O'Briens Fat Boys & Ladybirds

This group within our community certainly has an unusual name so we tracked down Mark Swaine and Peter Byrne at O'Briens Johnstown to explain more.

What’s the group about?

"Originally 28 local lads from the bar got together in Jan 2016 and we decide to see if we could all lose some weight. We discovered that Operation Transformation was coming up and within a matter of a few days we were all registered.

There was the extra challenge of doing this without having to give up all the social pints at O’Briens Bar Johnstown.

Hence the name “O’Brien’s Fat Boys Club”.

Did it work?

"By the end of the 10 week challenge we’d lost more than 35 stone in weight between us and we continued to meet up for the regular Friday evening drink. Over the 10 weeks we all did an awful lot more exercise like walking, runnings or the gym together with watching what we ate.

Weigh-ins at the pub were very strict and formal affairs so we were focused and the group of friends would give us the 'verbal motivation' we needed. It was a huge success."

Every final weigh-in is a cause for celebration.

How did it turn into a fundraising event?

"As part of the incentive to keep going we each put €5 into the pot and an extra €5 if we hadn’t lost weight at the weekly weigh in. RTE got involved in our journey and featured us many times on the programme and on various radio interviews and the local paper too.

January 2016 Meath Chronicle.

"The owners of the pub (Natalie & Noel) were behind us all the way and contribute hugely to our fundraising."

Operation Transformation

"By the end we’d lost both weight and raised money and together with sponsorship from business’, friends and family we donated €4,500 to the Allanna Russell Fund. "

Where do the “Ladybirds” come into it?

"We enjoyed the social side of our efforts, endured the fitness regime and decided we should perused the ladies to take part for the month of May."

"The ladies were challenged to lose a pound a week which got the name “May Madness” and we added to our group name to become “O’Brien’s Fat Boys and Ladybirds”.

"We've had a few weight loss challenges: 'Fat Boys v's Ladybirds' and also the 'The Revenge Challenge'."

O'Briens Fat Boys & LadybirdsRTE1 Operation Transformation. The Fat Boys & the Ladybirds

Is the weight loss group still active?

"Yes and we have run about 5 weight loss sessions over the last 14 months involving around 60 people from the community and raised over €12.000 which has all gone to local charities. We also lost over 76 stone as well."

"Our next weight loss session is not planned at the moment but will happen shortly. We have a great bit of craic and banter during the weight loss programs and raise a lot of funds for our local charities. Our final weigh in nights are where the big money is raised with good cabaret and raffles. There is lots of pictures on Facebook."

Some of our charities that have received monies include:

Team Allanna
Navan Soup Kitchen
Meath Fire Blazers
Cystic Fibroses
Multiple Sclerosis
CRMF
St Marys school for special needs
Navan Women’s refuge
Cancer Care (night nurses)
Down Syndrome

Crumlin Hospital Donation

Fire Blazers Donation

Team Allanna Donation

How do you pick a Charity?

"Usually someone in the group knows someone local and we're a close community so we're very willing to help."

"The last weight loss and fundraising session had 58 locals complete the course to raise over €2,300 and which O'Briens topped up to allow us to split the money between 4 worthy causes."

Have you taken part in other events?

"We recently became the largest group to register with the Navan, Darkness Into Light run for Pieta House. They came to O'Briens for the registration since there were so many of us taking part."