Personally, I don't so much have a problem with my weight as I do with my height.  If I were 18 feet tall I would be perfectly proportioned.

Yes, like much of the country I have gotten a little "big boned."  When the doctor recently informed me that my blood type is Ragu, I decided to take action.

I ended up at a TOPS meeting.  TOPS stands for Take Off Pounds Sensibly.  It is a nonprofit weight-loss support group.  It was established in 1948 and has 170,000 members worldwide.  Their website is here.

I belong to the TOPS group in Reading, Massachusetts, but there are 10,000 chapters that meet in church basements and offices all over the world.  My group has an excellent leader and some incredibly supportive members who really go out of their way to help others.

I like TOPS for several reasons.  One reason is that it is much less expensive than other weight loss groups.  Dues are $26 per year plus a small monthly fee to cover operating costs, usually less than $5 per month.  The groups meet weekly and there is a private weigh-in at each meeting, which I find to be a great motivator.  Members get TOPS News magazine nine times a year, which contains inspirational stories and nutritional information.

A lot of people who need to lose weight start by seeking out a guru, often buying the latest book by some famous weight loss expert.  Personally, I am very skeptical of "experts."

We know that diet and exercise promote weight loss, but beyond that, if there is some magical secret to weight loss, I think it's pretty clear by now that the "experts" don't know what it is.

Besides, who actually is an "expert" when it comes to weight loss?  Is a Harvard PhD an expert?  Is a nutritionist who has never been overweight a day in her life an expert?  Is an author who mindlessly parrots whatever platitudes are in vogue this year an expert?  ("Butter is bad for you, wait - now butter is good for you").

I don't think so.

There is a guy in my TOPS group who lost 230 pounds.  That is an expert.  To me, an expert isn't somebody who pontificates in front of a medical board.  An expert is somebody who actually got on the treadmill and did it.  An expert is somebody who knows what worked and what didn't.  An expert is somebody who lost a lot of weight and then backslid and had to figure out why.

The best thing about TOPS is that it exposes you to people who have done it.  People who have been where you are and have successfully lost weight.  You can't leave a TOPS meeting thinking that losing weight is impossible because you see people who have done it at every meeting.

All sorts of people will give you dieting advice.  It's your job to decide what will work for you and what won't.  Joining a group like TOPS increases both the quality and the quantity of that advice.  Some people count calories, some exercise, some eat whole foods, some combine approaches.

That's not to say that you don't have to filter the bad advice from the good.  One tip that I hear that bugs me is that you can lose weight by laughing.  I'm not buying that one and it makes me cringe whenever I hear it.

Here is my best advice: Don't let your weight problem define you.  Human beings are multifaceted.  You might be a good mother but a bad dieter.  You might be a good employee but a bad dancer.  Maybe you're a good speller but a bad driver.  I have met people who judge themselves almost exclusively by their weight, ignoring all the other areas of their life that they are doing well at.  Don't do that.  Work on your weight, but keep things in perspective.

What is your opinion?  Leave a comment!