Can't believe what this Trainer told me....

Something has been bothering me alittle lately.   Last week when I went to the gym, I got into this conversation with the owner, and it had me alittle disturbed.  I told him that I eat between 1500 and 1800 cals a day... more or less.... and he told me that that is WAY TOO MUCH!!! I was like...huh?  He told me that I should be eating like 1000 to 1200 calories a day and no more.  I told him that I am extremely active, I run around at work for 8 to 10 hours and don't stop, sweating the whole time, I'm going to the gym 4 to 5 days a week now, plus, I watch my daughter and run around with her all day.... So, I'm not sedentary ya know... and that this website estimates that I burn around 2800 cals a day... not including my 300 cals of exercise...   He said that because I had a child, and that i am overweight my metabolism is all out of whack.  And that I need to get it in gear by eating 1000 to 1200 cals a day.  When he started saying this, all I could keep thinking was that, he's supposed to be a trainer or whatever... why is he telling me this.  I also told him that I am counting my calories, eating healthy... ( I usually get a nutritional analysis of an A- or A... sometimes A+.... I'm eating fruits and veggies, I'm eating whole grains, fiber, protein, I'm doing really well I think... I'm not eating crap ya know... He said that I should put myself on a formal diet... probably a low carb diet, and said that the foods I am eating probably have a high GI.  He told me that I should think about joining weight watchers or Jenny or LAWL.... I told him that I had the program for la weightloss but he thought that I should actually join, and go to the meetings and all that... he thinks i'm not accountable to anyone and I will fail... I dont' know I couldn't help thinking the entire time he was talking to me, that he is full of it, and really shouldn't be telling me any of this.... It just didn't sound right at all... I don't know... It's been bothering me alot... having me second guessing myself and all that... Just wanted to vent... sorry.

Gypsy

Well honey, my only thought is, he is a personal trainer, not a doctor, not a nutritionist. All he cares about is selling. He probably gets some kind of commission if he gets you to join one of those programs. Actually I think you are doing extremely well. Maybe just make sure you are drinking enough water, and change up your exercise routine to jump start your metabolism.

And his credentials are.... what, exactly? That's the first thing I'd ask him. Does he have a college degree, and if so, in what? What background does he have in nutrition? What research (peer-reviewed, published) can he point you to that supports his position?

It amazes me how many people believe any ol' stupid thing out there without checking into it. They hear something somewhere, and never think to check the information out, and some of them are in a position to pass the info along without even a thought as to whether it's accurate.

that's bull. my trainer told me something completely different. she said you need the calories and you need to eat every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism high.

I'm a trainer, who also did 4 years of undergrad in exercise science and minored in nutrition.  He is probably trying to get you to lose weight fast (too fast) so that he can then boast about how he 'helped you'.  Either that or he is uninformed.  Tell him you aren't interested in losing the weight quickly; you want it to stay off. 

Trainers often tell their clients to go on a very low cal diet so that they will look good when the pounds melt off.  They are more interested in getting lots of clients than in getting the ones they do have healthy.  I am sorry you had this experience.  Even if you should be eating less calories, you never do it all at once.  You ease into it, cutting back a little at a time, unless you are being monitored by a doctor, and by the time it's that bad you are usually hospitalized anyways. 

what a dimwhit

Hey Gypsy!  That would have disturbed me too!!  In fact, I'm not you, and it still does!!

I had a trainer for 3mos. I got cut when I used him.  But he would have KILLED me if I were only eating 1000 cal a day!!  I echo the other sentiments, just because he may know how to weight train with someone does not make him qualified to give solid nutrition/diet advise.  In fact, eating cal that low is a sure way to get you so starving that all you think about is food, until eventually, you end up bingeing for lack of enough calories in the first place.  All of your intuition sounds right to me.  In one ear and out the other is how you should try & handle this.  You will show him in the end!!!  :-) 

Susan

Hey, I just checked your profile.  It looks like you have lost 30 pounds since August.  That's awesome!  Why are you listening to this guy, then?

Why would you start a program?
Why would you want to starve yourself when you are eating and losing?

It's one thing if you are stuck, but it's working. Honestly, I don't think this guy paid any attention to you.  He just fed you a spiel. 

Silly trainer, being hungry is for chumps...

:)

I now realize unless they have a degree or formal nutrional training they are reading the same crap as the rest of the world(celebrity mags) for their info.  I am so glad you posted that as it reinforces we are doing this the right and healthy way that will provide a lifetime of benefits.

That guy can sit on it.  He doesn't know what he's talking about.

No wonder people quit this so soon.  You get jackasses like him telling them they have to starve themselves AND work out constantly.  Metabolism is out of whack?  Hellooo!!  The exercise ALONE should kickstart your metabolism, let alone your new eating program.

Frig him in his friggin ass.  Too bad he's the owner and not someone you could file a complaint about.  Douche!!!!

How sad. I thought trainers were sapposed to be accountable. Thats disppointing. very disapointing. Well, when you lose all your weight your way, make sure to tell him you did it your way.

Sounds like a chauvinist! Those trainers think they know everything and a lot of times the're just posers (i.e., don't even have credentials). Plus, every trainer will tell you something different. He was probably just trying to "impress" you with his "knowledge." You don't need him; you obviously know what you're doing! Maybe he was TRYING to discourage you so you'd sign up with him (as your trainer)!!! I wouldn't put it past him. 

Wow. Sounds like you should switch trainers, possibly gyms. The guy obviously has no clue what he's talking about. Why would you want to go on a formal diet? They only drive you nuts. Sounds like YOU know more about what to do than he does :p

BTW, what about being accountable to yourself? That's the most important accountability, really.

Yeah, this guy is an idiot :p

Wow. My trainer said I should stay in the 1200-1800 range. She also told me to have the occasional piece of birthday cake and not worry about it. 

Of course, her goal for her clients was lifestyle change and fitness improvement, not necessarily weight loss. I didn't lose a single pound on the scale with her, but I did firm up, drop 2 sizes and feel 100x better.

i completely disagree with him. thinking he shouldn't have been telling you that was your gut feeling & i would go with that! my sister used to be a personal trainer & all she had to do was fly to dallas & take a some classes & a test. She was a good trainer, but i am just saying.... many of them are excellent & many of them just say what they think. or they read something & go with that as their complete beliefs. but there are MANY different "beliefs" of how many cals are too much! i think that if you ate less cals than you are now, that it would be a BAD thing! you know? what do i know, i am fat also! but i just seriously think he has no clue what he is talking about!!

& for him to say you need to join something specific? you are probably getting lots of accountability on here.

My trainer tells me the exact opposite.  I'm in the gym 7 days a week (just take it easier on 2 days with no lifting).  With all of my activity, he has always told me to eat 5-6 small, healthy meals a day.  He also told me that I can pretty much eat what I want, just keep an eye on it, and know that if I make a high-caloric choice, that I get to bust butt in the gym to get it off.  He's always very supportive, and I usually see a loss of about 2 pounds a week... and I'm not hungry.

In my opinion, if it works for you, and you're happy, then keep doing it.

"If you work out, and eat right, then it HAS to come off."

Good luck!

I have Crohn's disease. I saw two different doctors to determine a healthy target weight, and the right amount of calories a day. I really don't have the luxury of listening to fools like that trainer.

Don't guess. See your family doctor. Your health insurance might have a healthy eating program.

My gym has a sign posted in eye catching locations on every floor. All it says is this;

"You have to eat if you want to exercise"

Hang in there and keep listening to that voice inside that tells you when something you hear just doesn't make sense.

Mark

Ya! You need to eat if you want to exercise! Look at that guy who passed out on "Extreme Make Overs" Some times they go too far! This makes me angry too! Keep doing what you are doing! It works and your not passing out yet! LOL