Adrian gets taste for life again as he smashed weight loss goal three weeks early

Edenderry Operation Transformation leader Adrian Brereton is looking forward to getting into the swimming pool with his children on their next summer holiday after galloping to his target weight on the RTÉ programme three weeks early. After starting the programme weighing 18 stone 11 pounds Adrian's weigh in last Monday revealed a weekly weight loss of five and a half pounds, bringing his total weight loss to 1 stone 12 pounds and leaving him bang on his target weight for the show of 16 stone 13 pounds. Keen to continue, Adrian said he's hoping now to break the 16 stone barrier by the time the show ends on February 22. Happily talking this week about his journey so far, Adrian said he quickly got used to his new healthy diet and now it's a way of life. "I've got no more cravings," he said, adding that if he has some chocolate in the future it'll be to savour the taste and not to fill a hunger. "The way of life is totally changing," he said. "At the moment now there's a great balance; it's sustainable. Before when I tried to lose weight I actually starved myself," he continued, "but now I'm losing the weight and I'm relaxed about it." A healthy diet is now normal for the Brereton family, and Adrian's wife Anna has herself lost over a stone since following the diet plan with her husband. Exercise has also played a big part in Adrian's success story, with up to 300 locals meeting twice weekly for an hour long walk around the town. That won't change once Operation Transformation is over either Adrian says, as a walking group is currently being formed in the town. Adrian has also gone back swimming, something embarrassment stopped him from doing for the past decade. Last year he took a holiday in Spain with his family for example, and though there was a lovely big pool he made an excuse as to why he couldn't get in every day. As Adrian describes it, it now has "the taste of life back", and it's for keeps. The show's end on February 22 is just the closing of a chapter for Adrian, who intends to keep up his new found healthy lifestyle. First though, there are plans for a big party. The local GAA club has given over its hall on February 24 and Adrian and friends are planning a big celebration for the whole community. He's also looking forward to being the Grand Marshall of Edenderry's first St Patrick's Day Parade in March and is hoping to join Niall Murphy from Rhode on the last 10km of his 100km charity run for autism on April 1. Ahead of that, Adrian said he'll be looking forward to this year's family holiday and this time joining his children in the pool.