Is it the training or my eating?

J_Kosmic

Over the last year, I put on a good chunk of mass, reaching 185lbs at my heaviest; I went up 20 pounds between the start of 2020 and early 2021. I cut this summer, dropping down to the 175lbs range, however now that it's winter I was looking to go back up in weight.

This last month, I switched trainers as my old one was costing me a lot of money. He was a great trainer and I got the best results from him, I'm just hoping I didn't burn bridges with him because I was honest about the pricing although he seemed understanding. I was on a block periodization strength training program and did 5 days a week. My justification was I was being charged the same amount for just a program as I was being charged when I was seeing him in person once a week, getting a program, and had a gym membership (I have my own setup at home because 2020). I couldn't justify the cost even if I liked the results and I wanted to save a little bit.

The new trainer I switched to costs less and is a friend of mine, however this last month, I noticed my body mass has gone down more (another 5lbs), especially in the chest which sucks. I haven't noticed too much change in my lift as of yet but it is messing with me mentally and I feel like my lifts have gone down although I haven't tested since a month ago when I was still with old trainer. Some of what I could do easier feels a little harder.

So far, current trainer has me on a program where I start light and work up to see how many I can do at a heavy weight (i.e. set 1 is light weight, set 6 is heaviest, see how many I can do at said weight; it's all 1 set). The first couple weeks especially were super light and I took some justices and moved some workouts around because I personally felt like the days were more isolated. I gave my feedback except now instead of super light it's at an almost unrealistically heavy weight. Anything with sets and reps is set to 5x6 instead of 4x6-8-10-12 (depending on the lift of course). Not sure if that makes a difference.

Due to the mass loss, I decided to come here to myfitnesspal to see if maybe it was my food intake because I am eating the same amount as I was when I was gaining weight and putting on mass. Lunch 5 days a week is a protein (usually chicken), rice, and broccoli and dinner is usually a high protein heavy meal as well. According to here, I'm only getting in 3,000-3,500 calories which is surprising because I haven't changed anything and it seems lower than I thought it actually was. I eat 3 meals a day too. I've been trying to keep my portions relatively big because you can't gain if you're not eating enough.

So, I'm conflicted. Is it the new training or food intake? It's honestly messing with me and making me depressed because I liked having big arms and a big chest and now that has shrunk, I feel a little bummed out. I can see ab again which is fine but honestly I liked lifting heavy and being thicker. I'm not sure where else to look because old trainer was great but what if he doesn't want to train with me again? He is pretty pricey. At the same time, I don't know if what current trainer has me on if actually affecting me.

I'm confident in my lifting ability, it's making a program I'm not confident in, i.e. how many reps, sets, and exercise setup in general so everything is being worked to progress otherwise I'd just do it myself. I don't have that kind of training. I've been lifting for many years and a lot of that was building from a small, frail frame until the last couple years because I am now at a healthy weight for my size. I just don't want to lose any progress or have any of my lifts go down. It's inevitable with age however I know my body and feel like there's still room for further growth.

Let me know your thoughts. I will do my best to clarify any points I may have missed, I feel like I have everything covered.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Well, it's refreshing to hear from someone that's depressed because they lost weight. Most of us get depressed when we... oh never mind.

Anyway, if you haven't dropped in how much you can lift, then it probably means you have improved definition (lower body fat), which is a goal of every body builder, eventually.

In any case, it sounds like you need to examine your goals. When I suggest this on MFP, I always like to suggest that you examine you life goals, not just some goal about how your body looks. (I guess there's an exception if you are a professional model, or something.) For most people, exactly how their body looks has a tiny impact on their life, and if your body image is getting you down, then you more likely have a problem with your body image (e.g., how you perceive yourself) than your body.

The best cure for this is to get your mind on something else. What else you got going on?

J_Kosmic

How much I can lift has definitely dropped. I could do 8 squats at 305lbs a couple months ago, couldn't get past 1 this week (my max last test was 340, definitely not getting there). Bench, I could do 3 at 245lbs, now just 1 (last max was 260). Deadlift is the only lift that hasn't been impacted too much (last max at 425).

I was honest with my current trainer and starting off super light when I already had experience hindered me. Even though he is my friend, I was honest with him and let him know this new programming is not working so I am in search of a new trainer just because I am not confident in making myself a program. I have the discipline to follow one, I just don't want to lose any further gains. While changing things up is fine, this change did not benefit me. I did give it a chance at least.

I have enough of my old programs saved that I can work off of until I find someone new thankfully.

My goal right now is to gain back to mass I lost from this summer/last month of switching things up. I'd like to especially get my chest and booty thicker as the decrease is noticeable; what was tight is loose again because I bought new clothes when I gained extra weight.

I thought I cared about tone but I liked lifting heavy more. Tone is honestly just a bonus and something I'd rather have in the summer than winter.

I've upped the eating, snacking more throughout the day. My breakfast was my smallest meal and I increased the calorie intake there as well, so I hope that helps. I was surprised how much sodium is in what I ate so this new perspective has allowed me to modify what I eat.