TOPS Club
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| Founded | 1948 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Esther S. Manz |
| Type | Weight loss |
| Location | |
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Area served
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Worldwide, but primarily United States and Canada |
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Members
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180,000 members/10,000 chapters |
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Key people
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Barbara Cady, President |
| Slogan | Take Off Pounds Sensibly |
| Website | www |
TOPS Club, Inc. is a non-profit charitable corporation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, having members in chapters located worldwide, the majority of them in the United States and Canada. Its twofold objective is to sponsor research and foster support groups in human body weight control. Most members refer to the organization simply as "TOPS", an acronym for "Take Off Pounds Sensibly."
TOPS originally formed in 1948 as a response to the need to assist overweight and obese people to lose weight by setting up a support group system. Over the years as more weight management problems were identified, TOPS expanded their scope to include all people with weight problems. They also created an incentive for club members who reach and maintain their weight at their goal level to stay in the club as KOPS (Keeps Off Pounds Sensibly) members—giving them extra recognition to help encourage other members in the club.
TOPS does not endorse any particular weight-loss plan (see dieting) and welcomes people into the membership even if they are actively involved in any weight-loss plan. Club meetings emphasize nutrition, exercise, motivation, and wellness education focused on supplementing a member's effort to manage his or her weight. Real Life: A Hands-On Pounds Off Guide coauthor be leaders in these fields is provided free to all chapters. TOPS publishes educational materials for its members as well as a bimonthly membership magazine, TOPS News.
A local chapter of the club is set up in a small region, usually covering one community. Larger communities may have more than one chapter, either because of size limitations or to address the various schedules of their members. According to their web site, the average chapter has 20 members. The total membership as of 2016 is over 120,000 in the US and Canada. Only 4 people are needed to start a meeting in their community.
Members meet weekly both for weight recording ("weigh-in") and for the main session. The weigh-in is performed in a private room with two members present as recording officers. As such, the weight records are considered medically sound.
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Wikipedia