Can a personal trainer work miracles or is it a waste of money?

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Hello, I am wanting to get healthier when the kids go back to school. I am in the slightly unusual position of wanting to put weight ON. I am slim and would love some curves. Have been suggested a personal trainer and weight training would help but I don't know if it is worth the hassle. Need some diet advice too as have been trying to gain weight but all I have gained is a slight belly. Am usually a straight up and down small size 8 and would like to be a curvy 8-10.

I would love an hourglass figure but if that is not fundamentally my body type should I just accept this? Have had enough of eating when I am not hungry! Or can a PT help?

Yes a good personal trainer is worth her/his weight in gold if they can teach you how to lift weights with good technique.

Weight training is the way forward, I'm not talking tiny dumbells but heavy weights. You need to get someone to teach you the big lifts (bench/squat/deadlift) and also the accessory lifts for different body parts.

I've used personal trainers not for motivation but to get the technique right.

Honestly weightlifting is the way forward. You will look and feel fantastic. Contrary to popular belief, it will not make you look like a man but will give you a strong, healthy looking body with curves.

Just to add: make sure you get a really experienced personal trainer. They really vary. If they encourage loads of cardio over weights and aren't militant about the importance of technique (i.e. Squats) then they are a waste of time in my opinion.

Thank you, that sounds very promising. A strong healthy body with curves is exactly what I want. I currently have a weak, scrawny, untoned body with a mini muffin top .

Do they do diet advice too?

Yes a PT can do you a diet plan too if you need it.
I know someone who went to one trainer who was helpful but she didn't really like him, she changed to a different one and they clicked a lot better and her figure has really changed! She enjoys the workouts too. So don't be disheartened if your first try isn't what you wanted.
Also it goes without saying that to see a difference you need to turn up to the sessions and stick at it haha.

Also recommend PTs. They should have good diet advice.

But, be realistic about what you will be able to achieve. Fundamentally your body shape may not change much. When I want at my fittest and slimmest some parts of my body were different (I lost my big hips and saddle bags) but others were the same. I will always be curvy when I want to be willowy (although very hard to be willowy when you're only 5'2" )

*want = was

Thanks, yes I fear I am unrealistic. I have been super fit (cardio wise anyway) in the past but that gave me a very lean figure where a size 8 was too small. I want big boobs and some hips which is not what nature gave me .

A good pt can work miracles yes. Based on personal experience!

Tell me more puffpaw! If you are happy to of course.

Mine is ace. I went to see him when i was struggling with a bad back. I don't have any back pain now. We sometimes do a bit of boxing and kick boxing for some of the session which is great for my stress levels. We mostly do weights, squats etc and focus on technique. What I do in the gym now is totally different to what i used to do. We do talk about nutrition etc and my diet has changed too.

My DP tells me my posture has changed too. I havent lost much weight (I have food issues, working on that) but my legs are strong and my thighs awesome!

My diet is awful . Are they worth the extra money vs an exercise plan and induction you would get from a gym?

I'd also feel I couldn't be honest or do you get over that? As in, if you haven't done the exercise you were meant to at home or you have eaten two chocolate bars and drunk wine do you feel you could tell them? presume they ask for typical eating before they advise you? I often skip lunch and eat too many ready meals. Would feel I couldn't admit that!

Hell yes. No comparison.

Caveat: I am a personal trainer. So what follows may be biased!

A good personal trainer, one with plenty of experience, will be able to interpret your goals and create/adapt your training to help you meet them. They should be able to find a way of working out that suits you, and that you enjoy. Weights could be part of that for you, but you'd need an assessment first to be sure.

You should look for someone who is REPS registered and, ideally, has several years of experience. A BSc in Sports Science or similar is a good sign, too. And there's good old gut feeling - training sessions are much more fun if you like the trainer!

It's important to get technique locked down with weight training, as it can quickly become ineffective if it's not done properly and can risk injury.

You mention diet advice. A personal trainer will generally not be able to give nutritional or dietary advice, beyond the 'here are some general healthy eating guidelines that apply to the average adult population' stuff. For more tailored advice, you would need a dietician or a nutritionist.

(The title of dietician is protected by law, but nutritionist isn't. So, theoretically, anyone can sell their services as a nutritionist. Some nutritionists are good, and well-qualified, and some aren't. However, there is a regulatory body that will list reputable nutritionists; the Association for Nutrition.)

Well, I do tell him quite a bit but it is only recently I have been honest with him about my food issues. I overeat in secret, but as I said, I am working on that.

From experience, I find Personal Trainers to be very good and you can get great results, but only if done in conjunction with healthy eating.

No matter how much you train, if you're overweight and continue to eat the same calories, you won't see much progress.

Temporary, that sounds great!

Great information thanks Plausible. Perhaps that won't help re diet then. All the advice seems to be about losing weight. I can find hardly anything about gaining it. I have stuffed my face all summer (mainly with chocolate and carbs admittedly), done no exercise and have put on only an inch or so and that's on my tummy. Had hoped for more (hope nobody hates me for saying that!).

Not sure at all what I should be eating.

icyblue, that makes sense with the healthy eating. Wonder if I need to overhaul my diet first. I think I need to eat a lot more but a lot better too.

If it helps I'm losing weight currently by eating anything I want within my calories. I do concentrate on getting my protein up but that's about it. If I want chocolate I will have it but I'm finding that looking at the calories I'm "Nah, not worth it"

Posted too soon!! Putting weight on I would concentrate on eating more, maybe more often and healthy fats. You effectively want to do the opposite to me - so I look for low calorie volume foods, you want calorie dense stuff so think avocados, nuts, peanut butter etc. Things that are high cal but not bulky

Thank you! Have started eating avocados anyway and going to buy some peanut butter.

I think it depends on 1. Will power and 2. Knowledge. A personal trainer is mostly for people who are bad a sticking to an exercise regime without being accountable to their trainer or for people who just don't know much about different kinds of exercise, how to use machines, stretch etc. You can always try it for a few sessions and then just stop if you don't think that it is worth it.

My PT knows ALL about my weekend wine habits, stress eating, PMT carb cravings, the lot, and helps me work round them.
He's fab! And I'm 2stone lighter

You need to eat good food, and lots more of it. Lamb, steak, brown chicken meat, avocados, olive oil, sardines, full fat yoghurt, handful of raw nuts every day, plus as much veg as you can manage. The priories and fat is most important for muscle gain.
My body changed shape and I did become more hourglass, we did a lot of boxing, squats and ab work, plus free weights.