The honor came with its own volunteer job, but Ann Coghlan doesn't mind. As the TOPS Queen of Arkansas, she's happy to share her story and it happened at just the right time.
Coghlan lost 71 pounds in about a year with the help of two local programs. She meets with the TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) Saturday morning group and walks with Women Run Arkansas.
She joined the Saturday morning group because she was working full time when she started losing weight, so the time of the meeting was convenient, but then her job at Washington Regional Medical Center came to an end. She is preparing for a whole new career in real estate, but right now she has some extra time.
"This is kind of like a ministry," she said and she's happy to have the time to undertake it.
It came as a surprise, she said. She got a letter from the TOPS headquarters in Milwaukee telling her she had been chosen state Queen. She's not sure exactly how they chose her, but she was happy to get it.
The state meeting happened to be in Rogers, so she and her husband, Darrel, went and met the state King. There were workshops and photo ops and she was invited to attend the International Recognition Days meeting in Reno in July. She plans to go.
Earlier this month she gave her first motivational speech as TOPS state queen and it wasn't easy, she said. She spoke at the Rogers chapter so she knew a few of the members, but it was still difficult to relive her journey.
When Coghlan started with TOPS, she had diabetes and hypertension. At age 53, she had already had two hip replacements and used a cane to walk. It wasn't easy but she also joined the Women Run Arkansas program and began to walk with the group a couple of times a week.
There's a social stigma experienced by many overweight people, she said. She experienced it in both her professional life and her personal life. She remembers hearing coworkers laugh behind her back. They treated her differently. She began to avoid social gatherings, even some family events, because she was embarrassed by her appearance.
Now, she getting used to shopping for a size 8 in the ladies department, instead of a plus-size department. It's easier now to get out and explore her environment.
She eats differently now, but she enjoys her food. A favorite is pizza with a cauliflower crust. When she was in Branson recently, she treated herself to a regular burger and fries but she didn't enjoy it. She said she felt sick for the rest of the day and wanted to go back to her eating plan.
"You have to learn to love yourself again," she said. "Life's too short. Don't wait to get serious about weight loss."
Recently, she's been walking in 5Ks. She did both the Women's Run 5K and the Komen Run 5K. Because of the hip replacements, she will never be able to run a 5K, but she can walk one as fast as some runners.
"I love being part of people coming together for a cause," she said. She plans to do more.
She'll also do more motivational speaking for TOPS chapters that invite her to visit.
"I may not make the cover of a magazine, but being healthy, having energy and being able to help others do the same thing, it's worth it," she said.
Coghlan's TOPS chapter meets Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. at Riordan Hall. New members are always welcome. TOPS is a low-cost program that lets members chose their own diet plan and adds accountability, including a weekly weigh in.
More information is available at www.tops.org.
General News on 05/20/2015