Tonelli’s Wildcats Off & Running Again

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before.

More than one month into the new high school basketball season, Wharton High is undefeated, playing great defense, and establishing itself as the team to beat in Class 7A-7.

If that sounds familiar, it should. After all, the Wildcats have won seven district titles in the past 10 seasons, and jumped out of the gate with starts like:

  • 9-0 (last year)
  • 9-1 (in 2017-18)
  • 8-1 (2016-17)
  • 11-1 (2015-16)
  • 13-0 (2014-15) and on and on.

The difference between those teams and this year’s squad? Youth. Head coach Tommy Tonelli has led his youngest team to a quick 10-0 start heading into the meat of the regular season. 

“This is by far my youngest varsity team ever,” says Tonelli of a roster that includes four freshmen and four sophomores among the 12 players. “We lost six seniors, three starters, and the county’s Player of Year in Darin Green (now at UCF). That’s a big readjustment to make.”

They seem to be adapting just fine. The Wildcats’ closest game this season was a 61-49 win over Lennard High — the 450th win of Tonelli’s career — and six of their wins have been by more than 22 points.

Their season-opening run included a tournament championship — 49-33 over Berkeley Prep — at Nature Coast Tech’s holiday tournament.

Helping with that readjustment are the team’s only two senior starters — captains Carr Thiam and Gio Reyes, who have both emerged from Green’s wide shadow to lead the Wharton kids.

“They want to continue to sustain the traditions we have and the excellence we’ve shown in past years,” Tonelli says. “They have a lot of pride. Hopefully, they get to put another district championship banner up there.”

Carr Thiam fires in three of his career-high 34 points in a win over Steinbrenner. (Photo courtesy of Jess Self)

Thiam, a versatile forward who can score from long range or create his own shots off the dribble, is averaging a team-high 23.7 points per game, along with 6.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals. Reyes, the point guard, is averaging 17.9 points and 5.3 assists a game.

Both players have embraced their roles as leaders and the team’s go-to players.

“We know we have a lot of new guys and we have to get them going, be more vocal, so they pick up things faster. We get on them every day,” Thiam says. “We talk about (leading) a lot.”

“It’s all we talk about,” Reyes adds, smiling.

Tonelli says the seniors aren’t just leading verbally, but by backing up their words on the court.

“They set the right example,” he says. “I always tell the guys, if you want to see how it’s done, and you want to see what playing hard is, just watch those two. If you ever have any doubts, watch those two.”

The Wildcats are coming off a 26-5 season, and the team advanced to the Class 8A Regional final last year. Thiam and Reyes don’t want to be part of any team that ends the Wharton string of 11 straight seasons of 20-plus wins, and if this season looked like a ripe time to finally catch Wharton on the downside, well, Thiam says “not this year.”

So far, the Wildcats are 3-for-3 in their all-important District 7A-7 match-ups, handily beating Alonso, Steinbrenner and Plant and letting the county know it is best not to be fooled by Tonelli’s youthful roster. 

Against Steinbrenner, Thiam scored a career-high 34 points.

“I hit my first shot from deep, and I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be a good game,’” Thiam says. “I was surprised it was 34 though. I thought I had like 25 or something.”

Wharton’s youthful roster is far from a hindrance, says Thiam, but rather a benefit. He runs off a list of teammates he think will be stars down the road, and Reyes does the same.

The team does indeed have a wealth of young talent. Three of the freshman on the roster — guards Chandler Davis and Karmello Branch and forward Reginald “RJ” Bell — all started for the Turner-Bartels middle school team that went 8-0 and won the Hillsborough County championship last season.

Davis has recently moved into the starting lineup.

The Wildcats are getting contributions up and down the roster, from sophomore forward Trevor Dyson (8.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and guard Jordan Brown to junior guard Elijah Barnes and the only other senior, forward Josh Barnett, who is the tallest Wildcat at just 6’-5”.

“We’ve got pretty good depth, albeit inexperienced in a lot of ways,” Tonelli says. “But, I have a lot of confidence in what those guys can do. We may be lacking for physical size, but we have a lot of skill, a lot of guys that can put the ball in the basket
I definitely like what I see in the early going.”

Samantha Taylor : This Decade Can Be Your Best Yet!

Twice a year, the five Samantha Taylor Fitness studios host an appreciation party, celebrating the success of the studios’ members. At the last party, the women in this photo were recognized for losing a combined 597 pounds. Lora (red flannel shirt in the front row) lost 72 lbs. and reversed her Type 2 Diabetes. 

On the brink of not just a new year — but also a new decade — Samantha Taylor encourages women to think about what they want their life to be like 10 years from now.

She’s built a business from women’s success stories, like that of her client Lynn Smith, who will turn 80 in 2020, and has been a member of Samantha Taylor Fitness for more than 10 years.

“The investment Lynn made when she was 69 years old has totally transformed her life,” says Samantha. “She’s in amazing health and physical condition, has no medical issues and takes no medication.”

Samantha says it’s hard to imagine what Lynn’s life would be like if she hadn’t made the decision a decade ago to join Samantha Taylor Fitness.

Samantha is something of a local legend — a Certified Personal Trainer who began her career 27 years ago and launched her own business 20 years ago. Since then, she says she has trained more than 7,500 women. There are now five Tampa Bay-area Samantha Taylor Fitness studios, including Wesley Chapel and nearby Land O’Lakes, plus Carrollwood, Westchase and Palm Harbor.

The Wesley Chapel location has its own standalone building off of S.R. 56, near I-75, in the Cypress Ridge Professional Center.

Samantha moved the studio there in 2018 from its former location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. The new studio is bigger, with a larger personal training room, specialty rubber floors, and a private, first-floor entrance.

Linda Lack lost 32 pounds in just 6 weeks. 

It’s a women-only environment where clients choose Fitness Boot Camp classes for group training or private or semi-private personal training. All workouts last just 30 minutes.

But, Samantha Taylor Fitness is not just about working out.

“The only way to make lifelong, lasting changes is to learn to eat,” explains Samantha. “It’s not about diet or starving yourself, but figuring out how to eat in a way that you really enjoy that is simple and maintainable.”

She says people can diet temporarily, but if they don’t learn to eat in a way that’s realistic and sustainable for them, they won’t stick to it.

That’s why Samantha Taylor Fitness has a full-time, licensed nutritionist on staff. “It’s huge because in the state of Florida, it’s not legal to give out custom diets unless you have a license,” she says. 

So, Samantha hired Shannon Barker, R.D. (Registered Dietitian), to do just that. “We have a new menu plan every month with recipes,” says Samantha. “A lot of people like new ideas for what to eat, so we provide that.”

Shannon also works with any members who have specific dietary needs to customize the menus. For example, there are options for people who want to stick to a keto diet plan. “The keto diet is the most popular eating plan in the world right now,” Samantha says, “and we have easy, simple-to-follow plans for people who want to eat that way.”

Samantha says Shannon also offers webinars on nutrition topics, such as how to pre-prep food and understanding thyroid issues. She also offers weekly group nutrition coaching calls, where any member can call in and ask questions.

Members of Samantha Taylor Fitness also get monthly 3D body scans, where a machine takes measurements and analyzes body fat digitally.

“People have been loving it,” says Samantha. “It’s much better than only measuring your progress by the scale. You want to see the inches, too, and how your body is physically changing.”

Get Off Those Meds, Ladies!

While others may notice the physical differences, Samantha says there are other important changes, too, such as reversing disease and getting off medications.

She says Lora Burns is a member of Samantha Taylor Fitness who has lost 72 pounds and completely reversed her type 2 (adult onset) diabetes. She is now off all of the medication she previously needed to fight the disease.

At Samantha Taylor Fitness, women also find a supportive community, which Samantha says makes it fun and helps women stay on track.

“We are highly focused on the clients’ experience and helping them to have even more accountability, more recognition, more involvement in the program and getting the most out of it,” explains Samantha.

Heather Weaver has been working out at Samantha Taylor Fitness for the past 6 months or so.

“I love that it’s a community of women,” she says. “We all respect each other and are all there for similar goals – to lose weight or gain strength.”

And, while Heather says those were her two goals, she has found so much more.

She says she’s learned to eat in a way that is much healthier, such as avoiding sugar, that has become her lifestyle, so it’s not a fad. “Now my husband and children are on board with that, too.”

Heather adds that when she had previously tried other ways to lose weight, she would eat different things than her family. But with Samantha Taylor Fitness, she follows the menus provided by the nutritionist, which she says are so amazing that her family loves them, too.

“I was shocked at how I could take things out of a certain meal, and like it even more,” she says. Now, her whole family is eating good, healthy, nutritious meals together, skipping fast food and eating healthy snacks.

“It becomes a habit and it’s a good habit,” she explains. “It’s not work and it’s not weird; you’ve built that habit.”

Heather says she has gone from a size 16 to a size 10, but that’s almost an afterthought.

“I don’t even think about that,” she says. “I think about how I feel good all the time and have so much energy. I used to want to take a nap in the middle of the day and the thought of that now is bizarre to me.”

She says she loves the sense of community, too.

“Samantha does seminars and webinars and events, and I’ve never gone to a gym that does that before,” says Heather, who has even brought her husband along to events, such as a food tasting. “I like that it’s a women’s studio, but it’s nice for him to see the people I work out with and the people I cherish.”

Samantha is offering several programs for the new year, including a free webinar on Saturday, January 4, called “2020 Goal Achieving Master Class.” There’s also a four-week New Year’s Challenge that starts mid-January, and she has some free motivational tools to help get women ready for the new year.

To learn more about these programs, visit SamanthaTaylorFitness.com/2020.

“So many people have good intentions to set goals, but statistically, most fall off within the first two weeks,” Samantha says. “A way to make 2020 different is for you is to hire a proven company with a track record of amazing success.”

The Wesley Chapel Samantha Taylor Fitness Studio is located is at 2609 Ridgebrook Dr., Wesley Chapel. For more information, visit SamanthaTaylorFitness.com or call (813) 377-3739.

Medi-Weightloss Of Lutz Works On Results That Stick

Medi-Weightloss Clinics are all about results.

Shannon Terkoski says she came to the Lutz Medi-Weightloss weighing 250 pounds on Jan. 16, 2018. 

She now weighs 143.2 pounds, having lost 106.8 pounds.

“Week-to-week, they were encouraging but also made real suggestions on what I could do to improve things,” Terkoski says. “Like, the way I go grocery shopping and not just pushing their own products, even though I still take some of their proprietary products. I stopped going on a weekly basis, but I continue to maintain what they have shown and taught me about making better lifestyle choices.”

Shannon still pops in to buy Medi-Weightloss supplements. 

“I tried every diet and miracle pill under the sun and lost a few pounds,” says Ryan Cuddy. “This all changed at Medi-Weightloss. I have lost over 50 pounds and the weight is staying off. The staff and doctor are very knowledgeable and know what works. I would recommend Medi Weightloss to anyone who is looking to lose weight and to get a better, healthier life!”

Jodi Sullivan is another satisfied Medi-Weightloss client.

“I was ready to lose weight and found Medi-Weightloss,” she says. “After having a much-needed hard discussion with Dr. (Andrew) Weitzman, at Medi, it was like a switch in my brain was flipped and I was motivated to do it!” 

  • Jodi Sullivan says that Dr. Andrew Weitzman at the Medi-Weightloss of Lutz helped her to “flip the switch” when it came to finally doing the right things to lose weight.

These are just a few comments from patients at the Lutz Medi-Weightloss Clinic.

According to a survey done by Statista, the top three New Year’s resolutions for Americans in 2020 were: diet or eat healthier, exercise more, and lose weight. 

An earlier survey, conducted in Dec. of 2018, said that just 16 percent of respondents stuck to some of their 2018 resolutions, while 13 percent said they kept none of them. While those three resolutions are obviously intertwined, in order to make lasting changes to one’s health via weight loss and diet, one must adopt lifestyle changes.

Those changes can be easier to make and keep when you have the help of professionals.

And, since 2006, Medi-Weightloss of Lutz, one of more than 100 locations nationwide, has helped clients make lifestyle changes that stick.

To date, Medi-Weightloss of Lutz owner Gerri Willett says the office located on S.R. 54 (two miles west of S.R. 56) has, to date, helped patients lose 118,877 pounds. 

Know Your Phases

The professionals at Medi-Weightloss focus on three phases.

The first is the acute phase, also known as the weight loss phase.

The initial visit is a 60-90 minute consultation. Professionals will take weight measurements, do blood work, take an electrocardiogram (EKG), present informational handouts that go into a binder and start a detailed journal where the client will log their eating, drinking and sleeping data. 

During the acute phase, clients come in once a week until they hit their target weight. Medi-Weightloss has many ways to help during this difficult phase. You’ll get two injections, one called a Methionine Inositol Choline or MIC Combo injection that puts B12 vitamins and amino acids right into your bloodstream. The lipotropic substances help with fat metabolism, liver function and fat excretion. 

“The MIC injections are good for everyone and we never charge for them if you’re on the program,” Willett says. “While you’re on the program, you can come in twice a week and get the MIC Combo for free.”

  • Ryan Cuddy says he has lost over 50 pounds since joining Medi-Weightloss of Lutz.

The second shot is a Vitamin B6 and B1 injection that helps reduce water retention and helps keep your energy up while battling food cravings. In the first phase, clients also will have help with vitamin supplements, a good multivitamin, as well as calcium and Omega 3 supplements. You’ll also receive a food scale to help with portion control and ketone sticks to detect your level of ketosis.

“Ketosis is a state where your body burns fat faster,” Willett said. “The ketone stick will reveal what level of ketosis you are in. Some don’t get there but it’s okay if they just get close.”

Once you reach your target weight, you’ll move on to Phase 2: the maintenance phase. Clients meet with Andrew Weitzman, M.D., who is Board-certified in Internal Medicine. Dr. Weitzman’s goal is always for you to be able to get off any medications you may be taking. 

“One of my favorite things is getting someone off of blood pressure medications,” Dr. Weitzman says. “You lose 20 pounds and all of a sudden, your blood pressure goes down.”

Phase 3 is the wellness phase. During this phase, clients need only come in once a month.

And, it’s always okay to come back later. Medi-Weightloss has clients return after completing the program, sometimes 10 years later, sometimes to share their success, sometimes because they are in need of additional help.

“They can always come back,” Willett says. “If it’s 10 years or 13 years later, I want them to be able to come back in. We want success for our patients. They shouldn’t feel guilty about coming back in. Losing weight is a lifestyle change. If it was easy or just a pill you could take, no one would be overweight.”

A Staff That’s There for You

Some clients are so happy with their results, they join the Medi-Weightloss team, like Erin Jones.

“I lost 25 pounds in the first month-and-a-half and ended up losing 50 pounds overall,” Erin says. “I liked the program.”

Jones, who affectionately goes by “The” Erin Jones in the office, lost her husband in 2010 and then, “I ate for a year,” she says.

She started coming to Medi-Weightloss in late 2011. By April of 2012, not only had she met her goals but she took a job interview at the clinic after her weight loss appointment. She started off working 10 to 12 hours per week and is now a full-time medical assistant and the office manager at Medi-Weightloss of Lutz. 

“Patients can take comfort in knowing that we’ve been down their road before and that we can truly say we know what they’re going through,” Jones says. 

Medical assistant Patty Pinson has been with Medi-Weightloss for a decade and is a retired Registered Nurse (RN).

“This is a good place to work,” Pinson says. “Everyone gets along, we get to know the patients and it makes us feel good when we’re able to help them — it’s a win-win all the way around.”

Medical assistant Angela Wild is the newest member of the staff, but she comes to Medi-Weightloss with 14 years of experience in the radiology field. “This is definitely a happier field than radiology,” Wild said. “People come here because they want to be here and I don’t dread coming to work. I really enjoy it.”

Dr. Weitzman is a Board-certified Medical Doctor who earned his Doctor of Medicine Degree from Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel, and completed his residency in Long Island, NY. He operated a primary care practice in New York for three years and ran one out of Manatee County prior to coming on board at Medi-Weightloss more than three years ago. 

“There aren’t as many dissimilarities as you’d think (between primary care and weight loss clinics),” Dr. Weitzman says. “The main difference is with primary care, you’re already treating a patient’s disease. Here, we’re working strictly with prevention.”

He stresses the three legs to the weight-loss process: diet, exercise and appetite suppression. 

“The diet we choose for you is sensible,” Weitzman said. “It’s not some newfangled diet. It should be possible for you to eat this way for the rest of your life.”

Dr. Weitzman and the staff at Medi-Weightloss also will help develop an exercise program that fits your capabilities, and he has a lot of experience prescribing appetite suppressants.

“You must do all three in order to succeed,” Weitzman said. “Journaling helps a lot with diet. We also have supplements to help you.”

In the office and also in the startup bag clients receive is a menu of different supplements. From flavored powders for shakes, to snacks and vitamins, you’ll have all the tools for success at your fingertips. 

While not at the Lutz location, Medi-Weightloss also employs a full-time Registered Dietitian who works at the corporate office in Tampa.

Jeff Cervero is available for consultations and has added valuable information to the company website, like recipes, exercise tips and other information. Cervero even went through popular restaurants’ menus in the area and came up with a list of options that fit with the Medi-Weightloss program. 

“We have no competition that does all of the things we do and we do them very well,” Willett says. 

From the research and development coming out of the corporate office, to the experienced and well-trained staff, to the emerging technology in the field like a step counter called the Fit-Stik and the Ree Vue Metabolic Testing, all of the tools you need to finally reach your weight loss goals this year are available at Medi-Weightloss of Lutz.

New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents are invited to stop in at the Medi-Weightloss Clinic located at 24420 S.R. 54 in Lutz. 

The office is open five days a week: 6:30 a.m.-noon on Monday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tuesday, 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Wednesday; 1 p.m.-7 p.m. on Thursday; and 6:30 a.m.-1 p.m on Friday. For more information, call (813) 909-1700, visit MediWeightloss.com/locations/lutz/ or see the ad in our latest issue.