TOPS Club (Taking off Pounds Sensibly) Review

 

TOPS Club, Inc. is a non-profit corporation with local chapters located worldwide. Its objectives are to sponsor obesity research and support groups in weight control.

TOPS originally formed in 1948 to assist overweight people by setting up a support group system. Over the years as weight management problems became widely recognized in medicine, TOPS expanded their scope to include all people with weight problems. They also created an incentive for club members who reach and maintain their goal weight to stay in the club as Keep Off Pounds Sensibly members (KOPS).

TOPS does not endorse any particular weight loss plan. Club meetings emphasize nutrition and exercise education focused on supplementing a member's effort to manage their weight.

New members are required to consult with their physician to obtain a goal weight, then report it to the recorders. The membership fee is $24/year in the USA and $30/year in Canada.

TOPS is an excellent program and inexpensive. The only real issue is whether group support for weight loss is effective. I tend to think group therapy inhibits the development of self-discipline and self-reliance which are the most important traits of long-term weight loss. But everyone has their own opinion on the subject.