Worse than useless advice.

canroadrunner

I lost weight while I was training for a Spartan race. After the race was over, I slacked off on my exercise and, I ate a bunch of junk and gained my weight back. I knew winter was coming, my outdoor exercise was over and so I decided to join a gym.
I joined a gym at the spa I go to. I like it because it's not well known and I have the gym to myself for hours. However, the membership is a little more expensive because it includes some add-ons like personal training sessions, infrared sauna AND nutritional consults once a month. (The personal trainer is awesome).
I made my appointment with the consultant and she was fricking worse than useless. I don't know what the hell kind of training she had but I was more knowledgeable about nutrition than she was. Examples of her advice: without knowing my energy expenditure on exercise, she told me that I should eat their specially planned diet which amounted to 1100 calories per day (including a number of meal replacement shakes which she would gladly sell me) EVEN THOUGH the computer testing she did showed my BMR to be 1600. (As measured by my HRM, I typically burn between 600-900 calories a day through exercise.) I am a big girl, 5'9" and 200 lbs. 1100 calories a day is ridiculous.

When I told her I would not drink her shakes, she told me that they would then customize a diet for me using regular food. Again, what a waste. Even though I told her I was diabetic, none of her planning seemed to take this into account. Her menus included larger amounts of carbs than I would ever eat at any one meal and more importantly, not enough protein with meals.

I thanked her politely and came back here to do my own thing with nutrition. Now I just see her so I can get my bodyfat measurement done. Quite a disappointment.

So now, I've come back, I eat at least 1600 calories a day and most of my exercise calories back. I feel strong and energetic and most importantly I know that I'm losing weight the correct way that is good for the long term.

Bakkasan

I actually had a personal trainer/nutritionist INSIST he could cure type 1 diabetes.

drmerc

I actually had a personal trainer/nutritionist INSIST he could cure type 1 diabetes.

Did it work?

avir8

A lot of spas and gyms force the employees to sell sell sell instead of providing quality service :grumble:

aStrongerSteph

I think we've all experienced something like that. Either well meaning friends, family or even worse, people we go to for "help" know the "cure" for us. It's good to have the common sense to know when to politely decline and make your own decisions.

Greenrun99

Working at a gym and looking like your in shape doesn't make you qualified to be a personal trainer or a nutritionist.. but some gyms thats exactly what you get.

VelociMama

Good for you for educating yourself enough to know bull**** when you see it!

I'm not surprised that someone told you this though. I had a trainer tell me some whoppers early on as well. It's, unfortunately, common.

This thread is proof that self-education is critical.

treetop57

She's a shake salesperson, not a nutrition consultant.

supbanana

The scary part to me is that there are people out there who will follow her advice. My mom was one of them. She was working out 2-3 hours a day, eating virtually nothing. She didn't lose any weight but definitely trimmed up. Problem was she was constantly sick, dizzy, and so forth. It was miserable and unsustainable.

I hate to think of the damage this trainer and people like her are causing.

T1mH

Yeah the free consults I had at my gym were disappointing. The first month she set me up with high reps low weights on the circuit machines. 5 weeks later she asked why I was doing so many reps. She didn't remember she set me up to begin with. Then she advised that that what i needed to do was lift heavy and less reps but still on the machines.

I just read "The New Rules of Lifting for Life" but i think there is to many choices and I'm a bit overwhelmed so I got "Starting Strength" and just started reading it. It seems a lot less complicated.

iAMsmiling

Bad case of stupid, combined with a profit motive. No way you were ever going to get anything good from her.

treetop57

I actually had a personal trainer/nutritionist INSIST he could cure type 1 diabetes.

I'd guess that he didn't know how to count to 2. Treating Type 2 with diet sounds possible. Type 1? Not so much.

lambertj

In general, personal trainers know nothing about nutrition. They should however, be able to provide a good workout plan for you. Hubby is a personal trainer and he is great with working out but lousy with nutrition. So glad you didn't fall for the "shakes", pure crap.

littlelaura

I had similar experience with a nutritionist at my endocrines office, she wrote up a diet for me 1400 calories a day, no eating back exercise calories, all well and good, but as I read it, she had hardly any protein and so many carbs I couldnt believe it, I am sorry
but even if I ate the serving size of say pasta (2 oz) my sugar would shoot through the roof. I dont know where they are getting their info or why they insist on following the FDA food pyramid guidelines, force feeding people on carbs and whole grains, one size does not fit all in nutrition..sheesh!

slackerwoman

A lot of gym's hire people off the street and give them a script. They don't actually know anything but what they are told to read. Sad but true.

canroadrunner

My trainer is great but you are right, this "nutritionist" is following a script.

DopeItUp

I actually had a personal trainer/nutritionist INSIST he could cure type 1 diabetes.

Sweet. He should be a multi-millionaire by now since he discovered the cure!