E AST O REGONIAN
WEEKEND, JaNuary 25, 2020
Staff photos by Kathy Aney
Hermiston TOPS member Donna Southwell exults on Tuesday morning after her weekly weigh-in as Sandy Cliff prepares to give her a high five.
NO LONGER
TIPPING THE SCALE
TOPS members find
balance with support
IF YOU GO
WHEN: Tuesdays, 8-8:30 a.m.
weigh-in; 8:45 a.m. meeting
WHERE: Landmark Mission-
ary Baptist Church, 125 E.
Beech Ave.
INFO: 541-580-8668, theot-
herbarb02@gmail.com
www.tops.org
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
HErMISTON — Barbara
Buckwalter is a bit of a cheer-
leader for Hermiston TOPS
Club #Or 9110.
TOPS, which stands for Take
Off Pounds Sensibly, encour-
ages people to make healthy
choices in reaching appropriate
weight goals.
The Hermiston woman, who
currently serves as the group’s
weight recorder, rallies support
for fellow club members. In
addition, Buckwalter has a few
things to cheer about herself.
More than a dozen years ago,
she attained her target weight
and now has KOPS status —
Keep Off Pounds Sensibly.
Buckwalter’s
sometimes
over-the-top enthusiasm gets
a royal laugh from other club
members. Several years ago she
said she would dye her hair pur-
ple if the group had no weight
gains for two weeks in a row.
Earlier this month, Buckwal-
ter made good on that prom-
ise — using a rinse in her hair.
at a recent meeting, she wore a
stocking cap — finally unveil-
ing her purple locks when the
group sat down to convene its
first meeting of 2020.
“Our group has done really
well,” Buckwalter said. “There
are ups and downs, but our
yearly average weight loss per
person is 9.24 pounds.”
Hermiston resident Silke
Clough, who currently serves as
the club’s leader, said Buckwal-
ter and others in the group pro-
vide positive reinforcement and
support in her weight loss jour-
ney. Over the years Clough, who
is now 73, has focused on exer-
cise, such as walking and hik-
ing, as well as intermittent diet-
ing, in her efforts to lose weight.
although she became a
KOPS about 10 years ago,
Clough has since tipped the
scale too much to maintain that
distinction. To remain a KOPS,
a member’s weight can fluctu-
ate up to 3 pounds above or 7
below their target weight.
“It’s not uncommon to have
some ups and downs,” she said.
“you just have to get back with
it and stay focused. I won’t give
up.”
Above: TOPS member Marie Naugher stands on the scale on Tuesday during the weekly weigh-in as
Barbara Buckwalter records the weight and calculates pounds lost or gained. Left: Hermiston TOPS
member weighs in on Tuesday during the weekly meeting. Right: The Hermiston TOPS member who
loses the most weight each week receives the “Naked Woman Trophy” (on the right) and the sec-
ond-place loser gets the Topsie trophy imprinted with the words “Honey, take it from me … you look
fabulous.”
Identifying as a KOPS for
more than a decade, Buckwal-
ter said she continues to attend
meetings for ongoing sup-
port and to encourage others.
years ago, she learned that if
she wasn’t proactive with her
weight, she would yo-yo back
and forth with gaining and
losing.
“I need to stay accountable
to the scale and to other peo-
ple,” Buckwalter said.
Club co-leader roma Hall
is all too familiar with the
ups and downs. However, the
Hermiston woman is on top of
the world these days, as she’s
lost more than 130 pounds
since November 2018.
Hall, who along with her
son, russell T. Hall, and a good
friend, Patricia Womelsdorf,
started the local TOPS group
in November 1994. In recent
years, Hall’s son and friend
died from heart attacks, both
attributed to obesity.
“after that, I was scared,”
Hall said. “I thought, ‘Hey, I’m
going to die’ … and that’s what
got me.”
Several doctors had recom-
mended that Hall consider hav-
ing bariatric surgery. TOPS
supports weight-loss surgeries
if they are medically necessary.
Prior to the surgical proce-
dure, Hall was taking nearly 20
medications, including insulin
and three different high blood
pressure pills. These days,
she’s down to five. In addi-
tion, Hall had ambulation dif-
ficulties, suffered from back
pain and was facing a pos-
sible organ transplant if her
kidney function continued to
deteriorate.
The benefits of losing
weight, Hall said, are numer-
ous, including simple things
like being able to walk rather
than using an electric scooter
when grocery shopping. also,
she is much happier with
choices when looking for new
clothes. Local stores, Hall said,
just don’t carry very many
pretty things for overweight
women.
“I just feel so much bet-
ter,” she said. “Since my sur-
gery, I‘ve changed how I eat. I
can eat anything I want, just in
moderation.”
However, things like potato
chips, licorice and pastries
are too tempting. recogniz-
ing them as trigger foods, Hall
avoids having them around.
TOPS Club Inc., which was
established in 1948, refrains
from paying celebrities to
endorse its program. accord-
ing to its website, it also doesn’t
“promise quick fixes or pro-
mote unrealistic images of the
‘perfect’ body.” Instead, TOPS
weighs in on a person’s over-
all health. and, while they
don’t guarantee weight loss
by merely attending meetings,
they do offer support as people
work toward attaining healthy
weight goals, which are estab-
lished by the member’s doctor
or health care professional.
The program has changed
over time. Some past tech-
niques may have included the
member with the most weight
gain during the week being
required to take a ceramic pig
home with them.
“Back in the day, they did
things differently,” Buckwal-
ter said. “There’s no shaming
these days.”
Clubs utilize incentives to
help in motivating members to
stay on track with weight goals.
Contests can result in winners
receiving certificates, charms,
prizes or cash awards. after
the weekly weigh-in, results
are announced and the top
“loser” of the week gains pos-
session of a traveling trophy for
the remainder of the meeting.
The meeting agenda includes
announcements, the singing of
motivational songs and presen-
tations about health-related top-
ics. The idea is to build camara-
derie to support each other.
“We’re not just a weight loss
group, we’re more like family,”
Hall said. “We’re there for each
other no matter what you’re
going through.”
———
Contact Community Edi-
tor Tammy Malgesini at tmal-
gesini@eastoregonian.com or
541-564-4539.