Goddard School Of Wesley Chapel Celebrating Two Years Of Getting Kids Ready

Running a textile business in Baroda, India (500 kilometers south of Bombay), Dinesh Patel never considered a career in early childhood education. He loved children, their smiles and their laughter. But, aside from the joys of raising his own children, the possibility hadn’t crossed his mind. 

He moved to the U.S. in 1987, by way of Fort Pierce, FL, and got into the retail business, running a convenience store and later a motel. Then, a close family friend invited him out to Houston to look at a franchise he’d just obtained — The Goddard School. 

The rest, as they say, is history, as he now owns The Goddard School of Wesley Chapel, located on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. across the street from the AdventHealth Wesley Chapel hospital.

Patel says his business experience and his love of kids made him a natural fit for a Goddard School, which uses a dual management system, incorporating both a business manager and an education manager at each school. 

Also to Patel’s liking was the school’s track record — The Goddard School is a 30-year old national franchise with 500 schools in 37 states (and in Washington, D.C.). 

“(Goddard) gives you knowledge and all directors have to go through the training,” Patel says. “Goddard (corporate) even assigns someone to your school for support.”

The Goddard School of Wesley Chapel opened in May of 2017. Patel brought on his second education director, Christie Lemar, in August of 2018. 

Lemar was the Director of Youth Development at Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center’s child care center, where she ran a Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) and after school programs, which consisted of roughly 180 children. The skill set lined up perfectly with the direction Patel was already taking the school. 

The Goddard School of Wesley Chapel added VPK classes in 2018, and recently acquired a small bus in order to expand into after-school care. 

“This spring, we hope to have three VPK classes,” Patel says. “VPK is important to prepare a child for kindergarten. It helps make for a soft transition. They go (into kindergarten) with computer time, sight words and math (knowledge) already.”

VPK is a free program for any family in Florida. All parents need to do is fill out an application with the Department of State’s Office of Early Learning. Patel also has applications at the school.

“The classes are for three hours, Monday through Friday, and the state pays tuition for anyone,” Patel says. “Normally, middle class people don’t qualify for any benefit, so this is a great opportunity.”

The Goddard School of Wesley Chapel offers three different times for VPK classes to accommodate parents’ schedules. There’s also a wraparound program that offers hours beyond the VPK time. 

There are even full-day options, that go from 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. The school also is open during many public school holidays. 

Patel says the summer camps, which were offered for the first time by The Goddard School of Wesley Chapel in 2018, will be expanded in 2019. 

The Education Side

“I believed in the quality of the instruction and I saw the activities that were planned,” says homeroom mom Faye Adams. “I saw how well organized they were. They had fun things for the kids to do. It’s not just child care; you know that they’re learning.”

Adams’ son Christian, who is 5, took VPK at The Goddard School last fall. Even as a third-grade teacher with more than a decade of experience and teacher ambassador & spokesperson for the Foundation for Excellence in Education, Adams was impressed with what Christian got out of his experience at Goddard. 

Now, Adams is the local Goddard School’s education specialist.

“I help teachers with their lesson planning, and help make sure they are hitting their standards,” Faye says. “There are seven domains, including science, math, motor skills, art, music and movement and our task is to find engaging activities, books and resources that will help target those skills and meet state standards.”

There are 14 teachers at The Goddard School of Wesley Chapel, and every lead teacher must have a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, and oversight from the The Goddard School’s Quality Assurance program can be rigorous. The program stays in contact with the school on a weekly basis, assisting in every aspect, from the building to staffing to curriculum. 

Goddard representatives also stop by to ensure corporate standards are being met and to offer hands-on assistance. 

“At any level, if we have a problem or need guidance, they (Goddard) can always help us get through it,” Patel says. 

Additionally, there are bi-annual assessments from the state for the VPK program. Three months ago, Patel joined the Accredited Professional Preschool Learning Environment (APPLE) program, a national early learning program accreditation. In Florida, APPLE is accepted as one of Florida’s Gold Seal Quality Programs.

“APPLE has monthly training for teachers, helps with restructuring classrooms and also strengthens academics,” Patel says. 

Having Fun With It

Enrichment programs specific to Goddard include Spanish, sign language, yoga and B.A.S.E. (Balance, Agility, Strength and Endurance) for Fitness, which is specifically designed for preschool children with those four curricular goals, all of which address physical fitness.

Lemar and the teachers come up with fun ways to teach the programs.

“You wouldn’t even know we’re working on it,” Lemar says. “For instance, in our 12-to-18-month-old class, we use the word, ‘agua’ instead of ‘water.’ We use signs for, ‘more food’ or ‘I’ve had enough.’ This works particularly well for those who are non-verbal.”

It works well for those in between verbal and non-verbal, as well, she adds.

“Four months into the program and I’ve already noticed the progression,” Goddard Wesley Chapel mom Brittany Williams says. “She (daughter Savannah) was pretty much non-verbal when she got here. Now she knows all her colors and numbers.”

The FLEX Program, a Goddard standard, stands for Fun Learning EXperience. In the program, teachers are given the freedom to create their own lesson plans.

“They can create fun activities to achieve those goals,” Patel said. 

Extras…

The Goddard School of Wesley Chapel also uses the Tadpole app, an application parents can download to their computer or smartphone that shows lesson plans, snapshots of what their child did during the day, even on down to what they ate for lunch.

“The parent can still ask how the child’s day was but now they can actually look at the report,” Patel says. 

For additional costs, Mr. Tommy’s Mobile Music Bus comes to the school every Tuesday. 

Soccer Shots, a soccer program that is, according to its website, consistently recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as the top Children’s Fitness Franchise in the U.S., also comes in once per week. 

And, this past December, the school hosted its first Angel Tree Program, providing gifts for nearly 20 needy children. 

The Goddard School of Wesley Chapel is located at 2539 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. The school’s hours are Mon.-Fri., 6:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and prospective parents are welcome any time during business hours to schedule a tour of the school. For more information, call (813) 603-6100, or visit http://www.goddardschool.com/Tampa/Wesley-Chapel-Bruce-B-Downs-Boulevard-Fl. Or, see the ad on pg. 28. 

Medi-Weightloss Center In Lutz Can Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolution!

(L.-r.) Angela Wild, Patty Pinson, Dr. Andrew Weitzman & Erin Jones can help you keep your New Year’s resolutions when you sign up for a program at the Medi-Weightloss Clinic on S.R. 54 in Lutz.

According to a survey done by Statista, the top three New Year’s resolutions for Americans in 2019 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.

Since 2006, Medi-Weightloss of Lutz, one of more than 100 locations nationwide, has helped clients make lifestyle changes that stick. To date, the office located on S.R. 54, two miles west of S.R. 56, has helped patients lose 107,877 pounds. 

“I started going to Medi because I couldn’t stick with a diet longer than a week,” client Danielle Crowley says. “I have now been going to Medi for two months, and have lost 20 pounds and nine inches from my waist.”

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 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,” Lutz Medi-Weightloss owner Gerri Willett says. “While you’re on the program, you can come in twice a week and get the MIC Combo for free.”

The second shot is a Vitamin B6 and B1 injection that helps reduce water retention and helps your keep energy up while battling food cravings. In the first phase, clients also will have help with vitamin supplements, a good multi-vitamin 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 will try to slowly take you 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. At this phase, clients need only come in once a month.

Shannon Terkoski says she came to the Lutz Medi-Weightloss weighing 250 pounds on Jan. 16, 2018. She now weighs 143.2 pounds, for a loss of 106.8 pounds.

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

And, it’s 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. I want success for my 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,” she 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 said.

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 said. 

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 comes 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 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 two-and-a-half 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 dietitian who works at the corporate office in Brandon.

Jeff Cervero is available for consultation and has added valuable information to the company website, like recipes, exercise tips and information. Cervero even went through most corporate 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 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 that comes in your initial bag of goodies, all of the tools you need to reach your weight loss goals are available at Medi-Weightloss of Lutz.

“I have done lots of other diets before and none of them worked for me,” Terkoski says. “It has been exciting to follow a plan that actually works. They helped me get over the physical symptoms early in the process and were proactive in dealing with issues. It was all very smooth”

New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents are invited to stop in at the Lutz Medi-Weightloss Clinic at 24420 S.R. 54. 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; 6:30 a.m.-1 p.m on Friday. For more info, call (813) 909-1700 or visit online at MediWeightloss.com/locations/lutz/

Pebble Creek Golf Club Owner Says The Club Hasn’t Been Sold…Yet

The Pebble Creek Golf Club has been a part of the landscape in New Tampa for more than 50 years, but it appears that the golf course will be sold and replaced with more residential units. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

The rumored sale of the Pebble Creek Golf Club (PCGC) is, to use golfing vernacular, like a perfect approach to the green that stops a few inches short of the cup.

Now, interested developers are deciding whether or not they want to tap the ball into the cup.

Bill Place, the owner of PCGC since 2005, has confirmed that a purchaser for his 149-acre property has been identified, but says that there has been no sale yet.

“Completely wrong,” Place says of the rumors that the club had been sold.

But, it now appears the sale of New Tampa’s first golf course (it opened in 1967) may be just a matter of time.

The interested party, who offered the highest price among what Place says were eight interested developers, is currently going through a 90-day inspection process to help evaluate whether or not it wants to finalize its purchase.

That included meeting with Pebble Creek residents last week, as well as studying zoning issues and exactly how many units — whether apartments, condos or homes — can be built on the property.

“As I understand it, the company we chose has done this in a lot of places and works with the community,” Place says. “It’s not a company that comes in and just blasts away.”

Even if the sale is finalized, Place says that the rezoning process and securing government approval and permits likely will be an 18- to 24-month process.

“It’s safe to say we won’t be going away before then,” says Place, who along with wife Su Lee, owns the company, Ace Golf, that owns PCGC and three other Tampa Bay-area golf courses.

Place did not identify the potential buyers, or how much the offer was on the property. 

As For The Community…

Mike Jacobson, the president of the Pebble Creek Homeowners Association, says he has been fielding questions about the potential sale since the rumors began swirling late last year. 

“I put something on our web page that basically says Bill Place told me he has multiple bids and is actively planning on selling it,” he says. “Right now, we don’t know who the company is.”

Jacobson says not a single resident he has talked to is happy about the impending sale. He expected residents to make their voices heard when the rezoning comes before the Hillsborough County Commission.

“There’s so many great lakes on that property, there’s no way we’re going to allow those to go away,” Jacobson said. “The other thing I’m concerned about is lacking the infrastructure to handle more homes. Nobody is really looking at this as a positive.”

According to Place, the property already has underlying zoning permitting 600 new units, but he adds that, “there is no way they are going to put that many units on it.”

In September, the PCGC property was listed on the website of land brokers Cushman & Wakefield. The listing boosted the property by heralding its 12 existing lakes, homes in Pebble Creek that are selling “in the mid-$200,000s to upper-$300,000s,” an average household income within a three-mile radius of $106,179 and the 3,189,266 square feet of retail within a three-mile radius of the semi-private golf course.

The detailed listing, which Place denied ever approving, included a marketing flyer, water and sewage map, a zoning site plan, Pebble Creek’s declaration of covenants and restrictions (dated Sept. 2, 1986) and a unit count calculation that said 840 apartment and townhome units were potentially feasible to replace the golf course.

That’s about when Jacobson began hearing from residents, and he called Place for an explanation.

“What he told me was that someone reached out to him about selling it,” Jacobson says. “But, if bids come in and offers come in, he said, ‘I’m going to take it.’ I guess the company took that as an initiative to (list).”

Place has acknowledged that business has not been good at the golf course, which was designed by Bill Amick and offers 6,436 yards of play from the blue tees. He said revenues at the club were down in 2018 by a third, and profits were down by 50 percent.

The construction on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. certainly didn’t help, but many golf courses in general are in an economic slump.

Pebble Creek Golf Club owner Bill Place says that Mulligans Irish Pub inside the golf course’s recently renovated clubhouse is the club’s only money-maker.

Place also said that although Pebble Creek boasts more than 1,000 homes, there are only 20 Pebble Creek homeowners who currently are members of the golf club. Place says the club has tried various specials to lure new members, with cheaper membership dues, to no avail.

Mulligans Irish Pub, the clubhouse restaurant and bar, continues to be successful, however. “Sad to say, but Mulligans is really the only area where we make money,” Place says.

For now, he is letting the transaction unfold as the golf course remains open for business as usual.

“We’re prepared for it to go either way,” Place says of the possible sale. “If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, we’ll continue to operate as long as it’s feasible. Unfortunately, that’s why we’re here in the first place (because it may not be feasible).”

Nibbles & Bytes

Spicy chicken pasta with fresh veggies at Omari’s Bar & Grill.

Have You Tried Omari’s Grill At Lexington Oaks Golf Club?

Although I didn’t include the all-new Omari’s Bar & Grill at the recently revamped Lexington Oaks Golf Club inside the Lexington Oaks community on my list of favorite new local dining experiences for 2018, that’s probably only because all I’ve sampled at owner/chef Anass El Omari’s new eatery was the delicious spicy chicken pasta with fresh veggies shown above and a couple of buffet-style items when I’ve visited the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon, which meets every Wednesday at noon at Lexington Oaks. But, so far, so good. And yes, the fully redecorated dining area at Omari’s Grille is available for catering and private parties.

Look for a full-length dining review of Omari’s Bar & Grill (26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd.) in a future issue.

For more info visit LexingtonOaksGolf.com or call (813) 907-2440. And please, tell Anass and his wife Susana I sent you!

Fratelli’s Opens In Woody’s Village Market Space!

So, while we’re on the subject of delicious pasta, please check out the new Fratelli’s Pizza & Café, which very quietly took over the space previously occupied by Woody’s Pizza & Wings in the plaza on S.R. 54 at BBD Blvd. last month.

Fratelli’s Pizza & Café’s broccoli rabe.

The Fratelli family owned a famous Fratelli’s pizza place and Italian restaurant in the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx, NY, for more than 30 years, but sold it a few years ago. It was renowned not only for being open 24/7/365 to accommodate the huge crowds of workers responsible for bringing fresh seafood and produce into all of New York City, but also for its broccoli rabe sandwiches, broccoli rabe on pizza and yes, the best broccoli rabe with grilled chicken and/or sweet sausage in garlic & oil over al denté penne pasta (photo above right) in our area. 

The NYC Fratelli’s was featured on the Food Network, the Travel Channel and other TV stations in New York many times and was named one of NYC’s best several times.

I haven’t been able to order a whole pizza from Fratelli’s yet, but based on how delicious the pasta was, I look forward to bringing my staff there soon. 

For more info about Fratelli’s (5327 Village Market), visit FratellisPizzaPasco.com or call (813) 991-1118. 

But Wait, There’s More!

F.J Express Sushi & Hibachi Grill’s hibachi chicken is a must-try.

• I like the new F.J Express Sushi & Hibachi Grill (1832 BBD), which is located in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza on S.R. 56 at BBD, between Bealls and Publix. 

Similar in concept to (but smaller than) Hibachi Express in the Village Market, I haven’t yet sampled the sushi, but the hibachi chicken is a must-try. For more info or take-out orders, call (813) 991-1500.

• I was saddened when the Wok Chi restaurant in the Shops at Wiregrass closed on Dec. 10. I will miss the freshly made Chinese fare, especially the fresh, crisp veggies, Sichuan sauce and especially, general manager Robin Scovotti and her friendly, outstanding crew. I hope that whatever opens in the space will keep those great folks around. 

• Congratulations to our local Culver’s franchise owners, Marty and Ann Roeske, on the opening of their second location (the first is near the Tampa Premium Outlets) on S.R. 56 in the Wiregrass Ranch area (near Audi Wesley Chapel). — GN

Samantha Taylor Helps Keep The Pounds Off

Samantha Taylor Fitness has helped thousands of women change their lives by helping them not only lose weight, but keep it off.

In July, owner Samantha Taylor’s Wesley Chapel personal training studio moved from its former location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (across from Florida Hospital/Advent Health Wesley Chapel) to its own building off of S.R. 56, near I-75, in the Cypress Ridge Professional Center (off Cypress Ridge Blvd.).

The new location is bigger, with a larger personal training room. It features upgraded specialty rubber floors, and Samantha says clients prefer the private, first-floor entrance.

Also this year, Samantha Taylor Fitness opened a location in Palm Harbor. Samantha now has five Tampa Bay-area locations, including nearby Land O’Lakes, plus Carrollwood and Westchase.

Each woman who walks through the doors of any of her fitness studios is someone whose life Samantha hopes to change. Samantha says women who come to her are often the heaviest they’ve ever been. They’re frustrated, and have a lack of energy and medical problems caused by being overweight. They tell her they have tried all kinds of diets and nothing has worked for them.

But, she says, the new year is a perfect time to do something different to lose weight and finally keep it off. This is especially true if every year you think you are going to make changes, but then the next year rolls around and you find yourself in the same situation, or worse.

“Everyone thinks they’re going to set goals and be focused and lose weight, but most people don’t,” Samantha says. “I want to encourage people to start this year different. We have a proven track record, so women can get results. When 2020 comes, they can look back and say, ‘Look what I did in 2019.’”

Kate Green is rightfully proud of the way that Samantha Taylor Fitness Studios has transformed her body, after dropping 60 lbs. and keeping it off.

Women who come to Samantha Taylor Fitness find 30-minute workouts and education about how to eat to lose weight and keep it off. They also find a community of support, which is proven to help women stay on track  — and have fun.

Samantha herself is a Certified Personal Trainer who began her career 26 years ago and launched her own business 19 years ago.

“We’re teaching women a way to eat that they love,” says Samantha. “It’s not a diet, not a pill, not shots; just understanding how to eat, how to work out their muscles for tone, and develop a healthy lifestyle they can keep for life.”

She says that things like knowing how to cook and knowing how to eat in real-life situations — like at holiday parties or on vacation — is critical for long-term success, along with understanding why you gain weight, and then modifying your behavior so you don’t gain it back.

Whether a client wants personal training — the most customized and private option — or boot camp classes, both programs start with a completely free, no-obligation consultation called a “Body Transformation Analysis” to determine your goals help the professionals at Samantha Taylor Fitness and plan a fitness program.

Personal training can be done one-on-one, semi-private, or in small group sessions. In addition to personal training sessions, each client also meets with an assigned results coach monthly, to be sure they’re progressing.

Now, those monthly sessions include images taken by the new 3D body scan machine, which takes measurements and analyzes body fat digitally.

“Clients can see the changes visually with 3D images and printouts,” explains Samantha. “They can see how their body is changing and the progression of their measurements and their body’s shape.”

Clients who choose the boot camp option attend regular or beginner sessions, which vary in cardiovascular intensity levels. Several classes are offered every day, and women choose three or more times each week to attend.

“Our clients like that our workouts are only 30 minutes,” says Samantha. “They’re in and out and don’t have to be at the gym for hours.”

One of those clients is Neighborhood News editor Gary Nager’s fiancée Jannah McDonald, who had lost more than 13 pounds after only a couple of months attending the boot camps.

“I have more energy and feel great,” Jannah says, “and I like that there are different instructors who all get to know you and what you can and can not do. They give you lots of feedback and support, too.”

Like Jannah, Samantha says many of her clients see more than just weight loss — they’re getting healthier as well.

“They are preventing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes,” she says. “Some women no longer have to take cholesterol or blood pressure medication, and no longer suffer from muscle pains and aches.”

Where Are They Now?

A year ago, we wrote about Samantha’s clients Judy McFarland and Kate Green, who are both in their sixties. At that time, Judy had lost 31 pounds and 36 inches in just a few months, exceeding her goal of losing 25 pounds. Judy has now lost a total of 34 pounds. Kate (photos on previous page) not only lost the 50 pounds she wanted to lose, she dropped from 170 to 110 pounds, which remains her current weight.

Both say their lives are completely different, and they are now in the best shape of their respective lives. Neither has any fear of putting the weight back on.

Kate now spends most weekends zip-lining and completing obstacle courses at a local outdoor adventure park, and Judy just completed a half-marathon, running without stopping for 13 miles.

“This has transformed my life,” says Judy. “Not only my body, but my whole way of life, and I couldn’t be happier.”

She credits Samantha’s eating plan, high-quality workouts with excellent trainers, and the support she receives.

“It’s a very friendly, loving environment,” says Judy. “They are there to keep you motivated and hold you accountable. They’re like a family.”

Samantha says that sense of community is something that is intentionally fostered at her fitness studios, and is like nothing else women can find. There are monthly member socials, such as putt-putt golf, zip lining and pot luck dinners. There are webinars to encourage healthy eating and trainer-led support groups.

She emphasizes that anyone can do what Judy and Kate have done, even in their sixties.

“As people get older, they think life is declining and they can’t do these things anymore,” says Samantha. “These women are defying that. Their quality of life is affected in a positive way with the changes they’ve made.”

Kate says before she found Samantha Taylor, she had been retired for a year and was overweight and out of shape.

“I was miserable,” Kate says. “I didn’t want to do anything or go anywhere, which led to being sedentary and overeating. It was a godsend for me to find her and get into this program. This was the right program for me, and it works beautifully. I haven’t had this much fun in my entire life as I am right now.”

The Six-Week Challenge!

Beginning in late January, Samantha will start her next six-week “Body Transformation Challenge,” where she gives away thousands of dollars in prizes, including a Grand Prize of a cruise for two for the woman who loses the most weight (as a percentage of her total body weight).

To register, or for more information, go to 6weekBTC.com.

Samantha also does a regular segment on “Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend,” which airs on WFTS-TV, the local ABC affiliate. She brings guests on the show, sometimes clients, and shares nutritious recipes, which she says are delicious.

For recipes and to view segments of the show, including Judy and Kate’s stories in their own words from when they were Samantha’s guests on “Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend,” visit SamanthaTaylorFitness.com.

The Wesley Chapel Samantha Taylor Fitness studio is located is at 2609 Ridge Brook Dr., Wesley Chapel. For more information, call (813) 377-3739.