Personal Trainer/Weight Loss

QuirkyIntellect

Hey Ladies! How many of you have used a personal trainer? Who did you train with (Eastside, preferably)? Did you have a lot of success? I have quite a bit of weight to lose, and I'm trying hard to get serious about this. Getting a personal trainer is my "reward" for losing about 20lbs since H and I moved here.

jennuinne

I've worked out with a couple personal trainers.  One I really cliked with and lost over 50 pounds, and then some more on my own.  It's definitely worth it, but you have to find someone good and that's a good fit for your personality and what motivates you (for me I need someone tough, not someone that's too encouraging, like if you don't do this, I'll make you pay, not como on, you can do it!)  So, be picky and switch until you find the right one.

jennlin

i had a creepster from 24 hour fitness in lynnwood. i got 5 free sessions for prepaying my membership for a few years, so i didn't really care, since it was only 5 times. i didn't like him though, and he always made me feel super awkward. turns out a few months later, he got fired for sexual harassment.

he didn't do anything for me, weight-loss wise, but then again, i only had 5 sessions....

uwhuskygirl

jennuinne:

I've worked out with a couple personal trainers.  One I really cliked with and lost over 50 pounds, and then some more on my own.  It's definitely worth it, but you have to find someone good and that's a good fit for your personality and what motivates you (for me I need someone tough, not someone that's too encouraging, like if you don't do this, I'll make you pay, not como on, you can do it!)  So, be picky and switch until you find the right one.

This. You really need to click with your trainer or else it doesn't work. 

I've tried it with 2 different people and I didn't really click with either, so I ended up doing it on my own. 

The thing that I really like about the ones that I used is that they hold me accountable (I hated calling to reschedule or cancel a session) and they'd always push me.

I don't know if I'd do it again, but it's definitely worth a try. 

emyinpink

I love love love my trainer. He's seriously part of the reason I was able to lose so much weight, and look good doing it, lol.

Weight training does wonders for preventing flabby skin .

PM me if you want his info. He trains at Pro Club in Redmond.  

jennuinne

LegalBritt:

I've had good and bad trainers. IMO exercise is not enough, you also have to stick to a strict diet to lose weight and youre trainer cant' be with you all of the time. So you need someone who will also keep you motivated in that respect. The worst one I had told me "I'm going to know you better than your husband. I'll even know when you're menstruating." Such a creeper. His email was nightbeast@something.com

I'm excited to work out with my new one starting this week b/c she has 4 kids and managed to lose like 50 pounds after her last kid so I know she'll have good advice about diet as well as the exercise.

Mine, that I liked, gave me a meal plan also and a food journal and checked it every week.  And if I cheated or didn't lose weight, my work out was extra-torturous.  Which was good motivation for me.  Plus, the not skipping workouts b/c he'd know if I wasn't there and I'd feel guilty  But, the one thing is that it was so 100% all the time eating right and working out ( I did get great results) but when he went to another gym and did something to piss me off I went off the wagon in a bad way.  It's dangerous to do anything too extreme because you won't maintain that long-term.

QuirkyIntellect

Thanks for the advice! I'm also working with a mental health professional to work through my binge-eating issues, and a nutritionist to "teach" me how to cook and eat healthy foods. I don't know the first thing about using a personal trainer, though I've been working out at the fitness center in my complex. I suppose any gym/fitness center would have personal trainers?

Emyinpink: I don't know how to PM on here... lame I know, but I'm still sorta new.

Just a little extra back-story so you guys will know what I'm dealing with - I am 4'11" and until my freshmen year of college, I maintained my weight around 115-120, which is normal/healthy for my height. I don't know what triggered it, because I went through a lot in college, and it may have just been a combination of everything I was dealing with, but I have roughly doubled my weight in the past 5 years. My family has a horrible health history, including diabetes, heart conditions, sleep apnea, etc etc. You get the point. I've been tested for everything to make sure there's not a medical reason I've gained the weight so quickly (15lbs in a year is A LOT for most people). Anyway, you all seem very open, honest, and encouraging, otherwise I wouldn't bother.  

emyinpink

Especially with that rapid of weight gain, I would get your thyroid levels tested. Also, note that the "acceptable levels" have changed a lot within the past few years. Even though my normal primary care doc considered my levels acceptable, when I got retested at my naturo/md clinic, they found that not only were my levels questionable, my antibodies were extremely high. I was diagnosed hypothyroid with hashimotos. I've now been on armour thyroid meds and it's made a big difference.

Any gym will have personal trainers, but some will definitely be better than others. The Pro Sports Club is pretty pricey, so I don't know for sure that I'd recommend it if you don't already have a membership, but Jerame's my trainer there and he's amazing. Another thing to look into is crossfit. I have a bunch of friends who LOVE it, and it's a very communal atmosphere, but still cheaper than a trainer at most gyms. 

I also highly recommend low carb eating, and making sure you get enough fat.