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2008 All
Aboard Winners Announced!
2008 TEXAS STATE ROYALTY
(photo)
2008 Texas State King & Queen
Tommy Moore & Pat
Osburn
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2008 TEXAS STATE
KING
Tommy Moore
TOPS®#TX
1734, San Antonio
Loss of 114 Pounds
I have
always enjoyed activities outdoors. I was very active during my
career in the Army and was active during my first job after
retirement from the Army. After that, I got a desk job and my
inactivity along with my bad eating habits caused my weight to
balloon. Prior to joining TOPS®, I had been battling my weight
problem for about ten years. I had some successes on my own, but
none of them were lasting successes and it always seemed I would end
up heavier after these attempts. My weight was starting to take its
toll on my health. I was unable to enjoy outdoor activities since I
was only able to walk short distances without having pains in my
knees and ankles.
My work
took me to Saudi Arabia for a two month project in 2005. It was
during the summer months so the heat was extreme. My weight then
was 348 pounds and I finally came to the realization that I could
not continue on like this. My doctor had been telling me for some
time: “You are morbidly obese and it will shorten you life and cause
you severe health problems”. But, sometimes you have to get hit
across the forehead more than once for it to sink in. While I was
in Saudi Arabia, I started to watch what I ate. I also tried
walking a little but my body and physical condition did not allow me
that much movement.
Four
months later, I was back in San Antonio and was struggling with
trying to lose weight on my own. I noticed in our church bulletin
that TOPS® Chapter # TX 1734 was having meetings in one of our
classrooms on Saturday mornings. Many years ago, my mother had been
a member of TOPS® and I knew what a blessing it had been for her.
So, the next Saturday I was there for my first meeting. I joined
that day and it has really been a blessing for me as well. I
weighed in at 331 pounds on that day. The members of Chapter # TX
1734 (San Antonio) made me feel welcomed and such a part of the
group. I call it my second family because they have been so
encouraging and supportive. I have received numerous phone calls,
e-mails, and post cards over the past three years that have helped
me stay focused on making and sustaining the life style changes
necessary for me to reach my weight goal. We have many members,
both KOPS and TOPS®, which have been truly inspirational to me. I
could not have reached my goal without my TOPS® family. I also have
to give praise to the training programs that have been presented and
the sharing of success stories as well as the occasional sharing of
reasons for setbacks. These have given me the tools and knowledge
that I needed to make the appropriate life style changes and goal
setting.
During my
first year in TOPS®, I started out taking baby steps. I worked on
my portion control and selection of healthy food choices along with
a moderate exercise program. Through the programs at TOPS® as well
as “The Choice is Mine” and other books that we have in our
Chapter TOPS® library, I was able to learn to eat right. I made
more changes during my second year which laid the foundation for the
successes I experienced in my third year.
In
December of 2007, I made the commitment that 2008 was going to be MY
year to reach my goal. I shared this goal with my TOPS® family
during our first meeting in 2008 because I knew I needed to have
them as my accountability partners and would need their support and
encouragement as the year progressed. Also, as part of this
commitment, I joined a gym the first week of January 2008. With my
life style changes in place and an exercise program to go with it, I
was set to make 2008 my year.
It was
not all successes. I had setbacks from time-to-time, but with
encouragement, support, and inspiration from my TOPS® family, I
fought the battle to win. My TOPS® family helped me believe that I
could do it and that there was no giving up. I had to travel a lot
during 2008 because of my work but I always made sure that the
places where I stayed had a fitness center available for my use. I
worked hard to maintain my life style changes during these trips so
I could continue to make progress toward my weight goal. I reached
my goal in December 2008 and I will never forget how great it felt
to step on the scales and see my weight coming in below the
weight goal that my doctor had set for me.
I can now
enjoy the outdoors again! I am an avid walker and am able to enjoy
nature walks and other outdoor activities once again. I am looking
forward to many years as a KOPS with my family in TOPS® # TX 1734.
I want to help others reach their goals and realize that they can do
it too—never give up, never surrender.
I am
honored to be the 1st Place Winner Division 2 for the State of Texas
with a loss of 84 pounds and your State King with a loss of 114
pounds to goal.
I want to say a special thanks to the members of
TOPS® Chapter # TX 1734 for your support, encouragement, and
inspiration. You have helped me so much this last year to reach my
goal! The extra support during the week between meetings and during
the times I was away for work was exactly what I needed. I know I
would not be here today at my goal weight if it was not for you. I
salute you all!
Tommy Moore Before
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2008 TEXAS STATE
QUEEN
Pat Osburn
TOPS®#TX 530, Lufkin
Loss of 101 Pounds
I've been a member of TOPS® three times
in my life and I'm living proof that the old saying "the third
time's a charm" is true. The first time around I ALMOST reached my
goal but lots of things happened in my life and I never lost all the
weight I needed to reach that goal. I met and married "Mr. Right",
my wonderful husband, Roy and soon after that I became pregnant. I
already had a 9 year old son so the thought of having a baby was
both exciting and scary, especially since I was supposed to be
"dieting and losing weight", not gaining! I remained a TOPS® member
for eight or nine months after our son was born but it seemed I
couldn't lose any weight including all the "baby fat" I'd gained
during my pregnancy. I finally gave up the struggle and decided to
just stay home, enjoy married life and be a good mom to my two
wonderful boys.
A few years passed before I
decided I had to face my weight problem again. I knew that even
though I had never reached my goal the only thing that would
work for me was TOPS®. The weekly weigh-in, the meetings and
the group support was what I needed to make me realize what I
was doing to my body and hold me accountable for my bad eating
habits. I was faithful for several months and when the weight
wasn't coming off like I thought it should I became discouraged
and once again I quit.
Then on January 6th, 2007 I did
something I NEVER thought I could do. I did it for myself but I
also did it to prove to my family that I COULD QUIT SMOKING. I
quit cold turkey and I'll be honest with you; that was the
hardest thing I'd ever done. For several weeks...well, maybe it
was several months, I wasn't a happy camper and not a very nice
person to be around. I missed my cigarettes like an addict
missed their next "fix" but by the end of that month I knew I
had kicked the habit of smoking. Then the grim reality set in;
I had gained even more weight since food had become my new
"fix".
On Thursday, February 1st,
without any warning to my family, I announced that I was going
to a TOPS® meeting and I'd be home later. That is a date I'll
never forget since it was a turning point in my life. I joined
TOPS® TX530 for my third and final time and embarrassingly, with
my weight the highest it had ever been. I weighed just over 300
pounds. This time things were different. I joined with more
determination and with the mind-set that I not only COULD, but I
WOULD lose the weight I needed to be healthy and most
importantly to become happy.
SRD 2008 was held in my hometown
of Lufkin. What an inspiration that event was for me! My
leader, Juli Allen encouraged me to enter the Greatest
Improvement contest since I had already lost over 70 pounds. I
entered the contest and was notified that I had won 2nd place!
I'd never won much of anything in my life so this was a big deal
to me! I saw so many happy people and heard many inspiring
success stories. I came away from SRD with a renewed spirit,
MORE determination and new friends who not only mentor me, but
who I lookup to and admire because of their struggles and their
accomplishments.
My TOPS® family has supported me
in more ways than one could ever imagine. TX530 isn't just a
"regular" TOPS® chapter...we're family, plain and simple. My
success story is and will continue to be a work in progress as
weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle takes a lot of
work. I still have that same determination and I'll always have
my TOPS® family, my wonderful "Mr. Right", my two caring sons
and now a beautiful daughter-in-law cheering for me!
As I stand before you tonight you
can see that I'm not a size 8 or a 10 or even a size 14 and to
be honest with you all and to myself, I never will be any of
those sizes. TOPS® and weight loss for me isn't about a "size";
it's about being healthy and I can tell you that being happy can
sometimes be healthier than trying to be that "perfect size".
When I began this "journey" two years ago I went to my family
doctor so he could set my goal weight. We sat and talked about
what the "perfect weight" and what the "perfect size" was and I
left his office that day knowing that he understood my true
feelings about being overweight and losing weight and about
being happy. For the first time in a VERY long time, I'M HAPPY
WITH ME!
When SRD 2009 is over and the
doors are closed on the Multi Purpose Event Center here in
Wichita Falls, I hope each of you leave with a renewed spirit,
MORE determination and with new friends who can mentor you to
make lifestyle changes to become a healthier person. I also
hope that in some way my story has given you hope and
inspiration. Never give up on your hopes and dreams and most
importantly never give up on yourself.
Pat Osborn Before
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2008 Texas State King & Queen
Runner-Up
John Traylor & Ruby McGilvra
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2008 State King
Runner-Up
John Traylor
TOPS®#TX 24, Wichita Falls
41.75
pounds to goal
I’ve always been a man’s man having served as a gunnery range
firefighter in military, then 30 years in the fire department as
District Chief and fire marshall, deacon in our church and raising
three wonderful sons. I never had an ego problem, so I let my wife
manage the rest of my life for the past 58 years. Being man’s man, I
REFUSED to see doctors regularly except for a ruptured appendix, and
she was right… it wasn’t just a bellyache. Last year she insisted I
have a physical. Low and behold, I had pneumonia and a heart
condition! I received my FIRST prescription and instructions to
LOSE WEIGHT! My wife’s sister, Nita Thornton is a TOPS member in
Lufkin. She urged us to join, Boy was that good advice! I lost 43
pounds and am proud to be our Chapter King.
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2008 State Queen
Runner-Up
Ruby McGilvra
TOPS®#TX 1405, Mabank
68 pounds to goal
For 43 years I tried unsuccessfully to lose
weight. I’ve tried many different diets and would lose some weight
until I would go back to my old eating habits, that’s when the
weight would come back and then some. I even joined TOPS, but would
drop out after awhile and then gain more weight.
In 2007 my Dr. told me I was borderline diabetic.
I joined TOPS again on 7/16/2007 again but this time, I changed my
lifestyle and eating habits. On 10/13/2008 I
reached goal with a total of 68 lbs lost, and from size 26 to 14.
Ruby McGilvra Before
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2008 Texas State Winners
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DIVISION WINNERS -
MALE
(Click on a winner's name to read their
story)
Division 1
1st place
(tie)
Edward Laundy
TOPS®#TX
1686,
Bastrop
28 pounds
Keith Dyess
TOPS®#TX
1629,
Tyler
28 pounds
2nd Place
Terry Meredith
TOPS®#TX
1889,
Wichita Falls
27.25 pounds
Division 2
1st Place
Tommy
Moore
TOPS®#TX
1734, San
Antonio
84 pounds
2nd Place
Raymond Hardcastle
TOPS®#TX 1626, Santa Fe
47 pounds
Division3
1st Place
Robert Gross
TOPS®#TX
908,
Houston (Bellaire)
66.50 pounds
2nd Place
David Johnson
TOPS®#TX
1898,
Temple
54.25 pounds
Division 4
1st Place
Ricardo Pardo
TOPS®#TX 710, La Feria
19 pounds
2nd Place
Jimmie Burnett
TOPS®#TX
530,
Lufkin
12.25 pounds
Division 7
1st Place
Peter Stone
TOPS®
#TX
1476,
Conroe
67 pounds
2nd Place
Todd Cupery
TOPS®
#TX
1476. Conroe
44.75
pounds
Division 9 (surgical)
1st Place
Joseph Henderson
TOPS®® TX
927, Abilene
138.25
pounds
2nd Place
Ronald Pruett
TOPS®
#TX
1,
El Paso
70
pounds
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DIVISION
WINNERS - FEMALES
(Click on a winner's name to read their
story)
Division 1
1st Place
Glenda Crysup
TOPS®#TX 1686, Bastrop
120 pounds
2nd Place
Mary Purcell
TOPS®#TX
612, Amarillo
70.75
pounds
Division 2
1st Place
Tricia Kilian
TOPS®#TX 334, San Antonio
76.25 pounds
2nd Place
Sharon Schwenker
TOPS®#TX
1464,
Taylor
69 pounds
Division 3
1st Place
Kayla Champagne
TOPS®#TX 353, Nederland
70.75 pounds
2nd Place
Sue Romano
TOPS®#TX
1180, Houston
(Bear Creek)
63.75
pounds
Division 4
1st Place
Shirley Willrich
TOPS®#TX
1180, Houston
(Bear
Creek)
55 pounds
2nd Place
Teresa Nolen
TOPS®#TX
1237,
Santa Fe
40.50 pounds
Division 5
1st Place
Charlotte Pollard
TOPS®#TX
334, San Antonio
18.25
pounds
2nd Place
Sue Shill
TOPS®#TX 643, Gruver
18.25 pounds
Division 6
(teen division)
1st Place
Emily Holt
TOPS®#TX
1827, Sherman
33 pounds
Division 7
1st Place
Nancy Conway
TOPS®#TX 24, Wichita Falls
42.75 pounds
2nd Place
Levona Morris
TOPS®#TX
1454,
Pleasanton
31 pounds
Division 9 (surgical)
1st Place
Margetta Griffith
TOPS®#TX
968,
Mesquite
72 pounds
2nd Place
Cathy Powell
TOPS®#TX
1818,
Seymour
51.75 pounds |
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GREATEST
IMPROVEMENT MEN
(based on
before/after pics & success story)
1st place
Robert Gross
TOPS®#TX 908, Houston
2nd Place
Dennis Johnson
TOPS®#TX 1235, San Antonio
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GREATEST
IMPROVEMENT WOMEN
(based on
before/after pics & success story)
Division 1 (under age 50)
1st Place
Glenda Crysup
TOPS®#TX 1686, Bastrop
2nd Place
Leta Tudor
TOPS®#TX 1579, Athens
Women Division 2 (age 50+)
1st Place
Kristi Bussey
TOPS®#TX 24, Wichita Falls
2nd Place
Gay Williams
TOPS®#TX 24, Wichita Falls |
KOPS®Charm &
Beauty (female KOPS®only)
Division 1 (age under 50)
No submissions received
Division 2 (age 50+)
1st Place
Nancy Brown
TOPS®#TX 636, Burkburnett
2nd Place
Sue Romano
TOPS®#TX 1180, Houston (Bear Creek)
Click Here for
2003 State Royalty
2004 State
Royalty
2005 State
Royalty
2006 State
Royalty
2007 State
Royalty
2008 State
Royalty
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