Too much of anything can be harmful; moderation

TOPS Chapter 9319 El Dorado Springs met in The Firefly Services building 700 E. Hospital Rd, on Thursday, Aug. 13, for their regular weigh-in and meeting.

Warren called the meeting to order

Carol led us in singing “TOPS Success”.

We said our TOPS & KOPS pledges

Warren led us in roll call, 15 members weighed in we had a gain of .04 and a loss of 3.0, giving us a net loss of 2.6. The Best Loser for the week was Jan with a loss of 1.8! Jan is only two pounds from reaching her goal. Way to go Jan.

Carol presented the program today. She took her information from the recent TOPS NEWS as well as information she obtained at the recent KOPS meeting in Springfield. The U.S. FDA put protein in the spotlight when it essentially flipped the food pyramid upside down in January 2026, placing proteins at the top rather than the bottom. So, if protein is considered a “Good Thing” should we eat as much of it as possible? Everyone has noticed the addition of protein in most of the fast food and fast-casual meals offered. Research and nutritionists say proteins can play a valuable role in weight loss and health. But the overarching message from the scientific and medical community is one of caution against oversimplifying. Be sure you are considering the source, a 4 oz broiled sirloin steak has 33 grams of protein—but it also has 5 grams saturated fat, a 4-ounce grilled sockeye salmon has about 30 grams of protein but only 1 gram of saturated fat. A cup of lentils contains 18 grams of protein, fiber and almost no saturated fat.

Bottom line, don’t overdo it, too much of anything can be harmful. All things in moderation.

Carol then talked about “eating the rainbow” . Summer time has a rainbow of colorful produce. Carol used a mix of 17 varieties of produce to make a salad for the members to try. It was beautiful and quite tasty. This is a wonderful way for us to use the beautiful colorful produce available now.

Thank you, Carol for a great program and the great salad.

Linda H. presented LJ with her One-year KOPS award

Pam received a charm for bringing a new member (Jo) and she received her 55-pound loss certificate. Congratulations Pam.

It was noted we missed LJ’s birthday last month. She was presented with a beautiful sparkling Red White and Blue insulated mug.

Contest: Pat presented a new contest for us to consider. It is very simple and easy to keep track of. It will start this week and go to Sept. 24. All you have to do is lose weight. Each week If you lose but less than 1 pound you get 1 chance for your name to be in a drawing at the end of the contest. If you lose more than 1 pound you get two chances. For the KOPS if they stay the same, they get 1 chance, stay below goal, 1 chance, or at goal 1 chance. The entry fee would be $2 and the winner will receive 1⁄2 of the proceeds, the chapter will receive the other half. Linda H made a motion that we do this contest, LJ 2nd and the motion passed.

Marble game: There is $20 in the pot. Marie won the chance to draw but did not get the winning one.

Warren reminded us to refer to the updated Member List that was passed out to members last week. It contains information of the “positions” each member has agreed to do.

With no other business we closed with our motto “IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME”

TOPS #MO 9319 meets each Thursday morning in the Firefly Services building” at 700 E. Hospital Rd, El Dorado Springs. Weigh-in starts at 7:45 a.m. the meeting begins at 8:45 a.m. and is over by 10 a.m. For more information call Linda at 417-876-7404. Come and join us.

TOPS toll-free number 1 800-932-8677 or you can find us on the web at www.tops.org.