Can I trust my Personal Trainer?

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littlebee26
littlebee26 Posts: 116
in Health and Weight Loss
I will begin training with a personal trainer in 3 weeks and want to make sure that I get the most out of him so I thought I might run a few things by you.

I am 5 4 and weigh 139 pounds. I gave birth to my second child 4 months ago and have already managed to shake off some of the baby weight on my own. I have about a stone to lose and a lot of that is in my tummy. I was in great shape before I got pregnant though so I am hoping that I will manage to get my pre pregnancy body back.

I had a consultation with my new personal trainer and he has recommended the following. I will be eating 1200 calories a day. Healthy balanced diet of 4 meals, one of which will be a protein shake. I will take the protein shake first thing in the morning (7am) as I hate eating breakfast. However, I will work out for one hour, three mornings a week from 7-8am and on those days I will not have the protein shake until 8am as he has recommended that I work out on an empty stomach. My other 3 meals will be at 10.45am, 1pm and 6pm. My workouts will all be done with weights. I have asked the personal trainer if cardio should be included but he has said that I will not need a separate cardio work out when I am weight training with him.

My personal trainer says that if I follow his plan it would be very realistic to expect to have lost a stone in 10 weeks.

This service does not come so I am wondering if you could give me your opinion on whether this personal trainer sounds, knowledgeable, capable and realistic?
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Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    I will begin training with a personal trainer in 3 weeks and want to make sure that I get the most out of him so I thought I might run a few things by you.

    I am 5 4 and weigh 139 pounds. I gave birth to my second child 4 months ago and have already managed to shake off some of the baby weight on my own. I have about a stone to lose and a lot of that is in my tummy. I was in great shape before I got pregnant though so I am hoping that I will manage to get my pre pregnancy body back.

    I had a consultation with my new personal trainer and he has recommended the following. I will be eating 1200 calories a day. Healthy balanced diet of 4 meals, one of which will be a protein shake. I will take the protein shake first thing in the morning (7am) as I hate eating breakfast. However, I will work out for one hour, three mornings a week from 7-8am and on those days I will not have the protein shake until 8am as he has recommended that I work out on an empty stomach. My other 3 meals will be at 10.45am, 1pm and 6pm. My workouts will all be done with weights. I have asked the personal trainer if cardio should be included but he has said that I will not need a separate cardio work out when I am weight training with him.

    My personal trainer says that if I follow his plan it would be very realistic to expect to have lost a stone in 10 weeks.

    This service does not come so I am wondering if you could give me your opinion on whether this personal trainer sounds, knowledgeable, capable and realistic?

    Calories seem low, especially for someone who doesn't have much weight to lose. Three meals and a snack is fine but the number of meals is irrelevant. And training fasted works but it not necessary. Protein shakes are definitely not necessary, unless you are low on proteins.

    How old are you?
  • xampx
    xampx Posts: 323 Member
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    No.

    By all means, eat 1200 calories a day (if you can cope on so few!) but eat more on the exercise days.
    Also, ignore the timings, it really does not matter what time you eat.

    And to be honest if you want to snack on stuff constantly, as long as you stay within your calories (which I think should be nearer 1600 since you only have 14lbs to lose) you can eat what you want and when you want.

    It sounds like he might have you doing some cross fit which mixes cardio with weights, but if you want to do additional cardio, its your choice, not his. Just eat back the calories.

    He is right in that it would be realistic to lose those 14lbs in 10 weeks, however 1200 calories is not sustainable in the long term and you would likely put those lbs back on when you got back to eating properly.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    in...for 'eat more now' posts....
  • 6spdeg
    6spdeg Posts: 394 Member
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    gotta remember PT doesnt care what is sustainable his goal is to have her at a loss.

    you can get all your cardio from weight training.. However depending on your body type is when i'd possibly consider additional cardio but usually unnecessary.

    so yea 1200 you can do. if eating clean there's still a ton of food.. Ive been doing for a long time. drink lots of water..lol
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    the only thing i would suggest is that you ask him to teach you compound lifts - deadlifts, squats, over head press, chin up, pull up, bench press, etc - the trainers in my gym never have their clients bench pressing, deadlifting, or squatting and I can not for the life of me figure out why ...
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Personal trainers are not nutrition experts honestly. Mine told me that a pound is 2400 calories... I'd take it with a grain of salt frankly.

    I would eat more just so that it's more sustainable and you don't gain it back easily when you're done.
  • 6spdeg
    6spdeg Posts: 394 Member
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    the only thing i would suggest is that you ask him to teach you compound lifts - deadlifts, squats, over head press, chin up, pull up, bench press, etc - the trainers in my gym never have their clients bench pressing, deadlifting, or squatting and I can not for the life of me figure out why ...

    Im with ya.. unless there is some pressing issue.. most dont push clients either. Way to low weight high rep it seems.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Why is your trainer giving you nutrition advice? Are they trained/knowledgeable in that area? Sounds like they are not.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    the only thing i would suggest is that you ask him to teach you compound lifts - deadlifts, squats, over head press, chin up, pull up, bench press, etc - the trainers in my gym never have their clients bench pressing, deadlifting, or squatting and I can not for the life of me figure out why ...

    Im with ya.. unless there is some pressing issue.. most dont push clients either. Way to low weight high rep it seems.

    well if someone has back or knee issues or some other kind of condition I get that ...but I swear they always have them working on machines or light light weights with high reps....weird...shrugs shoulders...
  • juleszephyr
    juleszephyr Posts: 442 Member
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    Something that you didn't mention but is vitally important is are you breast feeding your 4 month old? If you are you need to get proper nutrition advice from a doctor or midwife as you need to be eating more than your requirements and shouldn't be working at a very very high deficit...

    I agree you should not take nutrition advice from a PT - just exercise regime if they are good!!!! I agree 1200 is prob too low with only a stone to lose and all that exercise...
  • nadz6012
    nadz6012 Posts: 126 Member
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    Did he suggest a macro nutrient ratio as well? If your calories are going to be that low you want to make sure that you're not losing lean mass. Don't just follow him blindly, make sure that whatever you are doing is challenging you!
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    I'm a personal trainer with qualifications in nutrition for weight management and in sports nutrition.

    Yours appears to be an idiot.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    You used the term stone and are tracking in kg, so are you in the UK?

    If you are, you can check if your trainer is registered/qualifications here

    http://exerciseregister.org/members/member-search/
  • photojunkie28
    photojunkie28 Posts: 292
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    1200 is low, BUT for a short period of time is not necessarily damaging. His goal is to get you to lose that weight and feel good because his reputation relies on results of his clients. So he may take into account some accidental calorie overage, mis counting ect...

    He's right, you don't need the cardio. Cardio burns calories which is great but if your eating on such a restricted diet you really dont need to burn extreme amounts of calories which is where the weight training comes in....Build your muscles and you will look firmer no matter what and more muscle burns more calories for an extended period of time where as cardio is just an hour burst of calories burned.

    The protein shake is a great idea because he wants to make sure you are getting enough protein so that your body doesnt eat lean muscle mass while you are on the restricted diet and weight training. The better your protein macro is, the less muscle you are likely to lose while dieting.

    And although the number of meals / timing may not matter as far as poundage lost it can help your metabolism , satiety and create good eating habits that will last into the future. I think he's on the right track. If after a few days you feel like 1200 calories is too low and you are starving then talk to him about it and i'm sure he will readjust to fit your needs :)
  • Jes21sica
    Jes21sica Posts: 90 Member
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    I deal with this all the time as a nutrition professional. Personal trainers, chiropractors, etc. take a 3 credit nutrition class and think they are qualified to give advice on one's diet. I definitely think that is way too little amount of calories for you. You only want to aim to lose 1-2 lbs a week. It will take longer but it will be worth it in the end. You don't want to deprive yourself too much. If you want to pay someone for nutrition advice, go see a registered dietitian, someone who actually knows what there talking about.
  • photojunkie28
    photojunkie28 Posts: 292
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    Something that you didn't mention but is vitally important is are you breast feeding your 4 month old? If you are you need to get proper nutrition advice from a doctor or midwife as you need to be eating more than your requirements and shouldn't be working at a very very high deficit...

    I agree you should not take nutrition advice from a PT - just exercise regime if they are good!!!! I agree 1200 is prob too low with only a stone to lose and all that exercise...

    ah yes...very good point. NEED to discuss this breast feeding issue!
  • drinknderive
    drinknderive Posts: 28 Member
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    Definitely do not cut down to 1200 calories if you are breastfeeding. Your supply will tank.
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
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    I think 1200 is too low for the days you are exercising. I eat 1300 when I am NOT exercising, and with a healthy diet, that results in me going hungry to bed.
    A 500 kcal deficit a day is a healthy and sustainable weight loss, so with an hour exercise, I would up to 1500 a day on your exercise days.
    If you're breastfeeding you need more energy as well.
  • AtlantaBob
    AtlantaBob Posts: 129 Member
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    take his advice with a grain of salt. Meaning, trust but verify. there are a lot of people here that have lived through it and can tell you what worked for them. Even that MAY work for you.

    Personal trainers are $$ motivated. At Lifetime FItness it usually goes like this:

    1) Ask a trainer out on floor ANY question
    2) trainer responds with "I'm busy right now would you like to make an appoinment?"

    appointment is code for - "you are going to pay me $99 an hour in order to talk to me"

    I figure if they have time to stop and schedule an appointment they ought to have time to answer a simple question.

    Bottom line - MAKE FRIENDS! Lots and lots of friends. Pick their brains, chat, ask questions. and READ READ READ. For example - google minimum daily caloric intake while breastfeeding. (just a thought)

    good luck!
  • littlebee26
    littlebee26 Posts: 116
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    Thanks for the reply. No I only breastfed for the first month after baby was born.

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