At more than 60 years
old, the TOPS Club is in some ways the granddaddy of modern-day weight loss
programs. This program, created in 1948 first as a club and then as a nonprofit
organization, bears more than a passing resemblance toWeight Watchers, which was
created in the ’60s and is perhaps the most popular diet in the world.
TOPS has an impressive
history. Esther S. Manz, a Milwaukee housewife who was pregnant with her fifth
child and noticed the helpful support that mothers-to-be gave each other,
decided to adapt this concept to weight loss and founded TOPS with two friends
at a local community center. Word spread, and in short order TOPS grew to 2,500
people. Today, TOPS has members worldwide, most concentrated in the United
States and Canada. The organization also has donated millions of dollars to
obesity research, creating the TOPS Obesity and Metabolic Research Center,
which is affiliated with the Medical College of Wisconsin.
How the TOPS Diet Works
TOPS has evolved over
the years from a support group for people who wanted tolose weight but did
not want to be tied to a specific diet plan (or any diet at all) to a more
structured approach to dieting. However, the organization has always taken its
philosophy from the full meaning of its acronym: “Take Off Pounds
Sensibly."
At TOPS, the only
requirement for membership is a desire to lose weight, and you can do it any
way you choose. TOPS still bills itself as not being about dieting — there’s no
specific TOPS diet — and does not sell a specific food plan. The organization
urges prospective members to ask their doctors about a nutritional eating plan.
For those who wish to follow the organization’s suggestion, it endorses two
plans that can be found for free on the Internet and are based on principles to
take off pounds sensibly:
·
The food exchange system, a long-standing regimen created by the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Diabetes Association
·
MyPlate.gov, which was released by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture in 2011 and is the nutritional plan recommended by
the federal government
TOPS meetings and
online community provide support, but you are in the driver’s seat when it
comes to making menu decisions. There are no particular products to buy and no
pre-planned or packaged meals at TOPS.
The TOPS-Recommended Eating Plans
In the food exchange
system, all foods are grouped into six categories: starch, meat, fruit,
vegetable, milk, and fat. There’s an additional “free” group for foods that
have fewer than 20 calories per serving. The plan is called an “exchange
system” because each item on a particular list and in the portion size listed
may be interchanged with any other food item on the same list. For example,
half an English muffin may be exchanged for a 1-ounce slice of bread because
these items are in the starch group and they have about the same amounts of
carbohydrate, protein, and fat. TOPS provides a guide to the food exchange
system so members can understand and use it.
MyPlate also does not tout a specific
eating plan but recommends that eaters fill half of their plate
with fruits and vegetables. The remainder of the plate should include lean
protein and grains, preferably whole grains such as brown rice or whole-wheat
pasta.
TOPS offers a system
of support that is designed to guide members who are using these plans and want
support sticking with them. Members can choose to follow TOPS online or to
attend weekly meetings.
Community Support Makes the Difference
From the beginning,
TOPS pioneered a support group concept. This has evolved so that members can
now meet face to face or can get their support from an online community.
There is also a rewards
system, which recognizes participants’ weight loss achievements and culminates
in the crowning of a TOPS king and queen. TOPS also created a group called KOPS
— Keep Off Pounds Sensibly — so that people who have lost weight can keep it
off and remain within the organization.
The Exchange System Sample Menu
Based on the exchange
system, a sample day might consist of:
Breakfast: 1 cup skim milk,
2/3 cup oatmeal, 1 orange, coffee
Lunch: 2 slices
whole-grain bread, 2 ounces turkey, spicy brown mustard, 1 medium banana, 2
cups salad with raw veggies, 1 tablespoon low-fat dressing
Dinner: 1 medium baked
potato, 3 ounces baked chicken (white meat, no skin), 1/2 cup applesauce, 1 cup
cooked asparagus, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 1/4 cup salsa
Snacks: 1 chocolate chip
granola bar, 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt, 17 grapes, 1 hard sugar-free candy
The MyPlate Sample Menu
Here is a sample menu
to follow under the government’s MyPlate Guidelines.
Breakfast: 1 cup
ready-to-eat oat cereal, 1 medium banana, ½ cup fat-free milk, 1 slice
whole-wheat toast with 1 teaspoon tub margarine, 1 cup prune juice
Lunch: Sandwich made
with 2 slices rye bread, 2 ounces tuna, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon
chopped celery, ½ cup shredded lettuce; one medium peach; 1 cup fat-free milk
Dinner: 3 ounces cooked
chicken breast; 1 large roasted sweet potato; 1/2 cup succotash with 1 teaspoon
tub margarine; 1 whole-wheat roll with 1 teaspoon tub margarine; 1 cup coffee,
water, or tea
Snacks:1/4 cup dried
apricots, 1 cup flavored yogurt
The Pros and Cons
“TOPS recommends two
of the best meal plans to have," says Sue Gebo, RD, MPH, an assistant
professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. "They both
help people make their own decisions, which is a good way to teach people about
nutrition. What I also like about them is that they do not involve calories or
counting points.” The one problem Gebo sees is that these systems don’t
automatically lead you to a balanced diet. “You could eat just banana splits
and have one each day," she points out. "You’d lose weight, but you
wouldn’t be eating a balanced diet.”
Gebo is also concerned
that the eating plans don't teach portion control. However,
there are online calculators you can use to figure out the right size portion
to lose weight. “Both these systems involve keeping track of what you eat,
which many people find distasteful," she says. "However, there is no
other way to be truly accountable."
TOPS: Long- and Short-Term Effects
TOPS seems to work as
well as other, more expensive, plans. In a recent study published in the
journal Obesity, researchers tracked the results of 42,481 TOPS
members and found that those who consecutively renewed their membership lost
5.9 percent to 7.1 percent of their initial weight over the course of one to
three years.
In addition, an
earlier study published in the same journal found that members who stayed in
the program for three years experienced similar results and kept off the
weight.