Theresa McRae had no idea she was walking into a turning point in life when she first walked into her new community’s clubhouse. 

Theresa and her husband Duncan McRae had just moved from Sanford to The Plantation at Leesburg to be closer to Duncan’s brother Tim. Settling in should have felt easy, but the weight she’d gained kept creeping higher.

In April 2025, Theresa was diagnosed with fatty liver and the doctor encouraged her to take action. 

“My main motivation was my diagnosis and my doctor nagging, really encouraging me to lose weight by my next appointment to bring my elevated liver enzyme numbers down,” she says. 

Then Theresa came across a picture of herself at her brother-in-law’s wedding taken about six months earlier and it all clicked.

“When I saw that picture and saw how big I had gotten, I realized I really did need to do something,” Theresa says. 

Soon after she heard about TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) and showed up for a meeting. There, she met the group’s co-leader, Bev Krebs. 

“She was the first one to greet me, and she just made me feel so welcome,” Theresa says. “She’s such a sweetheart. All the women were very welcoming.”

Theresa joined TOPS right away and began working out via the Walk Away the Pounds fitness program. She says many of the 46 active TOPS members follow a diet and exercise plan that works for them. They credit the weekly encouragement they receive from their TOPS peers as a tool to success, to help them to stay accountable and motivated to lose weight, eat better and move more. 

What she didn’t expect was how much she would love it, and even more so, how much she needed accountability. 

“I knew I needed help because I have yo-yo’d the same 40-50 pounds since the late 1970s,” Theresa says. “I’d lose and immediately put weight back on in no time.”

“Dieting never has been tough for me,” she adds. “It’s been the struggle to keep it off that was difficult, so meeting women in TOPS who have graduated to KOPS (Keep Off Pounds Sensibly) has been so inspiring. 

Theresa added that one particularly impressive KOPS member Wilma Heckler, a 93-year-old chair yoga and balance exercise leader who lost 40 pounds and kept it off for nine years.  

“I figured out that attending meetings, having that accountability, the weekly weigh-ins and the support are what’s going to work for me and actually keep the weight off,” she says. 

By the end of August, Theresa reached her goal of losing 40 pounds. She “graduated” into KOPS, joining several other long-timers who’ve kept their weight off for years.

Her success even pushed Duncan to join “Waist Management,” the men’s version of TOPS and he lost 16 pounds. 

“He’s enjoying it too,” she says, adding that they participated in The Plantation Olympics together in the fall.

According to Theresa, the most unexpected benefit was how much TOPS inspired her to rethink the things she loved most—cooking and baking.

Cooking from the Heart

Theresa has been in the kitchen all her life. She grew up watching her grandmother make potato faces and fun food designs. 

“My grandmother was really big on that,” she says. “She influenced me as a little girl.”

These days, Theresa makes fruit and veggie trays using cookie cutters to cut shapes from cheese, watermelon and even cucumbers. She laughs when she talks about the little banana shaped like a dolphin that holds a sign saying, ‘You rock.’

“I think if you make fruit and veggies fun for kids, they’ll try them and adults love the fun in that too,” she says.

Baking remains Theresa’s true passion.

“During COVID, you couldn’t get out, so I would make a lot of cookies and leave them on neighbors’ doorsteps or take them to the clubhouse for people,” she says.

Some recipes go back decades.

“I first made my chocolate trifle like 30 or 40 years ago,” she says. “It’s amazing. But back then, the brownie mix was 12 ounces and now it only comes in 8 ounces. Everything is smaller now. I was really surprised to learn that and had to re-type the recipe to update it.”

Her TOPS friends, including Bev Krebs and Merry Wallace, have been just as big a part of the cooking fun. They share recipes, swap low-calorie ideas and even bring healthy snacks to meetings, Bunco nights and community parties.

Mixing Things Up, the Healthier Way

Joining TOPS didn’t mean giving up the foods Theresa loves, but she splurges less often, plus modifies some of the ingredients to make them healthier. She also doesn’t follow one particular plan.

 “I love some of the keto recipes, the ones with the bacon and cheese or the Mediterranean dishes with beans,” Theresa says. “I found that switching things up keeps me from being bored.”

She and Duncan also added intermittent fasting to their routine, which consists of no late-night snacking and eating mainly within an eight-hour window. They also gravitated toward fresh fruit, especially during Florida’s produce-rich winter.

“I enjoy cooking for family and friends, and I enjoy baking,” Theresa says. “It’s not really any different now, I just try and focus on more fruits, healthier ingredients and walking.”

Her TOPS Buddies

Merry, who loves exchanging recipes with Theresa, has been cooking since she was 20. 

“I had a grandmother that was an excellent cook,” she says. “I learned a lot from her, and I watch cooking shows.”

Like Theresa, she prefers lighter swaps.

“Yes, personally myself I like to do light substitutions like light mayonnaise, light sour cream,” she says. “But I don’t like fat-free because it takes the flavor totally away. But if you portion control and use the lite, you’re OK.”

Merry contributed her marinated chicken kabobs recipe, an old favorite. 

“Years ago, I used to live in central New York. We were near Cornell University and they had a marinade called the Cornell recipe,” Merry says. “My husband didn’t like vinegar though, so I modified it and I use beer instead.”

Bev has been a member for 16 years, lost 65 pounds and has kept it off for the last two.

She used to make wedding cakes, often baking for friends and family. Now 87, she cooks much simpler and lighter.  

“Oh yes, I modify,” she says. “I try to make pies without crust and use lighter ingredients,” Bev says.

Her best advice? “Well, you can eat anything you want,” she says. “It’s all in moderation and portion control. If you want a piece of cake, you can have a piece of cake, just make it a small piece or have one or two bites.”

Theresa, Merry and Bev bring a mix of old favorites, healthier twists and plenty of laughter to every TOPS meeting.

The magic of the group goes far beyond the food for Theresa.

“Meeting women in TOPS who have graduated to KOPS has been so inspiring,” she adds. “The support and friendships I found there were just what I needed, and my doctor was elated with my blood work and weight loss. She says I can stop cholesterol meds and be totally medication free, plus I don’t have to go back to see her until November!”  

Chocolate Trifle by Theresa

Strawberry Cheesecake Cups by Theresa

Taco Soup Bar by Theresa

Chicken Kabobs by Merry

Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Bell Peppers 

Photos: Nicole Hamel