Follow Brenda’s food and exercise plan on the Operation Transformation website.
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We can’t talk about Palestine, but we can talk about the rain.
@Dan Breen: It’s raining bombs in Palestine
@Dan Breen: meant to be free speech in this country, but they don’t want us to speak up for Palestine
@Dan Breen: would telling strangers you opinion be something important to you?
@Murro: ah yeah…hamas. The great freedom fighters. Just like the IRA. They blew up innocent women and children too.
@Alison Hughes: that’s how they get their dopamine
@Alison Hughes: but hamas isn’t Palestine just like IRA isn’t Ireland
@Joe Doe: never said they were! They are, however, the ones firing rockets from hospitals, from behind ambulances and taking civilian hostages….you know, the stuff real hero’s do!
@Alison Hughes: No comparison with the 2 groups,as per usual ridiculous statement to wind people up,do you ever get out ?
@Alison Hughes: which the Israelis have been doing for years. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
@Alison Hughes: That does not justify what Israel is doing to the people of Gaza. It’s monstrous, and if you can’t see that you are wilfully blind.
@Murro: there’s a big difference between free speech and the verbal diarrhoea the usual suspects spout in the comment section. Ruins it for everyone.
@Dan Breen: why can’t we talk about the two women attacked by XLBULLY in Waterford.
@Dan Breen: The article ‘Humanitarian crisis deepens etc” in the last paragraph quotes the UN as saying that more than 100 Palestinians have been killed since 7 Oct. This is extremely disingenuous.
Why is the journal publishing that obvious falsehood? (I note that it does quote the health ministry in Gaza, “7,703 people, more than 3,000 of them children”, which is much more plausible.
Many thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing bombings, far more than died in the 7 Oct attacks.
Israel is behaving like a terrorist state, in response to the original Hamas attacks, (which were also very wrong).
@Dan Breen: Genocide needs to be manufactured in the the media and made acceptable in people minds before it’s manufactured in reality – we had punch magazine in the 1840′s we have western media today. Portray Palestinians as animals, inflame people with propaganda against them, shut down dissent, target journalists, create mass confusion and then release the hounds. The hounds are officially released now, this not a war on Hamas – it’s a good old fashioned settler colonial genocide. We need to accurately identify, then break the ‘propaganda machine’ to stop these wars
@Alison Hughes: time to call a halt to brutality in the holy land
@Dan Breen: we are a little wet rock on the edge of Europe, we have no say, the sooner Irish people wake up and grow up, the better
@kerrill thornhill: still never answered my question to you earlier, where do you stand on the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
@Alison Hughes: Did u ever stop to think why this is happening ? Why Hamas are even there Go get your facts before u put texts up
@Joe x: I’ve been asked this question on many threads Joe. The occupations in Palestine & Ukraine needs to end with an immediate ceasefire and negotiated settlement. We gave Ukraine $150bn in weapons & print their propoagand unfiltered, we give Israel billions to bomb caged Palestinians and print their propaganda unfiltered. Ireland housed 70,000 Ukranian refugees, but no Palestinians, while our media cover up Israeli war crimes killing 3000 kids already: Go ahead take a look at the names, real flesh and blood. The utter white supremacy of EU/US treating these kids like meat https://twitter.com/jvplive/status/1718287003769614735?t=iZPhll18Q0bwYIX3Gyd19Q&s=19
@kerrill thornhill: “We” did not send money for arms anywhere near the middle east. What we did send were troops on peacekeeping duties in the area, several of whom never came home
.
In terms of Ukraine, yes, we did send non-lethal aid and give refuge, and while you claim support in the first sentence of your reply, the rest of your reply seems to begrudge the Ukrainians that aid. As to giving Palestinians refuge, they never needed it until Hamas kicked off the current round of troubles
@kerrill thornhill: Now, I am going to ask a very simple question. How much do you know of the full history over there?
And just do you know, I support niether side. As far as I am concerned, they are both as bad as each other and, quite frankly, our troops should be brought home, along with all peacekeeping troops in the area and let them fight it out.
@Dan Breen: yes. Why are comments closed on anything but the weather?
Varadkars comments about having to double down on our assistance to the Ukraine both financially and militarily do not represent the wishes of the electorate.
Why are no FFG ministers calling for peace . Why are they warmongering
@BL Music: If Russia took its troops out of Ukraine the fighting would stop – it’s not that complicated.
@BL Music: Don’t let that troll Alison Hughes have you say a bad word on the worse Irish government to have been ever in power
Worst
@Kilkenny Proud: Yes: supporting Ukraine’s self-defence is not ‘warmongering’ no matter how many times that lie is repeated.
@BL Music: You do NOT speak for me !
@BL Music: the guys committing the war crimes hold the purse strings and the levers of power in the West.
@BL Music: Russia chose not to attend the ongoing UN peace talks, because they are not interested in peace.
@BL Music: Slava Hamas and Hezbollah!
Going to be flooding because the rivers are half full and the ground is saturated.
@P. V. Aglue: Looks like it. Glad to see flood works going on, hope they’re completed before the weather gets worse in December & January.
A lot of people have concreted over front gardens, maybe we should be doing more to drain water off?
In the meantime ban all pit bulls. Who needs such wretched dogs, get a golden retriever or similar …
@JP: Agreed $cummy dogs with scrotey owners.
Ban those bloody dogs already!
We lucky it only rain the poor people of Palestine being mder by the thousands. While the west dose nothing. And any one whom supports the pal people is labelled a hamas supporter. Israel have played this very well they scarified a few of their own. To be allowed take control when they finished with Palestine they wont leave the will stay there probably with the UN labelled under some peace treaty and time like the rest of the region become is rale. Thats why they keep saying Gaza cause most will presume it a city in israel.
@J M: what?
israel needs to be stopped
@Joe Doyle: And Hamas too?
@Hugh De Payans: no just israel
Thought so. You think those Israeli babies deserved to be beheaded?
They are both as bad as each other….Remember what kicked this this round of violence off seversl weeks ago.!
Never mind the rain as the world sits back as those poor people in their Palestinian homeland are terrorised by an illegal occupier of their land
Something to do with Leo
@Mary Toilet: homophobes unite: blame Leo for everything, even the rain
Norma Foley is a tranny.
Mary loves her far-right rim-jobs!
That Eileen Gleeson is a lovely bit of skirt
@Mary Toilet: Scissor ze quimbers!
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