Let's hear it for the 'losers'

HAYDEN — In the world of the Taking Off Pounds Sensibly weight loss support group, "losers" have the most to gain.

"This is the only club that celebrates losers," said Hayden TOPS chapter secretary Liz Fox, who has been a member off and on since 1980 and active 10 years with the Hayden club.

Fox, of Dalton Gardens, is also one of the club's many "KOPS" members, who earn the status of Keeping Off Pounds Sensibly when they meet weight loss goals set by their medical providers.

“I went to my doctor, and she said, ‘You’ve lost enough weight. You got to stop losing weight, so why are you still in TOPS?’ And I said, ‘I don’t care about the weight. It’s the camaraderie,'" Fox said. “The other thing is this is the best-kept secret. You really have to look for a TOPS group if you want to join it, because we do not advertise."

As 19 TOPS members gathered in the Sun Aire Estates clubhouse Tuesday for their weekly meeting, they were also celebrating a special milestone — the 60th anniversary of the Hayden TOPS Club, which has been consistently active since it was officially organized June 17, 1964.

"The key word in that is ‘active,'" Hayden TOPS leader Patty Skogsbergh of Hayden said. "They have always been active."

The Hayden TOPS chapter has been recognized as one of the oldest TOPS Clubs in Idaho. The nonprofit club, which has chapters across the U.S. and Canada, was founded in 1948 and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023.

The Hayden chapter's longest-tenured member, Gloria Huffman of Athol, has been with the group for 40 years. She has lost and kept off 30 pounds through the years in the club.

“It’s helped me a lot, and everybody is really sweet friends,” she said. “That helps, and it helps with losing weight.”

She said TOPS isn't just about dieting. Members also discuss vitamins, nutrition and other wellness-related topics.

"We try not to use the word ‘diet,’ just healthy eating," Huffman said. "And everybody has to do their own thing. Not all of us can do the same thing because all bodies are different. And nobody ever puts anybody down. That’s the thing I really enjoy. Everybody helps each other.”

TOPS meetings usually last about an hour. Members share their gains and losses on the scales, as well as challenges, successes and goals. Contests are held and awards go to the best “losers" who have reached their goals.

Vicki Lynn Jones of Rathdrum has been in TOPS since December 2011. She was a Coeur d'Alene High School student when her mother, Alene G. Jones, who is now 99, joined TOPS.

“It was in ’64 I think, and she was a member up until three years ago," Vicki Lynn Jones said. "And she asks me every week, ‘Did you lose?’ So she still enjoys it. She was a weight recorder for years.”

Jones said she remembers her mom loving her TOPS group.

“She would come home really happy from seeing the ladies and friendships with them,” she said. "She would count what she was eating and she would watch what us kids ate more.”

TOPS members will have "no-no" foods, Jones said, and the best losers decide which food everyone should refrain from that week.

"This week is going to be corn," Jones said. "Sometimes it’s chocolate. It’s $.10 every time you eat it. That adds up and goes into our petty cash. That’s how we can get gifts.”

She said honesty and integrity are vital for each member's success.

“The only body you cheat is you," Jones said. "You’re just cheating yourself if you aren’t honest."

Skogsbergh said above all else, TOPS members' main goal is to support one another.

"That’s exactly what we get from this group,” she said. "It’s not all about the scale. We have a lot of fun — maybe too much fun."

TOPS dues are $32 per year. The Hayden chapter No. 30 meets every Tuesday at 9 a.m. New members are welcome.

Info: 208-772-7139 or tops.org

    Gloria Huffman, center right, discusses her experience being a TOPS member for 40 years during the Hayden club's weekly meeting Tuesday morning. The chapter is celebrating its 60th anniversary.