Dietry/Suppliment advice

[WildTurkey]

Hi Kerry,

I know a lot of people have asked the same old dietary advice but i believe it varies between people. I apologise if i'm repeating a previous thread but i'd appreciate your advice.

I'm 22, 9 stone 9 and have just started weight training again after about 4 months, though originally i wasn't taking it too seriously. A few years ago when i was at college i didn't eat much because my "lazy" lifestyle didn't require much energy, i often skipped breakfast and just had small meals and fatty snacks, i also used to eat a lot before i went to bed which i now understand is bad for you. Now i'm left looking thin but with stubborn belly fat i can't seem to burn. My forearms are especially thin for my age ( i can touch the tip of my thumb with my middle finger if wrapped around my wrist ) it seems most of my weight is around my mid area and my arms/legs are scrawny.

My BMI is where it should be in relationship to my height/weight ratio but my fat percentage is high (around 22%), even though i look skinny. My aim isn't to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, i'd just like to add abit of size to my shoulders/chest/arms to even the proportions of my body out. I still would like to be lean enough to play football

Could you please give me some advice on how i can bulk up and build muscle but also burn the belly fat i don't need that will enable my abs to come through? I currently play 5-a-side football twice a week, an hour each session. I've been looking at both the Pro-Peptide and Whey Protein, which would you recommend to be most beneficial for me? I'm not really sure if i need to concentrate on a high protein or a high carb diet

Many thanks, Mark

[kerrykayes]

kk - To gain muscle (and weight in general) you have to eat/drink more Kcals (units of energy) than your body needs. Doing this means that you are eating more macronutrients (protein, carbs or fats).
Kcals from carbohydrates and fats are used by the body for energy and if you eat more of these than is required, your body will store them as stored energy for future use. Simply put, body fat is stored energy from carbs and fats although in certain circumstances it can also use protein for this process.
There are 7 kcals in a gram of alcohol and as there is no nutritional value in these Kcals (empty Kcals) they will also be stored as body fat.
Simply put, body fat is stored energy from carbs, fats or alcohol (or in certain circumstance protein) that has not been metabolised (used).
If you train, you stimulate muscles, giving that muscle a greater requirement of protein to either repair or grow but it cannot this without adequate amounts of protein (1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight, 3.3 per kilo).
Simply put, muscle is stored protein that has been metabolised (used). Protein that is left over from this process is used for body fat.
It would be very hard to gain muscle and lose body fat at the same time because you need a lot of protein Kcals and an adequate of energy Kcals to make the process work and build muscle which would be impossible if you are deficient in Kcals trying to lose body fat.
Your body also needs macronutrients (vitamins and minerals) for its metabolism and as you are trying to lose body fat, use Pro Vital.
Having said all that, you can APPEAR to look as if you have put muscle on because if you are on a strict diet, with adequate amounts of protein without too many kcals such as Pro MR or Pro MS(for women) your body will retain its muscle while losing bodyfat.
If you diet strict and cut back equally on proteins, carbs and fats you can lose weight on the scales but not look any better because you have cannibalised body fat and also muscle. All you are doing is photocopying yourself smaller. You may lose 2 stone, but because you have lost muscle, you don’t look any better.
Pro Vital -http://www.cnpprofessional.co.uk/all-products/health-vitality/pro-vital.html/
Pro MR - http://www.cnpprofessional.co.uk/all-products/protein/pro-mr-advanced-meal-replacement-20-sachets.html/
Pro MS - http://www.cnpprofessional.co.uk/all-products/protein/pro-ms-meal-replacement-for-women-15-sachets.html/

Pro Peptide is a far better protein than Whey protein, you can read more about Pro Peptide here
http://www.cnpprofessional.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=167