In dire need of advice!

mustnothrowcantelopes

My grandmother has been trying to get me hooked up with this personal trainer for the past month or so and I finally got the chance to speak with her and set up a trial session (which is free), but I'm feeling fairly worried about some of the things she told me about what I will have to do if I am to train with her. I wanted to get your thoughts and opinions because I'm quite frankly feeling flustered at my family telling me: "She's a professional. She knows what she's talking about."

I guess , for some self advice, I should probably ask her if she has a website as well as get her last name to see if I can research her online myself. She told me that she was some kind of champion Ukrainian body builder and while I'm not saying this is not within the realm of possibility, I'm just not sure what to make of it. She also told me that she's been doing personal training for well over 20 years. She told me that one of her clients was a 15 year old girl , who lost 150 lbs. in 2 years. Now, I don't know if this is a normal amount to lose in that time period or if it's too much. She also told me that the girl is getting a tummy tuck -and I'm guessing something else done in that category- because losing that amount of weight can cause your skin to hang loose in places.

This is honestly, something that concerns me a lot. I knew someone who lost a lot of weight- short or long period of time I don't know-and I saw the sagging skin effect on him and it scared me. I don't have the money to get a tummy tuck or any kind of cosmetic surgery for that matter and I don't , for the life of me know how to prevent that from happening , if it does. She did of course say that she would have to do an initial analysis of my situation and put me on a specific diet based on those factors. I already told her that I'm on a diet. I didn't mention MFP, but I did tell her. I don't know what impact this new regimen would have or if it would interfere with MFP. I guess there's not really a way it would. I guess I'm just really afraid of change.

So I'm going to write what she explained to me about the way the classes work. Usually it's 6-10 people in group and there's Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. The classes run in a 2 hour session that can be up to 4 or 5 times a week; depending on what you're doing and it's not the same thing each class. Each session is meant to target a different part of the body for those 2 hours and the classes are usually at 6 or 8 PM. All the work is done on the floor (no jumping jacks or running or aerobics standing up. None of this sounds bad or abnormal really. However, this is what concerns me: She said that some people, during one class, have lost as much as 4 lbs. That's 4 lbs. in 2 hours. The other thing she said is that I will not be allowed to eat *ANYTHING* after the class until the next morning.

I don't know much about fitness and weight loss, but 4 lbs. in a two hour period seems pretty insane to me. Almost guaranteed to have any given individual gain the weight back just as quickly if they were to lose it at such a pace. Also, just from this website, I keep hearing and reading things about the importance of eating back at least some portion of your excercise calories that you earn from doing cardio. Her requirement is the *exact opposite* of that. She said, that eventually, your body gets used to not wanting to eat after a work out. That eating after you exercise is counterproductive and I might as well just save myself the money and not work with her. I tried to explain why doing what she wanted didn't make any sense to me , that if I did that, my body would pretty much kick into starvation mode, because after a work out , my energy would be depleted and I would need to refuel, but not doing so, would tell my body to start storing fat. She told me that the only people that eat after they exercise are body builders, and they eat high protein diet , in order to gain body and muscle mass. Again, this made sense on it's own, but didn't really convince me, that not eating after a work out was a good idea.

She did say that I could drink hot tea and lots of water and while that is good on it's own, I don't know. What if you're someone who 's prone to episodes of hypoglycemia. Are you supposed to just sit there and tough it out? I feel bad for going so crazy about this, but I'm one of those people that has a hard time handling change and being told , what to me, feels like conflicting information. I have to absolutely feel comfortable or at least assured for the most part before I go in on something. Someone please tell me I'm not going crazy questioning this?

Pretty please,

with whipped cream on top?

sweetiepie31612

It sounds to me like you're already making excuses for yourself. The 4 lbs lost in 1 two hr session is mostly probably water weight from sweating. As for not eating afterwards, they probably don't want to encourage eating that late at night. You would still eat your exercise calories, you just would eat them BEFORE working out. Make sure your body is fueled going into the workout. Go in with a positive attitude and TRY. If its not for you, then its not for you. But the program and everything sounds legit. I think you're just afraid and making excuses.

MyJourney11

I would question her for sure. Remember what works for one person doesn't work for everyone else. I work at a gym and never have I heard someone say they couldn't eat after a workout so that seems kind of odd to me, but I'm not a professional by far. I'm interested to see what other trainers would say...

Athena413

I agree with Sweetiepie, but would still definitely look in to the trainer's technique. 4lbs in one workout has GOT to be mostly water weight aka sweat, so I think she's just trying to make herself sound good. Ask her for references from previous clients. Any good, reputable trainer has references, I would think. If she gets offended or refuses to provide any sort of references, then I'd consider a different trainer.

Spitfirex007

Some of the stuff she seems to be saying is legit, some of it is really far fetched imo. Like, as far as body builders and people trying to build muscle, she is 100% correct. But people trying to lose weight I think should be eating after also. Protein helps repair and build muscle. Muscle burns fat. So I am going to question her on that one..

dragonflydi

But people trying to lose weight I think should be eating after also. Protein helps repair and build muscle. Muscle burns fat. So I am going to question her on that one..

Totally agree with this comment. I'd be leary of this ... also agree with the others saying that 4 lbs is probably just water weight/sweat loss ...

However, if it's something you'd like to do, check it out, do some research and make an educated decision. And just because she says you can't eat after, doesn't mean you can't. I don't think I've ever met a trainer that thinks "one size fits all' for any sort of program, whether it be weight loss, exercise, etc. We are all different and unique and require our own set of nutrients ...

My opinion is to check it out and make the most of the parts you can ... Good luck ... Keep us posted!

MinnieInMaine

As far as her being an official personal trainer, you could ask about her certification and verify it thorugh whatever organization she's used. From what I understand, some are more thorough than others but I'm not sure which is which...

And I agree with what some of the other think - it doesn't hurt to try it. At least get all the information from her and then from there you can decide what works best for you. Maybe just join in on the exercise classes and not worry so much about her nutritional advice. I personally would be very uncomfortable about not eating after exercise. I can't eat before or I feel sick so I have to eat something after and if it's a good vigorous workout, I can eat a lot!

saltorian

I think it's a little sneaky of her to try acting like losing 4 pounds of FAT in one exercise session is actually possible (or healthy!). I'm sure the people who lost that were really losing water weight. As for not eating after the exercises, well, these would happen in the evening, right? I personally don't think it would be a big deal not to eat until the next morning. I imagine you'd still be eating enough not to go into starvation mode, you'd just be doing it earlier in the day.

Logically speaking, I think it wouldn't hurt to give her a chance. It's not like you'd be signing your soul away, right? At the very least, going to those exercise classes will give you some good cardio and a nice workout that you can log. If her nutritional information doesn't work out for you, well, you can always change your mind. Unless she tells you to do something really crazy/stupid like only eat 500 calories a day or eat nothing but grass clippings, a few weeks of trying this probably won't be super harmful to you.

On the other hand, something tells me that your hesitation might be more than just excuses. While I wouldn't want you to let yourself back out of something good for no reason, you need to listen to your gut. You should have a trainer that you trust, that you feel comfortable with, and that makes you feel good about yourself at the end of the day. It's a personal choice, and your family shouldn't be making it for you, in my opinion. If there's something about this woman that makes you feel uncomfortable, then maybe she's not the right trainer for you, whether her background checks out or not.

cmriverside

On the other hand, something tells me that your hesitation might be more than just excuses. While I wouldn't want you to let yourself back out of something good for no reason, you need to listen to your gut. You should have a trainer that you trust, that you feel comfortable with, and that makes you feel good about yourself at the end of the day. It's a personal choice, and your family shouldn't be making it for you, in my opinion. If there's something about this woman that makes you feel uncomfortable, then maybe she's not the right trainer for you, whether her background checks out or not.

^^This!!


The food is up to you . She's not following you home to make sure you don't eat, is she? Everything about this is in your control. Take what you like and leave the rest.


And don't do anything just because your family, or anyone else tells you to.

hroush

I can lose 3 lbs of sweat in an hour of spin class and lost 2 lbs a week with 2 spin classes. I would definitely say that you should take in some protein afterwards to help prevent muscle loss.

I think you shouldn't even bother with her because her goals are not yours. It sounds like she caters to people that want to lose weight quick and you are being smarter than that. I say find someone else.

SueInAz

It's very quick weight loss that causes the really loose skin problem. Usually weight loss that is severe enough that muscle is lost along with fat. Age is also a factor; the older we are, the less elastic our skin is.

You might try explaining to her that you aren't looking to lose weight too quickly; slow and steady wins the race. If she's only interested in increasing her own reputation by getting you to lose weight very fast, it is definitely not in your best interest to follow her plan.

mustnothrowcantelopes

thank you everyone for the very awesome feedback. It's really helpful. I didn't even think to ask about her certification or anything like that. Believe it or not , I didn't even think I had the option of not following her instructions about the food. Usually when someone says : " this is what you need to do" , I don't think that there's the option of doing it my own way. I guess that's my upbringing coming into play right there.

The idea of losing a lot of weight in a short period of time is indeed very tempting , but I know that it's neither healthy nor wise. I don't want to get sucked into that hole of fanaticism . Not sure if that's the right word?

mustnothrowcantelopes

riverside, I really like your little "Timbuktu " icon. It's adorable . Where did you get it and what does it mean?

cmriverside

riverside, I really like your little "Timbuktu " icon. It's adorable . Where did you get it and what does it mean?

Timbuktu is a running joke we have going on another thread. I found him online somewhere...there are lots of sites with emoticons and gifs you can use.

I mentioned earlier that you can take what you want and leave the rest and you mentioned that it never occurred to you (due to your upbringing) NOT to do something.

At some point (like maybe right now) you have to thank your parents for raising you to be a good person, and then go your own way and make all your own decisions. Even the fact that your family chose this person and is insisting you use her is a little unsettling. You are 26 years old, right?

Don't listen to ME either!! You know yourself better than anyone on the planet. Make your own way, it's much more satisfying. :flowerforyou: