Fat Loss – Body Transformation – Advanced Nutrition

Of course, the title of this post is a bit broad, but I’m often reminded of how many people walk into a nutritional supplement store and think it is safe to believe that the guy that is working behind the counter is a product expert. In most cases, nothing can be further from the truth.

While I’m sure there are many people that work or own supplement stores and have a great understanding of many of the products there, most are simply salespeople. If needed, I often accompany my clients to the store to help them get what the actually need to help them make progress. I am very specific on the products that I recommend for different goals. I cannot begin to count how many times I haven’t been with a client and a specific product not be available, and the salesperson will make a recommendation of how something they have is either the same product or better, just to find out that the two products vary greatly.

Of course, there is no magic pill. Also, many people think that taking supplements is a way to off-set bad choices and to even out unhealthy eating. Truth is that the word supplement means “in addition to a whole part” and in the case of nutritional supplements, that is even more the case: without the proper nutritional and training regimen, supplements are completely worthless.

Become educated. I make it a point to teach my clients what they need, why they need it, and when they need it (in most cases, you don’t need to take everything all of the time, only as your body needs it). If you have a question about nutritional supplementation, post it here or contact me on twitter and I’ll gladly give you an answer. Don’t depend on the guy at GNC to help you make an informed decision – his decision is more times than not based on his commission.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Since I am often asked about which supplements individuals should take, I wanted to put up this post that I initially wrote last October. Enjoy!

Here’s another quick rundown on Branched Chain Amino Acids. I’ve written about BCAA’s more over the last 10 years than anything else, so I’m simply going to take a little bit from my other writings, add some other information and combine it together here. I’m writing this quickly and these are all my own thoughts, so once I read over it a time or two, I may make some simple adjustments (spelling/grammar errors, etc). Enjoy!

This isn’t information just for people to gain muscle – for fat loss, it is essential to maintain lean body mass to keep an increased metabolic rate. This is one of the more technical writings I will write here on the blog, because I like to keep it simple for the fitness beginner and people just looking to make a change, but this information is too important not to thoroughly understand.

Quick rundown: Essential amino acids are the ones your body cannot make on it’s own and must be obtained from diet. These are the important ones and these are the absolute key to body transformation. Three of the most important are leucine, iso-leucine and valine (the branched chained amino acids, or BCAAs). Why are they so important? Simple – the key to body transformation (even before fat loss) is preserving the muscle we already have. Muscle = Higher Metabolic Rate. Higher metabolic rate = leaner you, because you’re burning more calories in everything you do. Ok, so how do the BCAAs have to do with this? When you exercise, your body will try to use these three aminos for energy, thus, breaking down muscle to obtain these. More importantly, the body CANNOT SYNTHESIZE PROTEIN WITHOUT EVERY AMINO ACID PRESENT!!! This is why it is important to consume whole proteins (and why protein from sources such as peanuts and bread aren’t very good sources because they are deficient in many essential aminos).

Many quality protein powders are enriched with extra BCAAs, but I prefer to take it a step further: muscle (for women and men, and this is for everyone that is serious about looking lean, toned, trim, or whatever you may call it) is extremely precious. So, I choose to supplement with additional amino acids. To add, the BCAAs are binded to other aminos in powders. In formulas like Xtend, they are free formed and are more readily absorbed into the bloodstream.

Amount depends on your size (of course), but timing is crucial. Consumption should be at times when muscle is vulnerable to metabolization: I drink them before and during cardio and also during and after weight training.

For optimum muscle growth, cellular growth, metabolism, and recovery to occur, the proper proportions of amino acids need to be eaten. However, eating amino acid sources, such as meat and eggs, does not ensure that the amino acids they supply will be available for muscle growth and formation of other proteins. For example, suppose you have a gross intake of 100 grams of protein with all the essential amino acids present in equal amounts. Now consider how these amino acids are used in the body. To start, a considerable amount of leucine will be used for energy in exercising muscle. This means that there may be only a small amount of leucine available for growth and repair. When leucine finally runs out, this will affect protein formation because leucine is an essential amino acid. That means your body cannot make it. In actuality, perhaps only 15 grams of the original 100 grams of protein will be available for growth and repair. This is one reason why athletes need more protein, not just to compensate for growth and recovery demands from exercise, but to compensate for the loss of essential amino acids like leucine when they are used for energy.

There’s so much more than just protein grams – you MUST be getting the right aminos!

Branched Chained Amino Acids - the first used for energy, and typically the most limited supply in the body (these are the ones that your body WILL breakdown muscle to get if it runs out of glucose for energy):

Leucine
Iso-Leucine
Valine

Essential Amino Acids – these are the ones that your body cannot create on it’s own (the BCAAs are included)
Isoleucine
Arginine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Trytophan
Valine
Histidine
Tyrosine
Pyrrolysine

Nonessential Amino Acids – the aminos that your body can synthesize and don’t necessarily need to be obtained in the diet.
Alanine
Aspartate
Cysteine
Glutamate
Glutamine
Glycine
Proline
Serine
Asparagine

Conditionally Essential Amino Acids – in some cases, the body cannot produce enough of some amino acids, to they are considered essential (meaning they must be obtained from the diet).
Arginine
Histidine
Tyrosine
Cysteine
Glutamine
Glycine
Proline
Serine
Asparagine

If every amino acid is present, the body is in a state in which it can synthesize protein, also called a “positive nitrogen balance”. If every amino is not present, then the body is in “negative nitrogen balance”.

Nitrogen balance is binary – there’s no “almost” or “partly” synthesizing. Before new muscle tissue can be built, the body must be in positive nitrogen balance!

Exercise basically “eats up” the BCAAs, so it is obvious that there is a need for increased BCAA intake for the physically active to not only gain muscle, but to also preserve it. Specifically replacing (or overcompensating loss of BCAAs) is best accomplished by supplementing with a product such as Scivation’s Xtend (the blue raspberry is AMAZING).

One can also conclude that it makes sense to focus not only on total protein intake, but also obtaining a complete amino acid profile, specifically focusing on the essential and conditionally essential amino acids. This is most easily done by supplementation with a quality protein blend (note that I did not say WHEY protein – search for a blend) and eating a variety of different protein sources (chicken breast, fish, lean cuts of red meat, turkey, etc).

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio (and beyond),

I promised the supps I’d recommend, and here they are. I’m starting simple here and will add things as we go. This is the same list I posted in December, but these are definitely the necessities.

I’m also accepting 8 Week questions for a Q and A section, so let’em rip.

GO COLTS!

Thermogenic
-Fat burners are the most common asked about supplements on the personal trainer in San Antonio blog. Too many people think they can pop these “magic pills” and eat a little sloppier or get away with a lax diet. That isn’t the case, and the best results will only be obtained with a strict, disciplined approach to nutrition.

http://personaltrainerinsanantonio.com/blog1/wp-admin/post-new.php?unfoldmenu=1

With that being said, I like to combine my thermogenic and pre-workout drink. Right now, I prefer “Endorush” by BSN (it is a drink, not a pill). I like the jolt it gives, I don’t crash, and it curbs the appetite. I usually drink a bottle in the morning (pre and into my workout) and one in the early afternoon to avoid the post-workout, afternoon crash.

BCAA’s
If there’s a supplement you cannot live without (for both fat loss and muscle gain) it is BCAAs. Check out my articles by using the search feature. My favorite is Scivation Xtend. The Lemonade is phenomenal. Read my BCAA articles for recommendations on dosage.

Protein Powder
I prefer a blend that provides sustained delivery of amino acids. I don’t like proteins loaded with carbs or fats, as I’d prefer to add my own sources (a side of oatmeal, etc). The best protein product on the market right now is “ProComplete 40″. It’s loaded with digestive enzymes to aid absorption and just a minimal amount of healthy fats. By the way, every flavor I have tried has been quite tasty. I use it as a snack between meals, as part of a meal for added protein and every night as a pre-bedtime snack to keep me full of muscle repairing amino acids.

Secret Weapon Fat Loss Supplement
Sesamin is the do it all supplement. You don’t “feel it” when you take it, but it has the ability to spare muscle during dieting, burn fat, store amino acids, and also has antioxidant properties. I take a sesamin capsule with 3-5 meals per day, and I’ve sworn by it for years.

My favorite brand is Scivation’s Sesamin.

Essential Fatty Acids
My favorite blend of Omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids is LaBrada’s EFA Gold. It’s the perfect blend, it’s high quality and relatively inexpensive. I take a serving in the morning with breakfast and a serving in the evening.

Nutritional supplementation can become quite expensive, and I don’t think that everyone needs to take everything at all times. These are my essentials that I’d recommend for anyone, no matter their goals before I’d recommend anything else (cell volumizers, creatines, etc). Supplementation is just that – it is only effective when it is a part of a whole exercise and nutritional regimen, and is NOT designed to replace proper nutritional habits or skipping workouts.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio,

While I am not a huge “supplement” guy, I will say that some do have their purpose and are almost essential. I’ve explained my reasoning behind many of the supplements I use, but here is a list of what I’d recommend as you begin your body transformation in 2010.

Thermogenic
-Fat burners are the most common asked about supplements on the personal trainer in San Antonio blog. Too many people think they can pop these “magic pills” and eat a little sloppier or get away with a lax diet. That isn’t the case, and the best results will only be obtained with a strict, disciplined approach to nutrition.

With that being said, I like to combine my thermogenic and pre-workout drink. Right now, I prefer “Endorush” by BSN (it is a drink, not a pill). I like the jolt it gives, I don’t crash, and it curbs the appetite. I usually drink a bottle in the morning (pre and into my workout) and one in the early afternoon to avoid the post-workout, afternoon crash.

BCAA’s
If there’s a supplement you cannot live without (for both fat loss and muscle gain) it is BCAAs. Check out my articles by using the search feature. My favorite is Scivation Xtend. The Lemonade is phenomenal. Read my BCAA articles for recommendations on dosage.

Protein Powder
I prefer a blend that provides sustained delivery of amino acids. I don’t like proteins loaded with carbs or fats, as I’d prefer to add my own sources (a side of oatmeal, etc). The best protein product on the market right now is “ProComplete 40″. It’s loaded with digestive enzymes to aid absorption and just a minimal amount of healthy fats. By the way, every flavor I have tried has been quite tasty. I use it as a snack between meals, as part of a meal for added protein and every night as a pre-bedtime snack to keep me full of muscle repairing amino acids.

Secret Weapon Fat Loss Supplement
Sesamin is the do it all supplement. You don’t “feel it” when you take it, but it has the ability to spare muscle during dieting, burn fat, store amino acids, and also has antioxidant properties. I take a sesamin capsule with 3-5 meals per day, and I’ve sworn by it for years.

My favorite brand is Scivation’s Sesamin.

Essential Fatty Acids
My favorite blend of Omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids is LaBrada’s EFA Gold. It’s the perfect blend, it’s high quality and relatively inexpensive. I take a serving in the morning with breakfast and a serving in the evening.

Nutritional supplementation can become quite expensive, and I don’t think that everyone needs to take everything at all times. These are my essentials that I’d recommend for anyone, no matter their goals before I’d recommend anything else (cell volumizers, creatines, etc). Supplementation is just that – it is only effective when it is a part of a whole exercise and nutritional regimen, and is NOT designed to replace proper nutritional habits or skipping workouts.

Make 2010 your best year yet, and get ready to work hard and obtain your best body yet – it’s NOT just going through the motions. You have to do things that others will not. Hard work, proper choices, and discipline are the only way to obtain the results you desire.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio,

Wow, what a day. Trained 12 hours, squeezed an intense workout in, and hit 50 minutes of cardio, scarfing down lean meals between clients.

Today, the protein synthesis/bcaa article took precedence, but tomorrow or Friday I plan on writing my supplement article. As long as the nutritional program you’re following is in check and you realize that supplements are to SUPPLEMENT proper nutrient intake (instead of to make up for a bad habit), you’ll greatly benefit from it. I’ll tell you what assists fat loss, recovery, sleep, pre and post-workout, and just about everything else I can think of.

So be patient and keep checking back! I’ll list today and tomorrow’s food intake as well as I prep for the 29th Annual Lackland Bodybuilding Classic which is now only 30 days away (from Thursday).

Sleep tight and remember that abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio,

Interested? I’m writing it right now and want to post it tomorrow. I know that nutritional supplements are huge business and everyone is searching for that edge. Not to ruin the article, but here are a few things I will be pointing out:

-Creatine is trash
-Whey Protein by itself is a waste
-Your multivitamin is doing nothing for you whatsoever except creating expensive urine

Intrigued? Well, I have nothing to sell – just telling you the truth and being objective. I’ll tell you things the guys at GNC aren’t going to share. No agenda, no marketing ploy, just the honest to God truth from experience and research.

Don’t worry, I will be telling you what does have a purpose and what you can use for specific goals and what you should be using no matter what your goals are.

Keep your eyes on the SATX Personal Trainer Blog. I’m going to go against everything that everyone believes and piss a lot of people off who spend a lot of money each week/month on the same old things for a placebo effect (usually no physical change).

Get ready!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Ok San Antonio,

There is a lot of sarcasm in the title of this post. Yes, the fad is back in business, which leads me to one thought: SO?

I am now 10 weeks into my dieting for the Lackland Bodybuilding Classic. I believe in a lifestyle approach and fixing the PROBLEMS instead of an instant fix that doesn’t force someone to change habits. Of course, a diet for a bodybuilding show is very temporary and isn’t a lifestyle change, but it leads to the question: why would someone that is an experience personal trainer, who was in the single digits of body fat to begin with schedule 16 total weeks to prepare for a bodybuilding show? You’re talking about 16 weeks of no alcohol, no bread, no refined carbs, no sauces, nothing – not ONE cheat meal. Why?

The answer is simple: there is no quick fix. There’s no secret. It’s hard work, and it’s staying the course and making smart choices. The normal body transformation doesn’t require the degree of insanity that bodybuilding prep does, but there’s still small room for cheating and slacking.

WOAI news was, well, for the lack of a better word, whoring Body Solutions today. I’m guessing Body Solutions paid them $3-5k (which they’ve asked me to donate to become their “expert” – yes, the ask the expert program is paid advertising) for the plug on the news.

Bottom line is to save your money – it’s a crap product. NO, there is no such thing as a magic pill or potion. It will not help you gain lean body mass while burning fat. And until the FDA evaluates it, there’s a high risk that it contains dangerous ingredients.

Anything worth achieving requires effort. Those people that spend time looking for shortcuts rarely achieve anything of value – don’t believe the hype.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio,

Daily, I receive emails or questions by random people at line in HEB (no kidding) about what supplements I would recommend or what supplements do I use. As you know, I tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. I have no motivation to sell or make a profit from supplements, so I can be honest.

I totally understand the desire to make the body change as easily as possible. I WISH there was an easy way, but sadly, there isn’t. I’m guessing that half of my readers will be gone after that sentence. Nah, my readers already know this and are much more dedicated than that!

As my nutritional strategy for my show becomes more and more specific, more dialed in and, well, more prolonged, I am adding more things. Of course, the word supplement, as mentioned numerous times here, means “In addition to a whole part.” You SUPPLEMENT your income with extra money – the way you supplement doesn’t become the centerpiece of how you provide for your family. Your supplement program should be centered around your nutritional and training program, not vice versa.

Fact is, the more your training program and nutritional strategy are dialed in, the more you will be able to get from supplements. And while you are in a dieting phase such as that I am in now, your micronutrient needs may change due to a more restrictive selection from food.

When a supplement claims weight loss, it means absolutely nothing. Without the proper stimulus (nutritional and training-wise) nothing is going to force that weight to be from the proper source: BODY FAT. Plus, making the necessary changes ANYWAY will lead to MUCH better progress than any supplement that has ever been created.

I have had hundreds of people tell me “I’m eating perfectly and training hard and nothing has happened” and it’s usually a case of one or two things: either they haven’t given the new stimulus time to take effect (you don’t get out of shape in a week, changes aren’t going to happen overnight) or they have absolutely NO idea what they’re doing and their training/nutrition is in NO way supporting the goals they are wanting to achieve. The latter is often the case (we are impatient though), because if you search for “How To” on the internet, you are overwhelmed with conflicting information.

Everything I do and recommend is based on science, trial and error, and years of experience. It’s by no means one size fits all – everything is designed and adjusted based on the individual and their goals. Of course, my goal is to have no body fat come November 21, and my nutritional program is on the extreme end of the spectrum. However, most people aren’t looking at such extreme goals and such extreme measures aren’t necessary. Discipline is still required, regardless, and if you want to look amazing, your motivation is definitely a cut above the ladies at the office that are always talking about a new diet or losing a pound here or there (just to gain 5 on the weekend).

I’ve said it numerous times: there is no such thing as a magic pill. Once you get the nutrition and training to where they need to be to get you to where you want to be, then there are things you can do to improve your progress. But understand, results from supplementation is marginal, and varies from individual to individual.

If you aren’t taking care of the training, nutritrion and rest portions of the puzzle, throwing different pills and powders down your throat will only produce expensive urine…

To the TRUTH!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio,

Let me warn you, if you’re looking for a magic weight loss pill, go away now. These are just the 4 supplements that I use regularly, and even moreso while I diet down for my bodybuilding competition.
The 4 supplements I use are:
ProComplete 40 – this is my protein blend that I blend with either oats for carbs + protein or healthy fats. Blend of casein, whey protein isolate and egg protein for a very broad spectrum of amino acids.

Scivation’s Xtend – this is my BCAA product. As I mentioned in the BCAA article a few days ago, these are the aminos that the body tries to obtain from muscle during exercise for energy.

Body Effects – Excellent energy booster, fat burner, appetite suppressant and mood enhancer (no kidding, it does all of this).

Melatonin – naturally produced in the brain, melatonin regulates sleep patterns and helps us get into the deep sleep cycle more rapidly. Do not underestimate the importance of sleep, rest and recovery!!!

As I’ve written it in the past, but the word supplement means “In addition to a whole part”. Supplements WILL NOT MAKE OR BREAK YOU. If training, nutrition and recovery aren’t in check, you are wasting a lot of money. Once those things are as they need to be, then supplementation can definitely enhance the effects of each.

As I have also mentioned, I purchase my supplements at Alamo City Sports Nutrition (at the corner of Huebner and Stone Oak). Great staff, knowledgeable and professional. Nothing like the GNCs of the world, who are trying to push the highest profit margin item and make a buck.

In addition to what is seen in this video, I also use Speed Stack by American Bodybuilding as my “kick in the pants” supplement – 5 calories, 240mg of caffeine and 25mg of Synephrine. It’s intense, and if you have a low tolerance to stimulants, I’d recommend building up to it.

Hope you enjoy the video!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio,

I just wanted to take a second to review one of my favorite protein supplements, High 5 by Max Muscle. If this is your first visit to my blog, take the time to read my protein articles in the nutrition section.

High 5, as its name suggests, is a complex composed of five different proteins for a very complete amino acid profile and a varying rate of absorption. From the highest rate of absorption to the slowest, High 5 contains Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Soy Protein Isolate, Egg White Albumen, and Potassium Caseinate. What does this mean? Well, when you drink it you get an immediate dose of aminos, followed by a sustained release of others for up to four hours.

My take, it’s perfect for a snack, meal, enhanced recovery, fat loss and muscle gain. It mixes perfectly (I use a blender, but it does great in a shaker bottle). I’ve used vanilla, chocolate, banana and strawberry and have enjoyed each of them, but vanilla is my favorite. It also only has 1g of sugar per serving.

Each container has 43 servings, and costs approximately $55, so each serving is just over $1 (not bad or a meal).

It’s my favorite protein blend, and I typically drink it as a meal replacement (or supplement it with lower protein or lower quality protein meals) two to three times per day.

Check it out!

If there’s another supplement you’d like reviewed, please don’t hesitate to ask. If you’re the owner of a supplement company or a store and would like for me to try a product and review it, feel free to contact me via the tab above.

Boyd Myers
San Antonio Personal Trainer
North Central San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Road
210.391.1454