TOPS®#OK605, Oklahoma City

Going to TOPS®meeting helped motivate me to lose weight.  I had  always wanted to do the things my thinner friend could do.  With the support and aid of my friends at TOPS®#OK605, Oklahoma City, I was able to stop eating fast food and started a healthier diet.  It took a lot of effort, but by also eating smaller quantities and cutting out soft drinks I found I was able to lose weight.  I started exercising regularly.  Again, the support of my friends at TOPS®kept me going and got me encouraged.  I was already tired of being big and feeling bad, and the ribbons and rewards I got at TOPS®gave me the strength to keep going when it seemed hard.  Thank you TOPS®for helping me lose the weight and change my life for the better.

TOPS®#OK629, Wagoner

I have been an over weight person all my life.    Our family always had a dog around the house.  This led me to showing dogs in obedience.  But at a show a judge told me very nice that my dog could have done better IF she could move faster.  It was not the dog but me who could not move.  I had to make some life changing habits with food.  TOPS®gave me lifestyle changes, great support and remembering that I need to stand on a scale in front of another human being once a week.  I thank God every day for sending me to such a great group.

 

Kathy, my wife, joined TOPS®before I did.  She enjoyed the meeting and the encouragement she received form her TOPS®friends, both at meeting and during the week.  One day I perused through some articles in one of her TOPS®News and encountered the basic:  to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you take in.  It wasn’t gimmicky.  It wasn’t some kind of fad diet.  It was just common sense.  So I joined, in part to support Kathy, but I also knew that I also needed to lose some weight. 

The meetings helped me pay more attention to my intake and exercise and weight trends.  There were tips that picked up to help control my desire to overeat and munch and to eat healthier.  There was accountability:  I do not like to announce that I gained!  There was also encouragement that was very important the closer I to goal.

Since making goal, I feel better; it’s fun wearing smaller sized clothes and its nice having people say I am looking good.

I know I still have to watch it, or I’ll start gaining again.  My TOPS®friends help in the same ways now that I have reached goal as they did when I was losing: encouragement, helpful tips and accountability.

 

April 1969, I was invited to attend a TOPS®meeting.  Back then we had names instead of numbers, our chapter was called Oil Capital TOPS®.  I did very well weight wise over the next 1`0 years.  I finally reached my goal, but lost it within 3 months I had to have major surgery and had to stay in bed-on my back for 3 weeks before I got to come.

I have been chapter leader, co-leader, secretary, treasurer and weight recorder.

In 1993 my husband was hurt very bad in a car wreck.  After spending 2 ½ months in the hospital and having major surgery’s he got to go home.  He had to retire and we moved to Gore.  I joined the Gore chapter in December of 1993.  I struggled between 175 and 200 pounds for almost 14 years.

Finally I woke up one day and told myself you have got to get that weight off.  I made up my mind and on May 10, 2007 I reached my goal.  I was trilled and so were all my TOPS®members and friends.  I have kept it off, never being out of leeway.   I just take one day at a time.

I have had people ask me why did it take you 37 years to reach your goal?  The only answer I have is that during that time of losing and gaining I knew someday I would make it.  A lot of determination and support form my chapter helped.  If today you don’t reach your goal – look ahead, and try harder the next day.  JUST DON’T GIVE UP!

DIVISION WINNERS - MALE

Division 1

1st place

Leonard Hale

TOPS®#OK 633, Broken Arrow

 29.5 pounds

2nd place

Ed Cloninger

TOPS®#OK 250, Sapulpa

 14 pounds

Division 2

1st Place

 Billy Burk

TOPS®#OK 172, Moore

35.25 pounds

2nd Place

 Arnold Stromberg

TOPS®#OK 678, Guthrie

19 pounds

Division 3

1st Place

David Miller

TOPS®#OK 123, Edmond

30 pounds

2nd Place

Brian O'Hair

TOPS®#OK 657, Altus

27.5 pounds

Division 4

1st Place

Jim Albright

TOPS®#OK 13, Stillwater

13.25 pounds

2nd Place

Jim Fobb

TOPS®#OK 508, Antlers

10 pounds

Division 7

1st Place

Billy Clayburn

TOPS®#OK 572, Duncan

21 pounds

Division 8

1st Place

Jesse Stevens

TOPS®#OK 605, Oklahoma City

61.5 pounds

DIVISION WINNERS - FEMALES

Division 1

1st Place

Glenda Gibbons

TOPS®#OK 626, Del City

 97.50 pounds

2nd place

Pam Bowden

TOPS®#OK 477, Bixby

 31.5 pounds

Division 2

1st Place

Rebecca Shaffer

TOPS®#OK 263, Shawnee

 47.25 pounds

2nd place

Vera David

TOPS®#OK 250, Sapulpa

 42.75 pounds

 Division 3

1st Place

Nitcha Mason

TOPS®#OK 629, Wagoner

 58.50 pounds

2nd Place

Carol Wikel

TOPS®#OK 409, Tahlequah

 46.75 pounds

Division 4

1st Place

Sharon Nichols

TOPS®#OK 664, Stigler

 40.25 pounds

2nd Place

Margaret Etier

TOPS®#OK 113, Duncan

 23.75 pounds

Division 5

1st Place

Diane Culverhouse

TOPS®#OK 369, Moore

 16.75 pounds

2nd Place

Karri Warma

TOPS®#OK 74, Broken Arrow

 14 pounds

Division 6

1st Place

Peyton Thomas

TOPS®#OK 113, Duncan

 18 pounds

Division 7

1st Place

Annette Daniels

TOPS®#OK 643, Jay

 104 pounds

Division 9 (surgical)

1st Place

Edna Kern

TOPS®#OK 47, Enid

 91 pounds

2nd Place

Joyce Parizek

TOPS®#OK 418, Okmulgee

 32.75 pounds