I am a member of TOPS ON#302. We are a smallish club, but pretty successful. Currently we have 16 members, 6 of whom have achieved KOPS status and kept it for over a year.
I would love to hear from other TOPS members, to compare notes, share accomplishments, bemoan difficulties etc. Cheer!~
I'm a member (and co-leader) of TOPS GA #373. We are a big group with about 45 TOPS and 17 KOPS. Actively about half those numbers show up week after week, which still makes a good size group every week.
I love my TOPS group because the encouragement and accountability it gives me. One of the main reasons I ran for co-leader was to force me to show up every week and get on that scale. And even though I have gone through a lot of personal issues over this last year that have kept the scale from moving, my TOPS and KOPS pals have continued with their support. Now that I'm losing again they are my biggest cheerleaders.
@Dennise, I think meeting during the day would be tough. Our weigh-in starts at 5:45 and the meeting starts at 7pm. This seems to work very well so people who have to work can come.
I've been members of other groups, but I just recently joined this one after a two year absence (doing it on my own, didn't turn out so well, although I did manage to lose a little some, I know I'll lose better in a group).
We have 30 members, but only about 20 show up on a regular basis (some are snowbirds and during the winter attend groups in their vacation home areas).
We have a "dime contest" every week. Everyone contributes a dime, and the biggest loser that week gets the prize. I like that better than getting the weight gain fines other groups I've been in used to pay the biggest loser. It always felt like benefitting from others' misfortune (although you could really rake in the dough, if you lost weight during the holidays). I was once in a group in IL, in which I took home more than $20 the week after Christmas (and I think I only lost two pounds that week). The fine was a dime per pound, and it was a pretty big group. I think the average gain was 5 lbs, if I remember right.
Didn't know about this... just googled and there is a meeting every monday 6 miles away. I sent an email to see if I could try on Monday. thanks! I am trying to use every resource I can find!
Hey I like that dime contest idea! I will have to present that to the group. For our biggest losers of the week we have this groovy song they get to listen to us sing to them, while they were a faux diamond tiara. They also get a ribbon. Eight ribbons add up to one charm. We do put money in a jar for if we gain weight and that money is divided up between the monthly best loser and the SRD fund.
And if there is no local meeting or no meeting that meets when you can go, or you don't like the group(s) near you, it only takes 4 members to start a chapter.
I've met a lot of people (some former Weight Watcher's members who preferred the WW format), who for some reason didn't like their local TOPS group (ranging from "everyone's too old," to people weren't friendly enough, or were "too friendly"...).
When people tell me that, I say "why don't you start your own group then, because most of the rules are determined by the group members voting on it."-
If you want a different kind of TOPS group, you only have to find three other people who agree with you on what type of group you want.
There are three TOPS meetings within 20 minutes of our house, and each one has a different feel to the group. One does a lot of contests (almost too many to keep track). One barely even has a meeting at all (just weigh-in and a few minutes of chatting). I picked the group "in the middle."
The group I'm in now, also does a mystery auction every month. Everyone who wants to participates brings in a wrapped prize with a "clue" as to the contents and then members bid on the prizes (about $1 to $5 seems to be the winning bid for most). Because of this auction, the prizes tend to be a little larger. For example each month if you did not have a gain and did not miss a meeting, you split $10 with whoever has done the same. They have something similar at the end of the year, and the prize is larger (up to $21.00 I think).
Calling TOPS members
