City woman TOPS in weight loss

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on August 14, 2024.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Dawn Puckett has received the title of TOPS 2023 Alberta Queen after achieving her weight loss goal of 80.5 pounds and being the TOPS female member to lose the most weight across the province.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

A Lethbridge resident has won a provincial title for losing the most of something many Albertans try to get rid of on a regular basis, something many struggle to lose… weight.

Dawn Puckett recently received the title of TOPS 2023 Alberta Queen. TOPS which stands for Take Off Pounds Sensibly is a nonprofit, non-commercial network of weight loss support groups and wellness education organization known as TOPS Club Inc.

Established in 1948 in Milwaukee, United States, TOPS introduced the first Canadian chapter in 1955 in Hamilton, Ontario according to TOPS website.

In a recent interview Puckett said her weight loss journey with TOPS started thanks to an invitation from one of her daughters who joined a chapter in Coaldale through a coworker.

“She said mom ‘you should join, the people are really nice. So I did and then my other daughter joined too, so it’s kind of a family thing now,” said Puckett.

She added that she decided to join not only because of her daughters but also because her weight had become a health concern and she had not been able to lose it on her own up to that point.

“It’s really nice, you get weighed in every week. If you gain nobody says anything, they are encouraging to keep going, but if you lose any weight they are just so joyful, genuinely happy that you’ve lost it,” said Puckett.

She explained it was not an easy process, but she managed to go through it. Her health concern was something that kept her motivated.

“It took me a while before I decided to keep losing because it’s not easy. People think oh yeah just don’t eat this and don’t eat that, well when you’re making it for your family or you’re going out and you see all this nice food, it’s kind of hard to say no,” said Puckett.

According to a news release from TOPS, in 2023 Alberta TOPS members lost a combined total of 6,641 pounds and it was Puckett who lost more weight than any other female TOPS member in the province.

Puckett gained her title by losing a total of 80.5 pounds, something she said took around two years but she was able to reach her goal in 2023 and therefore gained the title of TOPS 2023 Alberta Queen.

“For the first year I didn’t gain any weight, but I really didn’t lose any either. But in the second year, something click and I realized that I needed to add exercise to it, I needed to stop eating so much. So I started to walk,” said Puckett.

She said the key to her ability to stick to walking was by starting small, she began by walking to the corner of her block, then once she gained some more stamina she started to walk around the block and continues to add more distance.

“It got to the point where my walk around the block was just a warmup, as I was walking further and further. But no matter what, my minimum was set as my walk around the block and now I do it everyday no matter the weather,” said Puckett.

She said her walk around the block became her “morning walk” and now it is the way she begins her days.

“When it comes to losing the weight, it didn’t happen quick. I would get weight in every week and lose an average of a pound or two per week, sometimes I lost three or four and those were great, but far in between,” said Puckett.

She said it was a long and slow process but with a little bit of patience and perseverance, it was possible. When asked about the specifics of her weight loss journey, Puckett said there is no such a thing as a “one size fits all” approach and therefore what worked for her may not work for someone else, and that is why TOPS was so helpful.

“I knew if the weight came off quickly by crash dieting, it would come back just as fast so I was patient with my journey. Sometimes I didn’t lose, a few times I gained, but at the end of the day I reached my goal,” said Puckett.

She explained her decision to lose weight was a personal choice, even though she had joined with her daughters. When it came down to it, she did not discuss her decision with anyone.

“For me, it was something I consciously wanted to do and I just got it done. I realized the weight needed to come off and it did,” said Puckett.

When it comes to her title, Puckett said she almost skipped the event where she was presented with it, but was convinced to go to.

“I had nothing to do it with it, I was just notified that I won. I wasn’t even going to go to it, but then I realized it was a once in a life time recognition and I decided to go. My daughters and the people from my TOPS group came with me and it was great,” said Puckett.

The event took place in Red Deer earlier this year.