Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 14 February 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children

Tackling Obesity: Discussion with Operation Transformation

11:20 am

Mr. Gregg Starr:

Let me answer Senator Coghlan's question on the one thing I would change if I were to go back in time. When I was in my mid-teens and especially between 18 and 20, I was not conscious of what I was eating. Many young men do a lot of sport and are active but do not use the weighing scales. The one change I would make would be to become conscious of what I am eating.

I hope I can pass on the message that if one is not ready to do exercise and diet, one should not do so. One's head must be in the right place. When I hit the 20-stone mark, I said I had enough and would change. I had believed I had tried eating correctly and exercising, but I was not putting my heart and soul into it. When one's heart, soul and brain are ready to change, one will change. That is the most important point for me.