When her youngest son told her he just wanted his mom back it shook Tammy Dillabough to her core
For years after she lost her oldest son, Ryan, to cancer at 22 years of age in 2009, Dillabough grieved the terrible loss and turned to food for comfort
She and her husband, Joe, moved away from Prince George thinking that would help ease the pain
They moved to Cranbrook when Joe took a new job but they discovered there’s no running away from the grief of losing a child
“We lived there for 12 years,” Dillabough said
“I was lonely and grieving and I didn’t know anybody there and I gained weight steadily over the years and after my younger son, Darren, returned to Prince George we made the decision to come home as well.”
And that was when Dillabough heard those fateful words
“Darren said he just wanted his mom back and he didn’t mean in Prince George and that was my wake-up call,” Dillabough explained
“I knew I had to do something so I joined the TOPS chapter (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) that I had gone to prior to my son’s illness, knowing I had supportive friends there.”
The meeting Dillabough goes to is at the Hart Pioneer Centre on Tuesdays and it’s the TOPS BC 5315 chapter
TOPS is a non-commercial weight loss, education and support organization
“I joined TOPS on January 16, 2024, weighing in at my highest weight ever,” Dillabough said
“I reached my goal weight on January 28, 2025, having lost 76.8 pounds and have maintained that ever since. My husband and family have given me support and encouragement throughout my journey. Darren is so proud of me. He’s so happy to have his mom back – his happy, fun-loving mom.”
As a result of her weight loss, Tammy was named the 2025 TOPS British Columbia Queen, meaning she lost more weight than any other female TOPS member in the province to achieve her goal weight
(We’ll talk about that more later because rest assured there is a tiara involved!)
Dillabough has a long history with the BC 5315 chapter of TOPS. She first joined the group when her children were young, she said
When she returned to the chapter in 2024 after having moved back to Prince George from Cranbrook she took on the role of facilitator
“I went back to them because I knew that I needed companionship and I knew people there that I wanted to spend time with,” Dillabough explained
Over the years Dillabough has learned a few things about herself
“The hardest habit to break was snacking in the evenings,” Dillabough said
“I started doing crafts to keep my hands busy and wouldn’t let myself eat after dinner, reminding myself I was making that choice for myself and my family. I still struggle with stress eating and snacking. I try to keep lots of healthy snacks on hand and now use exercise to cope with stress instead of food.”
Dillabough walks for at least an hour every day
“And I try to move all the time now instead of sitting on the couch,” Dillabough said
“I get in at least 10,000 steps a day and try for more and as far as tips go the most important advice I can give is to find a group of like-minded people to support you and TOPS is a great place to start. Another tip is just to move – do as much as you can comfortably, do it as often as you can and build on it – find an activity you enjoy – swimming or exercising in a pool is a great start because it’s a low-impact workout and as far as food intake I stick to 12 to 1400 calories but that, of course, is different for everybody.”
Dillabough said it really helped to track her food intake and exercise on an app
There’s accountability that way
“And I drank lots of water,” Dillabough said
One of the keys for Dillabough was eliminating highly processed foods from her diet, including bread
“When I cut the processed foods out of my diet it was like – oh, wow,” Dillabough said
The two big ones for her were bread and pasta, she added
“And I still don’t eat bread because if I eat bread I wanna eat more bread,” Dillabough said wtih a sigh
“It’s so quick and easy – bread is simple – have a sandwich and pasta is just a favourite food and pizza is another one I’ve cut out and I don’t do fast food anymore – again the hidden calories are just crazy.”
Dillabough said she also weighs and measures her food
“Because you would be shocked at how many servings of pasta are in your restaurant order and so I weigh and measure my food so that I am not overdoing it,” Dillabough said
And now let’s talk about what’s really important about being crowned
“Yes, there is a tiara,” Dillabough laughed. She is the 2025 TOPS British Columbia Queen after all
Dillabough was honoured at a provincial recognition ceremony held in Quesnel for BC Central North TOPS members because she met her weight loss goal and lost the most weight out of any other female TOPS member in BC in 2025
“I feel so privileged and so honoured. I worked so hard to reach my goal and to be recognized for it is just amazing because now I am happy and healthy and now I’ve got the opportunity to inspire and motivate other people. It’s just an amazing feeling because when you can give back it makes the privilege even more.”
Dillabough wanted to make one thing clear
“I did it for myself,” Dillabough said
“I knew I needed to and I did it for myself. Someone else can provide that initial motivation but you still have to do it for you.”
Dillabough asked me to be sure to mention Gary Munroe of Surrey, who dropped 69.8 pounds, who was named the 2025 TOPS British Columbia King and was celebrated in a ceremony in his area
“All of us in TOPS are immensely proud of our members’ weight-loss achievements,” Rick Danforth, TOPS president, said
“Through their TOPS membership, these individuals can honour their life-altering successes, other members and those who have preceded them. By maintaining their allegiance to lifestyle modifications, a hallmark of TOPS’ winning formula, TOPS members apply the tools they’re provided and the backing of their peers to attain their weight loss goals.”
Statistics say one in four Canadian adults is obese and British Columbia has an obesity rate of 23.2 per cent. Obesity can cause many medical conditions, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and even certain types of cancer. By committing to a healthier lifestyle people can achieve weight loss and overall wellness. the TOPS media release said
In 2025, British Columbia TOPS members lost a total of 7,917 pounds. TOPS is not a diet. It is a lifestyle change for a lifetime. For more information about local chapters of TOPS, including where Dillabough is a facilitator, visit https://www.tops.org/find-a-meeting
