By Keith Woodford
I’m going to tell you a little bit about TOPS.
TOPS is an organization founded by Esther Manz in 1948 at her kitchen table in Milwaukee, Wis., to help people lose weight.
Now there are thousands of chapters across the United States and Canada. I started the Kimball chapter in March 2006 and I’m very happy to still be a part of it.
TOPS is a support group. We don’t give out any diets or tell you what to eat. We stress portion control. You didn’t put the weight on overnight so you’re not going to lose it overnight.
We have weekly weigh-ins and they are done in private. The leader and the weight recorder are the only ones who see your weight, and they are sworn to secrecy.
Your weight is recorded and sent to TOPS headquarters at the end of the year to determine if you’re a weight-loss winner in one of nine divisions. If you lose 10 or more pounds for the year, you could be a division winner.
But everyone is awarded something since Esther Manz said weight loss is a tough job and everyone should be honored for any weight they’ve lost.
Biggest losers each year in every chapter, state, and at the national level are crowned queens and kings. One Kimball chapter member is a former Minnesota state king who has maintained his weight loss for 13 years. Five of the chapter’s nine members have achieved their weight loss goals and are keeping the weight off.
TOPS isn’t just for women. Two of the Kimball chapter members are men, and we’d like to have more. TOPS is sometimes called the poor person’s weight-loss program because it costs a fraction of the ones you see advertised on TV. The annual membership fee is $32 per year, and monthly dues are only $4.
If you want to know more about TOPS, join us at St. Anne’s Church any Thursday at 4:45 p.m. Just remember that you have to do the work, and we will be there to support you.
If you have other questions, call (320) 398-6118.