Hey! Diet by personal trainer? Or diet by nutritionist?
ripitandloveit
Posts: 1 Member
Im going back to the gym in january more or less, and i will be using a personal trainer.. He claims to be schooled in dieting.. Should i listen to him or het a diet specialist?
(What would you guys do?)
(What would you guys do?)
3
Replies
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What’s a diet specialist? A lot of nutrition certifications can be obtained in Very short amounts of time. The best resource is usually a Registered Dietitan.
What specifically are you concerned about? What are your goals?
Are you trying to lose weight or manage a particular health condition?7 -
I'd do exactly what I did to lose 75 pounds - eat a reasonably balanced diet, track/log honestly and accurately on MFP and stay within my calorie goals. You don't need a nutritionist for that - and a lot of nutritionists are about as useful as taking advice from Dr. Oz.
Let the personal trainer handle your training goals. Laws vary from state to state, but in many states personal trainers aren't even legally allowed to dispense dietary advice.10 -
I would try out the personal trainer's recommendations for exercise/fitness, and do this for an eating plan:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm
But that's just me.13 -
ripitandloveit wrote: »Im going back to the gym in january more or less, and i will be using a personal trainer.. He claims to be schooled in dieting.. Should i listen to him or het a diet specialist?
(What would you guys do?)
i woudl just use MFP, stick to my calorie deficit and aim to get adequate protein and a good amount of fruit and veg per day.
i'd also see what the trainer said, and post it here so we could all have a good laugh.... :laugh:9 -
ripitandloveit wrote: »Im going back to the gym in january more or less, and i will be using a personal trainer.. He claims to be schooled in dieting.. Should i listen to him or het a diet specialist?
(What would you guys do?)
Neither. I dont need someone telling what to eat when I can just come on here and log calories for free10 -
Depends how rich you are. I use MFP - free of charge. Any amount of money will not make you lose weight, but an overall healthier lifestyle will. Trust MFP.2
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I wouldn't use either and I'd be wary of assuming a personal trainer has any greater knowledge than Joe Public.
They may have taken further study but Personal Trainer by itself just means they are qualified to help you with your training, not your diet. Gyms are often a hotbed of absolutely awful diet myths from both staff and users.
"Diet Specialist" (and the equally vague "Nutritionist" title) also raise questions over their actual qualifications.
Just like any service being offered first think if you actually need it and then check out the service provider.
What I do is eat what I regard as an overall healthy and enjoyable diet (noun) in the appropriate quantities. It's not as complicated as people making their living selling diet (verb) plans make it out to be.7 -
ripitandloveit wrote: »Im going back to the gym in january more or less, and i will be using a personal trainer.. He claims to be schooled in dieting.. Should i listen to him or het a diet specialist?
I'm not clear on what your goals are - do you want to lose weight? Build muscle?
Whatever you aim for, as other posters said above, there are cheaper and more sustainable ways of (self)managing your diet.(What would you guys do?)- Find out my TDEE - total daily energy expenditure
- Based on my goals, establish the amount of calories I need to eat per day (TDEE = maintenance, under TDEE / reasonable deficit = weight loss, over = weight gain).
- Establish the minimum amount of protein (say 0.8g/lb would be OK if I plan to train) and dietary fat (say 0.35g/lb) I need
- Fill the rest of the remaining calorie allotment with carbs, or a combination of all three macros to my liking
- Make sure I get my micros in (vitamins, minerals), preferably from what I eat (vegetables, dairy, meat, etc) instead of multis
- Stick to that, meeting my requirements (while diligently weighing food and using MFP to log it).
- Remember alcohol has 7 cals per gram and it should go in the food diary too.
What I would not do is make a „diet” plan, cut off food groups or worry about how many meals, how late in the night, how to (not) combine foods, etc.4 -
WinoGelato wrote: »What’s a diet specialist? A lot of nutrition certifications can be obtained in Very short amounts of time. The best resource is usually a Registered Dietitan.
^^^This... if you are set on seeing someone be sure they are a registered dietitian.8 -
WinoGelato wrote: »What’s a diet specialist? A lot of nutrition certifications can be obtained in Very short amounts of time. The best resource is usually a Registered Dietitan.
^^^This... if you are set on seeing someone be sure they are a registered dietitian.
this.
4 -
If you don't have special dietary needs where a specialist would help, I would just do MFP. Most outside plans, regardless of source, are not customizable enough. You need to establish a routine that you will be able to follow for life, and that sort of precise customization is not achievable with cookie cutter eating plans. If you wish, you could take a look at your trainer's guidelines to see what you might or might not want to introduce into your diet since you're already paying him, but ultimately you will want to customize everything to your liking and comfort. Forcing arbitrary changes can cause burnout.3
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WinoGelato wrote: »What’s a diet specialist? A lot of nutrition certifications can be obtained in Very short amounts of time. The best resource is usually a Registered Dietitan.
What specifically are you concerned about? What are your goals?
Are you trying to lose weight or manage a particular health condition?
If you're going to see someone, it should be an RD. In the U.S., "nutritionist" isn't a protected term and anyone can apply it to themselves. There are websites where you can pay $50 and they'll send you a fancy piece of paper saying you're a "certified nutritionist."4 -
I use a personal trainer for my exercise goals, but only MFP for my diet needs. I am doing a 'sort of' low carb and low sodium diet and don't rely on people who claim they are specialists.0
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WinoGelato wrote: »What’s a diet specialist? A lot of nutrition certifications can be obtained in Very short amounts of time. The best resource is usually a Registered Dietitan.
What specifically are you concerned about? What are your goals?
Are you trying to lose weight or manage a particular health condition?
If you're going to see someone, it should be an RD. In the U.S., "nutritionist" isn't a protected term and anyone can apply it to themselves. There are websites where you can pay $50 and they'll send you a fancy piece of paper saying you're a "certified nutritionist."
You don't even need the paper. Nutritionist is a job title like cashier; they can be trained on the job in a day to look up cookie cutter diets. There are people who are knowledgeable about diet and make good recommendations who are not RDs and there are bad RDs. But your odds of getting good advice are tremendously higher with an RD.0 -
I don't know if your trainer is offering advice for free - but you can certainly get advice and opinions on here for nothing
How clueless (or otherwise) are you about health and nutrition? If you need specific pointers your doctor or health service may be the first logical step.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »ripitandloveit wrote: »Im going back to the gym in january more or less, and i will be using a personal trainer.. He claims to be schooled in dieting.. Should i listen to him or het a diet specialist?
(What would you guys do?)
i woudl just use MFP, stick to my calorie deficit and aim to get adequate protein and a good amount of fruit and veg per day.
i'd also see what the trainer said, and post it here so we could all have a good laugh.... :laugh:
Yep, from what I've seen clients of other trainers post, more likely than not it would be good for a laugh.
OP - I'd want to know what exactly "schooled in dieting" meant, and how it compares to registered dietitian training.0 -
I would personally have no interest in having a trainer advise me on an eating plan...simply because I find they tend to want you to be ultra strict and sorry I want to eat what I want to eat but learn moderation and control!0
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WinoGelato wrote: »What’s a diet specialist? A lot of nutrition certifications can be obtained in Very short amounts of time. The best resource is usually a Registered Dietitan.
^^^This... if you are set on seeing someone be sure they are a registered dietitian.
Came here to say this as well.2 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »What’s a diet specialist? A lot of nutrition certifications can be obtained in Very short amounts of time. The best resource is usually a Registered Dietitan.
^^^This... if you are set on seeing someone be sure they are a registered dietitian.
Came here to say this as well.
I agree I would rather get nutrition advice form a RD than a personal trainer!0 -
SabAteNine wrote: »ripitandloveit wrote: »Im going back to the gym in january more or less, and i will be using a personal trainer.. He claims to be schooled in dieting.. Should i listen to him or het a diet specialist?
I'm not clear on what your goals are - do you want to lose weight? Build muscle?
Whatever you aim for, as other posters said above, there are cheaper and more sustainable ways of (self)managing your diet.(What would you guys do?)- Find out my TDEE - total daily energy expenditure
- Based on my goals, establish the amount of calories I need to eat per day (TDEE = maintenance, under TDEE / reasonable deficit = weight loss, over = weight gain).
- Establish the minimum amount of protein (say 0.8g/lb would be OK if I plan to train) and dietary fat (say 0.35g/lb) I need
I'd suggest basing protein and fats goals on a healthy goal weight, if starting when materially over- or underweight. (Or base it on lean body mass, with a different multiplier.) Protein, especially, is about supporting lean body tissue. Protein goals based on current weight can be overkill for obese people, making a lowered but still reasonable calorie goal very difficult to achieve happily. For the underweight, a protein goal based on current weight might not support the healthiest possible gain quite as well.[*] Fill the rest of the remaining calorie allotment with carbs, or a combination of all three macros to my liking
[*] Make sure I get my micros in (vitamins, minerals), preferably from what I eat (vegetables, dairy, meat, etc) instead of multis
[*] Stick to that, meeting my requirements (while diligently weighing food and using MFP to log it).
[*] Remember alcohol has 7 cals per gram and it should go in the food diary too.
What I would not do is make a „diet” plan, cut off food groups or worry about how many meals, how late in the night, how to (not) combine foods, etc.
1 -
SabAteNine wrote: »ripitandloveit wrote: »Im going back to the gym in january more or less, and i will be using a personal trainer.. He claims to be schooled in dieting.. Should i listen to him or het a diet specialist?
I'm not clear on what your goals are - do you want to lose weight? Build muscle?
Whatever you aim for, as other posters said above, there are cheaper and more sustainable ways of (self)managing your diet.(What would you guys do?)- Find out my TDEE - total daily energy expenditure
- Based on my goals, establish the amount of calories I need to eat per day (TDEE = maintenance, under TDEE / reasonable deficit = weight loss, over = weight gain).
- Establish the minimum amount of protein (say 0.8g/lb would be OK if I plan to train) and dietary fat (say 0.35g/lb) I need
I'd suggest basing protein and fats goals on a healthy goal weight, if starting when materially over- or underweight. (Or base it on lean body mass, with a different multiplier.) Protein, especially, is about supporting lean body tissue. Protein goals based on current weight can be overkill for obese people, making a lowered but still reasonable calorie goal very difficult to achieve happily. For the underweight, a protein goal based on current weight might not support the healthiest possible gain quite as well.[*] Fill the rest of the remaining calorie allotment with carbs, or a combination of all three macros to my liking
[*] Make sure I get my micros in (vitamins, minerals), preferably from what I eat (vegetables, dairy, meat, etc) instead of multis
[*] Stick to that, meeting my requirements (while diligently weighing food and using MFP to log it).
[*] Remember alcohol has 7 cals per gram and it should go in the food diary too.
What I would not do is make a „diet” plan, cut off food groups or worry about how many meals, how late in the night, how to (not) combine foods, etc.
Very good point, Ann!1 -
I am a Registered Dietitian. Go see an RD. We have a wealth of knowledge to share with you and can tailor a plan to you specifically. Good luck in your journey!2
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If I had a specific need - eg was a newly diagnosed diabetic - I would see a dietician.
If I didn't, I would just aim to eat a reasonably balanced diet ( look up some reputable sources for recomendations if you don't know where to start) and eat that whilst sticking to appropriate calorie allowance.1 -
A lot of personal trainers have no idea about diet/nutrition it's all just bro science and telling you to eat chicken with broccoli and no carbs after 2pm.
SOME however, expensive ones who are specialists in bodybuilding for example, can also dispense nutritional guidelines/meal plans etc along with their workout plans - it will then become a coaching thing though and the good coaches cost a tonne of money.
A generic gym PT telling you to do kettlebell swings and not eat carbs after 2pm - no.4 -
oh yeah, but no harm in asking about it - asking the PT I mean. Suss them out - see how much they will charge, ask them what kind of nutrition planning they do etc.
I say this because that's how I actually started on my weight loss/fitness thing. I got sick of being fat and being at the gym and nothing happening (getting fitter yes, but losing weight, no). I'd tried MFP before and lost weight at the 1200 it set me on, but then i gained it back plus more after I couldn't sustain it because starving.
So I approached the one trainer who I saw looked like she knew what she was doing - like totally knew what she was doing - she covered a group circuit class I happened to be in and she actually came around and corrected form and didn't just make us jump stations every 2 minutes. Anyway, she cost twice as much as all the trainers who were employed by my gym (she worked out of my gym but not employed by them) and I had to pay separately for nutrition and workout plans. At first I just followed her plan (which was not same meals every day but gave you options of what you could eat for each meal) but she would explain things and started to then explain to me the macros stuff and so on and eventually as I learnt with her, introduced me to the IIFYM kind of thing.
I learnt all my basics from her and have a solid foundation now to do my own thing. So it's worth it if you can pay for it. And if you need that extra accountability and help from someone.2
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