TOPS convention

For the last 4 years, I've been in a weight-loss support group called TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). It's a non-profit, member-run group, and so it's a lot less expensive than other programs.

There are TOPS clubs all over the US & Canada and some other countries as well. The basic idea is a support group that knows what you're going thru, and it keeps you accountable to the club. Every week you weigh in, and if you have a loss or turtle (stay the same) you get applause. If you have a gain, the whole club says, "We're glad you're here."

Each TOPS chapter is part of an "area" which is in the state, which is in the country. Whenever someone reaches their goal weight, they become a KOPS (Keep Off Pounds Sensibly). I joined in March and I became a KOPS that December with a loss of about 40 lbs. I have maintained my KOPS status ever since. That's something pretty amazing to me, since every other time I tried to lose weight, I'd put it back on once the "diet" was over and I'd reached my goal. The difference here is that I'm expected to continue to come to the meetings, weigh in, and support the other TOPS members by being an example of what TOPS can do.

Each chapter gets to crown their KOPS with the most weight lost to goal as a queen or king. Those chapter royalty go on to more or less compete with Area royalty, which go on to compete for State Royalty, and to International Royalty.

The convention I just attended was to crown Oregon's new State King & Queen. Kings usually don't have the same competition as queens. TOPS clubs are mostly women. The men that join are often there to support their wives. The queen this year had lost over a hundred pounds to goal. The king had lost about 65, if I recall.

In any case, it was a fun convention for the most part. On the final day, all the KOPS get a chance to be announced by name and go onstage, by the amount of years they've stayed KOPS. The first group is the new KOPS from this year, ending with the new queen. The next group is the one year KOPS (with the last year's queen) etc. I'm a 3-year KOPS. The longest standing KOPS at this convention had kept her goal weight for 41 years. There were motivational speakers, as well as skits and songs. The only bad thing was during a square-dance demonstration, an older gentleman had some kind of heart attack or something and had to have CPR - by the next day he was able to be in his own hospital room and no longer in ICU (we had actually thought he had died!), so we were happy he'd be okay.

I have a really great club. We play contests and do good programs to motivate ourselves to stick to our goals. Most meetings are pretty much filled with laughter, so it's a good time. I will keep going as long as I can. These are great friends who understand the struggles we all go through. Just because I've acheived my goal doesn't make it any easier. If anything, it's easier to have a pre-made diet to follow to lose weight. It's hard to make lifetime changes to keep the weight off.

Yeah, it may look a little silly to be all dressed fancy, but seriously, when do I get the chance to have complete strangers tell me what a great job I've done? It just motivates me to keep going to my meetings and continue supporting my friends.

:)


(the blue velvet dress is from Marieke, btw. The jewelry is from ebay $8.50 for earrings & necklace - whoo hoo! It showed up in the mail just as I was packing the car to go!)