i had to leave tops this summer. i made some badly needed changes in my life. unfortunately, leaving tops had to be one of the changes. that was a change i didn't want to make. with some of the other changes i made, this left me with transportation problems. the problem would be in getting home from the meeting. i would have had to wait until the 3:00 bus. that's something i didn't want to do. none of the other members live near me so that wasn't an option. i did look at transferring to another chapter closer to where i live. however, the closest two chapters meet at night. i decided that i would buy a good digital scale and weigh myself at home on thursday mornings.

hey, don't worry about it, if it doesn't work for your schedule, it doesn't work. I bet you will do just as good with a home weigh-in. You can brag to everyone here how much you lost

I'm sorry to hear that! I know I thought about leaving for the same reasons - the commute was a slick sideroad from work and took me 5 minutes to get there ... until they tore up that road. Now it's a 20-minute drive. I decided to continue to go, though, because the meetings that are nearby don't work with my schedule.

I know that OA (Overeaters Anonymous) had online meetings for a while; I wonder if TOPS offers something like that. I hope you continue to post in the TOPS boards, though, and I certainly hope you continue to stay on track!

so far, i've been doing very well weighing myself at home. tops does have tops on-line. however, for a person who has been going to tops meetings to join that, you have to be out of tops for 1 year. i renewed my membership in march of this year when i was still going to the meetings. in march 2007, i will join tops on-line if i haven't gone back to my old chapter by then or transferred to another chapter. i will continue to post on all the tops message boards that i post on and all the tops yahoo groups that i belong to!

Ciecie... Sorry you cant attend meetings.. It really helps me in the long run... luckily, mine is here in town, also a night group as I work days... Keep going and following your program... India

the chapter i just left was the second chapter i belonged to. the first chapter i belonged to was in the town i lived in. that one folded. will re-join the chapter i just left when and if the city of jamestown ever gets the welcome center built. right now, the waiting area at the junction, where people wait to change buses, is outside. didn't mind it in the summer but in the winter, i decided to forget it!

Considering the amount of cold and snow we get in these parts cant say I blame you... I can walk to Tops in the summer but not in winter.... India

i check tops.org to see if a chapter has opened in mayville but none has.

Ciecie: You can start a chapter in your town if you don't have one. I think it only takes 3 people. Go back to the TOPS site and see what you can find out.

i know i could do that. however, i'm too chicken.

Aww Ciecie, I bet you would be great as a Tops leader.... I would check it out, it can start with just a couple of f riends, get the word out and go from there, if you dont want to lead, I bet a fr iend would... Im very shy and I have to tell you, I enjoy my job as co leader very much.. take care, India

thanks for the vote of confidence. i decided along time ago that there was no way that i was going to start a chapter here.

Yeah! Talk an unassuming buddy into being the leader.

That's a drag. I wish there were more inexpensive weight-loss support groups (that existed in real life - 3FC is an AWESOME online support community). The only other weight-loss group I know if is Overeaters Anonymous and HOW (its more rigorous counterpart). I joined HOW once and found that group to be very helpful, but it was too restrictive for me.

I have been to your t own, a very picturesque area, especially in the fall.... I stayed at Webbs Resort.. and ate at a diner next door, the food was very good.. definitely a local hangout.... never did eat at Webbs..... Where I am, the group was started some time ago and are quite a few members.... I have to admit, most of us are in the over 45 group and we dont get many men..... we had a young man last spring and he did awesome.... I hope he is still losing.....