Quote:
Originally Posted by QuilterInVA
Do they actually have diets or are the just support groups? They sure don't have the success statistics of WW. Of course, WW is not a diet. It's behavioral modification leading to lifestyle changes that promote weight loss. When you look at comparisons of all the plans out there, WW is still #1 and now Dr. Oz has partnered with them.
Dr. Oz is very popular, and so is Weight Watcher's, no doubt the partnership will increase the popularity (and income) of both, and hopefully it will benefit a lot of people. But that doesn't change the fact that TOPS DOES actually have the success statistics of WW. That's the point of the research study. If by statistics you mean the percentage and degree of success. If you mean by number of members, then you're right Weight Watchers have had more members - but that's primarily because WW is a corporate entity that can attract more members through advertising. TOPS as a non-profit organization must rely on word-of-mouth. TOPS will never be able to compete number-wise with the advertising power of a mega-billion dollar company.
I read a book about 10 years ago, I believe it was The Unofficial Guide to Dieting Safely, that rated many different popular weight loss plans. The author rated WW marginally better than TOPS, but specifically noted that it was only because of the wider availability and visibility of Weight Watcher's. The author also pointed out that TOPS was open about it's success rate, whereas Weight Watcher's was not (and still is not). I have to get a copy of that book, because now that I mention it, I think that book cited research that also found TOPS and WW's success rates to be comparable (noting it was not research endorsed by WW, because WW doesn't give out it's success data).
TOPS has become affiliated with the Medical School of Wisconsin and both TOPS as an organization and the Medical School are very open about their results. Weight Watcher's isn't. They don't want you to know how many drop out (or why they do - I read in another study that the main reason given for dropping out of Weight Watcher's is the cost. As a result more people need to know there is a low-cost option).
As to whether TOPS has a diet (a lifestyle food plan) - yes it does, actually a couple (variations of exchange plan/calorie counting) but members are free to follow other healthy plans as well. The TOPS guidebook, "The Choice is Mine," an optional purchase (or you can usually borrow one from the chapter or a member) is chock-full of research-based information on weight loss, diet and exercise including nutrition information so a person can evaluate whether or not the diet they want to follow is healthy. It also details the exchange plan (based on the diabetic exchange plan that Weight Watcher's was based on until 1997 or 1998).
On the tops.org website, you can print off meal-cards (sort of like Richard Simmon's Deal-a-Meal Cards).
http://www.tops.org/TOPSTools/TOPSTo...ange_Cards.pdf
They've also developed a "Tops Diner" program of calorie counting (which as I understand it, you calculate calories/food groups as if they were cash. You print out the calorie cash
http://www.tops.org/TOPSTools/TOPSTo...s/D-018Wbw.pdf
and use the diner order pads as your food journal
http://www.tops.org/TOPSTools/TOPSTo...erOrderPad.pdf
The main author of book is Dr. Ahmed H Kissebah, M.D., PhD., who I believe is Head of the weight loss department of the Medical School of Wisconsin (I assume he still is, I haven't heard otherwise).
Weight Watcher's is a great program, but TOPS has the advantage of being affordable to virtually everyone (Some groups will even sponsor members unable to pay the $26 national dues, and will pay the dues out of the treasury). Weight Watcher's isn't affordable to everyone, especially in this economy. Many people just don't have the money, especially if they want to join with family members. TOPS, unlike WW provides a discount to family members in the same household. As part of membership, each member (or in the case of discounted memberships, each household) gets a nice monthly magazine newsletter with success stories, recipes, articles, and upcoming events. It's not as flashy as Weight Watcher's magazine, but it's very nice and included in everyone's membership. In TOPS the yearly dues are $26 for the first member, and half price to additional members in the household. Each pays their monthly dues which run from $2 to $5 per month in the midwest (and nationwide averages under $5). There are also ways to "win back" your expenses (for example I earned free dues in December, because in our group this year, anyone who had and maintained a loss for a month, earned the next month free).
Even if TOPS was less successful than WW (which the research suggests is not true), the incredible inexpense would still make it a viable choice for people who can't afford Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers isn't going to advertise that fact, and TOPS can't afford to, so people who've experienced it have to get the word out.