I wholeheartedly agree (and trust me, I do not agree with firedancer all that often). You CAN do it on your own. I am living proof. I have lost 50 lbs on my own (that is not a ploy for praise by the way). Now, is it tough? Sure. Do I wish I could lose faster? Heck yes! Would I be more successful with a trainer? Maybe. Probably. But, even though it is not coming off as fast as I would like it, as long as I weigh less today than I did a month ago, and as long as I weigh less in a month than I do today......then I am happy. You can do it!
$1,800 is ridiculously insane. I mean, don't get me wrong. If it was a bonafide 100% guarantee that I would be thin, healthy, could keep the weight off.....to me, that is a small price to pay, and I would plunk it down right now in half a second without hesitation. But, you are paying for training that may or may not be succesful, that you may or may not be able to do on your own anyway. It's just too much of a question mark to invest that much money. If you'd like to get a personal trainer, I say, hey, go for it! But, I think you can find better.
Liz, I think we all understand your point. If you go in for an evaluation, yes you are going to be evaluated. But, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. "We have a way to go, but I am confident that together, we can get you in better shape." or "It's going to be a lot of work, but if you are really motivated to get it done, I will do all I can to help you." Those are much kinder ways to get the point across.
Also, I think you are missing a point. You don't go to a personal training consultation to be told how much fat you have. Most of us already know that, or are told so by our doctor. You go to a consultation to see how you can better yourself.
Can you imagine sitting down with a dentist for an evaluation, having a pleasant visit, and then before you leave, the dentist going, "Well, I sure hope you come back, because them nasty teeth of yours are rotting out of your head."? It may be the truth and the Doc may think it, but their job is not to state the obvious, but encourage you as a patient that they will do all they can to remedy the situation.