Archive for March, 2010

Work in Progress

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Bernie English catches up with our Clare Operation Transformation winners, Berni O Hare and Jessica Chaplin, to see how this fantastic prize has changed their lives – and their bodies!

Operation Transformation duo Bernie O Hare and her friend Jessica Chaplin found The Clare Peoples Operation Transformation tough at the start but now theyre reaping the benefits.
With exercise, diet, detox and beauty therapy all underway, Bernie has lost an amazing stone in three weeks, while Jessica is down almost one stone and has lost one and a half inches off her vital statistics.
It was hard settling into it at first but Im really delighted with the weight Ive lost. Every one of the team has been so helpful and so supportive that it makes me all the more determined to do it, says Berni.
Berni applied for Operation Transformation after being turned down for a career in the Garda on the basis of her weight.
At five feet six inches tall and 18 stone, the Ballynacally mother of one was told she needed to lose five stone if she was ever going to be admitted to the force.
I was gutted – this was my dream and Id passed all the tests but my weight was holding me back, she tells The Clare People. Im one stone down and another to go. Its been tough but Im getting into a routine now and Im halfway through so its fingers crossed that Ill make the target.
Jessica – already a member of the force – has also been finding the going tough in the last week as her job is not nine-to five. You have nights and travel and its difficult to fit in the exercise but having the help of all the professionals and having the focus of Operation Transformation really helps.
The Ultimate Health Clinic and Ozone Fitness have been advising the girls on their diet and fitness programs and the pals have also been having colonic irrigation treatment and liver flushes. Both say they feel marvellous after the colonics.
I had an amazing amount of energy afterwards, says Berni, an experience echoed by Jessica who said it made her feel much better.
In the gym, both ladies are having their cardio fitness programs ramped up and are working hard both on the equipment and in walking on other days.
And a real bonus for the pair have been the beauty treatments which they have enjoyed.
The diet is helping, certainly, but we had facials with Anne Leavy and a skin peel and my dry skin looks and feels so much better, says Berni.
One aspect of being in the limelight through The Clare People is that both women have found that everyone is urging them on.
People I dont even know have come up to me and said they saw me in the Operation Transformation story in the paper and theyre wishing me well. Everyone is being great. I couldnt let myself or them down.
Bernies long-term ambition is to get enough weight off to go back and take up her dream career as a garda.
She told The Clare People when she was picked for the challenge that she wants to look in the mirror and not see the Michelin man looking back at me.
Helping Bernie and Jessica to reach their target weight and new look and lifestyle are the Transformation team – the Ultimate Health Clinic and Caroline Danaher, Ozone Fitness and Ken O Malley, Anne Leavy Health & Beauty, with Anne Leavy, Monument Hair Salon, with Rosaleen Burns, JRÕs Hair Salon, with Gerry and Norma Jeans Claire.
In the coming three weeks, the girls will be honing their fitness and exercise as well as taking a long-term look at their eating habits and how they can re-educate their palates to eat in a healthy way that they can enjoy.
Bernie will be continuing to resist the temptation of unwrapping her beloved chocolate bars – although she allows that she only gets the odd longing now – and Jessica will be trying to structure her meals around her busy shift-work.
ÒWe just feel theyve both done incredibly well, said The Clare People Life Editor, Aoife O Driscoll. Its hard to imagine how much effort they put into losing almost two stone between them in just three weeks but the important thing is, it wasnt done with any fad diet, it was done with the help of extremely professional people who have tailored programs to suit the ladies individually.
We have every confidence that they will lose the pounds and the inches and we cant wait to see the total transformation.

Well be catching up with Berni and Jessica again in our March 30 issue, to see the final results of Clare Operation Transformation.

Bernie & Jessica, Our Clare Girls

Bernie & Jessica, Our Clare Girls

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Week 2 – Treatments Begin To Pay Off

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

TWO weeks down and our two volunteers, Martin Costello and Mandy Hogan, are really beginning to see progress. This week, they’ve been sticking rigorously to their prescribed diet and they’ve been continuing their sessions with fitness instruction Brian Kennedy.
Both report feeling fitter and healthier that they have in ages and, somewhat surprisingly, both say that they’ve enjoyed sticking to the diet prescribed for them by the team in Ultimate Health. Next week we’ll be paying a visit to the gym to see how our two volunteers are getting on there.

Mandy..

OKAY it’s week two and I am full of energy and rearing to go. As you have probably noticed my diet has changed slightly this week. Every day except sunday from now until the big reveal I am doing 10mins a day on what is called a vibroplate. I go into Ultimate Health Every day to do this so I also have the advantage to ask the girls any questions I might have. They are always helpful with their answers and advice. I Absolutely love
the vibroplate because the machine itself does most of the work. I have really been sticking to this diet and programme like glue as they say. I was at the gym again on Friday with personal trainer Brian Kennedy and it was fab. I did a lot of weights this week and Brian showed me the right exercises to do at home. He is really good at pushing me to reach my potential.I am so much fitter now even after 2 weeks. Who knows – I might run a marathon after this (ha ha). Tuesday was weigh in day. I was met by Marese at reception who couldn’t wait to weigh me in as she said she knew I was down by looking at my clothes. I went down to be weighed and yes yes yes I was down another 3lbs. That’s a whole 10lbs in two weeks which is something I would never have done on my own. Also today I had my second colonic treatment with Caroline which was just as relaxing as last week. I couldn’t believe that a body can hold up to 28lbs of waste over the years. I will fill you in more next week as the girls in Ultimate Health have some new ventures arranged for me this coming week.

Martin..

After having a brilliant first week, feeling great and full of energy and losing 7lbs, the weekend came and Martin got too smart and thought he could beat the system and have a few pints of Guinness. For my troubles I gained 2lbs this week. (No more Guinness) Apart from my slight slipup everything else is going very well. I had the Colonic Hydrotherapy and I felt very good after it. Caroline and her staff are very professional and really help you to relax. Brian in the Gym is also excellent. He just pushes you that ”extra mile” that you would not travel without him. In my case it was an extra ”two
miles” this week. No trouble with the diet either. It’s actually quite nice when you get used to it. Overall, I’m feeling fitter and healthier than I have in a while. Looking forward to next weigh in.

Caroline Danaher from Ultimate Health..

On our volunteers’ progress, One of the most obvious things from the start of the programme is the commitment and dedication the lads are showing to the programme. It helps also that they are getting a huge level of support from their family and friends and I think the immediate results are also helping to spur the lads on. Brian the fitness instructor has also remarked on how easy it is to work with people with the right attitude to the programme. They have been great to maintain their food diaries and we can identify straight away what foods are causing them problems. The combination of the colonic hydrotherapy treatments, minding the diet and the exercise programme is really reaping rewards. They look great and no longer feel bloated or sluggish. Both have remarked how the programme is a new starting point for making a number of lifestyle changes. The results achieved are keeping them motivated and the fact they are sticking
to the plan very diligently will stand to them in the long run. Their own families have also changed their diets so it shows it is having a broader impact than just Amanda and Martin. Their enthusiasm makes it easier for everyone to work together in achieving great results.

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Week 1 – Detox Diet & Visit To The Gym

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

WITH one week completed, our two Operation Transformation Limerick volunteers, Mandy Hogan and Martin Costello, are already making great progress. After consultations with Caroline Danaher, Marese Shields and the team in Ultimate health, they were given a special detox diet and an appointment to meet fitness instructor Brian Kennedy in the gym. After just a week, they’ve both lost weight and they’re feeling
great.
Here’s how they got on…

Mandy..

I arrived at Ultimate Health to meet Caroline, Marese, Brian and the photographer from the Limerick Chronicle. Wasn’t to nervous. We had our photos done first.The girls then

weight me in and explained all about the detox diet that i was going to start with. Brian the personal trainer made an appointment with me to meet with him for a workout on the Friday morning. I found the first day or two really hard on the detox programme as I am not usually a healthy eater but after that it was fine and I felt I had more energy and I wasn’t hungry at all. I drank plenty of water which is another thing I hadn’t done before. Before I started the programme, if I wanted a drink it was always coke. I have followed the detox exactly the way Caroline and Marese advised and I have so much energy and there’s only one week down.Todaywas my first weigh in and I couldn’t believe it. I was down 7lbs which I think is FANTASTIC. Now I’m even more determined to keep going. I also had my training session with Brian in the gym on Friday which I
think was great. I enjoyed the gym although it wasn’t easy. Brian was there constantly encouraging me.That encouragement is what I needed because if Brian hadn’t been there
I probably would have lasted 20 minutes on my own. One week after starting the detox

diet Caroline in Ultimate Health gave me a colonic irrigation treatment. I was very iffy going in for this as I didn’t know what to expect. I arrived at the clinic and have a chat with Caroline and Marese. I felt at ease before even entering the treatment room.The first thing i noticed were the scented candles throughout which were so relaxing. Then

Caroline explained the treatment to me from start to finish. Carolinethen told me to relax and lo and behold she had started and I hadn’t felt a thing. I don’t know what I was getting worked up about. I was so relaxed. We were chatting away as if nothing were going on. It was only my first treatment and my tummy was so much softer than before.

Martin..

Approximately one week ago I went to The Ultimate Health Clinic feeling overweight, bloated and low in energy. After taking my details they suggested a six weeks course of diet and gym training. Week one consisted of a detoxification diet and one hour in the gym with a personal trainer which I duly followed.
After the first week without undue exertion or starvation I have gained
energy, lost that bloated feeling and also lost five pounds in weight. I am looking forward to week two which consists of colonic hydrotherapy, a diet of 20 per cent acid foods,
80 per cent alkaline foods and one hour in the gym.
I’ll report back next week.

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Operation Transformation Limerick-Meet Our Volunteers

Monday, March 15th, 2010

AND so it begins…After a huge response to our search for volunteers to take part in Operation Transformation Limerick, we have found our two participants – Mandy Hogan and Martin Costello. Mandy Hogan lives in Kilbranish Drive, Woodview and is the mother of five children, ranging in age from three up to fifteen. She is due to turn 40 this year and says her top priority is to lose some weight – “to look beautiful again”. “As the years have passed, my weight has crept up faster,” she says. “As they say, life begins at 40, so it’s my turn to look after me and transform my life.” She says she has started lenty of diets and other fitness programmes before but has had difficulty sticking with them. This time, however, she is confident that she will go the distance. “This is the push that I needed. The publicity side alone would make me do it.”

Our other volunteer is Martin Costello from Ballina. Martin, who is in his early fifties, says he too wants to lose some weight – “I wouldn’t mind losing a stone,” he says. Martin admits to never having been in a gym in his life, his main source of exercise being the occasional game of golf. The idea of taking part in Operation Transformation was born – like so many thers – in a pub late one evening but Martin is determined to stick with the six-week plan. Apart from the sessions in the gym, he is expecting the most challenging part to be the abstention from alcohol. “I would say not having the few pints would be the hardest. I enjoy the couple of pints in the pub of a Friday night,” he says.

Over the next six week, Mandy and Martin will work with the team in Ultimate Health to transform their health and lifestyles through their unique health, fitness and detox programme. This will include a detox programme, colonic hydrotherapy, abdominal massage, a nutritional programme and beauty treatment. They will also have twice-weekly personal training sessions with fitness instructor Brian Kennedy who will work on improving their general fitness and help them shed those unwanted pounds.

We will check in with our two volunteers during the programme to see how they are getting on and at the end of the six weeks we have the BIG REVEAL, where we will unveil the new look Mandy and Martin. “We’re all excited – we can’t wait to begin,” says Mandy.

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Meet Team Clare Operation Transformation

Monday, March 15th, 2010

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WHEN Berni O’Hare got through the tough apptitude test to join the Garda Siochána and fulfill her lifelong ambition to join the force, she was over the moon. But minutes later, she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her as she was told she was too fat to wear the blue uniform.

“I was absolutely humiliated. I’d passed the aptitude test, I passed the medical but then I stood on the scales and she [the doctor] just came straight out with it. She said ‘You’re obese – you won’t be accepted until you lose five stone’.” With her dreams in shreds, Berni left the testing centre. A lesser woman would have slunk away and tucked into an oversized bar or chocolate but instead, Berni vowed to fight back.

“I was stunned, to have got so far and then to be stopped because of my weight. I told my friend what had happened and she said the best thing she could have said: ‘Berni – if it’s what you really want then you’ll work until you get it’.” So when she saw The Clare People Operation Transformation competition, Berni knew she had a way to solve her problem, get fit, lose weight and have another crack at fulfilling her dream to be a guard. The Ballynacally woman is five feet six inches tall and weighs 18 stone, taking a size 22 in clothes.

Working on her transformation with her will be the Ultimate Heath Clinic in the Quin Road Business Park, Ozone Health and Fitness and Anne Leavy Health and Beauty, along with The Monument Hair Salon, JR’s Hair Salon and Norma Jean Boutique. Berni, who has a 10-year-old son, Lee, had previously managed to lose a massive three stone by changing her diet, getting up at 6am and walking four miles before going to work and walking another hour each evening.

“It was fantastic, I had so much energy and I was able to buy clothes in a smaller size. But that was in the summer and once the winter set in, it got too cold to go walking and I got lazy. So the pounds started to pile on again.” Berni – like lots of people who battle the bulge – has tried numerous fad diets and ‘quick fix’ methods, but none worked. And, as a trained chef, her current profession – working in the kitchens in St Joseph’s in Ennis – doesn’t help her to keep the weight down.From the sack-loads of entries which  came in from people eager to take part, Berni’s letter stood out. “We could see she wanted this so badly and everyone felt so bad for her when we read her letter telling what happened to her at the test to join the Garda. Her  determination shone out. We just had to select her,” said The Clare People Life editor, Aoife O’Driscoll.

In her letter to The Clare People, Berni said, “I’d love to be able to look into a mirror and not see the Michelin man  looking back at me because that’s exactly how I feel when I look in the mirror. I also hate being referred to as the fat one. Whether I’m successful or not in your competition, I’m determined to lose the five stone that I have to lose and go back and apply for the job that I was told I was too fat for. My self-esteem and self-confidence is at an all-time low because on the inside I’m thin and fat on the outside. “My eating habits are the pits. I’m a devil for chocolate and fast food and skipping breakfast. Friends and family would describe me as being bubbly but secretly I’m fighting my battle with my weight which makes me hate myself.

As a parent, I personally feel I  should be setting an example for my son that healthy eating and exercise is the way to go.” Joining her in the six-week challenge, which is being supported by the expertise of the Ozone team, is her pal Jessica Chaplin, who is already a member of the force but who wants to shed some weight having gone from being sylph-like to weighing in at 11 stone at five foot four inches tall. “She wants to get rid of the weight that has gone on because she was doing shift work and eating away to her heart’s content. It’s just put on weight for her that she doesn’t want and she’s being fabulous in coming on board with me.” The team will be adopting an holistic approach,  addressing every issue from diet to fitness and body image.

The ladies will have twice weekly personal training sessions with the Ozone trainers while the Ulitimate Health Clinic will be organising a detox programme with their special colonic irrigation treatments, abdominal massage and nutrition programmes, all in the relaxed and comfortable setting of their health suites. At the end of their six weeks, the ladies will be treated to a spectacular makeover to highlight their achievements. “I know I can do this. I’ve never refused a challenge and I’m not going to back away from this one. I want to be a role model for other people and I will achieve my dream,” Berni told The Clare People.

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