now so so confused--help help

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  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
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    http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/dangerous-personal-trainers?page=1

    I thought of this thread while reading this article. . .it would be a worthwhile read for anyone hiring a trainer.:flowerforyou:
  • kimber607
    kimber607 Posts: 7,128 Member
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    Hi

    I just want to say that every Dr, trainer etc is going to have their own opinion\
    I don't think anyone can determine what statement is right or wrong
    I read a TON of health books (for fun) and of course the authors contradict each other...No to dairy, NO to soy, YES to soy...you get my point..it's enough to make your head spin

    I tried to loose 30 pounds for almost 3 years
    What finally worked FOR ME was counting cals and considering nothing forbidden
    I also don't dwell on how many fat grams or carb grams I consume
    Before long I started choosing more healthy/filling foods, lower cals so I could eat more and stay satisfied...but I went with that I liked
    I do my best to eat a healthy diet and some days I splurge on more dark chocolate and 100 cal snacks than I probably should but I still try to stay within my cal range/goal and haven't had a problem

    I did gain back about 3-4 pounds fo what I lost when I went hog wild over the Holidays.
    I've now been back on track for 2 weeks and am back down 2 pounds...

    Kim
  • jvandertuin
    jvandertuin Posts: 40
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    Well, I'm the Canadian equivalent to the athletic trainer (Athletic Therapist in Canada) and also a PhD student in Health Sciences. I'm VERY confused with lots of this stuff and some of it may be misleading to many. So, I spoke with a PhD in nutrition yesterday and asked her about lots of this stuff and her primary comment: Calories in=calories out Law of Thermodynamics. Her comment was also that many people over estimate their caloric expenditure during exercise and (which I didn't know) max heart rate is individual. The "talk test" is actually a great indicator over heart rate of how hard you should be working. For example: she is 52 and her max heart rate is 180 (similar to mine at 38 years).

    I'm currently checking Pubmed for research articles related to some of these questions. I would suggest that many of you do the same and I completely agree about "buyer beware", make sure the person that you are hiring to "train" you has the appropriate credentials. There is LOTS of misinformation on the web, if looking for appropriate sources for information, generally websites with .gov or .edu are sources to trust. Fitness magazines, generally not the best source of correct information.

    Good luck everyone, this site is fantastic!
  • staceyw37
    staceyw37 Posts: 2,094 Member
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    Her comment was also that many people over estimate their caloric expenditure during exercise and (which I didn't know) max heart rate is individual. The "talk test" is actually a great indicator over heart rate of how hard you should be working.

    thanks for the addn'l info.
    re: caloric expenditure during exercise...
    if calorie in/calorie out is the basic premise, how can you accurately figure calorie out (from exercise) and therefore an appropriate calorie in? i've gone to several websites and almost all have the same calories burned info. people say that the hrm with your unique data (ht, wt, age, sex) is the best way to figure calories out thru exercise. but there is the factor of muscle mass too--more muscle mass burns more calories at a potentially lower heart rate, is how i understand it.
    anyway, my big Q is how to realistically estimate calorie output so that i eat enuf calories to make up for it, and so i get to eat more food altogether. i know it's all a guideline/estimate, but it would be nice to have an accurate estimate.
    thanks for your research--a phD, huh? that's a lot of school! :tongue:
  • staceyw37
    staceyw37 Posts: 2,094 Member
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    kimber and viviakay--you are so right. it is important to research credentials. it was just that he said so many things--some of which are "true" and some bizarre points that i had never heard before. talking about it here has really helped.

    now i better get to the laundry and dishes--and mrs potato head lost her rear end and needs fixin' quick!:laugh:
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
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    Her comment was also that many people over estimate their caloric expenditure during exercise and (which I didn't know) max heart rate is individual. The "talk test" is actually a great indicator over heart rate of how hard you should be working.

    thanks for the addn'l info.
    re: caloric expenditure during exercise...
    if calorie in/calorie out is the basic premise, how can you accurately figure calorie out (from exercise) and therefore an appropriate calorie in?

    ahhh for that you would need an HRM (heart rate monitor)
  • jvandertuin
    jvandertuin Posts: 40
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    The quick and dirty: It is based upon body weight. Someone weighing 300lbs will burn more calories walking .5mi then someone weighing 100lbs and walking .5mi. I'm taking an example from a book I have by McArdle, Katch and Katch Exercise Physiology 5th ed. If you weigh 104lbs and play ice hockey during a structured game, you will burn 6.6kcal per minute. If a person weighs 170lbs he/she will burn 10.8kcal per minute. And...these are estimates. Check out a reputable site that writes about energy expenditure in various activities and that may help you out.

    Good luck, if you want to send me your frequent activities, I'll be happy to look them up for you!
  • hmo4
    hmo4 Posts: 1,673 Member
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    ok, first, where did this trainer get their Certificate? Cuz I'm reporting him/her.


    now I'll answer these

    1 Load of crap

    2 OK, I'll go along with that, I guess. It's one of many possible options.

    3 WHAT? I have no response for this it is so idiotic!

    4 Fine if you don't have an HRM.

    5 I have no idea how this reasoning was brought about, without a reason, it's gibberish

    6 Another useless statement, see #5

    7 never heard of this. I have no opinion, but I seriously doubt it based on some of his other statements

    8 This one is mostly true actually.

    9 also true

    10 Absolutely false. The liver processes excess protein and turns it into sugar and other chemicals like amonia and urea. The sugar is then either used in the blood or stored as fat. jeez, really, he said that?

    Thank God you got in on this one. My advice was to get a new trainer, if that's what he really is. Man some people are dumb....I think it's his way of keeping his clients "larger", so he soaks more $$$ out of you all!:ohwell:
  • jvandertuin
    jvandertuin Posts: 40
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    anyway, my big Q is how to realistically estimate calorie output so that i eat enuf calories to make up for it, and so i get to eat more food altogether. i know it's all a guideline/estimate, but it would be nice to have an accurate estimate.
    thanks for your research--a phD, huh? that's a lot of school! :tongue:
    [/quote]

    Unfortunately, unless you are in a lab hooked up to some machines, there is no way to accurately indicate how many calories you are burning from exercise. There are ranges but the biggest "hurdle" is that caloric expenditure is really based upon your weight.

    For example, a person who weighs 80kgs (190lbs) will burn more calories walking 5.kms (2mi) in one hour, then another person of the same "shape" who weighs 50kgs (120lbs) and walks .5kms in one hour.

    I've pulled out a book by McArdle, Katch and Katch (5th ed. Exercise physiology) and in the appendices they have a general energy expenditure based upon weight.

    So, if you weigh 143lbs and box (sparring), you will burn 9.0 kcal per minute vs if you weighed 176lbs you would burn 11.0 kcal per minute. If you boxed for 30 and you weighed 143lbs you would expend 270kcal vs the 176lbs person would expend 330kcal. There are of course other variables such as your intensity level, the higher your heart rate, the more kcal you burn as well, but this is the best there is for now.

    If you want to send me your weight (lbs or kgs), the activity you do, I would be happy to send you your energy expenditure.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Every person burns calories differently. that's why HRM's are so good. They take into account your height, weight, age, and sex AND they (the good ones at least) take into account your VO2 max. With these numbers you can get an accurate (to within about 95% accuracy) assessment of how many calories you burn. There are more accurate ways, but they all involve being hooked up to machines in a clinic or lab.

    You can estimate based upon the percieved exertion scale and knowing what each level has for a calorie multiplier, but it's going to be a generic and rough estimate, can be off by hundreds. That's why the machines at gyms are so all over the place, they only take in weight and heart beats. Most don't take in size, or sex, and they don't perform a VO2max test at the start to see where your oxygen volumes are supposed to be at.

    Oxygen levels correspond directly to how your muscles burn energy because it takes a certain amount of oxygen to burn a certain amount of calories.
    here is the Wiki Definition of it, which is pretty accurate IMHO
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max

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