Hagerstown-area man crowned 2022 TOPS Maryland King for weight loss

After Robert Norris had a benign brain tumor removed six years ago, he dealt with after effects that included difficulty with balance and ended up putting on over 40 pounds.

That led to Norris becoming prediabetic.

Norris, 63, who lives south of Hagerstown, had seen the struggles his mother and wife endured with diabetes and, just as he didn't want that for them, he didn't want it for himself.

So Norris signed up for a Meritus Health diabetes prevention class and later joined his wife's chapter of TOPS, also known as Take Off Pounds Sensibly. TOPS is a nonprofit weight-loss support group that is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

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For losing the most weight among TOPS males in Maryland who reached their weight goal last year, Norris was named 2022 TOPS Maryland King. With TOPS, he dropped 22.8 pounds, after losing about 18 pounds previously with the help of the diabetes prevention class.

He got a crown from TOPS. It's not gold, but it's gold-colored. It often lies unseen in his nightstand drawer.

More importantly, Norris said, "It feels good" to no longer be prediabetic.

He also dropped two pant sizes.

That doesn't mean he's become a slacker.

Norris continues to walk for an hour, twice a day, using his walker to help with his balance and stiff walking motion as he goes around his neighborhood. He also rides his exercise bike inside for an hour every day.

His wife, Linda, says they track his steps and cycling and he goes about 8 miles, or more, a day.

Jacqie Cooper, TOPS coordinator for Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C., said she was impressed that Robert's health issues and difficulty walking didn't stop him.

"He kept going," she said.

TOPS is big on recognizing members' accomplishments, Cooper said.

The couple said they found the TOPS meetings more personal. Members shared their stories and struggles.

"You become a family. You go there for a one-hour meeting, but you talk to each other outside of the TOPS group and you become involved with the other people and you know the struggles that they're going through," Linda said.

"It's not just about losing weight," she said.

"When you lost (weight), they cheered you for losing," Linda said. "If you didn't lose, you got encouragement to do better the coming week."

Eating healthier helped Hagerstown man with weight loss

Robert said he wants to maintain his weight at 155 pounds on his 5-foot-6 frame.

That also means continuing to eat healthier.

Before Norris joined TOPS, he and Linda started learning about healthier eating through the Meritus Health diabetes prevention class.

The pair used to eat a lot of comfort food, but now they love seared tuna steak and chipotle chicken, though Linda doesn't like hers as spicy as Robert's. They learned the tuna steak dish from a Meritus Medical Center chef during one of their classes.

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They still occasionally eat fried chicken, but it's made in an air fryer so it's not deep fried and grease from the meat drops below, they said.

Instead of eating fried potatoes, bacon and eggs or chipped beef gravy over pancakes for breakfast, Robert is eating poached eggs, a breakfast burrito or bran cereal for breakfast.

And there's measuring.

"We'd look on the package and if a serving is a half cup, then that's what we'd do. Measure out a half cup," Linda Norris said.

"I'm not real good at that, but he was disciplined," said Linda, who still experiences highs and lows with her weight loss journey.

Robert Norris gets moving

The brain surgery removed the tumor but left Robert with some balance, hearing and vision issues, the couple said. The steroids he was on at the time contributed to the weight gain.

He received his doctor's approval to join the diabetes prevention class and decided that walking would be a good way for him to exercise. He started with walking 10 minutes three times a day.

"Now, two years later, he's walking the entire development," Linda said.

Robert said he was used to staying busy, between work and remodeling their previous home in Myersville, Md. He worked as a custodian or lead custodian for Frederick County Public Schools for 33 years.

Among the improvements he made at their home was installing a fence around their big yard so their beagle, Smudge, didn't wander away.

Now Smudge mostly lies around and sleeps, they said.

"When I can't be active, I get bored," Robert said. Sitting too long also results in stiffness.

So the walks serve more than one purpose.

"Just being out, getting out of the house. Getting away from all the stress and bustle," he said. "I like seeing the neighbors and dogs."

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Hagerstown man named 2022 TOPS Maryland King for weight loss