As the title states, I am thinking about joining TOPS. There are a few things I would like to know before I do so:

1) What are the fees?
2) Can you bring a child to the meetings?
3) Does TOPS have some sort of "lifetime membership", so that when you reach your goal weight you can continue going for free?
4) Can you attend a TOPS meeting somewhere else if you are going on vacation?
5) What kinds of things are discussed during the meetings?
6) Is there some type of award system for losing 5,10,15,20,..etc. pounds?

Thanks in advance for answering my questions .

Yearly membership is $24
Kids are discouraged from meetings I think, someone help there please
Yes, your membership is ongoing, from Tops ( Take off Pounds Sensibly to Kops.. Keep off Pounds sensibly)
Yes, you can get a travel sheet to use while you are away
We discuss all weight issues... and all kinds of things.. since we dont have a "paid" lecturer, take turns giving programs and discussing new trends and diets out there...
There is a ongoing award system t hat I feel is one of the best, on a club, area, state, international level
If you want more info... just check out Tops.Org

Hi UF. I see that India answered your questions. She is correct that children are discourged from meetings. TOPS does have a teen divison if your children are at that age and would be interested in attending the meetings and being TOPS members.

I do know of one chapter that has a 7 year old boy who is a member. He is overweight and his mom is also a TOPS member. I think this is a special circumstance and if you have something like that your Area Captain could help you. You can contact your Area Captain or Coordinator through the TOPS website which is www.tops.org. Once you are on the site go to the location finder and put in your zip code it will bring up where the local meetings are and it usually has a link to the AC or Coordinator's email.

TOPS is a great Weight Loss Support group that has been around for 58 years. It has lasted the test of time because it really does work for people.

Susie

Children are "discouraged" as in you absolutely cannot bring them under any circumstances? I am a single mother of a daughter whom will be 2 at the end of March. I am a full-time student at the University of Florida with a tight budget (obviously). Since the meeting is at night she will not be able to go to the daycare at that time and I cannot afford to pay a babysitter $10/hour to watch her. I find this odd because Weight Watchers allows for you to bring children.
I was thinking about joining TOPS due to the fact that the membership fees are cheap, but I guess I will just pay more and go to Weight Watchers. That is really dissapointing, because I have heard that it is more "one on one" interaction with eachother, rather than at WW where the leader just talks.
Thanks for answering my questions .

Hi UFsenior,
Some chapters in Florida allows children to attend. Ours allows children. We have one young mother that brings her toddler and he has not been a problem. Get in touch with TOPS and they can tell you who to call to find out which chapters allow children. Our coordinator keeps our by-laws on file and can look it up or TOPS can give you the names of local chapters that you can call and check it out.
TOPS ph: 1-800-932-8677 or www.TOPS.org.
Tops is a great organization and I hope you can find a local chapter that will work for you. Good luck and let us know how you do.

((((((Big Tops Hug)))))

Nita

TOPS "discourages" children attending meetings only because they are so often disruptive, but every chapter also has its own level of tolerance on such issues, so before you go tossing TOPS out the window, I would suggest speaking with the leader of any chapter you were thinking of joining I know we once had a woman bring her son (I would think he was maybe 5?), and he would NOT stop talking and running around and just being a huge distraction all around, so we have not had good experiences with children in the past. Does WW have some sort of childcare available during meetings? I would think that with as much as they charge, they would be able to hire a babysitter during meetings in areas where it is necessary.

Actually, TOPS meetings aren't very long, and I'm sure you could find a babysitter for 2-3 hours on a weeknight for less than $10 per hour on a college campus (think nursing students, elementary ed students, friends from classes...), and at only $24 a year for membership to TOPS, I would think it might STILL be cheaper to pay for a babysitter than to join WW

The reason that the membership fees are so much less than other major groups is that it is a non-profit organization. As such, all of your coordinators and chapter leaders and board members are volunteers, not paid like at WW, LAWL, JC, etc. Other than maybe their "The Choice Is Mine" book (which is very reasonably priced), TOPS will not try to sell you a bunch of overpriced food or unnecessary gadgets and whatnot.

Does WW allow you to attend one meeting without joining just to try it out? If so, might I suggest attending a WW meeting and a TOPS meeting each before joining (I know TOPS allows this) to see which you prefer? That way, you could also sort of test run the group with the child and see how your daughter behaves and how other members react, that sort of thing.

Good Advice Jilly.... and I hope you find a way to join Tops... India

Thanks, Jill and Nita. I really appreciate it. I will definately give them a call and find out. Jill, that is a good idea to test both of them out.

I have 4 children. I recently joined tops and I have brought my youngest who is only now 7 months. Of course, she was a quiet baby, not fussy, and I now feel comfortable leaving her with her papa for an hour or so while I do the weekly meeting. I think that many groups would be okay with it if it was a well behaved child. I hope that you can find a solution to fit your and your childs needs.

My TOPS group is small - only 5 members - and I think smaller groups would be more flexible in regards to some of the encouraged/discouraged behaviors expected of TOPS groups. I hope you find a solution that works! TOPS is a wonderful program.