Local man wins big by losing big
Published Friday August 22nd, 2008
Monctonian wins TOPS Club Inc.'s Greatest Improvement award after dropping over 80 pounds and changing his lifestyle
Laurie Chavarie of Moncton has relieved himself of a huge burden - and gained much pride and satisfaction - by losing 83.5 pounds.
In doing so, he also earned first place recognition in the 2007 International Greatest Improvement contest, sponsored by TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly).
His extraordinary achievement didn't come easily.
"I've always had a weight problem," Laurie says. "I weighed 248 pounds when I was 15 and by the time I had my own family, I weighed 278 pounds."
In 1991, Laurie and his wife, Paulette, who were both in their early 30s, decided they wanted to lose weight and joined TOPS.
"Within eight months I had lost 61 ¼ lbs and maintained it for three years," says Laurie. "After a while, our life was so busy with kids and work commitments, we decided to try on our own and left our TOPS group."
Fourteen years later, Laurie and his wife had regained all of their weight - and more.
"We finally realized, at 46 years of age, that if we wanted to see retirement age, we had to change our way of life," says Laurie.
"So in January 2006, we rejoined TOPS. Within nine months, I had reached my goal and was feeling better physically, emotionally, and mentally about myself than I have ever felt in my life. Losing almost 90 pounds makes a big difference in a person's life."
Laurie approached the weight loss program differently the second time.
"The first time I dieted and did a minimum amount of exercise," he says. "This time I didn't diet. Instead, I am eating the right portions of the right foods, mostly following the Canadian Food Guide, and I exercise daily. My commitment now is to live a long, healthy life so I can enjoy all that life brings me."
His biggest challenge was to find two to three hours per day that he could dedicate to meal preparation, exercise, and education on how to live a healthy life.
"I soon realized when I rejoined TOPS with this new attitude that the secret to living a healthy life is directly related to the time and effort you put into it."
The weight loss has given Laurie many benefits.
"I'm wearing size 32 jeans instead of size 44," he says. "I can run a kilometre in less than six minutes, instead of 20 minutes, and I have a deep sense of accomplishment."
For those who want to lose weight, Laurie offers this encouraging advice.
"Forget about obsessing over losing weight and, instead, focus on leading a healthy lifestyle," he says. "The weight will come off on its own.
"If you're not active, start a little bit at a time. You don't have to make a drastic change all at once."
Laurie shares the credit for his healthy new lifestyle.
"My wife has given me unconditional love and support," he says. "I also thank my local TOPS group and all its members."
TOPS Club, Inc. is a non-profit, non-commercial weight-loss support and wellness education organization with thousands of associate chapters in the United States and Canada.
Members (about 180,000 worldwide), learn about nutrition, portion control, food planning, exercise, and more, in weekly meetings.
Weigh-ins, group feedback, and support help members achieve their goals.
To find out about local TOPS meetings, contact local co-ordinator Shirley Hopper at 383-8762 or visit www.tops.org.
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