A recent report by the World Health Organisation claimed that Ireland is now on course to become the most obese country in Europe.
The report projected that by 2030 over 85% of Irish adults will be classed as either overweight or obese. This puts Irish people at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.
This week, Bobby spoke to people who have been to the forefront of the fight against obesity and are helping people up and down the country shrink their waistlines. Yes, it's an Industry Review on the business of losing weight.
He was joined by Rita Fagan who is the Managing Director of Weight Watchers Ireland, Fiona Gratzer - the Managing Director of Unislim - and by Dave Kennedy, who is currently working a Slimming World Programme that has seen him lose more than seven stone.
Dave started by saying, "it was down to health problems that I had that made me think about slimming. I'd never used any sort of slimming regime before. When I found out I had high blood pressure, I decided to do something about it - and the best way to do it was to lose weight."
"For me, it's about a lifestyle change," he explained. "The one thing that struck me about Slimming World was that it's not about the diet as such, it's about how your mind changes - how you feel about food, how you change your attitude to food."
Rita pointed out, "we have people all the time coming in who have health issues. I think the important point there is being overweight is such a health issue - if you're not healthy you can't do anything else."
Describing the Weight Watchers approach, she says "when you come to a like-minded group, first of all you feel safe, and you get the motivation and skills and the knowledge of the entire group. I always say coming to Weight Watchers is like attending a masterclass."
Unislim, meanwhile, has 100 franchises across the country. "I'm very proud that Unislim is actually Irish," Fiona told Bobby. "It was founded in 1972 by my late father Brian and my mother Agnes."
She went on to explain the history and motivations behind the business, as well as what Unislim has to offer customers.
You can listen back to the full industry review via the podcast below:
