My story begins the day I joined TOPS. I was one of two men in the group and weighed 384.8 pounds. To my surprise, I was greeted well by the members of our chapter. The first thing I did was change my eating habits. I eliminated bread, chips, cookies, and soda from my food plan. I also drank a lot of water.

The first two months I lost the weight by just changing my eating habits. Then I realized I needed to do more. I joined the YMCA. I went to the gym at 5 a.m. every Monday through Friday and worked out for 45 minutes. I also walked at home for 2 to 3 hours a day. None of this would have been possible without the support ofmy TOPS chapter and the TOPS organization. I am thankful to both of them.

When I reached my goal, I found that it's harder to maintain weight than to lose it. It's important to me to keep a calorie chart, so I know where I'm at on my calorie count. In conclusion, because of my KOPS* status, I'm healthier now than I've been in the last 20 years.

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You only get out of TOPS what you put into it. We can't guarantee weight loss just by attending meetings, but we can offer support through each stage of your weight-loss journey. Your results may vary.

*KOPS are TOPS members at their goal weight who continue to Keep Off Pounds Sensibly.