Andrew Clayborn

Name: Andrew Clayborn

Garver Member Since:

4 Years

Y-Story: It was 2007 and I was at my lowest point in life I recall. I was depressed, jobless, and most of all I was 296lbs. The highest I’ve ever weighed in life and felt every bit of it! At the age of 24 being only 5ft 11in. I knew that I was obese and heading to a point of no return! Being the heavy kid was a familiarity for me, but almost 300lbs was new territory for me.

                Fat kid jokes, low self-esteem, low confidence and suicidal thoughts were most of my experience in my childhood growing up. The low self-esteem and confidence carried over into my young adulthood and seemed to heighten with every pound I gained! I always thought the Big Drew that everyone knew me as because that was my life’s story. I was truly unaware that I could look different and feel different, but I needed a change, and I needed it now!

                The Y.M.C.A. saved my life! My mother works part-time for the Y and was able to get me a membership. I always was active from playing sports from youth to high school sports, but I desired a lifestyle change. I told myself that “if I could workout at the Y for a consistent year than my life would change.” The Y had everything I needed in order to accomplish my life style change, and felt I didn’t need the big cooperate gym to achieve my goal!

                With the family atmosphere that the Y.M.C.A. provided it made me extremely comfortable through my transformation. It also drew all facets of life bringing the knowledge from different members who assisted me along my conquest! I started off at 296lbs and now I’m an astonishing 203lb All Natural bodybuilder! And I thank the Y.M.C.A. for its great facility, atmosphere, and people who’ve helped this process which change my life forever! My life will never be the same and I owe a tremendous debt to the Y. I’m currently training for my 1st All Natural Bodybuilding competition in April. 4 years later and I’m still loving and enjoying this lifestyle change. From 300lbs to 200lbs of pure muscle, I look and feel greater than I’ve ever have.

Paula Fresner

My YMCA Story

I’ve worked for the Y for 8 years however I never worked out. I told myself I would feel uncomfortable back there in the fitness center. In 2007 I had my fifth child. After he was born I was able to lose but over the next four years, I gained it all back, and then some. I started talking about having to lose weight but never did anything about it. Then in Sept. 2011 I decided to do the Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge. When I started I couldn’t do much. I couldn’t even run one lap around the track. My husband Vince went with me to the group workouts and encouraged me to keep going. For the first time in my life I was exercising. I was doing things that I haven’t done in a long time and have never done. I am eating better and living a whole new lifestyle. I am still being challenged in the workouts but I am able do so much more than when I first started. I have done four challenges now and I really enjoy doing them. I have lost 30lbs since I started! I still can’t believe that I actually was able to do it. I feel so much better about myself.                

-Paula Fresner

Edna Ruiz

My YMCA Story

A year ago I returned to the Jerry L. Garver YMCA and I noticed programs. One day a program on a board go my attention “The Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge”. At first I thought this program is not for me. By that time I was in my comfort zone regarding my exercise routine “the treadmill”.

One day a friend of mine challenged me to do the program because she was doing it and loved it. I started thinking about it and I realized the real reason behind my decision was fear. Fear to fail, fear to work with a personal trainer and fear to try something new. So I put all my fears aside and started the challenge.

During the program I found a wonderful team of trainers walking side by side with me. They not only motivate me to do the best of my ability, they also are there for me. They are helping me gain confidence and accomplish my goals.

Thanks to this wonderful program I feel motivated to continue my fitness goals and I look forward to new challenges.

                                                                          Edna L. Ruiz

Sheryl Gibson

Name: Sheryl Gibson            

Garver Y Member: November 2011       

 Y-Story: I knew it was time for me to work out and I visited a couple of places but they were not a good fit.  A co-worker, now friend said, “Come to work out with me at the Y”.  That was the best day of my life.  I had a good work out and found where I wanted to make my fitness home. 

I started the Monday after Thanksgiving in 2011.  I was much intimated the first day I walked in because I was extremely over weight and everyone seemed to look good and working out hard.  I was only able to do 15 minutes on the elliptical. 

I had spoke with Erin S. about getting a personal trainer to optimize my work outs and weight loss and she recommended who she has.  I met Tonya for the first time and was impressed.  She told me to do cardio 5 days a week for 45 -60 minutes at my target heart rate.  I thought she was crazy. 

Starting out, I had a hard time hearing my heart beat fast.  It would make me scared.  I bought a MP3 player to tune that out.  I began to make minor adjustments to make working out work for me. 

I started working out with Tonya about 3 weeks after I joined.  I started the ultimate weight loss challenge at the beginning of the year to help jump start my weight loss.  Since the last week of November until now I have lost a total of 52 pounds.  I contribute my weight loss to the Y for making it comfortable and friendly environment to exercise in.  Thanks to Erin S. that helped me “find” the Y.  Thanks to Tonya, my personal trainer for giving me crazy strength training routines every week.  No two weeks are alike.  Thanks to Shawn that talked to me when I had a meltdown.   Thanks for Teresa and Marcus for the words of encouragement when they see me working out hard.  Thanks to Darrell and Michelle for having fun classes that I attend on a weekly basis as much as I can.   I go to one of Teresa’s classes too!  Thanks to myfitnesspal.com.  That is my online application I use to log all my food for calories, fat, carbohydrates, and proteins.  Thanks to Mrs. Betty who is the best worker in the Kids game room.  You rock and Joe loves you.  She allows me to workout comfortably without thinking about what is going on with my child.  Thanks to the Y for giving me my life back.  I still have more work to do but I look forward to doing it here at the YMCA-Jerry Garver!

Christina Drake

My YMCA Story

I was always comfortable being my weight until my doctor told me I need to lose weight so I can stop taking all my medications. My doctor told me if I don’t want to be on insulin for the rest of my life I had to change what I ate and exercise. I have been a diabetic for 5 years now. My weight was shocking. I was 383 and I couldn’t run with my 3 children who have been my encouragement to workout. I started doing Zumba at home since I love the Latin hip hop music, dance and I lost 85 pounds by June 2011. I join the YMCA to hopefully lose more weight and learn how to manage my weight loss. I lost another 35 pounds after 3 months at the YMCA.

By changing what I eat and eating between 1,000-1,300 calories a day has helped some. I work out 5 days a week now and I have weight training 3 days a week. I would like to also thank the program Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge for pushing me to do exercises I never dreamed I would be doing. This is my second time being in the Challenge and I can say I like the changes. The Education class showed us how to use the weight machines and the other class showed us how to stretch correctly without hurting yourself.

I hope to win the Challenge soon and to continue until I get to my goal weight of 150. I love the fact that my weight is at 280 and I’m less than 300 pounds. I have seen the changes when I look in the mirror and people who seen me from the beginning of coming to the YMCA until now have said I look healthier. It is nice to hear that I do feel much better even though I’m still taking medication for diabetic I know that one day I won’t have to take it anymore. I have had other people say that I have inspired them to keep coming to the YMCA when they see me there out of breathe at times and ready to stop but I keep on trying and the results are coming. My sibling, now want to work out since they have seen me last weekend. I hope that one day I will be able to run alongside my 3 children Michael 12, Christopher and Gabrielle 10.

-Christina Drake

Lisa Bristol

My YMCA Story

When I started this program I didn’t really know how to set my goal. The only thing I knew is that I wanted to lose the weight and lose it as soon as possible and I needed to lose the weight and keep it off this time, in order to feel comfortable in my own skin again.

It has been a long time since I worked out in a gym; I was always trying to lose weight the easy way. But what I learned was that I would lose some weight but I would gain it back double so in order to lose it right and keep it off I had to change the way I lose the weight, I had to work out and be true to my exercise, The first thing I need to do was join the gym, then come to the gym, so I joined the Jerry L. Garver YMCA. Once I started to come to the gym I would use the machines and I thought that I was doing it right, failing to realize that I need more than just the treadmill and bike, I needed to change the food that I eat, the amount of food I eat, also I need a workout program that would work out my whole body and add strength as well, It got to the point that when I came in the gym I needed to do something, It just didn’t feel right coming to the gym and doing thing so I started doing the group classes then I started the Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge, once I started to do the Challenge I attended the educational workshop class for the program, I meet with the nutritionist. I started to see the change not much at first but other people said that they see the weight falling off. That put a smile on my face, overall I would recommend this program to all my friends not just for weight loss but to get in shape and fit because health and fitness is very important for a healthy life.

                            Lisa Bristol