The Dose with Paddy and Belinda

Special - Paddys Interview on Radio - Ocean FM Ireland

• Paddy Cunningham

Share episode

Send us a text

This Interview is from Ocean FM Ireland, on the North West Today programme with Niall Delaney - Tuesday March 4th 2025.

Paddy shares his transformative weight loss journey using GLP-1 treatment and challenges common misconceptions about obesity treatment. 

He highlights how understanding obesity as a chronic disease rather than a willpower issue opens new pathways to effective treatment and can help breakdown the stigma we still experience within society. 

Speaker 1:

I'm wondering if you saw that documentary on RT television last night called the Skinny Jab Revolution.

Speaker 1:

It's a two-part documentary which looked at the root cause of obesity and the huge rise in weight loss drugs now available on the Irish market. The programme was presented and produced, indeed, by well-known presenter, catherine Thomas and, as I say, the first of two programmes enter Catherine Thomas and, as I say, the first of two programs, and I think it was prompted in part by Catherine's weight issues which she faced when she was a child. But, in any case, the program discussed weight loss medications such as Ozempic and Wegovi and Monjara and explored their impact I think they're called GLP-1s, as far as I know and she criticised in the programme both the lack of understanding and regulation surrounding these weight loss drugs and revealed how easy it is to access the medications by providing false information, in some cases through an online service in Ireland. Paddy Cunningham is with us in studio from Coleraine County, sligo, one of her own Ocean FM presenters, as you know, and, paddy, you're in this feature, isn't you? You're in the second part.

Speaker 2:

I think that's right.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I saw a clip of you last night.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, a few little clips on the ads in last night, but yeah, so next week people will get a bit of an insight into my participation in the show which we filmed. August of last year was when the main part of it was filmed and yeah, kind of. You know, catherine found me on TikTok because I'd kind of been sharing my journey on TikTok about trying yet again to lose weight. You know, people that have maybe followed me on Facebook or stuff like that for years will know that I've been in this kind of, I guess, eternal space of trying to lose weight.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so and you agreed to do it and you were happy, even though it's a very personal thing to do, but you engaged with Catherine.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I did. I mean, initially I was a bit cautious about oh God, now are they just going to try and sensationalise something or what's the angle that they're taking. But, like again, 14 years ago, I took part in a different TV show called the Biggest Loser and I guess at that time I kind of thought I'm fixed now I've lost the weight. You know and I think that's what people that have lived with obesity would probably think you know at times is that, oh, if I get to a certain weight, I'm fixed. Then, and that's what I thought, I said oh God, you know, I'm 14 and a half stone back then. That sure I'm fixed now.

Speaker 2:

But what I found very quickly after that, and what a lot of people that have lived their life with obesity, is that you relapse quite quickly and when you relapse and start regaining that weight again, more often than not you'll regain more. So, like at that instance I had lost it was six and a half stone during the biggest loser back in 2011. But yet, over the years, in terms of what I regained, and like I peaked last year, having regained over nine stone of what I'd lost and ended up being 24 stone, um, like last may, yeah, no right, okay, so it was.

Speaker 1:

It was at that stage you decided to look into the possibility of taking the one of these weight loss yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2:

I mean like, look at I after the biggest loser. I went off and qualified as a personal trainer, um, and I worked as a personal one of these weight loss medications. Yeah, absolutely, I mean like, look after the Biggest Loser. I went off and qualified as a personal trainer and I worked as a personal trainer for many years and ran classes here in Sligo and in other places, and I guess I would have seen myself as the person that should have known then what to do to lose weight ie, eat less, move more, which was what we hear people talk about so much, and that that's the answer. But what I now know is that you know, based on the research that has been done into obesity and based on the advances that has been done in understanding obesity and the treatment of it, both from a World Health Organization, from a HSE perspective here in Ireland as well, that there's a better understanding that obesity is a chronic disease and it is a relapsing disease that, for the majority of people, just lifestyle intervention alone is not going to be effective for them, and there's data on this. This is not just, you know, a fat person on a couch that doesn't want to move saying this. This is the data is out there clinically to show that for people who are living with obesity, just eating less and moving more for the majority of people will be ineffective.

Speaker 2:

So I had tried, literally like, not even just since the Biggest Loser, but I'd say like for the last. Well, I'm 43 this year, so I'd say like for not far off, like 25 years more or whatever, constantly living in a cycle of diets, of going to slimming clubs, of trying different starvation diets, living on shakes and powders. Every single time I would regain that weight. And then you start feeling bad about yourself because you're like I've tried this, I had lost weight, I'm now regaining it again. You start getting the looks from people again, particularly when I was at my heaviest, and you notice things Like I was just saying to Mags before I came in there, like we went to Orlando and like you go to a theme park and you go to sit on one of the rides and and it's gas. Like some people say, oh geez, but I wouldn't have thought you were that big and it's like I was.

Speaker 1:

I was 24 stone, but so last it was last summer or so.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I started yeah.

Speaker 1:

And did you know much about these particular no Medications or I didn't like I had kind of thought.

Speaker 2:

So what led me down the road to having to look into this was I have lived a life of literally constantly dieting and I was just becoming exhausted and I was just constantly worrying about calories and everything to do with that. So I had started looking at okay, based on my BMI at that stage and BMI is absolutely flawed in terms of measurement of weight for people, but it's what's used still at the moment my BMI kind of indicated that if life didn't change, my life expectancy was going to be about 12 years less just because of my weight, which meant that there was a strong chance that in my late 60s, like I could die, or in 70, like I didn't want that. So I started looking at I thought bariatric surgery was going to be the answer, and that's what I'd started looking at was I don't seem to be able to do this. I'm failing at. This is what I thought. So maybe this is the extreme that I need to go to and that wouldn't be an easy way out either for anyone is bariatric surgery.

Speaker 2:

But whilst I was looking at that, I had seen about Ozempic, which obviously was getting a lot of publicity in Hollywood, and Glamorize and stuff like that wrongly.

Speaker 2:

And it was during that journey that I started finding out about the different GLP-1 medications that there were available. So there was Ozempic, which was highly controversial because a lot of people were like, oh, that's for diabetics, it's not for people that are obese. Like you know, you're taking it from the diabetics, which is, excuse me, which is a horrible narrative, because you shouldn't be pitting diseases against each other. And then there was Saxenda, which is a daily injectable which was not available in the Republic of Ireland. It was available in the UK only for a very short number of months. But I started looking into that and I thought, you know, I think this is the one that I would be most interested in talking to my medical team about. So I spoke with the endocrinologist and had a chat about it and they were supportive of me going on that because I could access it from Garrison and kind of bring my prescription up there.

Speaker 1:

So what is Monjara? How does that work exactly? So you've been taking it since last June.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, since last June.

Speaker 1:

So how does it work? What's involved?

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So the way it works is it kind of helps to when you eat and you get a feeling off like, say, when you have dinner, you're probably like, oh, I'm full now, I'm satisfied when I eat.

Speaker 2:

I would never get that sensation, ever At all At all, niall. In my entire life I would never have that sensation of I'm full, I'm satisfied from my food now, whereas when I'm on my medication, it helps to create that sensation of I'm satisfied, now I don't feel in any way hungry and I don't feel that I'm not full, so it helps create that feeling of fullness. So that's one of the main things it does is to help you feel fuller for longer. It basically slows down what's called digestive emptying, so it basically slows down how quickly the food's going to leave your body, and it mimics this hormone called GLP-1 to help generate that. Now, the thing that's really important, though, is that you know the medications aren't just I'll just take this injection and then I don't need to worry about exercise, or you know, I can eat whatever I want, so you still have to eat responsibly and exercise.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, because there can be side effects with the medication, which sometimes can be linked to what you're eating. And, as well as that, if you're genuinely approaching this from a health first perspective, which is what you should be, this is where the movement such a critical part as well, along with your nutrition, and that's why I'd always encourage somebody to, you know, maybe work with a movement specialist or a coach, or to maybe, you know, get an appointment with a registered dietitian that can help you with those aspects of your journey as well.

Speaker 1:

Right, okay, so how has it gone since June? Yeah, so you were as you freely admit. You were 24 stone.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so I was just over 24 stone and through, you know, going to the gym, like you know, religiously, three to four times a week, focusing on the nutrition as well. I've lost just shy of seven stone, Seven stone Since last June yeah, and you would put that down mainly to.

Speaker 1:

I would put that down to Use of this particular product.

Speaker 2:

That's part of it. Like the way that I kind of talk about it is that the medication for me is kind of like the stabilizers. That allows me to focus then on the nutrition, on the movement and also, though, on the behavioral change that needs to happen, because obviously a lot of people that have lived with obesity will have a complex relationship with themselves and with food. So that's something that needs work as well. So, like that's something I've been doing as well, working with coaches to try and understand, you know, my triggers with food, the reactions to food, to work on those. So it's, I guess, the movement, the nutrition, and then that kind of psychological bit as well.

Speaker 1:

Right, okay. So where's the downside? Is there a downside here at all?

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Or are you worried that you might again know more than the biggest things of all those years ago?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, very fair, so like and I guess this is where it comes down to probably two things. So I've been very fortunate that I've had minimal side effects, but that is not the case for everyone. There will absolutely be people that will have side effects. Some of those side effects will be so extreme that they can't continue on that treatment. There'll be other people that this treatment will not work for them as well, and this is why it's so important that you're working with your doctor to kind of go through that side of things. But then it comes down to OK, well, is this for life or do you just stop it when you take it? And this is where there's some difference of opinions. But through the doctors that I've spoken with and the endocrinologist that I'm kind of dealing with, it, very much is seen as a long term treatment for me, because it is just that it is a treatment, not a cure, and like any disease, like if you stop the treatment of it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but it's important to stress that you did this in conjunction with consultation with your endocrinologist and your GP as well. Yeah, and that will continue to be the case.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely yeah. So like I would have been working with the endocrinologist, the doctor and also a dietician as well, and you know, obviously, as I say, going to the gym as well is really a really important kind of part of that journey as well, and I guess one of the things like when we're having these discussions now as well, that people the trolls online or maybe some of the trolls in tech sometimes or stuff like that as well will be like obesity is not a disease. It's just because people are, you know, too hungry and they can't be bothered to get their backside off the couch, and I think this is where you know. No-transcript.

Speaker 1:

And I know when you say it's not right or proper to pit one condition against another and you would in that instance say obesity is a medical condition.

Speaker 2:

It is Like if you look at, say, the World Health Organization, the European Medical Bodies and the HSE, it absolutely is categorized and referred to as a chronic disease.

Speaker 1:

The program last night looked at. It's a two-part program. There is some controversy, as you know, about access and how easy it is to access some of these drugs and the regulations surrounding them. Are they genuine concerns? You think that should be highlighted? Regulations surrounding them Are they genuine concerns? You think that should be highlighted?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think, like Ireland's at the early stages of this, I think, if I look at what's been happening in the UK, where these medications have been out a bit easier, absolutely I would have had deep concerns about how easy it has been for some people in the UK to get access to these in terms of you know kind of fraudulent patient information they've been putting in, information they've been putting in black market versions of it. I think in Ireland we have started to see over the last few months, some changes where people are requiring, like a phone or a video consultation or stuff like that. But again, if you have an online prescribing service that is just issuing prescriptions without doing verification, that is definitely a deep concern, absolutely, because the wrong people could be getting these.

Speaker 1:

You're baring your soul on national television after the first time. You did it before on British television. No problem with that at all. You don't mind, or do you? People Give? A sneak peek.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think the difference is when I did Biggest Loser, I was so fortunate in terms of the support that I got, particularly here locally, like at home, and in terms of online any time. I've shared my journey and the struggles and stuff since. So I kind of see it as a way to hopefully give people an insight. Look, don't give up, because there is still light at the end of the tunnel. If you're somebody that has been there and that you have lived 20 odd years, whatever amount of time constantly battling your weight, please don't give up to you know, have a talk to your healthcare team and see is there alternatives available for you. So that's why, for me, it's important that I try to still share my journey so that I can, I guess, hopefully give a bit of I don't say inspiration, but hopefully, yeah, you know give a bit of insight to those people that there is still alternatives available to you not to give up.

Speaker 1:

Do you know, are there more and more people? Well, we do. We hear it in our programme there are more and more people availing of these lost drugs.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, there are, and I think again, this is because we know obesity has been a disease that has been on the rise not just in Ireland but globally, and I think to have treatments that are now proven to be effective for a large amount of people that are living with obesity, the same way that we have treatments for, you know, somebody that is diabetic or somebody that has other chronic diseases.

Speaker 2:

You know, in time, I think it'll become more, less of a taboo and less of a stigma Like, if we think I don't know how many years ago, but if we think of even some of the mental hospitals that aren't too far from here, many moons ago they would have been drilling holes into the head of people to try and fix them and doing these types of things.

Speaker 2:

And I think at the moment when we talk about obesity, there is still a lot of stigma off that eat less, move more, you're lazy or stuff like that. But that narrative is gradually shifting and by me sharing my journey online and other people, like the shows last night and even conversations like this when we're having today, hopefully it can help, even if it just sparks a small number of people's mind. Do you know what I have been telling people just eat less, move more. I haven't been thinking fairly about that. Maybe I'll just find out a bit more. It can just help people feel less bad about themselves, their body, the kind of life they've been having, and to maybe just seek out some help and treatment.

Speaker 1:

Paddy, good luck with that. Thanks for coming and you're in part two. Part two, which is next to Monday in RTE, and I think some of the filming is in your home in North Leitrim, isn't that right?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so we filmed in, actually, the radio station here. There's a wee snippet off it. I know you're raging, you missed Catherine's act there. We filmed in Rom. Thanks a million to them here in town as well, and out in Drumheir, and also me going over the border, because at that stage Mun over the border, because at that stage Munjarra wasn't available in the Republic. That's a whole other thing. The cost of the medication south of the border versus the north now it's available it's crazy. The price difference down south it's like the dose I'm on now we think is going to be well over 500 euro, whereas up the north it's about 180 pound and like that inequality. Yeah, that we did a good bit of filming and yeah, I'm hoping that when people see it they'll see that it is a support, it is not in place of movement and nutrition and that those are critical parts of this journey as well.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Belinda Hogan

Co-host