Trainer or NOT

babyphat2013 wrote:

I met with a personal training (sic) and thinking about letting him train me. Was told I train 2 times a week and follow a meal plan by him. I have to text him my meals every 2.5 hrs. No eating after 8 pm.

What agency is he accredited by, and does their accredidation (or his degree) include nutrition?
(For example, the American College of Sports Medicine certifies personal trainers.)

If it doesn't, then I wouldn't pay attention to what he says about what or how much to eat unless you can verify it's good information. (Like finding the same info yourself on a respectible research / accredidation site.)
http://www.eatright.org/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Sounds very controlling, and probably not healthy.
YOU need to do this. Don't give control to someone else.

His training consist of running, planks, lots of outside exercise, etc.

A progressive cardio program, and a progressive weightlifting program, is a good idea.
Don't jump into doing so much at once, because you'll overload & burn out.
Seriously, the first time I got on a treadmill I think I went for 5 minutes. Felt pretty pathetic, but I went back & did it the next day, and the next, and started adding a minute, then adding speed.

is a trainer necessary for someone like me or should I just clean eat and force myself to the gym at least 4-5 times per week for an hr?

No, it's not necessary.
But if you want to hire a trainer to design a program & teach you how to do exercises correctly (so you don't hurt yourself) that would be a good investment. Just make sure that s/he knows that's what you expect, not an ongoing rah-rah person that you're going to be paying forever.
Get the basics, then do it yourself.

The gym I am joining is Planet Fitness and I know they have some trainers there as well.

Their quality varies depending on their certification, so ask the one at your gym what her/his training is, what is her/his licensing body, experience, etc.
They could at least show you how to use the machines safely.

I've been at PF for a couple years, only seriously using it this year. I learned most of what I do on my own, but when I wanted a change I asked the trainer at the gym to show me how to use free weights (I'd just been using the machines until then).

There are many different ways to use a trainer
- x3 per week to be your nanny and workout buddy. Hold you accountable and push you.
- x1 per week to check-in, and also learn new techniques
- several hrs to help you get started - create a plan and teach you the basics. Follow up hrs as needed.

I recommend the third option as a minimum, and then more frequently as budget allows.

I think checking in with a personal trainer can be a good thing. However, I think that once you've gotten yourself set up and in a routine, that you'd only need to check with him once in a while to make sure your form is right - making sure you've not forgotten the best way to do the exercises he's suggested.

As for nutrition, I'm not the biggest fan of having the trainers do the diet plans. I think a bariatric dietician would be better.

About 20 years ago, I got set up with a trainer at a gym, he showed me what to do based on the goals I had at the time. I had an index card that I'd mark things down on, and he'd look at it periodically and ask me how things were going once in a while. I made a lot of progress getting into shape that way.

At that time, I really didn't know what to do about diet and didn't understand nutrition well enough.

It was only a few years ago when I started working with a bariatric dietician that I began to understand the best way to do things for ME relative to my food intake. Logging foods on here was a monster help. That way, I understood where my calories were being spent and could better make adjustments to help me feel fuller longer, and get more "mileage" out of what I was eating. (The healthier the food you eat, the more of it you can have!)

Make sure you're doing what's best for you on this journey you're on, and that he fully understands your goals and where you want to be. Otherwise, you're on his path and not your own.

babyphat2013 wrote: »

He did state that he needs our blood type to know what foods will be allowed and not while on his plan. This will be a question that I will ask him.

This is the big red flag, to me. This trainer does understand that you're a beginner, just trying to get things under control and build some good habits, and NOT someone training for the Olympics, right?

I can't tell you if blood type impacts your body's response to a diet, because I haven't done any research on it. But it does sound like this trainer's trying to sell you a bill of goods that you probably don't need, yet because, from what you posted, it sounds like you need someone who's going to help you get motivated to get into the gym or otherwise begin exercising regularly.

As intrusive as this individual is, between asking for your blood type, telling you what foods you'll be allowed from the outset, wanting you to report your meals to him every 2.5 hours (which means he probably will be expecting you to eat every 2.5 hours), etcetera, I, personally, would be deterred.

babyphat2013 wrote: »

Wow. Really good information. Thank you everyone.

To answer a few questions, no I do not believe the trainer is a certified nutrition. He did state that he needs our blood type to know what foods will be allowed and not while on his plan. This will be a question that I will ask him.

Alarm bells should go off the moment anyone asks about blood types and foods that go with it...The so called blood type diet is a fad, and I don't want someone who believes in fads telling me what to eat.
It would actually make me doubt his abilities as a trainer too...
I lost over 50 lbs by eating whatever food my Weight Watcher allowance gave me.....

Blood type diet. No.

I have worked with a trainer for a year now. I will say you have to mix well together. My trainer and I work great together. She pushes me to do stuff that left to my own I would never in a million years try. For me, I need someone to hold me accountable. I know I should be able to do that myself but I am human enough to know that is when I get into trouble and fall off the wagon so to speak. I think every last penny I have spent working with her is money well spent. I look at is as an investment in my health and myself. She was the one that told me to log my food into MFP.

I will add that I had success with my trainer because I bought into the program. Meaning, I followed the plan she laid out for me to a "t."