Don't even think of making an exercise excuse around Trish Tampas. None of this "I'm too busy" or "It's too hard" stuff.

"I don't want to hear it," she says. "You just have to do it."

Tampas, 44, is a soft-spoken, kindhearted mother of two from Orangevale. But she takes a hard line when it comes to what it takes to lose weight and improve health and well-being – diet and exercise.

Especially the exercise part.

"It's work," she says. "Going to that gym every day takes discipline. There's no way around it."

Tampas' results are hard to refute. A year ago, she was 5-foot-5 and 236 pounds. Now: 157 pounds.

Before, she could ride her road bike but lacked stamina. Now, she has completed a bicycling century (100-mile ride), two half-marathons (Cowtown and Four Bridges) and five triathlons (three of Olympic distance.

"I'm really proud of myself," she says. "I'm not the fastest person, but I'm doing it."

Those 79 pounds didn't just magically melt off. It took a lot of running, bike riding, swimming and gym work.

And, yes, Tampas also completely changed her eating habits, joining the weight-management program at her employer, Kaiser Permanente in South Sacramento.

Weight long has been an issue for Tampas, who said she first struggled with it 21 years ago after the birth of her first child.

She gained 71 pounds during the pregnancy, lost some of it, then gained again three years later during her second pregnancy.

"It just went up and down, constantly, since then," she says. "Over the years, I've tried Nutri-System, Overeaters Anonymous, Weight Watchers, all of them, but I never stuck with it.

"The weight would sort of come off while I was doing it, but I had no support, so I stopped going."

Support came at Kaiser's group, she says. In fact, even after reaching her goal weight, Tampas still is receiving support from the group – and returns the favor by speaking to new members. She adds that her husband, John, served as her at-home support staff.

She says she needed help because Kaiser's program is rigorous. Participants are kept on a liquid diet – protein shakes and soup – for the first 16 weeks before solid food is slowly reintroduced.

"It was (difficult) but as you went through it, it was empowering, too, because you finally had control," she says. "I encourage people not to cheat during that time. The stronger you are carries over to when you start eating. And that's when you need that control you've never had before."

Tampas lost more than 40 pounds during the "restricted diet" phase. That was without much exercise, because her energy level was low from the liquid-only dictum.

"I tried to still exercise, but that's just me," she says. "I worked up to 50 minutes on the elliptical (trainer)."

But Tampas was worried that eating real food again would lead to another relapse.

"I counted calories and it worked. That was a real 'a-ha' moment for me," she says. "You have to balance it, eating lots of fruits and vegetables and fiber."

And, of course, there's the exercise. One of the benefits of dropping so much weight is that Tampas can fully enjoy hopping on her road bike.

"I used to be a pretty healthy fat person, if you know what I mean," she says. "I went on three-day bike trek with Kaiser the last four years. I think that helped me, whereas people who have just sat for years and then get up to exercise – you know, it's a shock to them."

But not a reason not to do it. As Tampas quickly adds, "I don't have patience for people with excuses anymore."

Call The Bee's Sam McManis, (916) 321-1145.