I wanted to ask everyone posting here what your ages are(if you don't mind). I ask this because I am in a TOPS group and they are all quite a bit older than myself. I am the youngest there, and I myself will be 33 in February.
Those in your groups, do their ages range or do you find that they are mostly older?
I just find that because the women in my group are older that I don't have that push(motivation) to try harder.
HI.. To answer your question... yes, I think Tops does appeal to older ladies more....But we have younger women in our group and they add a lot of sparkle and energy to the group.... We sure can learn from each other
I am 57 yrs old, and there are lots older than me in our group... the officers in my group all seem to fall in the 50s range.. the older ladies seem comfortable with that arrangement.
I hope you remain in your g roup and work on getting younger people to join Tops ... so Have a wonderful day... India
Since I live in Florida we have a lot of retirees so we have a lot of older people. I will be 60 next March. I have ladies from their early thirties to several lively ones in theeir 80's. We also had one man in his sixties. We love having young people but most don't stay long.
I'm only 23, and this is definitely a major downfall I have with my TOPS group as well. I know I can still learn form the older and wiser members, but honestly, through all of the research and reading I have done myself, I feel that I know more about dieting than any of the older members! I also feel that a lot o what they discuss is not very helpful to me (i.e., discussions about diabetes, osteoporosis, walking the isles of the grocery store as exercise, etc.). I don't mean to say that they aren't helpful at all, but such a generation gap is extremely noticable. I don't want to pay to go to a "younger" group like WW or anything, but I don't think I'm getting the support I need with my current TOPS group.
On a brighter note, I have found someone who lives near me who posted an ad on Craigslist (check it out at craigslist.org--lots of cool stuff if it's popular in your area) for a diet/workout buddy. She said a few other girls had responded as well, all aged 18-26, so we may be starting our own little weight loss group. I've considered the possiblity of starting our own TOPS chapter, but then I think most of the members joining would be older as well, and we'd like to keep it to our own age group for a while. I think we'd all also be more comfortable with women only.
Hello,
I'm 40 (a very young 40!) and when I joined my TOPS group I too was one of the youngest person there.
When I joined the group, it was really a social club, but once I got to loosing my weight the group started getting excited and they started loosing too.
Also, because people see that I'm losing weight, they ask me how I did it and I tell them about TOPS and encourge them to join (these are both older and younger people). Our chapter has really grown because of the weight loss our group is showing (both the younger ones and the older ones).
I get my motivation by helping others so maybe if you talk to these ladies and tell them you need their support (they were once young and remember how they struggled to get their weight down) I bet you will find the support you need and as they support you and you lose weight, they will be motivated to as well.
We have one lady in our group who had been in the club (this time) for 3 years and hadn't lost any weight, after I joined, and started loosing, she started getting busy as well and she is 2 lbs away from a 100 lb loss! She's passed me up!! Talk about being motivated! I told her I'm joining that Century Club next year with her.
I hope this helps you...and remember, we are all here on the board for you as well.
Most of the members in our group are older, but we have a few younger women. We have 2 men, both retired. We have one girl who just announced that she is expecting a new baby.
And Susie, you are right. One person can influence the others. We have one woman that joined last summer. Her goal was to lose 55 lbs. by her 55th birthday, which is the first of Feb., without having any gains. She now has 28weeks without a gain and only a few pounds from her goal. Her excitment has motivated the others and we are ending the year with a good weight loss average.
My group has five members. One is a retirement-aged woman, I'm 35, and the other three are 40-somethings. I have a feeling we're one of the younger groups in our area.
Hi... I think Susie has a point, I get motivated helping others too.... being co-leader, I get to do many different things and fill in for the other officers when they are away. Which reminds me, I am going to have a busy winter with several of the ladies going south and surgeries.......
Is everyone ready for the influx of new members?? Seems we get quite a few right in the beginning of the year....I have been making new folders and making copies of the sheets we hand out with them...
I weigh in tonite and am excited about the new year....hope you are too!!!
Just wanted to get my input in. I will be 72 in March and I am by no means the olderst in our chapter nor am I any where near the youngest. Our groups age range from 15 to 90. We have 10 KOPS and 21 Tops members. The Kops are in all ranges of age. We are very active and when we plan a fund raiser or are in charge of an ARD, most members participate in some way.
I understand that that if the entire chapter is not motivated it can be a problem. Maybe if you started a contest that would get everyone involved it would help. We vary our programs it include all age groups.
We haven't done as well this year as last, but we have had a few new members in the past few months. A lot of our members meet and walk together each morning. Another group joined an exercise group and meet there at least three times a week.
If you can't get something going, you could talk to your AC about starting a new chapter. Sometimes, members use it as a social hour and are not really trying to lose weight. I have been in a chapter like that, and it is very discouraging.
I hope you find a solution soon and are on your way to a successful New Year. Whatever, don't get discouraged, remember that the motivation has to come from within. But encouragement and enthusium from others sure helps.
And this is a great place to get those two things. Remember, we all care!
Wanda
I recently decided to rejoin tops. I will be 25 tomorrow. I joined about a year and a half ago but most of the people were quite a bit older..maybe 60's, and up. They were really nice but I thought that they maybe were inaccurate in some of their nutritional topics spoken about at meetings..and I had to drive too long to get there, timing was bad..then I got pregnant again and my weight loss goals went to the back burner. Now I am back..wishing I had stayed at tops. I am 50 pounds heavier than what I was when I wanted to lose weight before..I can't help but wonder if I had stayed if I would have had the support to make healthier choices through the pregnancy and postpartum(?). In any case, we have since relocated to the other end of Indiana and I decided to check out tops where I live. The women I met were just full of support and motivation. I felt like it clicked..and they are older (mostly 30's and up maybe?) But it just feels like a better fit for me this time. I think that maybe tops doesn't have as many younger members because it isn't in the advertising with glitz like weight watchers, la weight loss, etc. (maybe?) And also, it isn't a diet plan, it is a support group.. so I don't know. I think that tops is right for me; I thrive on the motivation and support.
Welcome Jenni... There are some nice ladies right here on the boards.. I wish you success with your weight loss.. and congrats on the new baby.....I have been in Tops about 5 y rs.... I am hoping to make my goal some time this year.... India
I am the youngest by many many years...I am the only one still menstruating We have members 50+ years older than me!
heheh, I had never really thought about that! No wonder most of the members don't have a "monthly" fluctuation like I do...I think I'm probably the only one in my group who is as well (though there are a few other younger members who do not attend meeting regularly).
Actually, I haven't been to a meeting since I think the first week of December, and I don't plan on going tonight, either. I am way up in weight from the holidays, and I know that facing that scale and the group will only do me more harm mentally than good. I would rather wait until I get the holiday weight off (and it is a lot--like 10 pounds!). Being embarassed with the group will not help my self-esteem or motivation at all.
We also have a very large percentage of KOPS members (I want to say something like 12 KOPS on a roster of 30-35 members). We even have the longest-standing KOPS member in the state (she's been a KOPS for something like over 30 years!). The ladies are all extremely sweet and try very much to be helpful, but I just don't think they are a group that can help me anymore. I found someone who is only 2 years younger than me and weighs only about 10 pounds less than me through Craigslist, and we are going to start a small group of ladies who get together every other week. She and I also live so close that we will also probably get together a few times a week for exercising together. I think this may be more hlpful than my current TOPS group
An age question....
Just wanted to get my input in. I will be 72 in March and I am by no means the olderst in our chapter nor am I any where near the youngest. Our groups age range from 15 to 90. We have 10 KOPS and 21 Tops members. The Kops are in all ranges of age. We are very active and when we plan a fund raiser or are in charge of an ARD, most members participate in some way. 
is a great place to get those two things. Remember, we all care!
We have members 50+ years older than me!
