Support groups help maintain weight loss resolutions

DECATUR – One of the more popular New Years resolutions is to lose weight, but statistics show it can be an uphill battle.

Professionals stress there is no magic solution. The only healthy way to lose weight is through exercise and eating right.

But many who have found success with weight loss add one more factor: support groups.

Liz Rettke has been attending her weekly Take Off Pounds Sensibly, or TOPS, meetings for more than 20 years. She found members of the group not only helped her lose and maintain her weight, but they were also a support during other difficult times in her life, including her heart attack and the death of her husband.

“It was one thing after another,” she said.

The Tuesday morning group has members who have similar experiences.

“This is a friendly, hometown feeling,” member Junie Longbons said. “Like a group of friends.”

The organization has found encouragement works for maintaining and losing weight. As motivational tools, TOPS uses publications, prizes, jewelry and events, such as the regional, state and international conventions.

“You get recognition,” said Rebecca Hefley, area captain for TOPS. “It lifts you up and keeps you going.”

During meetings, most support groups use other resources to encourage healthy habits. Meetings usually consist of speakers, recipes, exercises, games and, of course, weigh-ins. Many require a fee or dues.

The money collected during weight loss meetings usually goes toward publications or some type of advertising. Funds will also go toward research of new weight loss trends and fads.

“Our chapter doesnt keep any of the money,” said Phillis Campbell, local TOPS leader.

For those with a serious eating problem, support groups are fundamental.

According the the Overeaters Anonymous guidelines, the group is not just about weight loss, weight gain, maintenance, obesity or diets.

“It addresses physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. It is not a religious organization and does not promote any particular diet,” the group notes on its website.

Overeaters Anonymous asks participants a few questions if they feel they many have a serious problem with food addiction.

n Do I eat when Im not hungry?

n Do I go on eating binges for no apparent reason?

n Do I eat sensibly in front of others and then make up for it when I am alone?

n Do my eating behaviors make me or others unhappy?

The organization is a group that stridently protects the anonymity of the members to avoid stigmatizing anyone.

Overeaters anonymous follows the guidelines of Alcoholics Anonymous.

“We believe by working the steps, we let go of our control of food and we give it to our higher power, whatever that higher power may be,” said a female member of the Decatur group.

This member used her Overeaters Anonymous group as an example of a higher power.

“In numbers, we have more strength than alone,” she said.

Unlike most support groups, Overeaters Anonymous does not require a fee, although it will accept donations generally used for rent of the meeting facility.

A strict diet plan is not followed. Simple plans are used, but there are no weigh-ins.

The organization believes that by working the steps, members will become abstinent.

“Of course we have to eat,” the member said. “But by abstinent, we mean three balanced meals a day. We dont tell people what to eat.”

Although support groups are designed to help others find strength in difficult situations, they do not have to be organized.

“You can start your own group,” said Hefley, the TOPS capatain. “Such as work programs that they do in work places.”

The fundamentals of a support group are to provide encouragement to fellow members.

“She motivates me, I motivate her, which may motivate someone else,” Longbons said. “Its personal.”

By Donnette Beckett

Source: http://herald-review.com/news/local/support-groups-help-maintain-weight-loss-resolutions/article_e8bede2b-35db-5f92-bc8b-385e455830c0.html