TOPS members celebrate pound-shedding victories

HAYDEN — Most people might have trouble losing weight and keeping it off, but Joey Grunden is beating the odds.

Grunden was honored Tuesday during the weekly Taking Off Pounds Sensibly meeting in the office of the Hayden Crossing Senior Apartments, where she wore a dazzling purple top and was crowned with a tiara for losing more than 102 pounds in the past two years and maintaining her new slim weight.

"We’re proud of you, Joey," said TOPS ID-Chapter 30 leader Bettye Miller. "Every one of us in here knows how hard that is to do."

In the past 15 years, the motivational weight-loss group has only had six queens. The queens are dedicated TOPS members who lose a substantial amount of weight and continue making positive choices to combat gaining it back.

"It’s really an accomplishment to become queen," Miller said.

"Without the weekly weigh-in and the support, it wouldn’t have happened," said Grunden, who joined the group in 2010. "I couldn’t have been trusted for more than a week. It’s definitely harder than you think to keep it off."

The award ceremony had an "American Idol"

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TOPS

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theme that was changed to "TOPS Idols" to reflect how chapter members revere each other as superstars, whether they lose weight from week to week, "turtle" (remain the same weight) or are just "happy to be here" (gain a bit). Miller said most of the members have done an outstanding job of shedding pounds and meeting goals.

"We have many TOPS members who deserve to be identified as idols, and we honor them today," Miller said. "They’ve reached their goal after a long, hard struggle and we recognize and award them."

Also crowned as royalty were chapter queen runners-up Gloria Huffman and Liz Fox, who also lost considerable weight. The ladies also received "KOPS" pins for "Keeping Off Pounds Sensibly."

"It's going in there every week and having to weigh in," Miller said. "It keeps you going."

The Taking Off Pounds Sensibly ID-30 Chapter is open to men and women of all ages.

For information about the chapter and how to join, contact Miller at 665-2162.