I think that I've been fooling myself to think I can be antisocial and do this alone. TOPS is the most attractive group to me as I like to follow my own plan. What can I expect when I attend a meeting?

Hi there. If you look at sticky threads at the top you will see one that says TOPS. Check it out as it will tell you about what to expect.Plus you can go to wed site www.tops.org
TOPS is a very good organization.It is not impossible to lose on your own but a good support group and the accountbilty of weighing in each week helps enormously. All TOPS groups are similar. Some do more singing and skits and some are more low keyed. But you will be getting support and info to help you on your weight loss. First visit is free so do check one out. The cost does go up Jan to I believe $24 a year.

Thank you. I went to the TOPS site and found out there a meeting in the same building where I work out. Yippee.

Great

CrazyChubbyBeautiful...I don't write in here much anymore, because I just don't have the time. I do keep up with posting my weight loss on the challenge boards. And I do hope to be able to come in more often when the weather gets colder. I want to encourage you join Tops and to go into that meeting with your mind made up to get evolved with helping in the meetings. What ever you can do. It won't take long for you to figure out just how everything works. Our meeting has a person give a program every week by a member. A lot of members won't do that but it's a great deal of help to those who are officers as it's not fair to pile everything off on them. I also wanted to tell you that I was almost hopeless in losing my weight and it just kept going up up up. I went to tops very reluctantly the last meeting of March and weighed in at 310 3/4 pounds. My highest weight ever! That pour pitiful person that weighed in that night now weighs 267. I'm very evolved and I go to every meeting, I haven't missed one. I haven't had a gain but I did Turtle one time. I make calendars each month for all the members, I make the charts used at Fun day and I make the certificates for the best loser. It keeps my mind focused on what is a head of me. I've done one program a month and the last one really helped me!! I think I got it off this site and it was about Commitments and why some of us fail and some of us succeeds. I was a person that backed the car out of the drive way to get the mail because I couldn't walk 100 feet without pain. After I gave that program I figured out that I needed to listen to what it said. I started walking every mooring. I started with 1/10 mile in pain. I done that for a week and it got better. Week before last I started walking 4/10ths of a mile. I done that for 2 weeks, this week I'm walking 6/10ths. I will walk that for 3 weeks. Then 8/10ths and then a mile. Right now that is all I'm aiming for, but who knows maybe I'll be able to walk 2 someday. Six weeks ago no one could have made me believe that. The one thing I got from that program was that, "People who messes up on their plan and considers it a stumble, gets back on plan." Other people who stumble considers it a failure and gives up. Don't ever give up. Good luck. Sorry this is so long. Belle

Belle You are the kind of member that leaders dream about. We never have enough people willing to help.I must say my members now are pretty good and they do help me.But there have been times when I was trying to do it all because no one else could or would.

Hi there!

Just wanted to say that I just joined TOPS about three weeks ago and I really like it. It is very reasonably priced and can fit into just about anyone's budget. The people in my group are mostly older folks (I'm 28 and by *FAR* the youngest), but they are all super nice and very supportive. I have to admit I was a little skeptical of the pledge and the songs and such at first...but the other day when I really wanted to eat, I thought "You know what? I *AM* an intelligent person and I *WON"T* eat to satisfy my frustrated desires." (This is part of the pledge, btw.) So I am a believer. I really like it and for me, just knowing that i am going there every week to focus on making better choices and going to have to be accountable for my weight to a group of non-judgemental, totally supportive people is exactly whatI need.

I hear ya, Becky--I'm 23 years old and definitely the youngest in my TOPS group! We have a few members in their 30s, I believe, but mostly older women. Of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that because some of our older members have been going for years and are, therefore, our most enthusiastic and involved! Seeing how great some of them have done over their years with TOPS can also be very inspiring. we currently have 2 KOPS members in our chapter (after going a LONG time without any at all), and hearing them say their pledge is also very inspiring (even though it's not very different from the normal pledge, it's inspiring to hear just those 2 successful women saying it).

I hear a lot about singing--we definitely don't sing anything at our chapter. We have our opening pledge and the closing Helping Hands pledge, and that's it. I may be switching to a new chapter in October, as I am moving. I'm nervous to switch--like I said, my current group has some really enthusiastic and caring members, and I have been in a group before where everyone doesn't seem very interested in the group, ya know? I hope a new group closer to where I live will still be as welcoming and enthusiastic as my current group. Of course, where I'm moving, there are multiple groups nearby, so I can visit a few of them and get a feel for which group seems like the best fit for me--one of the few good things about living in such a densely populated area!