Lynner Olbash displays determination to win ‘Waist Away’ challenge at YMCA

LYNN – When Lynn resident Keith Olbash signed up for the “Waist Away” program at the Lynn YMCA, he got results very quickly.”I lost 10 pounds in the first week,” Olbash said. “I knew I would stick with it.”That he did. He ended up losing 32 pounds in the 8-week class. Under the guidance of his trainers, he has lost a total of 51 pounds.”It was a little bit each week,” he said. “There was no target amount. I wanted to lose a lot. I was going to try my hardest.”In “Waist Away,” inspired by the reality TV program “The Biggest Loser,” participants use both exercise and nutrition with the goal of improving their health and reducing their waistline.”Losing fat while gaining muscle can cause your weight to remain the same while your body shape and health improve for the better,” reads a program description on the Lynn Y website.In Olbash’s case, though, his weight dropped more than anyone else in his “Waist Away” session.”I feel 51 pounds lighter,” he said.Olbash, 28, a Nahant DPW employee, joined “Waist Away” through his brother Marc, who is 32.”I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it with you,'” Olbash said. “We had a little bet going.”The Olbash brothers, and the rest of the “Waist Away” participants, did aerobic exercises such as situps, pushups and squats. They also ran laps in the gym.Olbash had high praise for Y fitness director Sharon Dobbyn, who helped train him.”She kicked our butt,” he said.Olbash also received dietary advice from Jennifer Perry, a nutritionist at the Y.”We had to tell her what we ate,” he said. “She’d say if it was good or bad for us. I kept track of my food.”While he said he changed his eating habits before joining “Waist Away,” he added, “I don’t have a real strict diet or anything” and that he eats “no junk.”Olbash has re-enlisted for the next “Waist Away” session and also seems to have some long-range fitness hopes.”Once this is over, I don’t want to say I’d run a marathon, but going further, I’m always going to work out,” Olbash said, hinting at a “marathon down the line.”Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].