Here are some questions you may have
1. Who can join TOPS?
Everyone from the age of 7 on up. You are welcome if you have a lot of weight to lose, a little weight to lose or you would like to maintain your weight at a healthy level. There is no minimum amount of weight you have to lose.
2. How do I join TOPS?
Either at chapter level or online. You may visit our national website at www.tops.org and sign up there. Or you can visit a chapter and be enrolled there.
3. I am interested in visiting aTOPS chapter but your chapter is not near me. How can I find one that is closer?
Visit our national website at www.tops.org. It has a chapter locator where you just put in your postal code and you will be given a list of chapters near you. If you care to talk to someone about TOPS, it will also give you the phone number of someone you can contact. You can also phone national at 1-800-932-8677 on weekdays from 8 to 4:30 CST to find a chapter
4 How much does it cost to join?
It costs $28 a year (US) or $32 (Canada) to join TOPS. Each chapter has its own monthly dues, which differ because of various expenses. Ours run $2 a week.
5. What do I get with my annual membership? My chapter membership?
Annual membership gives you a one year subscription to TOPS News, a copy of My Day One (an eating guide), and total access to TOPS national website (part of which is restricted to members only)
Chapter membership allows you to participate in tops national award system, tops local chapter contests and awards. Plus you get the support of friendly caring tops members as well as weekly programs on nutrition and weight loss.
6. Do I have to join a chapter to belong to TOPS?
No You may continue as an online member only.
7. When I join TOPS, where does my money go?
Most of your national dues are used to devlop and provide the best educational materials and support for you in your weight loss journey. Some of this helps pay for the printing of the magazine, while a small amount is devoted to seeking a safe treatment, and hopefully a cure for obesity.
8. What sets TOPS apart from other weight loss organizations?
We help members make healthy changes for a lifetime, not a few weeks or months. We sell no food products and accept no advertising from commercial companies. Our chapter leaders are all volunteers and do not receive remuneration.
9. Are all TOPS chapters the same?
Each chapter is full of friendly supportive members,and all will welcome you. Some chapters however meet in the daytime, some at night. Some have a lot of members and some are very small. They do vary when it comes down to monthly dues and contests. Some meet in senior centers while others meet at the workplace.
10. What does TOPS do for me after I lose weight?
TOPS has a recognition program (Keep Off Pounds Sensibly) that encourages members to maintain their weight loss.
11. I belong to another organization. May I still join TOPS?
By all means, yes. Sometimes people need help from more than one source to help them in their weight loss efforts.
12. There are no chapters near me. Is it easy to start one?
Yes. You just need four people to begin with. Contact your local fieldstaff who can help you further. To find them, go to the Find a chapter section on www.tops.org., put in your postal code and on the right hand side will be the fieldstaff.
13. Do I have to pay just to visit?
No. You may visit one chapter meeting free with no obligation
14. I just joined tops. How do I get into their national website.
You have to wait until you get a membership number. (4 weeks or so) To log in you must first activivate your account (this will be on their front page) Then you log in with your membership number and your password which is the first two letters of your first name and the first four letters of your last name.
IF YOU HAVE AN OLDER COMPUTER, this national website does run slow. You will need to have adobe acrobat to download forms plus Flashchat to get into the chat room. Be patient. It will run Windows XP or later
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