All,

I'm about 2.5 months post op, and have started working out with a personal trainer at the gym. Needless to say, it's not going well...and so I'm very interested in some feedback from those of you who have been excercising for a while....please.

When the trainers at the gym see a "big" person, they think "burn calories".

In fact, I do not wish to burn calories, but rather, (based on my research), my goal is to build lean muscle mass.

That said, I want to do High Intensity, High Weight training. That means, I want to work with 2 sets, 8-10 reps, of high weight to the point of muscle failure. This way, when I break down my muscle, my body will work to "build" it bigger and stronger in preperation for the next time I call on that muscle to "work" for me. The result is burning more fat (not calories) and building muscle mass, which in turn will help "fill me out" from the inside out, reducing loose skin. Once I can do 10 reps, rather than adding more reps of the same weight, I will add more weight.

Does this make sense to anyone?

The trainer says it's not the right approach, and he wants me to do 4 sets of 15 reps, which according to my reseach, will burn calories! I am barely getting in 600 cals a day....70g of protien, 10-20g of fat and 20-30g of carbs.

Also, the trainer keeps reminding me that I am going to get sick if I continue to work out on only 600 cals a day....:cursing:. Of course, the trainer has no background in WLS nor has he ever read anything about it...

Help! Any and all feedback would be appriciated.

Just so you know, per your OP, you can't selectively burn fat and not burn calories.

Hi Emilygrace, yes, your correct, you cannot burn fat and not burn calories, but my goal is to burn fat, and minimize the calorie burn, not to focus on calorie burn, as many non altered overweight people normally do...

I would find a new trainer before you get hurt...

Just make sure that they have some experience with WLS.

Personally, I would have fired him before we even started...

Good luck!

While the trainer may not be giving you the right approach about diet he/she is giving you very good advice on the workout. Doing high weight to the point of muscle failure will stress your tendons and other structures to the point where they can be very seriously damaged if you have not first built up their strength as well. After all your body is made of more than just muscle and fat and those other tissues need to be prepared for that sort of treatment. You should start with low weight-high rep and then decrease the reps slowly over several months from 15-10 when you hit your first training plateau and then from 10-5 over a few months more when you hit your next one.

Thanks JDR, do you have a background in physical fitness then?