QC woman earns international recognition for weight loss success
Becky Hamm of Davenport has earned international recognition with her 89.2-pound weight loss through the non-profit TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), a non–commercial weight loss, education, and support organization.
Moreover, she recently earned the title of First Place Division 3 winner, a news release says. Hamm lost more weight than any other female member in her weight division in the U.S. and Canada during the 2019 calendar year (winners are announced in 2020.)
She attributes her weight loss success to the support she receives from her fellow TOPS members along with portion control and regular exercise.
“I am so happy I turned to TOPS. There is so much support within the chapter – I have cheerleaders,” Hamm said. “I walked/ran in my first 5k on Thanksgiving of 2019 and I can now ride a bike and climb stairs without huffing and puffing.”
IOWA FACTS & STATS:
- 35.3% of the adult population in the state of Iowa is obese – the seventh-highest obesity rating in the country
- There are 105 TOPS chapters in the state
- Last year, participants lost a total of 6,158 pounds
- Obesity affects more than a third of all Americans – that’s 78.6 million people. According to the CDC, it’s associated with “about 112,000 deaths every year in this country.” Obesity can cause an array of medical conditions including heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer
Founded in 1948, TOPS is the only nonprofit, noncommercial weight-loss organization of its kind. TOPS promotes successful weight management with a “Real People. Real Weight Loss.” philosophy that combines support from others at weekly chapter meetings, healthy eating, regular exercise and wellness information. TOPS has more than 100,000 members – male and female, age seven and older – in its network of thousands of weight-loss support chapters throughout the United States and Canada.
