This trainer is wrong.... right?

[aandd]

I have been using the Tanita bodyfat measuring scale at the gym due to convenience (and the fact that I haven't gotten a set of clipers yet), and one of the trainers works the scale for the members.

I went this week, and the scale said 99.something fat free mass (which is up a few lbs from a month ago, so yay me! The trainer dude said that in order to cut, EVEN GIVEN THE FACT THAT I LIFT WEIGHTS.... my calorie intake should be 99. *10, so roughly 1000 calories a day!

I replied that I had always been told it was 10 to 12 times my BODYWEIGHT, not FFM, and he told me that I was incorrect. Then he also added that HE knew best, since after all he'd been a trainer for four whole years.

Is he right, or is allllll the other research I've read right? I'll have to cut roughly 300 calories a day out of my diet if he is right.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

I have read before that some people do cut on 10-12xFFM. The argument is food is fuel - and you do not want to fuel fat. But to me, that is too low. Esp if you are talking about around 1k calories a day. Maintaining a rigorous training schedule on that low of calories will certainly cause some muscle loss, IMHO.

How about you look at 12xFFM AND 10xBW .... are those numbers close?

 

[aandd]

I have read before that some people do cut on 10-12xFFM. The argument is food is fuel - and you do not want to fuel fat. But to me, that is too low. Esp if you are talking about around 1k calories a day. Maintaining a rigorous training schedule on that low of calories will certainly cause some muscle loss, IMHO.

How about you look at 12xFFM AND 10xBW .... are those numbers close?

10 - 12% FFM = 990 - 1188 cals.
10 - 12% BW = 1370 - 1644 cals.

I've been losing about a pound or two a week using 10% of BW.

The thing about using 10xFFM that doesn't make sense to me is that if you have an obese, sedentary person just starting to diet that weighs like 300 lbs but only 100 of that is FFM, that person will be on a 1K cal diet... which seems very very low to me.

 

[slat1]

I'm a guy... but... I am taking in 3,500 calories a day while I am cutting. I am losing body fat like a madman. I am currently 235.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

If what you are doing is working, don't change. Your gut instinct is right - 1k is too low for you. I think you hit the nail on the head - if you were out of shape, then it makes sense.

 

[Gymgurl]

I would say that is way to low...rule of thumb for average size women and just losing weight is NEVER to go under 1,000 a day

 

[Raina]

I personally couldn't do 1000 cals a day. I won't go lower than 13-1400. I feel like crap if I drop lower than that.

 

[nikkita]

Maybe he is not wrong... but he misses the point that every person is different due to genetics, gendre and we are not ruled totally by the numbers.

 

[Sassy69]

It is one way of looking at it, but I think its an extremely naive way to just flat out say that you can't lose on more than 1000 cals. I've cut 2x now down to 8% bf on no less than 1700 cals. My other view on that is if you restrict your cals so low, yes you will lose (because initially you are starving yourself), but eventually your body is going to catch on that its not getting any more than that either so its goign to slow metabolism down and then your fuel burning is no longer running efficiently. And IMO you will also rebound as soon as you increase your cals if you've managed to meet your goal before you start to really bog down (or just quit cuz you're miserable).

 

[sdupdike]

It is one way of looking at it, but I think its an extremely naive way to just flat out say that you can't lose on more than 1000 cals. I've cut 2x now down to 8% bf on no less than 1700 cals. My other view on that is if you restrict your cals so low, yes you will lose (because initially you are starving yourself), but eventually your body is going to catch on that its not getting any more than that either so its goign to slow metabolism down and then your fuel burning is no longer running efficiently. And IMO you will also rebound as soon as you increase your cals if you've managed to meet your goal before you start to really bog down (or just quit cuz you're miserable).

Sassy, how much cardio do you normally do to lean down? And how much lean mass do you have? I know it's a lot more than me, so you can justify more cals. Just wondering if you had to do buttloads of cardio.