Now in her 14th season of Operation Transformation, Kathryn Thomas continues to find the show, its leaders and experts, as inspirational as ever, she tells Claire O'Mahony.
For those of us who can remember its debut, it seems incredible to think that Operation Transformation is now 17 years old. But here we are at the beginning of a fresh series, with five new leaders taking on a health and wellness challenge, with the goal of overhauling their lives.
"It’s my 14th season, and even when I hear myself say that, it’s mind-blowing," says the show’s host, Kathryn Thomas. "I very clearly remember going on in on my first day in season four. Operation Transformation has become a big part of my life. I almost feel like it’s one of my children."
The show has evolved over the years, taking a holistic approach to well-being and not just weight loss. In tandem, the host is also in a different place.
"It’s a very different show than 14 years ago. It's a very different society. So much has changed, so much has gone on," she says. "I've changed as a person. When I started, I was still travelling the world: young, free and single. I'm now the mother of two girls [Ellie, 5 and Grace 2, with husband Padraig McLoughlin]. The show has been with me through all those changes, but what hasn't changed is that every year, we have a huge amount of applicants who want to take part in the programme and we have five leaders who are all different."
Part of the show’s uniqueness is, she thinks, "that you get a glimpse inside the homes and the hearts and heads of five very different people with very different lives, with very different health issues. I think by nature we're quite nosy, quite inquisitive. You have people opening their homes to let cameras in, when maybe their self-confidence is very low. They're quite vulnerable in terms of where they want to be and where they want to get to. They come in very honest and say, I need help. Then you've got our panel of experts who take them on this journey, and witnessing the change is phenomenal."
What viewers don’t see is the background work that goes into the selection of leaders, which Kathryn describes as a robust process.
"There are a lot of applicants who would apply for the show, and their 'why’ is not always strong enough. Also, I think not everybody is able to do what our five leaders do every year, and that is to be able to manage cameras in their home and be able to commit to the public scrutiny. Some people who apply for Operation Transformation might be brilliant leaders, but maybe they don't have a wife or a husband or children or a boss who feels the same. If you're having cameras in your home, everybody has to be on board with this. Because you're in the public domain, there is scrutiny, there's social media. Everyone on the show has to be aware of how they're going to manage their social media platforms."
Another issue she points to is the volume of health-related information that’s available to us today, in comparison to when the show started 17 years ago. People can feel overwhelmed, "because there’s so much mixed messaging and people with opinions who are not qualified."
Whereas OT, she believes, can help viewers navigate their way through some of that health info overload, with its panel of experts: psychologist, Dr Eddie Murphy; dietitian, Sophie Pratt; personal trainer, Karl Henry; and GP, Dr Sumi Dunne.
"The programme follows the teachings and the ethos of the World Health Organisation. We’ve got Sumi, Eddie, Karl and Sophie and they’re not just keeping abreast with what’s going on here in Ireland but from a global health perspective too. We have Professor Niall Moyna (Professor of Clinical Exercise Physiology at TUD). It’s a very highly qualified panel of people that our leaders get to work with.
"It starts with education," she continues. "If you look at what Sophie (Pratt) has done with the food plan this year, she’s very consciously taken in the cost of living crisis. The idea that it's very expensive to eat healthily is actually not true. It's just about making smarter choices, making better choices in terms of the amount of processed food that's available. This is a problem that I think needs to be addressed on a national and international level. The amount of processed food that is marketed to us is so huge and there are hidden additives like sugars and salts, in those processed foods, which are everywhere, and have become part of our lives.
"But there is a place for them, once or twice a week. Do we get pizza on a Friday? Absolutely. Did I have my takeaway? Absolutely. Do my kids? Do they eat their sweets and their crisps? Absolutely. There's a place for all of that. It's just about understanding the limitations and understanding the portions."
But it’s not only money that can prevent people from taking the road to wellness. Time can be a huge factor too, especially for parents and carers.
"I feel that, especially now in the last month, when I’ve had no childcare. For me, I've had to very consciously choose to get my exercise in before the kids get up from 6am to 7am and that’s maybe twice a week. Or I’d do a home work-out at 9pm when they’re in bed. I've had to adapt, but I would urge people –because I did it and I gave myself a fright – to look at the amount of screen time they’re spending each week.
"We've all been there – I love scrolling on Instagram. I love seeing pictures of people's kids and what they're eating and the recipes and I'm a desperate one for scrolling in bed. But you could have 20 minutes lying in bed in the morning, or spend 20 minutes having a yoga stretch downstairs while the kettle is boiling for your coffee. There are ways; there is time. We just have to be more mindful about the time that we have."
2023 was a busy year for her, co-hosting the Rose of Tralee with Dáithí Ó Sé and a new show, My Body Fix (she also has a fitness holiday business, Pure Results, which had to go online during Covid but is now back up and running, offering Irish and international retreats). Is 2024 set to be similarly busy? "I hope so," she says. "I had a great year taking on two new projects and I just loved it. Getting back into live television again, working with Dáithí on the Rose Tralee was amazing."
Ask Kathryn what wellness means to her and she cites being surrounded by family and friends, and spending time outdoors every day. Finding the space in the day to have some fun is also important.
"I read a quote recently on Instagram saying that babies and toddlers on average laugh 400 times a day, and for adults it's less than 10. Oh my God, that’s so powerful; it stopped me in my tracks. I hear our two children here and the laughter that comes out of the two of them on a daily basis is brilliant. I think we need to remember to laugh more and that does really improve your wellness. Considering the world we live in right now – Gaza and Ukraine and climate change – you can feel heavy in your heart. We’ve got to find pockets of happiness wherever we can, on a daily basis."
Kathryn’s tips for a healthier, happier 2024
1. Spend less time comparing yourself to everyone else on social media.
We can get stuck into that compare-and despair mode. I think the secret here is to find what you actually love to do and write it down, or vocalise it to your family and friends and really drill down to what makes you happy, whether it’s going for a drive, dinner with friends or gardening.
2. Reconnect with people and connect with people in your life that make you feel good, strong and happy
I feel like I haven’t seen anybody in the last two years and it’s really difficult when you’ve got young children. So, next Saturday night, I’m going out with three of my primary school friends from Carlow, who I’ve grown up with, but probably see them once a year now or every 18 months.
3. Try new things and find what you love
If you don't like running, don't run. If you've tried it and you haven't got the bug that everyone talks about, maybe try a hip hop class. Join a hiking group. Figure out, do you like to exercise alone? Do you like to exercise in a group? There are twerking classes that I found in Dublin city centre. There's boxercise; there's kickboxing; there's ballroom dancing. Do something that's fun, something that makes you happy and that gets your body moving.
