Rangely man achieves weight loss goal with TOPS

RANGELY | At 61 years of age, Lyle Peterson is looking forward to his leisure years, and with a weight loss of almost 25 pounds during the last year, he’s actively planning to continue leading his active lifestyle when he’s ready to retire.
Peterson, who works for the Western Rio Blanco Metropolitan Recreation and Park District, has been a member of the Taking Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) group for the better part of two years. At the beginning of June, Peterson was declared the TOPS Colorado King for 2016, lost more pounds, from his starting weight, than any other TOPS man in the state.
TOPS is a nonprofit weigh-loss support organization with multiple chapters throughout the country, including one in Rangely. It’s been around since 1948, and it’s 125,000 members lost more than 300 tons of excess weight last year alone. Peterson’s wife has been involved for three years, and is the current chapter president.
Peterson joined after his doctor told him he needed to lose some weight in order to improve the efficacy of his blood pressure medications. Since losing the weight through TOPS, he has been able to cut back on his medications and his blood pressure has dropped.
Peterson said the organization is one of the most cost-effective, with low monthly and annual dues and no specially-prepared foods to buy.
“There’s no particular diet,” he said. Weekly meetings, besides a weigh-in, focus on various topics. His own weight loss, he said, is the result of cutting out fried and fatty foods and increasing the amount of exercise he gets. He and his wife keep a food journal, and the accountability of the weekly meetings helps keep him encouraged and inspired.
“It’s not that hard to get to 10,000 steps a day,” he said.
Now that Peterson has reached his weight loss goal, he’s a member of KOPS (Keeping Off Pounds Sensibly).
Meetings are open to anyone and held every Wednesday at Rangely First Baptist Church at 5 p.m.