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Exercise

Here's how much weight the Operation Transformation leaders lost

It’s a combined total of almost 10 stone.

THE FIVE LEADERS in RTÉ’s Operation Transformation lost a combined total of almost 10 stone over the course of the programme’s eighth series.

The finale airs this evening, when the five will reveal their weight loss to their families in a catwalk show.

The series was watched by an average of 470,500 viewers each night, and episodes were streamed over 280,000 times online.

Presenter Kathryn Thomas said the show has changed attitudes across Ireland.

“OT is not just a weight loss show,” she said.

It’s so much more – the leaders have inspired thousands of people around Ireland who have embraced a healthier way of life and are leading transformed lives as a result.

The five leaders in this series, picked through a vote on The John Murray Show, have lost a combined total of 9.9 stone with Mark McArdle alone losing a total of 2 stone 9.5 lbs.

Before:

PastedImage-55198

After:

Operation Transformation finale 02 Andres Poveda Andres Poveda

Here’s the full list:

Here's how much weight the Operation Transformation leaders lost
1 / 5
  • Louise Ormsby

    Starting Weight: 13 st 12.5 lbs / Current Weight: 12 stone 8 lbs / Total weight loss to date: 1 stone 4.5 lbsSource: Andres Poveda
  • Eilish Kavanagh

    Starting Weight:13 stone 2 lbs / Current Weight: 11 stone 10lbs / Total weight loss to date: 1 stone 6 lbsSource: Andres Poveda
  • Veronica Horgan

    Starting Weight:17 stone / Current Weight: 14 stone 12 lbs / Total weight loss to date: 2 stone 2 lbsSource: Andres Poveda
  • Alan Mullen

    Starting Weight: 26 stone 8.5 lbs / Current Weight: 24 stone 3 lbs / Total weight loss to date: 2 stone 5.5 lbsSource: Andres Poveda
  • Mark McArdle

    Starting Weight: 21 stone 11.5 lbs / Current Weight: 19 stone 2 lbs / Total weight loss to date: 2 stone 9.5 lbsSource: Andres Poveda

This series also involved a pilot health and fitness programme being rolled out at a primary school in Tallaght.

Led by Prof Niall Moyna from DCU’s School of Health & Human Performance, the programme saw significant successes – 60% improvement in core strength among children, a 25% boost in the distance their run, as well as improvements across attendance, punctuality, behaviour, concentration levels and academic performance.

Other initiatives included a Know Your Numbers campaign, where members of the public were invited to visit their local pharmacies to check their BMI, and a 5K run in the Phoenix Park, attended by 8,000 people.

The final episode in the series airs tonight at 8.30pm on RTÉ One.

Read: Leo Varadkar appears on Operation Transformation >

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