Started with a personal trainer and im a little confused.....

redmohca89

So I started with a personal trainer. He has me on 1800 calories a day, we work out together 3 days a week, we do cardio(intervals) resisitance/strength/lifting.

Originally I was eating 1200 calories,with no excercise, I dropped from 137 to 112,got sick, had to recover and get some help and went through a journey.

6 days ago I started with this trainer, I was 137 lbs, and Today I stepped on scale, and im 140.....

Im just confused as to why i gained? If this is normal or not....

I went on another site that said you take your weight and multiply that by 10, so for me
today 140 X 10 = 1400 , so 1400 calories...

but the trainer said no, stay at 1800.

im confused and stressed out about this , and dont know hot to feel, looking for someone who knows a little about this stuff, Am I on the right track ? is he telling me the right things ?

I want to lose weight, and with my training, gain muscle and get toned...
not gain weight/// very frustrated about this.

Sued0nim

Change up in exercise = water weight

No idea what your TDEE is...post your age, height, weight, activity level without exercise

How much weight you have to lose and what rate you're aiming for?

You won't gain muscle whilst losing weight but you may look more "toned" once your bodyfat is low enough and you will preserve LBM with weight training

PTs don't tend to have qualifications ...I would be sure myself that I was eating a nutritionally balanced diet that supported my exercise

Hope that helps

ana3067

Stay at 1800 for at least a few months and be glad your trainer is advocating reasonable caloric intake. As long as you aren't eating back exercise calories (as I'm assuming the 1800 is supposed to be based off of TDEE), then you are simply seeing water weight gains from starting a new program. At worst you are logging inaccurately.

You cannot lose weight, gain muscle at th same time. The latter involves gaining weight.

I'm 156lbs and I'm eating 2150 calories for weight loss.

AmyRhubarb

Totally normal - you started new exercise this week, which can cause some water retention as your muscles are healing from the exercise, and it shows a slight gain on the scale.

Although I will say that if you're planning to gain muscle, you are going to gain weight, and you are going to have to eat at a surplus, not a deficit in order to do so. I'm guessing gaining muscle isn't actually your goal, but losing fat and thereby revealing the muscle beneath it, which is pretty much what people mean when they refer to "toning".

I would stick with the 1800 for now and see how things go. And if you're not already, start tracking your measurements as well as weighing yourself. And snap a few pictures for comparison along the way. If you're lifting weights, you want to be sure and fuel those muscles, and the tape measure will definitely be a better way to see progress than the scale.

arditarose

So, you're going to see daily fluctuations of a pound or two for starters. Don't assume you gained two pounds yet.

Second, have you calculated your total daily expenditure (TDEE) on your own? If your TDEE is around 2100, then 1800 calories should be great to lose. You'll lose about .5 pounds a week if you log correctly, with your exercise already included. Just an example.

Third, if you're trying to lose weight and are eating at a deficit, you won't necessarily be gaining muscle. You can save your lean muscle mass by hitting your protein goal and strength/resistance training.

Cheri1218

Not all personal trainers are certified nutritionists. In fact very few likely are. 1800 calorie sounds like a lot. I would aim for 1400 or 1500. Especially if you had success at that level before. if you don't agree with him you don't have to do what he says, even though it feels like it because you are paying him.

juggernaut1974

How did your trainer come up with 1800? I mean what sorts of questions did he/she ask? Or did he/she just come up with 1800 sort of randomly?

Many (not all) trainers know less than a boil on a flea's butt about nutrition, so unless they have some sort of certification in nutrition, I wouldn't automatically follow their advice just because "trainer".

But depending on things like, your height, weight, goals, etc, it very well may be appropriate.

Guess we just need more info.

Sued0nim

Cheri1218 wrote: »

Not all personal trainers are certified nutritionists. In fact very few likely are. 1800 calorie sounds like a lot. I would aim for 1400 or 1500. Especially if you had success at that level before. if you don't agree with him you don't have to do what he says, even though it feels like it because you are paying him.

You know nothing about the OP ...how can you give a calorie goal?

DavPul

hey red. your trainer is correct. eat the calories he/she is giving you and give it a 6 weeks or so. initially you're going to gain weight for two reasons. 1) recovery from exercise will cause your cells to store more water and 2) the additional calories will allow your body to store more water.

both of these things are normal and neither is a problem. you're not gaining fat; it's just a temporary water gain in water weight. keep doing what you've been doing for the last week and don't stress out. things are right on track

arditarose

ana3067 wrote: »

Stay at 1800 for at least a few months and be glad your trainer is advocating reasonable caloric intake. As long as you aren't eating back exercise calories (as I'm assuming the 1800 is supposed to be based off of TDEE), then you are simply seeing water weight gains from starting a new program. At worst you are logging inaccurately.

You cannot lose weight, gain muscle at th same time. The latter involves gaining weight.

I'm 156lbs and I'm eating 2150 calories for weight loss.

I'm always jealous of what you can eat to lose. 2150 is above my maintenance! Awesome.

healthygreek

What is your height?

cityruss

Body adjusting to excercise.

Body adjusting to new calorie intake.

Water weight.

Digestive system contents.

A 3lb fluctuation is completely normal. You have not put on 3lb of body fat unless you have eaten a surplus of around 10,500 calories.

If you are not happy with the trainers dietary advice, either seek someone else or develop your own, if not continue for a month, then re-assess.

Maybe ask the trainer why 1800.

What macronutrient levels has the trainer proposed?

You aren't going to gain a significant amount of muscle mass unless you are fuelling that gain, which is through a calorie surplus, not a deficit.

You should be looking at maintaining lean muscle mass by adequate protein intake and continuation of your weight training.

Sued0nim

Remember that MFP is based on NEAT and you'd add purposeful calories to your exercise


And your trainer has given you a cut from TDEE at a guess

Don't confuse the two systems, although the maths should work out the same

terar21

Some questions:

How tall are you? How long are your trainin sessions? Does he have you doing anything on the days you don't see him?

When you lost before at 1200, were you exercising? If so, did you eat the burns back or was it just a straight 1200 no matter the workout? Over how much time did you lose the weight?

All of those questions can help you figure out if 1800 is right for you. Aside from that, starting any new exercise can cause you to retain water that looks like weight gain. It's not actual fat gain. It happens to all of us from time to time. So don't let this short gain over a short period of time determine whether or not your plan is working.

rybo

I would stay with the 1800 for at least several weeks. It's easier to start hi and reduce over time. As already stated the new exercise regimen can add some water weight. Don't panic over the scale number.

redmohca89

Okay, Im 26 years old.
Im 5 foot 3, currently 140 pounds.
I want to get back to 115, but healthy this time and not near anorexic and starving.

He has me eating 1800 calories a day, we work out 3 days a week, and on my days I dont see him, he doesn't have me do anything, he calls these rest days. And every sunday, he says is my *cheat* day to eat what I choose , as long as I don't go overboard on the junk food.

Our workouts are 1 hour long everytime. And a mixture of cardio(45 second intervals) and then we work the biceps, the legs, quads, thighs, Leg curls and all that stuff, I use all the machines for these , and he adds more weight as we go .

Davidc1961

I have a pretty regular routine of diet and exercise, and personally, I weigh myself at the same time every AM right after pee. Over the course of a week I might vary 3-4 pounds from high to low. I am NOT actually gaining or losing that much day-to-day! YMMV

I would suggest that if the daily variations we all experience bother you, you should ignore your daily variations, and limit your attention to a 7-10 day rolling average. Even better, ignore your weight, and measure your waistline once a week. (Hard to do...)

Remember that the best results are experienced long term, and good luck!

arditarose

redmohca89 wrote: »

Okay, Im 26 years old.
Im 5 foot 3, currently 140 pounds.
I want to get back to 115, but healthy this time and not near anorexic and starving.

He has me eating 1800 calories a day, we work out 3 days a week, and on my days I dont see him, he doesn't have me do anything, he calls these rest days. And every sunday, he says is my *cheat* day to eat what I choose , as long as I don't go overboard on the junk food.

Our workouts are 1 hour long everytime. And a mixture of cardio(45 second intervals) and then we work the biceps, the legs, quads, thighs, Leg curls and all that stuff, I use all the machines for these , and he adds more weight as we go .

I have similar stats and that's what MFP gives me as maintenance calories. Interested to see what others say in response to you.

juggernaut1974

Yeah with those stats and activity level - seems a little high. Especially with a "cheat" day thrown in.

I'm leaning more toward he doesn't have the first clue what he's talking about ("cheat day" & "junk food" & emphasis on minor accessory lifts with machines seem to be the giveaways to me)

Then again, worst case if you try it for a time and find it's not working, just adjust.

redmohca89

so should I drop to 1400 calories a day ?
which is what is suggested when you take my weight and multiply by 10 you get 1400 calories ?

My goal , is to lose weight, but with my training, im toning things up as well.

DavPul

redmohca89 wrote: »

so should I drop to 1400 calories a day ?
which is what is suggested when you take my weight and multiply by 10 you get 1400 calories ?

My goal , is to lose weight, but with my training, im toning things up as well.

it's best to be consistent with a plan and give it enough time to produce measurable results. and it's best not to listen to too many voices. go with your trainer's plan for at least a month, weigh yourself and check your body circumferences, and then we'll adjust from there if needed.