I discovered they have a chapter in the town where I live, and it looks like the annual fee is only $24, according to the website. I love 3FC, and if I had to make a choice, I'd take 24-hour-a-day support over in-person support, but I think it might be kind of nice to have both. Any thoughts or experiences with TOPS?
I would like to hear more on TOPS too. My grandmother was part of a TOPS group back in the 80's. When someone gained weight the group used to "oink" at them. I strongly suspect this was an odd behavior of this one group, since they were an odd group to begin with. After each and every TOPS meeting the whole group went to the local pizza place for a buffet.
After all that I want to hear some positive things about TOPS. Their website seems pretty positive.
From what I've heard TOPS is can be a pretty good group. But, the thing I didn't like about it is that you have to announce to the class whether you've gained or lost that week. That method seems like motivation by humiliation and it doesn't work for me.
I was a TOPS member about 10 years ago. The chapters do charge weekly fees (determined by the chapter) in addition to the annual membership. When I was a member the annual fee was $19, and the group I belonged to charged $2 per week. I joined another group and their weekly fee was $3.
In the one group we did go through and say whether we lost or gained (though whether we shared how much was up to us), and in the other group, we were asked if anyone wanted to share their progress that week, and only those that wanted to share did. After someone shared a gain, everyone was very supportive. In fact, I think we all said something together like "don't give up, next week will be better," or something sort of like that.
I have been a member of TOPS at different times in my life. I just joined the local chapter here three weeks ago. I have a meeting tonight and am fairly sure that because of TOM I will either see a gain or a turtle. Turtle is what they call it when your weight stays the same as the week before.
TOPS can be a great support system or it can be a nice little social group that uses the meetings as an excuse to eat afterwards. The one I went to in Florida was the latter kind. I somehow became the weight recorder when ours had an unfortunate heart attack. Once she came back I stayed as her helper. The leaders would all go out to eat afterwards and nothing on their plates was ever healthy.
This new TOPS doesn't appear to be much better. There are several severely overweight women with some serious health issues that have been there a very long time with no results to show. Some of the ladies are well into their senior years, who this is a total social outing and nothing more. I have yet to meet the leader or co-leader because of illness and vacations. Summer can be a stuff time for many so I'm holding off my judgments for now and just going with it.
At my first meeting I realized I had more nutritional knowledge then any of them and I had to hold my tongue big time. Let them get to know me first before I tell them what they are doing wrong.
Why do I go to TOPS then? Well, it all has to do with that weekly weigh-in for me. It keeps me honest and I need the accountability. My first week I dropped 3 1/2 pounds!! I bring home my little weigh-in book and show my Sweetie how I did that week. Before when I was weighing only at Curves and I had a bad week there was no one to stop me from fudging a little here or there about how I did.
TOPS does have some excellent chapters where members do lose weight and they do motivate each other. TOPS holds state and national recognition days that from what I've heard are tremendous fun. They have rewards for when you lose, such as, a charm bracelet with a new charm for every 10 lbs. Each club will have contest that can be fun and motivating.
TOPS is cheaper than anything else. There is no diet program to follow. Saying rather you gain or lose is no big deal. They won't make you feel bad if you gain and you never have to say how much. At this TOPS we just smile and say, "I'm so happy to be here." and everyone knows that means a gain. If you lose you want to announce that and get the praise.
Give it a try! We should start a TOPS support group here. I read a thread on the support forum for it but haven't seen anything done about it yet. Maybe I should do it!!
Thanks so much for the responses, especially the detailed one from Pita. They have a meeting tonight, so I think I'll pop in, though I doubt I'll stay if they have a weekly membership fee instead of just the annual one. I'm just that cheap. Actually, if I'm going to spend money on fitness, I'd rather purchase fitness equipment, etc. than spend that money on a support group. I'll let you know if I decide to go and how it goes.
Local chapters almost always charge some fee, for operating costs, because they don't get to keep much of the annual feel for the group. Usually groups do some additional fundraisers too (maybe a carwash or flower sale or something like that).
But, before you decide it's too expensive, find out a little more about the chapter. You'll be able to attend a meeting or two before you have to even decide whether you're going to join. I'm also cheap, but the groups I belonged to were so fun, I thought of the $2 or $3 meeting fee as a cheap evening out.
In one group, everyone who gained was asked to put in a dime for every lb we gained. In another group anyone who didn't lose, was asked to put in a quarter, and anyone who gained put in an additional nickel for each pound. Then, whoever lost the most weight that week got the kitty. The money from weekly dues went into the treasury and was used for fun things for the group. Every month someone volunteered to run a contest or game, and could run it for a single week or for the entire month. They were given $10 - $25 (from the dues collected) for prizes. Some of the games were simple (health fact bingo) or shower-type games with diet or exercise themes. Some were complicated (points for exercise, calorie counting, water, calling or writing a diet buddy...) over several weeks. Some were "team" based.
You didn't have to participate if you didn't want to, but it was really fun.
I won the kitty a few times, and one game where the prize was nearly $30. I was never "money ahead," but it was fun and cheaper fun than a night of bingo at the church hall.
kaplods is right about the need for the chapters to have weekly dues. My chapter is only $1.00 a week.
We have what is called the HaHa box. If you want you can put a quarter in the box and a slip of paper with your name on it. After the pledge and chapter business is done a name is drawn and if your name is picked and you have lost weight that week you get the money. If you didn't lose weight that week then the money just stays there and it can really add up.
There is another box for those that gain and for every pound we put in a nickel. It's not a big deal and they aren't going to kick you out if you forget or don't have the money that week. That money and the weekly dues goes to the treasure for supplies and prizes.
Last week I was the biggest winner and got to grab a prize out of the prize bag. I won a cute stuff teddy bear holding some not so bad smelling lotion and body wash. The gifts are cheap but it is the fun and motivation you get out of it that counts.
I belong to the local TOPS for the same reason as Pita. I like the weekly weigh in. We do say whether we lost or gained and how much. It doesn't bother me. Everyone is very supportive. We do have several older ladies I think it is more about them getting out of the house than losing weight. Our dues in $2.00 a month. I think if it was alittle more the older woman would drop out.
I went to Tops ten years ago with three friends. One of them raved about it, so the rest of us decided to go with her. Only one of us loved it besides the friend that recommended it- my best friend and I couldn't believe that this was a weight loss group. The two friends loved it, because everyone treated a weight gain or staying the same weight as a joke.
No one took it seriously, not even the very overweight leaders, which was a shocker in itself. I remember my third and last week, when I lost weight for the third week in a row- one rude and very sarcastic lady said something to the effect that "look at the new girl trying to show us all up already. Didn't take her long to make us all look bad!". I was so embarrassed, I never went back again. Embarrassed because I lost weight? Yes. My best friend didn't go back, as she was angry at the woman's comment, and the fact that the leaders didn't say something positive or encouraging to me to offset her rude comment. My other two friends went back for another month, but ended up stopping for their own reasons.
I don't know about any groups up here, but I can tell you, I still have a bad taste in my mouth from that experience. I know not all groups are like this and shouldn't judge all of them by one bad experience, but I just don't know if it would be worth trying again.
I have an distant older cousin of mine that did it. She had quite a bit to lose too. I think she lost 150 pounds doing TOPS. The next year when I saw her I didn't even recognize her. She had also quit smoking as well. Funny thing was as soon as she finished losing all her weight her identical twin sister joined, hehe. It kind of gave me comfort since my mom is an identical twin as well and at times they have weird competition vibes going on and it made me feel better that their behavior wasn't so weird after all. But like Pita said it really does depend on the chapter and whether its a good group of people that are really wanting to and doing the effort to lose weight. I had a bad experience at Weight Watchers in the old town I lived in and never went back since the group wasn't particularly nice to me. Plus counting points was just tedious for me. So you can have bad experiences with any group of any kind whether it be personality clashes or whatever. But it doesn't hurt to try! :-)
Steelslady, if that had happened to me I wouldn't have gone back either. That is just horrible!! I don't know what kind of reaction I will get from my TOPS group once they see me losing weight steadily. Hopefully it will be supportive and motivating for them.
My TOPS group charged $4/month, and a $20 annual fee. Each week, through incentives and drawings, you have a chance to earn up to $4 back. The group is only five members, so there's a good possibility that your fees will be "won" back.
We had a few games here and there, but our group never went out to eat afterwards. I have heard stories about that, though! Also, about 20 years ago I heard of one group honking a loud horn for every pound you gained. Eeep! I'm glad that doesn't happen anymore.
Our group was intimate enough that we all had a chance to chat about our lives, and usually went around and all answered a general question, something like: "what is your biggest challenge this week?" "what new thing are you going to try this week?" "what do you need to do to ensure success this week?" etc.
One of the groups I belonged to was mostly older ladies and they did go out to eat afterward. Some picked healthy, some didn't and you couldn't always tell who would do well the next week by what they ordered. One lady always ate like a sailor that night, but always lost (she used to joke that it was her one meal for the week) and another lady always ordered something that seemed pretty diet-unfriendly, but she ate about 1/4 of it, and took the rest home for her hubby so she "wouldn't have to cook for him," which pretty much tells you what generation she was from (she was about 78). Another would order just a salad or a bowl of soup, and I'm not sure if she lost more than 10 lbs the entire year and a half I was a member).
To be honest, though I never paid much attention to how much any one else lost, or how long it took for them to do it. Some people were more focused, some less, some people were more successful, some less... but that's true in any weight loss group.
The "atmosphere" of each TOPS groups is unique, and is based on the individuals in it. If there are several TOPS groups in your area, you might want to visit them all to see where you best fit in. We had one lady in our group who drove almost 90 miles each week, because she had started in our group and moved away. She had tried the groups in her new area, but she liked the old group better, so she kept coming. We had another lady who was a member of our group because she didn't like the group in her town, She had tried groups in surrounding towns until she found one she liked (not paying any fees until she decided), we were about 20 minutes from her home, and there were at least 3 groups closer to her.
This thread got me thinking about the fun I had in TOPS group, and the 60 lbs I lost in one, and hubby and I went last night. It was a lot of fun.
It is $24 a year for one person to joing, but for an additional family member only an additional $12. The monthly dues are $3 per month (the brochure said that the average for all TOPS groups is under $5).
If you are biggest loser 2 weeks in a row, you get a prize ($5 value), and select a $5 prize for the next contest (the club reimburses the $5). For every lb gained, you put in a dime into a can, and the biggest loser for the week, gets the kitty. This week it was double fines, so you had to put in .20 for each pound gained (they do double fines after each holiday, and after any week that the amount gained exceeded the amount lost. The biggest loser takes home the pot. (only 2 members gained with only 3 lbs between them, so the pot was only $1.20). They also do other contests and drawings.
Any thoughts on TOPS?
Turtle is what they call it when your weight stays the same as the week before. 
