Buffalo Township woman crowned queen of weight loss

Michele Malkowiak loves being called a loser.

The Buffalo Township grandmother and homemaker shed more than 100 pounds over a two-year period during the pandemic. As a result, she is Pennsylvania’s reigning 2021-22 Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) queen.

“I was blindsided,” said Malkowiak, 56. “I found out the day I showed up in Erie for a TOPS-related area recognition program.”

Malkowiak credits the TOPS program for providing an encouraging club setting for her to meet, discuss and receive support from others on a similar weight-loss journey.

TOPS was founded in 1948. It’s a nonprofit with thousands of weight-loss support chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada.

In Pennsylvania, the adult obesity rate hovers around 31%, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Malkowiak described a defining, humiliating weight-related moment in 2018, when she was at her heaviest.

“I was kneeling down at school volunteering at my granddaughter’s school, and then I couldn’t get up. That was the most embarrassing moment I ever had,” she said. “I knew I had to do something. It was my rock bottom.”

Malkowiak originally joined TOPS more than 20 years ago when she gained weight after she quit smoking cigarettes.

“I gave up smoking but traded it for eating,” Malkowiak said. “I ended up leaving TOPS because I never did what it took to lose weight. I accepted that I would just be heavy the rest of my life. I believed quitting smoking would be enough to keep me healthy, and my weight wouldn’t matter.”

Courtesy of Michele Malkowiak

Malkowiak, pictured at Disney World, was 225 pounds before her weight-loss journey began.

In 2018, Malkowiak began to experience weight-related health issues.

“My joints hurt. I had arthritis in my knees, and I couldn’t get up off of the floor without help,” Malkowiak said. “I rejoined TOPS and lost about 25 pounds that first year.”

Then the pandemic hit, forcing Malkowiak to stay home. She had to quit dining out at restaurants, which she had done frequently.

“I decided if I was stuck at home, I might as well focus on losing weight,” she said. “I realized the extra weight put me in a higher risk category for severe symptoms if I contracted covid.”

She rejoined TOPS, gave up drinking alcohol (except for the occasional glass of red wine) and said her resolve to lose the weight never faltered.

Malkowiak struggled with weight issues from a young age.

“I just ate, and when I started I couldn’t quit,” she said. “Food was probably an escape for me.”

A key component to TOPS is the weekly weigh-in.

Her starting weight on Sept. 27, 2018, was 225 pounds.

On March 8, 2023, during a weekly TOPS meeting weigh-in, she weighed 124 pounds.

“We love losers,” said TOPS weigh-in recorder Eleanor White. “They’re our champions here.”

TOPS Chapter 1406 meets weekly at Evangel Heights Church in Buffalo Township.

Malkowiak is now a size 2-6, depending on the clothing designer.

Her best weight-loss perk to date is wearing a swimsuit and jeans without being embarrassed.

“I do recognize myself when I look in the mirror,” she said. “I feel great, and I never thought I would have made it. But what made it happen was going to this TOPS group. They’re supportive, loving and care about one another.”

A 1984 graduate of Hampton High School, Malkowiak has been married to husband Ted for 30 years. They live on a small farm in Buffalo Township. They raised three daughters and have three granddaughters. Ted also is a member of TOPS.

Courtesy of Michele Malkowiak

Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) member Michele Malkowiak of Buffalo Township was crowned Pennsylvania’s 2021-22 TOPS queen during a recognition event in Erie.

Her daily weight maintenance habits include walking, eating high-fiber foods and lean protein, keeping a food journal, drinking lots of water and counting calories.

She loves pancakes — enjoying them in moderation — and likes to eat popcorn as a snack.

“My message is: Never give up,” Malkowiak said, fighting back tears as she recalled the last two years of her weight-loss journey. “I had setbacks. You just have to get back on it.”