2010 State King

Frank Lieblang

TOPS® #AR 408,

21.75 Pounds to goal

I have been fighting the battle of the bulge since i was about 8 or 9 years old. We were WWII Refugees from Yugoslavia via Austria.  I was 7 years old when we came to the United States. At the dinner table my father used to say "EAT!, you have been starving all your life, NOW EAT!" SO I ATE and ATE.  My mother was a great cook and Germans cook rich food.

By the time I was 13 my weight ballooned to 245 pounds. As a teen I realized I needed to do something about this weight so I started to pump iron, and got my weight down  to 190 by the time I graduated from high school. After high school I joined the Army and was sent to Korea. In Korea my weight dropped to 175 (which was the lowest it has ever been in my adult life).

When my wife and I were married in 1993, I was around 210 and going up. She is a good cook and we both love to eat. In 2003, I retired and in 2004 we moved to Arkansas from California, by this time I was again a robust 230 pounds. My wife has been a Diabetic for many years (both of her parents were) and her sugar and weight were going out of control. For help she joined TOPS in 2006.  She tried to get me to join, you know us men, WE DON'T NEED TO JOIN! RIGHT!  As she was doing better, I was gaining.  I hhit that magic number, 245 pounds at 5'8" so last year (2010) I started to listen to her.  I think my biggest problem wasn't what I was eating but how much I was eating and eating it too fast.  We both started portion control and eating more whole grains, more fruits and vegetables and less fatty meats, absolutely no processed meats.  We now go to the gym three times a week.  I dropped about 20 more pounds.

I figured since I was getting the benefits of TOPS I should join it.  Since I joined I got down to my goal weight and am  now a KOPS and my wife has lost about 30 pounds and is almost a KOPS

This is my ongoing "battle of my bulge!"

  Frank Leiblang

2010 State Queen

Karen Fritchie

TOPS® #AR 169, Paris

118 Pounds to goal

How do I begin to write a short story about my weight loss with TOPS? TOPS has been part of my life for a long time, I could write a book. Do I tell about the time I wore 5 pairs of jeans to club with a size 28 on top and size 16 on the bottom to show the ladies how far I have come? At that time I had to lay on the bed to get the zipper closed and was hoping I wouldn't have to pee before I got them all off!  Do I tell how I went from a size 28 to a size 14?

I have tried the exercise gyms, cabbage soup diets, banana diets, eat all the pork skids and fat diets (with that one I ended dup with gall bladder surgery) you name it and I tried it!  Yes, some of the diets worked for a little while, but I always gained the weight back plus some. I tried the Weight Watchers program and it worked too as long as I went each week and paid the fees. It was a good program, but I found it too expensive for my budget.

I owe all of my weight loss to TOPS! I do admit every time I have let my membership lapse due to new baby, moving, etc., I have gained back the weight I lost with them. I finally realized that TOPS for me is a life time commitment; unless I am sick or out of town, I will be there on Monday mornings to weigh.

There are times when Monday comes around and my family has just left to go back to Indianan and I have cooked everyone's favorite recipe and ate it too that the scales are up and I think "I don't want to go and weigh", but I know I have to.

In addition to weighing each week I have completely changed the way I eat. I try to eat a healthy diet. Very rarely do I eat fried food but if there is something I am really craving, like an outrageous dessert I'm going to eat it on Monday and watch what I eat the rest of the week.

Along with the watching my food intake I began an exercise program called Strong Women, It is a program sponsored by the Extension Service for women age 60 plus that combines aerobic exercise with strength training for healthy and permanent weight loss.

And last but not least I have to give credit to the members of my club and my husband. They have helped me tremendously by being there in fellowship, spirit and prayer. You can get all the material in the world on how to lose weight but you need support to lose the weight and then help to keep it off. Thank goodness for TOPS!

Thank you,

Karen

2010 STATE KING-RUNNER UP

About 3 years ago I became very sick with heart irregularities and high blood pressure causing me to lose a lot of weight. I couldn't eat anything but soups and other light foods. When I got better I began eating healthy and put all the weight back on plus extra pounds.

I went to a thrift store to donate my smaller sizes, but my wife who was already a TOPS member encouraged me to join TOPS, lose weight and donate the larger size clothes.

After joining TOPS I began drinking lots of water, walking 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at night, and pushing away from the table.  I ate from smaller plates and started losing weight.

I joined TOPS mainly to encourage my wife Patty and cousin Linda and all the TOPS members of TOPS AR 113, Little did  I know that it was me who needed the  encouragement.

I now enjoy life eating sensibly and am able to maintain good health and fill better because of the weight loss.

Thanks to TOPS, I truly Take Off Pounds Sensibly.

May God Bless TOPS

Especially TOPS AR 113, Gentry

Runner-up Queen:

 Melba Herring

TOPS® #AR 450

101.5 pounds to goal

Spirit of TOPS® Award:  

Leoma Tate

TOPS® #AR 454, Hot Springs Villiage