San Antonio – San Antonio resident Chris DeVicariis has struggled with his weight for over 40 years.
“For most of my life, even as a child, I spent a lot of time overweight,” he said.
His focus on making long-lasting changes to his health started after a bad experience while on a flight.
“I was on the plane to fly there back in 2021, and I couldn’t fit in the seat,” he recalls the life-changing moment. “I had a hard time fitting in the seat. I couldn’t get the seat belt to snap in, and so I had to really. So I had to really squeeze myself in. And so I was like, after that, I was like, I was I needed to I knew I needed to lose weight.”
His mother had introduced him to a group called Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS). It’s a non-commercial site that connects people with groups and provides support, education and weigh-ins. There is an annual membership fee.
“TOPS doesn’t provide you just one method to try. They teach you different methods and you just find the one that works for you. Like for me, I found counting calories to be the best option for me,” he explained.
According to the TOPS map, several chapters in San Antonio, Seguin and New Braunfels exist.
In 2023, DeVicariis was named Texas King of TOPS because he lost 127.6 pounds, the most significant weight loss from his starting weight, at the end of the year.
A lot of it, he says, had to do with walking daily at his local park on the Northwest Side; then there’s also calorie counting.
“If you find something’s not working for you, try something different,“ he said. ”And don’t give up. I know it’s hard sometimes. It’s hard. Continue on. But don’t give up."
