Question re personal trainers

Okay, a while back I asked for advice about switching trainers. The one I was working with had me jump on upside down bosu and I ended up spraining my ankle. There were other issues in that she was frequently late and unprepared. I ended up switching to a guy who I'd observed train and who seemed really good. He is $20 more a session, but I decided to try it. I've been working with him for about 7 weeks and I find our workouts to be much more intense and productive. But, here's my issue with him: He has me write down everything I eat and drink. I've been doing this, but he is really on my case about my food choices. I try to be good during the week and I am trying to cut out white bread, pasta (except for whole wheat, etc), but am starting to get annoyed because he is SO hardcore. He has me drinking protein smoothies and basically would eliminate any type of sweets or candy. On Halloween I had one tiny box of Nerds and he circled it in my food journal with his red pen. I've had a lot of special occasions the last few weeks, birthdays, etc. and on Monday he asked me in an exasperated tone if my "special occasions" were almost over. Today I had a tuna melt, on sourdough (forgot to ask for wheat), sure I'm sure there will be h*ll to pay when I see him tonight. I guess my question is does this seem extreme or is this what is required to get in shape? By way of background, I am almost 33 years old, about 5'4 and weight 131 lbs. I really want to lose 10 lbs. In the last 16 months, my lowest weight was about 127 and max was 136. Tell me what you think. Thanks. Sorry this is so long.

You could always lie to him in your food journal!!!

Seriously, you should address this with him. He probably thinks he's doing what you've hired him to do. Open and honest communication is key to developing a successful relationship with a trainer or coach. You need to be able to tell him that although weight loss is one of your goals, you feel he's being too stringent with you and the way he approaches nutrition makes you feel guilty and uncomfortable.

Just curious, but have you lost weight in the seven weeks you've been working with him?

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Originally Posted by velogirl

You could always lie to him in your food journal!!!

Seriously, you should address this with him. He probably thinks he's doing what you've hired him to do. Open and honest communication is key to developing a successful relationship with a trainer or coach. You need to be able to tell him that although weight loss is one of your goals, you feel he's being too stringent with you and the way he approaches nutrition makes you feel guilty and uncomfortable.

Just curious, but have you lost weight in the seven weeks you've been working with him?

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Thanks. I'm just avoiding the uncomfortable conversation. :rolleyes: He has already told me that he lost a client because he was too strict and she told the club management that he was "scolding" her. I've lost 3.3 lbs. I'm also curious about these protein smoothies as my brother in law's girlfriend is a trainer in Northern Calif. and thinks it's too much protein.

If you can't have an uncomfortable conversation with him, he's probably not the right trainer for you.

Not all trainers are qualified to give nutrition advice to their clients. Is he also an RD? Does he have a nutrition background? Deos he work primarily with weight lifters and body builders (notorious protein imbibers)? Does he work with other endurance athletes like you?

Without knowing you, I'm hesitant to give specific advice. However, not knowing your body composition, your height and weight seem to be in a very healthy range.

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Originally Posted by velogirl

If you can't have an uncomfortable conversation with him, he's probably not the right trainer for you.

Not all trainers are qualified to give nutrition advice to their clients. Is he also an RD? Does he have a nutrition background? Deos he work primarily with weight lifters and body builders (notorious protein imbibers)? Does he work with other endurance athletes like you?

Without knowing you, I'm hesitant to give specific advice. However, not knowing your body composition, your height and weight seem to be in a very healthy range.

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I've seen him work out with a wide range of people, including women my age and older men. This gym doesn't have very many hardcore body builders. I don't think he has a nutrition background (I will check that out) other than reading books, etc.

I agree with Velogirl, that you are in a healthy range, and that talking to your trainer is the right approach.

Rather than confront him, try the compliment-first approach:

Maybe go through a little checklist of the things you really like about the training you're doing with him, and then work your way to the dislikes.

Make sure you talk about all of your goals, and emphasize that weight loss is only one of acheiving them.

It's important to look at goals and objectives the right way; goals are the way you want yourself to be, objectives are the methods of getting there, and the tasks are the things you do to accomplish the objectives.

My goals are to feel great, be fit, strong, fast and healthy, and to look great.

My objectives are to lose 10 pounds, drop 10 minutes off a regular road ride, increase my bench press weight by 10% and be able to do a plank for 90 seconds.

My tasks to get there are yoga every morning, walking to work 90% of the time, weight training 3 times per week, 2 rides per week, and eating healthy 80% of the time, and eating what I like (in small enough portions) 20% of the time.

Okay, well, if I did stick to my plan it would look something like this, and I'm really looking forward to getting over a health issue so I can.

My point is that weight and food intake are only part of the equation, and that the numbers are not really as important as how you feel!

You *can* have this conversation with your trainer and you'll be surprised how fruitfull it is!

Be happy in yourself and the world will be as amazed at your self-confidence as you are!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

Great advice from both of you! Many thanks.

Hi Derf

I am a personal trainer, and i do ask clients to keep a food diary. I am only as strict as the client wants me to be with them. Some ask me to really push and others just want gentle motivation.

That being said...you mentioned you wanted to lose 10 pounds. These are the HARDEST 10 to lose. You are already in your healthy BMI range (22.5) and to lose another 10 you would still be there (20.8) BUT these are the ones that take commitment and work. So that means cutting out sugar all together and being quite strict with eating. Not necessarily cutting calories but making sure that nothing "empty" comes in. ie only nutritious foods.

I was 129 pounds for 2 years. healthy BMI (23.6). I needed to lose some weight for mtb racing. I cut out all processed wheat including pasta. If its baked i make it myself (except bread). breads are actually organic spelt. Rice is brown (basmati or regular) and barley and millet. i eat lots of fruit and veggies, i eat breakfast every day and only whole foods...i am currently maintaining 117 pounds. like i said. it took commitment and work.

perhaps its a little frustrating to have a candy circled in red, but remember this is to gently remind you that if you REALLY want to lose those 10 pounds it means NO candy, and sticking to the food plan.

So although i agree on how strict he is being with you, i am much more of a "whole foods" type person. i don't believe in protein supplementation, you get PLENTY of protein from regular food. (plus if you look at the WHO behind the supplement companies you will notice they are usually marketing companies not any kind of HEALTH company, not to mention lots of the whey products are ehmmm waste products of milk processing, they just found something to do with it...)...

anyway this is just my stand on things, and i am sure if you told your PT "well this chick on TE said this and that, he would say he disagreed with me...fitness and nutrition is unfortunately a very gray area and you really have to interpret lots of info.

What is your educational background of your PT?

sorry its a little long...

Smile

Hannah

PS regarding nutrition and PT - my scope of practice is to make recommendations based on the food guide, which i do. if there is something specific that needs attention (for example one of my clients in her 50's can't have dairy, and doesn't do sardines so she needs a source of calcium. i sent her to a dietician for a recommendation on a good supplement and alternatives).

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Originally Posted by han-grrl

Hi Derf

I am a personal trainer, and i do ask clients to keep a food diary. I am only as strict as the client wants me to be with them. Some ask me to really push and others just want gentle motivation.

That being said...you mentioned you wanted to lose 10 pounds. These are the HARDEST 10 to lose. You are already in your healthy BMI range (22.5) and to lose another 10 you would still be there (20.8) BUT these are the ones that take commitment and work. So that means cutting out sugar all together and being quite strict with eating. Not necessarily cutting calories but making sure that nothing "empty" comes in. ie only nutritious foods.

I was 129 pounds for 2 years. healthy BMI (23.6). I needed to lose some weight for mtb racing. I cut out all processed wheat including pasta. If its baked i make it myself (except bread). breads are actually organic spelt. Rice is brown (basmati or regular) and barley and millet. i eat lots of fruit and veggies, i eat breakfast every day and only whole foods...i am currently maintaining 117 pounds. like i said. it took commitment and work.

perhaps its a little frustrating to have a candy circled in red, but remember this is to gently remind you that if you REALLY want to lose those 10 pounds it means NO candy, and sticking to the food plan.

So although i agree on how strict he is being with you, i am much more of a "whole foods" type person. i don't believe in protein supplementation, you get PLENTY of protein from regular food. (plus if you look at the WHO behind the supplement companies you will notice they are usually marketing companies not any kind of HEALTH company, not to mention lots of the whey products are ehmmm waste products of milk processing, they just found something to do with it...)...

anyway this is just my stand on things, and i am sure if you told your PT "well this chick on TE said this and that, he would say he disagreed with me...fitness and nutrition is unfortunately a very gray area and you really have to interpret lots of info.

What is your educational background of your PT?

sorry its a little long...

Smile

Hannah

PS regarding nutrition and PT - my scope of practice is to make recommendations based on the food guide, which i do. if there is something specific that needs attention (for example one of my clients in her 50's can't have dairy, and doesn't do sardines so she needs a source of calcium. i sent her to a dietician for a recommendation on a good supplement and alternatives).

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He's getting a degree in geography and has some AA degree in something (but I don't think it's health/fitness related). Regarding these smoothies, he had me buy something called Super Food and I use that plus something else called Greens Plus.

So i hate to sound ehmmm, well like this...but what fitness related education DOES he have?

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Originally Posted by Derf

He's getting a degree in geography and has some AA degree in something (but I don't think it's health/fitness related). Regarding these smoothies, he had me buy something called Super Food and I use that plus something else called Greens Plus.

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Originally Posted by han-grrl

So i hate to sound ehmmm, well like this...but what fitness related education DOES he have?

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The various trainers at this particular club all have different certifications. Whether they are the A level (higher price) or B level depends on these certs. He is A level, but I cannot for the life of me remember his certifications. I will look tonight when I'm at gym and jot them down (they have an area where everyone's pics and certs are posted).

about the supplements, and why he chose those...

many gyms get kickbacks for selling certain product lines...

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Originally Posted by han-grrl

about the supplements, and why he chose those...

many gyms get kickbacks for selling certain product lines...

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Oh, I didn't buy through him. I got at Whole Foods. When he first recommended, he said the Greens Plus was cause he doesn't think I eat enough vegetables and he said the Super Food was because I needed extra protein for strength training. I also add a little flax seed oil to the smoothies.
Thanks for all the great advice btw!

You've perhaps seen my post about my personal trainer, and I LOVE working with him. He's the perfect person to train me, and I really look forward to meeting with him. So I'm sorry that you don't have the same relationship with your trainer.

If you dread meeting with him, then that almost defeats the purpose ... but keep in mind that he's trying to help you the best he knows how.

Although my trainer does not require me to keep a food diary, I do. But I only report to him my calorie intake for the day, exercise, net calories, and percentage fat, carbs and protein along with the averages for the week.

He doesn't ask me to do this; I just do it because I know it's what I need to lose weight and stay accountable. (He said he wishes all his clients would do that.) This week he gently told me I can't have a 900 net calorie day and expect to perform well. And in the past, I'd go for a 2-hour bike ride and then eat 3,000 calories so I wouldn't lost weight.

He recommends I keep percentages of 60% carbs, 20% fat, 20% protein when the season starts. For now he says I can keep the carbs a bit lower -- 50 to 55% -- to spur the weight loss.

Unless you were consistently low on protein, I don't see the need for the protein shakes. IMHO, they are just an expensive waste of money when you could get the same thing by eating real food like turkey, tuna, salmon, chicken, etc.

Derf -

The supplement industry is not regulated, meaning they can pretty much put whatever they like on the label.

If you aren't eating enough veggies, the solution should be, eat more veggies, not replace them with powder.

extra protein is not necessary for muscle building. in fact for every extra pound of muscle, you really only need like a table spoon extra of protein. yep.

Anyway, i hope you are able to discuss matters with your trainer without him getting offended in any way.

Cheers

hannah

I've been reading articles that say people who have a higher protein diet drop more weight, all things being equal. I'm assuming they adjust for the water weight drop when carbs are cut back.

I do use a protein powder in the morning, but only because I cannot gag down a chicken breast on my way to work. :p Other than that, I do believe that whole foods are much better than supps for nutrition.

It does kind of sound like he might be stepping a little bit beyond his expertise with the food thing. (I agree that if you aren't eating enough veges the first thing to try is eating more fresh veges, not powder.)

As far as pushing you is concerned: talk to him about the amount of "pushing" you work best with.

Some of my patients want me to push them very hard, and feel like they got cheated if I don't. Some of my patients are so fragile that they can barely tolerate any pushing, and all I do is cheerleading with them. I've made people cry. Sometimes I need feedback from my patients to know how much cheerleading/pushing they need.

And it's not always obvious who needs what. Big strong policeman with a knee replacement? Well, he needed me to be very gentle. Tiny older lady with lots of injuries from a bad car accident? Hey, she wanted me to WORK her HARD! Your trainer might just need some feedback from you about what works best for you.

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I ended up switching to a guy who I'd observed train and who seemed really good. He is $20 more a session, but I decided to try it. I've been working with him for about 7 weeks and I find our workouts to be much more intense and productive. But, here's my issue with him: He has me write down everything I eat and drink. I've been doing this, but he is really on my case about my food choices. I try to be good during the week and I am trying to cut out white bread, pasta (except for whole wheat, etc), but am starting to get annoyed because he is SO hardcore. He has me drinking protein smoothies and basically would eliminate any type of sweets or candy. On Halloween I had one tiny box of Nerds and he circled it in my food journal with his red pen. I've had a lot of special occasions the last few weeks, birthdays, etc. and on Monday he asked me in an exasperated tone if my "special occasions" were almost over. Today I had a tuna melt, on sourdough (forgot to ask for wheat), sure I'm sure there will be h*ll to pay when I see him tonight. I guess my question is does this seem extreme or is this what is required to get in shape?

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Well, if you really want to achieve your goals... he is giving you a plan that will get you there.

Weight loss requires will power, dedication, and sometimes an annoying angel in your ear telling you what NOT to eat.

I'm am not trying to sound harsh... so forgive me if I am.

I just know for me... and you are my size... for someone as small as us already... it takes SERIOUS DEDICATION and WORK to lose weight. We can't just fluff through it and eat bad food and not exercise and still lose weight. If someone has 50-70 pounds to lose (or more!), they can eat a little less and lose weight. That won't work for us.

Now, you might also want to tell the trainer what works for you... meaning... him picking over every little thing you eat... is driving you NUTS!

But you also need to be prepared for him to possibly drop you as a client. Some trainers just won't tolerate working with clients who aren't willing to do the work they want them to.

I am sure you two can find a balance between the two though.

Keep in mind, he's just doing what he knows to do... to help you achieve your goals.

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Originally Posted by KSH

Well, if you really want to achieve your goals... he is giving you a plan that will get you there.

Weight loss requires will power, dedication, and sometimes an annoying angel in your ear telling you what NOT to eat.

I'm am not trying to sound harsh... so forgive me if I am.

I just know for me... and you are my size... for someone as small as us already... it takes SERIOUS DEDICATION and WORK to lose weight. We can't just fluff through it and eat bad food and not exercise and still lose weight. If someone has 50-70 pounds to lose (or more!), they can eat a little less and lose weight. That won't work for us.

Now, you might also want to tell the trainer what works for you... meaning... him picking over every little thing you eat... is driving you NUTS!

But you also need to be prepared for him to possibly drop you as a client. Some trainers just won't tolerate working with clients who aren't willing to do the work they want them to.

I am sure you two can find a balance between the two though.

Keep in mind, he's just doing what he knows to do... to help you achieve your goals.

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Good advice. Thanks. I think I didn't realize/appreciate how hard it would be to lose 10 lbs. Also, I checked his certifications and one is ACE, one is from some 24-Hour fitness program and I cannot recall the name of the other one and it's in my gym bag which I left in my car! Will edit when I get the info. Thanks again everyone.

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Originally Posted by Derf

Good advice. Thanks. I think I didn't realize/appreciate how hard it would be to lose 10 lbs. Also, I checked his certifications and one is ACE, one is from some 24-Hour fitness program and I cannot recall the name of the other one and it's in my gym bag which I left in my car! Will edit when I get the info. Thanks again everyone.

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Well, with that said.... I have found that I can lose weight... by monitoring my calories and NOT taking in extra protein.

I had someone who recommended protein shakes, and I use to drink them. I have since realized that I can lose weight and be healthy, and consume food that I enjoy, vs. stuff that tastes like *yuck*.

Maybe you need to find food options that fit into your daily life easier? I know every meal plan they have made for me at 24-Hour has been unrealistic... and I just looked at the calorie count and made my own meal plans that fit their calorie count.

Also, keep in mind that the 24-Hour Fitness trainers... are told to PUSH supplements, etc. That is where money is made for them (24 Hour). Not that the supplements are bad, but you can lose weight without them.

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Originally Posted by KSH

Well, with that said.... I have found that I can lose weight... by monitoring my calories and NOT taking in extra protein.

I had someone who recommended protein shakes, and I use to drink them. I have since realized that I can lose weight and be healthy, and consume food that I enjoy, vs. stuff that tastes like *yuck*.

Maybe you need to find food options that fit into your daily life easier? I know every meal plan they have made for me at 24-Hour has been unrealistic... and I just looked at the calorie count and made my own meal plans that fit their calorie count.

Also, keep in mind that the 24-Hour Fitness trainers... are told to PUSH supplements, etc. That is where money is made for them (24 Hour). Not that the supplements are bad, but you can lose weight without them.

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I should have mentioned that he's not longer at 24-Hour Fitness. The club I go to is called Spectrum. I think they are in SoCal and in Texas (San Antonio area). The funny thing is, I like the protein smoothies. He told me to add in blueberries, raspberries and 1/2 a banana. They actually taste good and are fairly filling, but I've started cutting back on how much protein powder I use. You are totally right about finding stuff that fits into my life. I work a lot, so it's hard to make good meals during the week if I haven't gone to the grocery and planned accordingly. I've noticed that a lot of my bad eating occurs when I'm starving and haven't planned out a healthy, practical meal.

I only weigh myself on Fridays, so I will see where I'm at tomorrow. I am wearing a pair of pants today that feel much looser than they ever have before, so I guess that's a good thing. Trainer also said that he can tell a difference in my legs and that they look thinner to him.

I always say when it comes to fitness and weight management, failing to plan is planning to fail. If you are committed to the weight loss goals you really need to pan out your food day. that means bagging lunches, containers of appropriate snacks etc.

Keep up the good work Derf!:D