If you do have a 'trainer' then he should be assessing you in terms of your current abilities and nutritional intake to create a unique training/nutritional program which well help you achieve your goal. If he has not done this (and that seems to be the case) then be very wary of his advice.
If your goal is to lose weight then you will first want to track your current nutritional intake. Keep a journal for the next seven days of everything that you eat and note the macro values (proteins, carbs, fats) of all the foods. Eat as you would normally so that it is a true reflection of your food intake. At the end of the week, you will have a detailed account of your nutritional intake and you will be able to see where you need to make adjustments.
1 gram of protein has 4 calories
1 gram of carbohydrate has 4 calories
1 gram of fat has 9 calories
Use the following equation to determine your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
Adult Male:
- BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x body weight in lbs. ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )
- BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )
Your BMR is how many calories your body requires to function at a resting position.
Use your BMR to determine your daily caloric requirements:
- sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
- lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
- moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
- very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
- extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
The value that you get will determine your daily caloric needs to maintain your current weight at the specified level of activity. If you wish to lose weight, then reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories per day (3500 total calorie reduction per week). Depending on how your metabolism responds, you will loses a minimum of 1 lb. in body-weight per week. Try to keep this loss between 1-2 lbs. per week to achieve your goal in a healthy manner. If you reach a plateau in your weight reduction then do one of the following:
- reduce your caloric intake and maintain your current level of physical activity
- maintain your caloric intake but increase your level of physical activity
- reduce your caloric intake and increase your level of physical activity
The third option will produce much greater and faster results but it also has the potential to place your body in a prolonged catabolic state. This means that you run the risk of losing significant amounts of muscle mass so make sure that you know what you are doing.
You mention that you want to lose body fat
and gain muscle. I tell people that this is not possible. Although you can lose body fat and
tone existing muscle, you cannot add significant amounts of mass while cutting. Have a look at your body in a full-length mirror and do a genuine assessment of how you look.
IF you have very little mass around your shoulders and upper torso then I would advise against cutting at this time. Instead, maintain a very clean nutritional intake and bulk up while using heavy weights to try and add some mass around your upper torso.
IF you feel that you have significant amounts of mass around your upper torso and shoulders then slowly ease yourself into the nutritional changes that I have mentioned.
With regards to your actual nutritional intake (and this is for cutting), you will be adjusting your daily caloric intake by reducing your carb and fat intake. Your protein intake can be increased but should be at a rate of 1-1.5 grams per pound of Lean Body Mass (LBM). You may find that you will have to slightly raise your fat intake to meet your daily caloric needs with the reduction in carbs. Just make sure that the fat is not coming from saturated sources and definitely avoid trans fats. Try to strike a balance between Omega 6 and Omega 3 fat sources as this will help you to maintain your body at optimum levels. Most Western diets are too high in Omega 6 sources which can lead to inflammation. If you find that you are hungry throughout the day, then adjust your nutritional intake so that you are consuming more low to moderate GI (glycemic index) rated sources. These will leave you feeling fuller throughout the day and are much more healthier eating choices.
As to your trainer's suggested supplements:
- LIPO 6 - If you are looking at adding muscle then this should not be used as it is a thermogenic based supplement. Thermogenic type supplements will stimulate the breakdown of fat cells but they will also inhibit the release of insulin. If growth hormone levels are high but insulin levels are low, insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) will not increase. IGF's are responsible for anabolic growth in muscle tissue. So thermogenic type supplements should not be used if you are trying to add mass at optimum levels. If you are only looking at reducing body fat, then thermogenics will work but you must be aware of the potential side-effects before you start using them as they can be very serious.
- N0Explode - An L-arginine/di-creatine based supplement. It is not necessary to use this to gain muscle mass and it is not associated with fat reduction. If you do decide to use it, watch your arginine levels from all sources as higher intake levels may produce headaches and dizzyness.
- BCAA - If you are consuming a protein drink in addition to your balanced nutritional intake then you will already be acquiring a full spectrum of amino acids, including high levels of L-leucine, L-Isoleucine, and L-valine, so save your money.
- Glutamine - Unless you have suffered a severe trauma (ie: burn victim, cancer patient) then supplementing with Glutamine serves no purpose as it has only been shown to be of benefit to trauma patients and only when it is administered in a peptide form via intraveneous drip. Supplement companies and one particular member on this site will tell you differently but their results are based on invitro and not invivo testing. Again, save your money.
The only supplement which I would recommend to you is
water.
Just keep yourself hydrated at all times - especially during your workouts.
With regards to your actual workout: If you are cutting, then high-intensity cardio is going to play an important part. Try to incorporate a 30-60 minute cardio routine into your workout at a minimum of three days per week. To help you maintain mass, you will also want to lift heavy and again this should be a minumum of three days per week.
Add these to your favourites as they will help you a great deal:
The above is a general guideline but it should be enough to get you started.
Good luck.
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KIAN PHILLIPS -- BSc / SpSc - CPT
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