Pierre Part woman is TOPS Louisiana queen

Gloria Pintado of Pierre Part, who lost 71 pounds, and Don Brown of Opelousas, who lost 108.8 pounds, are the 2023 Louisina queen and king for Take Off Pounds Sensibly, the nonprofit weight-loss support organization.
TOPS royalty are women and men who have officially recorded the largest weight loss from their starting weight at the end of the year, regardless of the time taken to reach their goal.
Brown and Pintado were were honored March 21-23 at the Louisiana recognition event at the Best Western Alexandria. Brown was honored posthumously. He died Jan. 24.
TOPS provides an individual approach to weight loss and overall wellness. Consistent group support, health education, and recognition are all key components to successful weight management. Louisiana has an adult obesity rate of 40.1%, the second highest in the country. In 2023, TOPS members in Louisiana lost a cumulative 3,410 pounds.
“All of us in TOPS are immensely proud of our members’ weight-loss achievements,” said TOPS President Rick Danforth, who maintained a 100-pound weight loss for 15 years.
Weekly meetings are the heart of TOPS support, whether they are held in person or online. In-person meetings start with an optional weigh-in, with members then sharing challenges, successes, or goals, followed by a brief program covering a variety of health and wellness topics, and may conclude with awards and recognition for the week. Visitors can attend their first TOPS in-person meeting free of charge and are encouraged to try more than one chapter since they’re all a little different.
For online membership, meetings are conducted via Zoom and are offered at least five times during the week. The meeting starts with members disclosing challenges, successes, or goals.
Next, the online facilitator presents a prepared program and sometimes includes guest speakers who share their expert views on fitness, nutrition, and more. Meetings conclude with action steps related to the program presented.
Membership starts at $49 per year in the U.S. and $59 annually in Canada.