If they didn't specifically say they weren't talking about CP, then they probably were. I've heard lots of people call CP 'levels'.
Hope this helps :)
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The withe bar is lvl and max lvl for u pokemon is the same for trainer. Is you are trailer lvl 10 your pokemon max lvl is 10 [when the white bar is full]. This is what i know :).
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You can look at the white bar as elpiojo95 says to get a hunch, max pokemon lvl seems to be trainerLvl+1.5, not trainer level as elpiojo95 wrote. Or look at stardust required for power up and compare to http://pokemongo.gamepress.gg/power-up-costs