Help me out?

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Kate814
Kate814 Posts: 145
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone, I'm studying for my personal training certification (while finishing up a physical rehab program at my university) and taking my exam very soon. I'm also interning at a great gym in my area. My training supervisor has been putting an emphasis on being able to answer any question a client can think of, and I'd love to practice! If anyone has any questions they would like to ask a personal trainer, ask me here or message me, I would love help getting some practice answering!

*Of course, I will answer to the best of my ability but my answers should NOT be taken as if they came from a trained professional. While I am a student, I am not yet a certified trainer.

Replies

  • killer0193
    killer0193 Posts: 3 Member
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    OK, here is your intro question and scenario. I changed my lifestyle in January 2012. I am a male, age 38, 6'1" and started my journey at 264 lbs. Flash forward 21 months and I have lost 40 lbs. 2 months ago I started going back to the gym. I do cardio every day for 30 minutes at moderate to high intensity as well as weight training at high intensity. One of my weight training days is a Body Pump class which lasts for 60 minutes. Since starting back at the gym I went from losing a lot of weight quickly (8 lbs in 5 weeks) to gaining back 6 lbs over the past 2 weeks. I am eating my recommended goal calories only per day which is 1400.

    My question is do you think that my body is in starvation mode due to a lack of calories which has lead to the gain or is it muscle mass? How should I properly calculate the number of daily calories I should be eating and still lose weight at approximately 1 lb per week and not lose any muscle mass.
  • Kate814
    Kate814 Posts: 145
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    Hey Killer0193. Great work on your weight loss journey so far! In your case, under-eating is definitely a possibility. With the amount of exercise your doing, there's also the possibility of gaining weight from muscle gain, but this would not be to the extent of 6 pounds in two weeks. I can calculate your BMR (how many calories your body needs to just run itself), TDEE (how many calories you need to maintain your weight), and calories for you, but if you would like to be able to recalculate them as you lose weight, the easiest way I've found to do this is through If it fits your macros. http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ This program is the easiest to use for how much information it will provide and allow you to input, and will also give you how many grams of protein, fat, carbs, and fiber you should try to hit.

    While it isn't in the scope of practice to recommend a specific calorie amount for clients, I would definitely place you at a higher calorie intake. Personally, with the amount of exercise you are I would recommend closer to 2,500 (which for your stats would be 15% TDEE, or 15% less calories than what you would need to maintain your weight.)

    Hope this helps!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    ummmm.....instead of setting up a shingle here in this thread, why don't you wander out into the forums and answer a few of the bajillion questions that are out there waiting for a helpful response?
  • Kate814
    Kate814 Posts: 145
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    I have been. I should have clarified my intention. I was looking for someone to help me understand if I was answering their questions in a way they understood and was helpful to them as well as what additional information would be helpful/what information was too much, which you often don't get from replying to another post.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    i get feedback on the quality of my answers in the forums all the time. usually it's to call me an *kitten* or a bully, but that counts as feedback, right?
  • Kate814
    Kate814 Posts: 145
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    Haha yeah that's feedback, and the kind most people give. I was looking more for critiques on the quality of information versus me as a person. Pretty comfortable with myself as a person :)
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    i get feedback on the quality of my answers in the forums all the time. usually it's to call me an *kitten* or a bully, but that counts as feedback, right?

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

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