Is my trainer starving me??

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  • stuart160
    stuart160 Posts: 1,628 Member
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    Get a new trainer. Most trainers only have the basics in nutrition and this one didn't pick up enough of the basics to help you, just enough to be dangerous.
  • happysquidmuffin
    happysquidmuffin Posts: 651 Member
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    I barely work out (but am going to the gym tonight - yay!) and I'm pretty darn hungry at night with only 1200 calories... Like everyone else seems to say, I'd say this trainers's nutrition advice is full of bologna. I have been losing weight (slowly) at 1300-1500ish net calories on average. I usually eat exercise calories back.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    Get a new trainer. This one is obviously clueless.

    ^^^This

    (and no one "builds muscle easily")


    Yeah, I take that part back lol, it is difficult to build muscle.

    Awesome response.

    I'm piggy backing on what everyone else has said. You really should report this somewhere, it's not only bad advice but could be deemed as dangerous (especially with someone who has less than 10lbs left to lose). They're telling you to have an intake of 1100 calories - 800 to 1000 calories leaving you with a net of 100 to 300 calories. I'm not sure if there are infants that sustain on that. A woman you're age and with that kind of activity level should probably be in the 2000's somewhere. If anything it will slow your metabolism, not raise it.
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
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    Is it even possible to "measure" metabolism?

    You need to ditch her nutrition advice - if you like her workouts you can keep working with her on that but go with your gut, if you feel uncomfortable with her nutrition plan than don't follow it. She works for YOU - not the other way around.

    Yeah, I don't really know how she comes up with that formula. I think I am going to kick her plan and calculate a more reasonable calorie count
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    It's pretty doubtful you'd have lost more weight by eating more calories, but if you're not happy with your trainer, changing is probably a good idea.

    It wasn't really eating more but it was more of eating my net calories I think. I haven't been eating net at all because she told me not to. So I think I will change to someone that would actually encourage me to eat my calories back :)
    Some people eat back exercise calories and some don't, but if doing what she suggested was making you that hungry, especially at those calorie levels, a change sounds like the way to go. Congrats on the upcoming wedding.
  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
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    This sounds pretty crazy, and not healthy, as your body seems to be telling you already with your severe hunger/binges. If you were eating over 2000cals a day, I could see the burning 800-1000 being reasonable and not terribly bad for you. Only getting a net of a couple hundred calories a day though? That's bonkers.
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
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    Get a new trainer. This one is obviously clueless.

    ^^^This

    (and no one "builds muscle easily")


    Yeah, I take that part back lol, it is difficult to build muscle.

    Awesome response.

    I'm piggy backing on what everyone else has said. You really should report this somewhere, it's not only bad advice but could be deemed as dangerous (especially with someone who has less than 10lbs left to lose). They're telling you to have an intake of 1100 calories - 800 to 1000 calories leaving you with a net of 100 to 300 calories. I'm not sure if there are infants that sustain on that. A woman you're age and with that kind of activity level should probably be in the 2000's somewhere. If anything it will slow your metabolism, not raise it.

    Thank you. And yes! I feel the same way. I thought I didn't have a clue and this was the way to go because I was overweight and my trainer was in better shape than me. But I definitely think I need more calories. And she is actually puzzled that my metabolism is slowing down. She told me it was because "I'm not eating every three hours" (though I have been and have tried to follow her diet to a T).

    With the trainer I had before her I was always at around 1800 calories. It may have also been due to the fact that I weighed more at the time, but it wasn't nearly as difficult, and my stamina was much better.
  • stuart160
    stuart160 Posts: 1,628 Member
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    Is it even possible to "measure" metabolism?

    You need to ditch her nutrition advice - if you like her workouts you can keep working with her on that but go with your gut, if you feel uncomfortable with her nutrition plan than don't follow it. She works for YOU - not the other way around.
    Yes, actually it is, you can get a good indication from a metabolic analysys if you are lucky enough to be in a location that has a Metabolic Cart and a trained proffessional to interpret the results. We utilize the Metabolic Cart.
  • Kenazwa
    Kenazwa Posts: 278 Member
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    Your trainer is giving you insane advice. Is her 2nd job working as dominatrix?

    Does she have a degree in nutrition? If not, it is unscrupulous to be giving nutritional advice. She's not licensed to do so.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    Get a new trainer. This one is obviously clueless.

    ^^^This

    (and no one "builds muscle easily")


    Yeah, I take that part back lol, it is difficult to build muscle.

    And you certainly won't be doing while in a calorie deficit.
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    Is it even possible to "measure" metabolism?

    You need to ditch her nutrition advice - if you like her workouts you can keep working with her on that but go with your gut, if you feel uncomfortable with her nutrition plan than don't follow it. She works for YOU - not the other way around.

    Yes you can measure metabolism...but the correct terminology is Resting Metabolic Rate. It's generally done in a doctor's office, not a gym. It's called "indirect calorimetry," and you have to be hooked up to a machine that measures the CO2 you exhale and then calculates how efficiently you're burning oxygen or something. I don't remember exactly -- I had it done a long time ago -- I remember lying on a table with a big plastic dome over my head and I had to breathe through this mouth tube with my nose clipped shut. It was weird.

    And yes, I echo what others have said. A trainer shouldn't be giving you nutritional advice, a dietician or nutritionist should.
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
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    Get a new trainer. This one is obviously clueless.

    ^^^This

    (and no one "builds muscle easily")


    Yeah, I take that part back lol, it is difficult to build muscle.

    And you certainly won't be doing while in a calorie deficit.

    That is true as well. I really want to work on building muscle and losing body fat over pounds. Looks like I need to research & recalculate my proper intake and start from the beginning.
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
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    Your trainer is giving you insane advice. Is her 2nd job working as dominatrix?

    Does she have a degree in nutrition? If not, it is unscrupulous to be giving nutritional advice. She's not licensed to do so.

    LOL, thank you for the laugh, I shouldn't have followed her "diet plan" whatsoever but now I am ready to follow good nutritional advice. :)
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
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    This sounds pretty crazy, and not healthy, as your body seems to be telling you already with your severe hunger/binges. If you were eating over 2000cals a day, I could see the burning 800-1000 being reasonable and not terribly bad for you. Only getting a net of a couple hundred calories a day though? That's bonkers.

    Yes! I would always ask her if she was sure I'm not supposed to be netting my calories. She'd say yes. She logs on my fitness pal and never eats back net. It really baffles me.
  • WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr
    WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr Posts: 2,150 Member
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    Get a new trainer and if you want help on the food side see a dietician or nutritionist, not a trainer for that. She's telling you to eat 1100 calories a day then burn off 800-1000 of them and not eat them back.... so you're fueling your body on about 100-300 calories a day??? Um, yeah, that isn't going to work, you're lucky you haven't collapsed into a pile of goo yet, nevermind blacked out driving home after working out! Even the VLCD diets will tell you not to work out while you're doing them or do light intensity things like... walk (been there, done that, am not recommending or supporting the idea of any one doing one.... ever). You need to fuel those muscles that you're building! Find a place that has someone that has been through a real program for nutrition not a 10 minute "this is what my boss showed me what to do with people" training, preferrably someone who has worked with people who are fit, in shape, or getting in shape: when I chose a dietician to work with, I went to one that works at a hospital with the bariatric program and was actually recommended to me by someone who had lap band surgery, and when I first met with her I told her if she was the type that was going to try to sell me a whole bunch of vitamins/supplements because that was what I needed (happened with every nutritionist I found in my area that I talked to, more than once spent a whole bunch of money on a whole bunch of stuff that didn't do a darn thing), was going to give me a standard meal plan that goes to everybody without looking at my food allergies or how much working out I do, then we could stop right there, she spent two hours with me (more than a normal appointment) setting up a food plan that would work for me, I was able to call her with questions and when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and insulin resistance, I asked her what changes to make and she told me that normally she would tell patients to drop their calories, but because of how much I work out, to stay where I am because I need to fuel that exercise.... my trainer would be the first to tell you that she knows very little about nutrition, beyond common sense because she is a trainer, not a nutritionist
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
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    It's pretty doubtful you'd have lost more weight by eating more calories, but if you're not happy with your trainer, changing is probably a good idea.

    It wasn't really eating more but it was more of eating my net calories I think. I haven't been eating net at all because she told me not to. So I think I will change to someone that would actually encourage me to eat my calories back :)
    Some people eat back exercise calories and some don't, but if doing what she suggested was making you that hungry, especially at those calorie levels, a change sounds like the way to go. Congrats on the upcoming wedding.

    Thank you so much :)
  • nofoodforthemood
    nofoodforthemood Posts: 64
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    Well if your body is telling you that you are still hungry then yes...you need to eat more.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    Thank you! Her exercises are good but I feel like she has no idea what she is talking about as far as nutrition.
    if thats how you feel then why not stick with her and just ignore her dietary advice

    That is what I would do. Nod and smile and eat how I want.
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
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    Thank you so much. Yes I always get very tired with her after sessions or during sessions lately. I feel like I am losing strength and going on binges/finding it impossible to stick to my diet. So it's been really making me reevaluate her advice.

    Based on your experience I will look into contacting a nutritionist. At least I learned some exercises with this trainer but definitely nothing regarding nutrition. And yes now I know that if I am going to stick to this exercise level I definitely should not eat so little!
    Get a new trainer and if you want help on the food side see a dietician or nutritionist, not a trainer for that. She's telling you to eat 1100 calories a day then burn off 800-1000 of them and not eat them back.... so you're fueling your body on about 100-300 calories a day??? Um, yeah, that isn't going to work, you're lucky you haven't collapsed into a pile of goo yet, nevermind blacked out driving home after working out! Even the VLCD diets will tell you not to work out while you're doing them or do light intensity things like... walk (been there, done that, am not recommending or supporting the idea of any one doing one.... ever). You need to fuel those muscles that you're building! Find a place that has someone that has been through a real program for nutrition not a 10 minute "this is what my boss showed me what to do with people" training, preferrably someone who has worked with people who are fit, in shape, or getting in shape: when I chose a dietician to work with, I went to one that works at a hospital with the bariatric program and was actually recommended to me by someone who had lap band surgery, and when I first met with her I told her if she was the type that was going to try to sell me a whole bunch of vitamins/supplements because that was what I needed (happened with every nutritionist I found in my area that I talked to, more than once spent a whole bunch of money on a whole bunch of stuff that didn't do a darn thing), was going to give me a standard meal plan that goes to everybody without looking at my food allergies or how much working out I do, then we could stop right there, she spent two hours with me (more than a normal appointment) setting up a food plan that would work for me, I was able to call her with questions and when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and insulin resistance, I asked her what changes to make and she told me that normally she would tell patients to drop their calories, but because of how much I work out, to stay where I am because I need to fuel that exercise.... my trainer would be the first to tell you that she knows very little about nutrition, beyond common sense because she is a trainer, not a nutritionist

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