JOHN SPINOLA INTERNATIONAL GREATEST IMPROVEMENT CONTEST WINNER
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OUR ROYALTY
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Missouri State King Don Dillard
141.25 pounds lost In 1957 when I went into the Marine Corp I weighed 215 pounds, I had continued on and in 1968 I had gained up to 235 pounds. My weight continued to escalate until my wife and I joined TOPS in 2000, as we felt a need to lose weight for health reasons. I tipped the scales at 401 and ½ pounds. We joined Missouri TOPS chapter 0320 and that began our journey to becoming a KOPS. We both had tried several types of weight loss programs just to find them extremely difficult and restrictive. Our chapter became a family to us as we met friends that were facing the same situation we were in and the programs we were able to enjoy were informative, educational and entertaining. Although the weight loss wasn’t immediate, it was consistent over time. But I wasn’t always committed. In December of 2007 I was hospitalized in critical condition with congestive heart failure. In fact a nurse even told my granddaughter, that my wife needed to “Get a grip on herself, that man needs to die”! I wasn’t ready to settle for that. I still had some living to do. But I knew in order to do that what I had to do. I had to lose this weight. I spent the next two weeks in the hospital followed by the next 60 days in a rehabilitation center. So this is what it took to make me realize that I had to get serious about living. Imagine that, next to dying, to make you think about living. I followed all the doctor’s orders, I started exercising at home, I started eating smaller portions, and the weight started coming off. We soon found that we were losing weight and enjoying it as we were doing it with family and friends. My wife and I were on our way to becoming a KOPS. I not only reached my goal in 2009 but my wife reached her goal in 2007 so we are a KOPS family. And healthier also. I was able to go from a size 58 trousers to a 44 with loss of 14 inches and I went from a 4X shirt to XL. This weight loss produced positive health results from having high cholesterol to going to a medical accepted level and from being diagnosed type II diabetic to being medically accepted as being free of the problem. I no longer have sleep apnea. And I no longer require the use of o2 oxygen. T O P S has produced a positive result in my life along with my family’s life that we will have a healthier, happier and longer life. It feels good to have old friends see you and comment on how much you have changed and how good you look. Today I am on less medications and am able to exercise in the spare time I have when not playing with the grand kids and the great grand kids that at one time in my life I was unable to even play with. The only goal I ever started out to achieve was to reach my golden anniversary which we will celebrate July 29th of next year. God’s will, we will achieve that! TOPS has been a POSITIVE THING IN MY LIFE.
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Missouri State Queen Bonnie Rafferty
98.50 pounds lost I have been battling my weight since I was 12. I have tried different diets and nothing seemed to motivate me. In August 2008 one of my girlfriends asked me to attend a TOPS meeting. I had no idea what it was. I just figured it was another diet that I would try and end up failing once again. I attended my first meeting. There were no strict diets, shakes, pills or extreme exercises. I really couldn’t grasp what TOPS would be able to do for me. I just didn’t get it. I didn’t go back for the next three months. I was 38 years old, 5’ 3” and weighed 248.5 lbs. I had Type 2 diabetes, back pain and couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without being out of breath. I was tired all the time. I was addicted to food and would always say to myself “Oh I’ll start my diet tomorrow”. I am a mother of 5 amazing children. From the day that they were born I focused my life completely on my kids. I made sure that all their needs were met. When I needed emotional support I would use food for comfort. One day in December my husband Richard mentioned to me that my oldest son was worried about me. Jon had told Richard that he couldn’t take the loss of another parent. Back in 2002 my children lost their father. He was only 41 and died of a heart attack. It was a devastating loss and I found myself using food as comfort more and more. So when I heard those words “he couldn’t bear to lose me” something finally clicked. I thought “If I don’t take care of myself I won’t be around to watch my kids grow up, graduate, get married and have children of their own. That day on December 6th I hit the brakes and got off that dangerous road I had been on for 26 years. I took my first step towards a new journey and went back to TOPS. I figured out very quickly that TOPS is not a diet. It’s a program that educates you on living a healthier life, making better choices and supporting you through it all. I remember the second week I was really struggling. I went to open the mail and there was a letter from one of my TOPS members. I opened it and the first sentence read “Bonnie you’re doing great”. It was exactly what I needed to get me through. I also found that weighing in every Monday night really helped me. At first I was terrified about having to do this. But again it was one of those lessons I learned. I needed to be accountable and after awhile I looked forward to weighing in. Our weight recorders are so valuable to our success at TOPS. They are the people who get excited every week when we lose and continue to encourage us when we have a gain. Their support is endless. TOPS also has an award system consisting of certificates, charms and necklaces. When I received my first certificate for losing 4.5 lbs. my children were so proud of me. Every Monday night after a meeting my kids would be waiting to ask “How did you do Mom?” They were there to cheer me on every week. My husband has been at my side throughout. Always supporting me and believing in me. He has watched my physical and emotional transformation and continues to encourage me. He would give me that look, leave me a letter or challenge me to a game of tennis. He has and continues to be my rock. We are not alone on this journey. We have so many people to help us along the way. I used to dread even the word exercise. My son and I were walking up this very steep hill. I remember looking over at him and saying I can’t do it. Drill Sergeant Jon looked straight at me and pushed me up that hill. He never gave up on me. I will not say it was easy. It was a lot of hard work but hearing my son say “Mom, you can do this” made me work even harder. I have slowly started changing the way I think of exercise. While I am walking with my son, playing tennis with my husband or swimming with the kids I am not worrying about the stresses of life. I don’t think of exercise as a punishment any more. I think of it as my stress free time. People ask me now how did you lose the weight? I proudly tell them I joined TOPS Chapter 327 in Richmond MO and was welcomed in with open arms. I drink a lot of water, lowered my sodium intake, cut and burn calories and attend my chapter meetings. I walk in those doors every Monday to face those scales and am thankful I do because there, I learned something new that I can apply to a healthier lifestyle. I’ve reached my goal and lost 105 lbs. I went from a size 22 to a size 8. No more back pain. No more medicine and I have a lot more energy to enjoy life again. I am now a KOPS…Keeping Off Pounds Sensibly. My husband and daughter have also joined TOPS. I will now be at their side cheering them on. Thank you to my husband, my children and my TOPS family. All of you have had a part in changing my life. Your words of encouragement and endless support made me even more determined to continue. You have cheered me on through the losses and supported me through the gains. Never once giving up on me and always there to push me through to the finish line. I am thankful to each and every one of you who has been by my side and throughout my journey. To all you TOPS members we are all climbing a hill and we are here to help each other reach the Top |
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