Does TOPS operate outside the US? If not then unfortunately I would currently be about 3,268 miles away from my nearest meeting, though would get very fit swimming there.

If they are looking to get a foothold in the UK it seems that my area could be a useful launchpad, we have about 9 WW in a 3 mile square! It's a poor area and people can't travel much (car ownership for poor people here is about 4%) but also we are extremely parochial. Each block of 6 tenements has a different area name and community centre, it's quite odd. But even that said 9 WW is extreme! A healthy and enthusiastic person could run 2 a day all week long and not run out of clients. Though perhaps something that doesn't appear to come with a "magic bullet" might not take off. I know too many people who feel that joining WW will make them thin, as if they don't then have to go on and do anything else!!

TOPS doesn't "go" into areas, people have to start a chapter in their area if none exist (or if they just want to, as I understand it anyone, anywhere can start a charter as long as they have 4 members total). There are no clients, because tops isn't a business it's a non-profit organization, more like a church group or a hobby club. The people who get together are largely self-governing (within the guidelines of the umbrella organization), and decide upon their monthly dues, how they'll run their meetings, when and how long they'll meet...
Officers are voted in (every year) by the group's membership: Leader, Co-Leader, Treasurer, and Secretary (and the appointed positions of Weight Recorder and Assistant Weight recorder which if you only have 4 members, two of the officers would also be the weight recorders).


In addition to the USA and Canada, there are tops chapters in England and Germany. The England website is http://www.topspower.org/England/index.html


To start a chapter in your area, I think you'd only have to get 3 other people together and contact the nearest Regional Director/Coordinator or the Area Captain (they currently live in the USA, but their emails are listed as well as their phone numbers. I say currently, because if memberships in the UK reach a certain number, I'm sure Regional Directors and Area Captains will live in the areas they represent, as that's what's happened in the past when TOPS chapters are created in areas that currently don't have local leadership). This is the website, that lists their contact information.

http://www.topspower.org/England/contact.html

Also, something I did not know that I found while looking for UK chapters, you can belong to other weight loss organizations in addition to TOPS, so if you wanted to, you could belong TOPS and Weight Watcher's (or any other weight loss organization).

Unfortunately there is no way I could start this myself, I'm just about holding it together getting washed, dressed and fed each day, I can't take on new stuff.

I've been dealing with fibro for a long time, both my own and my mothers. For myself, I had plantar fasciitis when I was only 15 and weighed 130 pounds. Fibro is different for everybody - for me, I think its about my muscles "retaining memory" of injuries so to speak. My knees, my ankles, my back. They try to tell me weight loss will help that. They're all very big on that.

My decision to withhold further treatment is the best decision for me personally. I've seen many many doctors, tried many different meds, and not one has truly worked. I do not feel that my fibro is hindering my weight loss. In fact, being treated WAS hindering, bc many of the meds caused weight gain. I do take something for sleep help when I need it, and a pain pill to make a dent in things when I overdo it, but that's all I can and am willing to do for now.

Glad to hear honest feedback, since this is why I posed in the calorie counting forum and not the WW forum

Yes, to the made up system of points. I can see why some people might need this and why it might make it easier but I'm not one of those people. I've only been doing the calorie counting less than a week and I already love it more. I don't need anything other than the basic facts, not some churched up game of giving some foods more "weight" than others. The site I'm using now helps me keep track of my sodium, fat, carbs, and a lot more and I'm finding that very helpful.

I was curious about WW but it's not for me. I'd rather just count the calories. I also do a lot of weight lifting and I like to focus on certain grams of protein in my diet rather than just points. Just losing weight is one thing, but not enough for an athletic person like myself.

This isn't an anti WW thread at all, just the idea that not everyone likes the system. It isn't for everyone.

I just wanted to jump in here about the doctors all thinking everything is weight. I have a doctor like that and her harps on my all the time. I have hypertension and while at my weight it is harder to control, but when I weighed 135 I had to take very careful measures to control it. Same deal being heavier. So it is not all weight. My rail thin father was very hypertensive. So it is genetic for me, they don't seem to get that.

I never understood the whole points thing when really it is another way to control calories, so why not just "cut to the chase" and count calories. I don't understand the concept of "free food" either. I can certainly go over my calorie count for the day eat fruit!

I did WW a few years ago before I got pregnant with my son (who is 3.5). Actually a month after starting WW I found out I was pregnant and stopped going. So have that month long experience I can honestly say that WW is not for me, especially not since I have since lost almost 40lbs (But I have gained some back) counting calories.

My main problem with WW was that I was ALWAYS hungry! I ate good but allowed myself a little leeway on Friday evenings at dinner but I was still always hungry! When I went to calorie counting I never was. I then learned that based on the points i was given I was only eating like 1300 or so calories per day no wonder, when i went to calorie counting I lost all that weight on 1800 per day with 4-5x week exercise.

Bottom line is that it works for some but not for others! Just find what works best for you and stick to it

I think WW can be attractive to people who don't feel strong on their maths skills, equally the idea of measuring in cups rather than having to weigh things out, so if you can get 1 point for a cup of something it's easier than seeing calories per 100g (or whatever in US units) then weighing out 30g of it and having to divide and multiply. I easily and automatically do this in my head, but then my maths is strong and I can balance and juggle these big numbers. I know many people who just feel out of their depth as they start to go into calorie numbers.

What I don't understand is how many people have done WW and said it's so much better and easier because the points are in a book (I never found anything I regularly eat in the WW books!) but also because they don't have to weigh and measure and count things, just count points. I know it's a sense of perception, but if you are counting points then you are counting! But aside from "free" foods why on earth are people on WW not weighing and measuring? No wonder it doesn't seem to be working out for them if they are counting "chicken" as, let's say, 1 point (don't know the proper values) when it's 3 portions of chicken!

I don't know if I would call myself a "refugee" from WW - I've had success with both WW and CC.

I agree with the idea that WW appeals to ppl with weaker number skills, but it's not really a hard-and-fast rule. I attended WW@Work along with plenty of other science & technology people. Yes it can be an easier way to crunch numbers rather than trying to remember if I'm at 1235 or 1285 cals for the day. With CC I had to log. Not necessarily a bad thing, but with WW that wasn't necessarily the case (my choice, WW does encourage logging.)

I found that the skills I learned through WW meeting were what helped my success at CC. WW focuses more than "just" points - I thought I knew what a balanced diet looked like until I attended meetings.

Portion distortion is a danger to anyone on a diet, CC and WW alike. WW does encourage weighing and measuring. The core/simply filling/(new name?) method of WW does allow for 'eating until satisfied not full' but by far what I've seen is that WW members prefer the security of measuring. As to volume vs weight, one of the best tips I received was to start weighing, and I agree it's more accurate, and sometimes you get more than what the volume would have been. In the overall scheme though the difference between 30g of Cheerios v. 1c isn't going to be significant enough to really throw someone off.

The meetings made a huge difference for me, but when I only needed to list ~7 I went to CC for a change, and had success. After LO#2 is born, I'll be back at WW meetings as the group support was great for the larger amount I need to lose.

Hope this clarifies. Like other PP, I'm not putting CC or WW up or down over the other, just trying to clarify some things about WW for you. Whichever works for you, good luck!