Is my trainer starving me??

2

Replies

  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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 :)
  • 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
    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
    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
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
    I believe I will do that as well. :) Though I am not going to see her today. I need to take a short break from her to put together my OWN diet and cardio plan this weekend lol
    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.
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    Your trainers ridiculous. Burn 1000 and eat only 1100? And you could get better results than that eating more. At 138 pounds I was 22 percent fat. Granted our genetics may be different. Right now 20 pounds more than that (I'm aiming to get down to 120) I am 28 percent.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Is it even possible to "measure" metabolism?

    I was wondering about this recently. Apart from measuring CO2 output, does anyone else "back into" their TDEE? The "activity level" is such a swag. I.e., I take weight loss over a number of days (using 7-day weight average) and multiply it by 3500 as my observed deficit over the period. Adding my total caloric consumption for the period and dividing by the number of days should, theoretically, result in an observed TDEE. It's a total hack and not very consistent (although my activity level is consistent). Just curious if other have tried and what they observed.
  • Keepcalmanddontblink
    Keepcalmanddontblink Posts: 718 Member
    Get a new trainer. This one is obviously clueless.
    And dangerous! Get away from her as fast as you can....unless she has an option where you only pay for help with gym stuff, and the nutrition is up to you?
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
    Yeah, I believe I could build more muscle and lose more fat by eating more calories too! Would you mind sharing with me what your calorie intake/level of fitness is? I need to recalculate my calories
    Your trainers ridiculous. Burn 1000 and eat only 1100? And you could get better results than that eating more. At 138 pounds I was 22 percent fat. Granted our genetics may be different. Right now 20 pounds more than that (I'm aiming to get down to 120) I am 28 percent.
  • writergeek313
    writergeek313 Posts: 390 Member
    If you're following her plan, you're netting 100-300 calories per day. No wonder you're hungry! I'd say ditch the trainer, join a gym where you feel comfortable, and keep up a cardio and strength training regimen you can stick with. There's no need to work out every day unless you really want to. Use a calorie calculator like this one to get a better sense of how many calories you should be eating, and try eating at least some of them back. Start with 3/4, and if you stop losing weight, cut back to half of your exercise calories: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    The goal here isn't to starve yourself. It's to be able to make sustainable lifestyle changes. Daily, intense workouts and not nearly enough calories isn't safe.
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
    What I do is I pay every two weeks (every four sessions) with her, but she began charging me when she charted out my "nutrition plan." I feel like I am done though. I may just ignore her nutrition advice but her assessments seem like garbage as well lol
    Get a new trainer. This one is obviously clueless.
    And dangerous! Get away from her as fast as you can....unless she has an option where you only pay for help with gym stuff, and the nutrition is up to you?
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Just to clarify something first: eating back your exercise calories or raising your calorie target will NOT make you lose more, it will actually make you lose less. Now that out of the way, yes, she has no idea what she is talking about. Even though you will not see the fast loss you had, it will be much healthier, much more reasonable, kinder to your muscles, and you will be much more likely to stick to it if you do eat at least some of your exercise calories back.

    Here is a suggestion, train like you normally would, and eat enough to not be hungry, mostly in more nutrient dense foods. Don't try to stick to a certain target, just as much as you feel is necessary to keep you from getting hungry. At the end of the day see what your calories amount to. Do that for a few days and average out the calories you consumed to see how much it takes to keep you from getting hungry. If it happens to be less than your expenditure, you will be losing weight (albeit slower). Set that as your new calorie target. If it happens to be more than your expenditure, work out strategies and food choices that would allow you to lower your target to a level where you are not hungry but are still losing.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    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.
    'Eating back' and 'net calories' aren't a thing outside of the MFP eating plan, and I think a lot of people use MFP to log but not their eating plan.

    Most people who want to lose weight, especially for a looming event, use exercise to maximize their deficit and use food to get their basic nutrition, as in vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. You don't have to get some major portion of daily calories burned from today's eating since those can be funded through 'deficit spending', which is the definition of how weight loss works. Though obviously there is a trade-off between discomfort and speed of weight loss. But there is no situation where eating more causes more weight loss, just less discomfort. But if your discomfort is unacceptable, definitely eat more. But unless it has some effect like it makes you log better or comply better or exercise more, eating more won't increase your rate of loss.

    But I don't think I could comply with a plan for long that had me burning 800-1000 in the gym and eating 1100. That's like something from Extreme Weight Loss (though there it's more like burning 2000-3000 in the gym). But I also wouldn't spend hours in the gym burning 1000 and then eat it all back if I wanted to shrink for a wedding, either. I'd stick with the 'normal' way-- spend 3-5 hours a week at exercise and eat 1200-1500 calories/day. That's what most accepted diet plans recommend, far and away.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    You're trainer is pretty clueless and bro-sciencey.

    You are the one starving yourself though.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Yeah, I believe I could build more muscle and lose more fat by eating more calories too! Would you mind sharing with me what your calorie intake/level of fitness is? I need to recalculate my calories
    Your trainers ridiculous. Burn 1000 and eat only 1100? And you could get better results than that eating more. At 138 pounds I was 22 percent fat. Granted our genetics may be different. Right now 20 pounds more than that (I'm aiming to get down to 120) I am 28 percent.

    Throwing this out here again....

    You're not going to build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

    It's possible to recomp around TDEE by that takes a long....long time.
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    Yeah, I believe I could build more muscle and lose more fat by eating more calories too! Would you mind sharing with me what your calorie intake/level of fitness is? I need to recalculate my calories
    Your trainers ridiculous. Burn 1000 and eat only 1100? And you could get better results than that eating more. At 138 pounds I was 22 percent fat. Granted our genetics may be different. Right now 20 pounds more than that (I'm aiming to get down to 120) I am 28 percent.
    I'll pm you a bit later. Its really not necessary to starve.
  • MrsBryant923
    MrsBryant923 Posts: 10 Member
    There are some trainers out there that can help you build muscle while keeping you accountable to a healthy diet. Unfornantely, this trainer doesn't sound like one of them. Also, if you are getting enough protein and eating frequently enough, you shouldn't be getting hungry as much. Good luck to you! Choosing a trainer can be difficult decision.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    There are some trainers out there that can help you build muscle while keeping you accountable to a healthy diet. Unfornantely, this trainer doesn't sound like one of them. Also, if you are getting enough protein and eating frequently enough, you shouldn't be getting hungry as much. Good luck to you! Choosing a trainer can be difficult decision.

    She's getting hungry because she's 25 and only netting 100-300 calories, not because she isn't eating "frequently enough".

    That's like saying your car should go 500 miles on 50 miles worth of gas.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Your trainer sounds like a quack.

    I'll share the plan my dietician has me following… 1300 calories, Mediterranean style diet, lower carb, moderate protein, moderate fat:

    -2 protein servings/day (3-4 oz per serving)
    -1 legumes serving/day (1/2 cup cooked per serving… or 1/4 cup hummus)
    -5+ category 1 vegetables (non-starch veggies, 1/2 cup per serving)
    -1 category 2 vegetables serving/day (starchy veggies… i.e. 1/2 medium sweet potato)
    -2 fruit servings/day (i.e. 1 apple, 2 kiwis, 2 small peaches, 2 small tangerines, 15 cherries, 15 grapes, 2 cups watermelon, 1 cup blackberries and strawberries, 1 1/2 cup raspberries)
    -1 grains serving/day (1/2 cup cooked, 1 slice bread)
    -4 oils & fats servings/day (1 tsp per serving… Earth Balance= 1.5 tsp per serving… Avocado= 1/8 per serving)
    -1 nuts & seeds serving/day (i.e. 15 almonds per serving, 5-6 pecan/walnut halves per serving, 1/2 oz. pistachios, cashews, pumpkin seeds per serving)
    -2 protein shakes per day

    There's so much food that I promise you you will not feel hungry on this plan! Also, this plan calls for eating every 3-4 hours.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    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.

    It is possible to measure RMR, but you won't be doing it with calipers, LOL. You'd need to use indirect calorimetry.

    Or, you can estimate using your weight, age, yada, yada with a calculation similar to the one used for TDEE.

    I add my vote to the 'ditch her' group. You can do better on your own.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    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. It tests resting metabolic rate through an oxygen consumption test… Just had it done on Tuesday.
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
    Thank you!
    Yeah, I believe I could build more muscle and lose more fat by eating more calories too! Would you mind sharing with me what your calorie intake/level of fitness is? I need to recalculate my calories
    Your trainers ridiculous. Burn 1000 and eat only 1100? And you could get better results than that eating more. At 138 pounds I was 22 percent fat. Granted our genetics may be different. Right now 20 pounds more than that (I'm aiming to get down to 120) I am 28 percent.
    I'll pm you a bit later. Its really not necessary to starve.
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
    Thank you for this :) This eating plan sounds really reasonable. It seems balanced and I like the timing of 3-4 hours and the good fats included.
    Your trainer sounds like a quack.

    I'll share the plan my dietician has me following… 1300 calories, Mediterranean style diet, lower carb, moderate protein, moderate fat:

    -2 protein servings/day (3-4 oz per serving)
    -1 legumes serving/day (1/2 cup cooked per serving… or 1/4 cup hummus)
    -5+ category 1 vegetables (non-starch veggies, 1/2 cup per serving)
    -1 category 2 vegetables serving/day (starchy veggies… i.e. 1/2 medium sweet potato)
    -2 fruit servings/day (i.e. 1 apple, 2 kiwis, 2 small peaches, 2 small tangerines, 15 cherries, 15 grapes, 2 cups watermelon, 1 cup blackberries and strawberries, 1 1/2 cup raspberries)
    -1 grains serving/day (1/2 cup cooked, 1 slice bread)
    -4 oils & fats servings/day (1 tsp per serving… Earth Balance= 1.5 tsp per serving… Avocado= 1/8 per serving)
    -1 nuts & seeds serving/day (i.e. 15 almonds per serving, 5-6 pecan/walnut halves per serving, 1/2 oz. pistachios, cashews, pumpkin seeds per serving)
    -2 protein shakes per day

    There's so much food that I promise you you will not feel hungry on this plan! Also, this plan calls for eating every 3-4 hours.
  • NadaHamade
    NadaHamade Posts: 30
    Yes. I now know I must net way way more than this. Never again. Lol
    There are some trainers out there that can help you build muscle while keeping you accountable to a healthy diet. Unfornantely, this trainer doesn't sound like one of them. Also, if you are getting enough protein and eating frequently enough, you shouldn't be getting hungry as much. Good luck to you! Choosing a trainer can be difficult decision.

    She's getting hungry because she's 25 and only netting 100-300 calories, not because she isn't eating "frequently enough".

    That's like saying your car should go 500 miles on 50 miles worth of gas.