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The information you will find here should not be taken as a medical advice and it is NOT approved by
any fitness professional or licensed physician.
You must acknowledge that you are simply receiving advice and it is your choice to adhere to the
provided advice.
Understand that PETRI FITNESS is NOT a certified dietitian or nutritionist, only a certified
PERSONAL TRAINER by the EFA European Fitness Association.
The author is not responsible for any allergic reaction, illness or lack of results.
PETRI FITNESS recommends you consult your physician before taking part in any exercise or diet
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 CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION
The goal of this guide
II. CALORIES
What is the importance of calories
III. MACRO-NUTRIENTS
The foundation of nutrition
IV. MICRO-NUTRIENTS
The fine tune of a healthy way to fuel your body
V. NUTRIENT TIMING
Does nutrient timing really matter ?
VI. SUPPLEMENTATION
What supplements do you need on a daily basis
VII. CREATE YOUR MEAL PLAN
Simple way to create your own meal plan according to your
goal

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 INTRODUCTION
My purpose with this guide is to give you basic nutritional
information and facts based on personal experience and what I have
studied along my fitness journey.

In the next chapters you will learn how to keep it super simple with
the food and achieve your goals without any struggle.

You will learn to estimate your calorie needs for either fat loss or
body mass gain and also how to manipulate the macronutrients
protein , carbs and fat.
Tracking the food we put in our bodies is the most reliable way to
lose body fat (with minimum muscle loss) and gain lean body mass.

I hope that this guide will give you a better perspective on your
nutritional needs and save you a lot of time and effort.

I wish you constant and never-ending improvement in all aspects of

your life and do not forget to Keep It Super Simple !

Let`s begin !

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 THE IMPORTANCE OF CALORIES
The energy that our body uses and the potential energy in food is
measured in calories.
Calories (kcal) are the measurement unit for energy and represent
the amount of energy to heat up with one degree Celsius one
kilogram of water.

All the food we eat contains calories that are burnt by our bodies for
any move we make including breathing , digestion etc.

Depending on how many calories we eat there are 3 cases:

1. We eat more calories than we burn in this case we will gain

weight - lean muscle mass or some muscle mass and fat
(depending on how we train).
2. We eat fewer calories than we burn now you will lose
weight alongside with some muscle mass if you are in too big
caloric deficit.
3. We eat quite the same amount of calories that we burn most
people obtain this equlibrium unconsciously over a long
period of time and they assume that they`re lucky.

For an accurate estimation of your daily caloric needs you must

know your BMR Basal Metabolic Rate (this is the caloric need
for your body to work properly without any movement Ex: you
rest all day in bed and you burn an amount of calories.

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There are many ways to calculate BMR and I will give you just one
that is known to be the most accurate ( ADA American Dietetic
Association ) The Mifflin St Jeor formula:
Men
10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (y) + 5

Women
10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (y) 161

After we know Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) we have to multiply

with the level of activity as follows:

Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)

Lightly active = BMR x 1.37 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)

Moderately active = BMR x 1.55 (moderate exercise 4-6 days/week)

Very active = BMR x 1.72 (hard exercise every day or exercising 2 times/day)

Athlete level = BMR x1.9 (hard exercise 2 or more times/day or special training for
marathon or triathlon, etc.)

Example: If your BMR is 1,600 calories per day and your activity
level is moderately active (1.55 activity factor) you will need 2,480
calories (BMR x 1.55 = 1,600 x 1.55 = 2,480) to maintain your current
weight in this moment . If you want to lose weight, you would
either have to consume fewer calories everyday or increase your
activity level, you also could do both.

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 FAT LOSS AND WEIGHT GAIN

FAT LOSS is very simple and it is a mathematic difference

between calories in and calories out. It is recommended to reduce
your calorie intake with 20 % , this means that you have to eat fewer
calories than you burn.
Example : 20% x 2,480 cal = 496 cal
You will eat 2,480 cal - 496 cal = 1,984 cal

WEIGHT GAIN is also simple because here you have to add more
calories but you don`t want to gain a lot of fat and stay as lean as
possible. For this I recommend to increase your calorie intake with
10-15 % and you will adjust in time the values.
Example : 2,480 cal + 496 cal = 2,976 cal

It`s that simple !

Try to eat the majority of your calories from whole foods and stay
consistent !

MACRONUTRIENTS
The importance of Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat
Macronutrients are nutrients needed for growth, metabolism
and the rest of other functions of the body. They are called
Macro because they are needed in large amounts in the
body.
The macronutrients are :

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 Carbohydrate

Protein

Fat

Carbohydrate provides 4 calories per gram

Protein provides 4 calories per gram

Fat provides 9 calories per gram

Besides carbohydrate, protein and fat the only other

substance that provides calories is alcohol that is not a
macronutrient because we don`t need it for survival only for
pleasure I would say.

Alcohol provides 7 calories per gram

CARBOHYDRATES
Why do we need them ?

Carbohydrates are the body`s main source of fuel.

Carbohydrates are converted directly for energy.
All of the tissues and cells in your body can use glucose
for energy.
Carbohydrates are essential for the brain, muscles
(including heart), kidneys and the central nervous
system to function properly.
Carbohydrates can be stored in the muscles and liver
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 and later used for energy.
Carbohydrates are important for intestinal health.

Where do we found them ?

Carbs are mainly found in starchy foods like grains and

potatoes, rice, fruits, milk and yogurt. We find complex
carbs also in vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and cottage
cheese.

Classification

We find three main types of carbohydrate in food :

Starches (complex carbohydrates) Ex: starchy
vegetables peas, corn, potatoes ; whole grains oats,
barley, rice.
Sugars (fast-acting carbydrates) Ex: all types of sugar
both natural (fructose and lactose) and artificially (table
sugar, powdered sugar, cane sugar, fructose corn syrup
etc.)
Fiber

Starches with a low glicemic index are slowly digested and

are good for you because they don`t spike your insulin level
which means they don`t raise your blood sugar level.

Sugars are a fast-acting carbohydrate which means that they

are digested very fast and raise your blood sugar level and if
you don`t use that energy right away it will be stored as fat
for later use.

Fiber comes only from plant foods and contributes to

digestive health, helps to keep you regular, and helps to
make you feel satisfied after eating.
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According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA),
adults need to try to eat 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day, for
good health.

PROTEIN
Why is protein important ?

Protein is essential for building muscle mass and for

growth (especially children, teens and pregnant
women).
Protein repairs damaged tissues.
Protein has immune functions.
Protein builds essential hormones and enzymes.
Protein can be converted in energy by the body when
carbohydrates are not available (low-carb diets).
Protein helps to preserve the lean muscle mass.

Where we can found protein ?

Protein is found meats, fish (one of the best source of

protein), poultry, cheese, milk, nuts, legumes and in small
quantities in starchy foods.

FAT
Why do we need fat ?

Fat is converted by the body for energy - the most

concentrated source of energy.
Fat is used for absorbing certain vitamins ( vit. A, D, E,
K, and carotenoids)
Fat is providing cushioning for the organs.

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 Fat maintains cell membranes.
Fat provides the taste and consistency to foods.

Although fat has a bad reputation for causing weight , fat is

essential for survival.

There are three main types of fat: Saturated fat, Unsaturated

fat and Trans fat.

Saturated fat is found in: meat, butter, lard, etc.

Unsaturated fat is found in: nuts, avocados, olive oil, canola
oil.
Trans fat is found in: baked goods, snack foods, fried foods
and margarines.

Many studies over the years have been shown that saturated
fat and trans fat increase the risk for heart disease while
unsaturated fat decrease the risk of developing a heart
disease.

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 The nutritional pie (%)
20

Carbohydrates 45
Protein
Fat

35

Reference values estimated by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)

MICRONUTRIENTS

The details that matters

Micronutrients are nutrients that our bodies need in smaller

amounts that are essential to our health, development and
growth.
Proper intake of vitamins and minerals can make the
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difference between a healthy, productive life and a life with
illness.

Micronutrients include such minerals as flouride, selenium,

sodium, iodine, copper and zinc and also vitamins C, D, E,
A, K as well as B-complex vitamins.

I will give you few examples to understand how

micronutrients help maintain your body's systems:

Sodium is responsible for maintaining the proper fluid

balance in your body and helps regulate appropriate pH
levels in your blood.
Manganese promotes bone formation and energy
production and helps your body metabolize the
macronutrients: protein , carbohydrates and fat.
Magnesium helps your heart maintain it`s normal
rhytm. It helps your body to convert glucose (blood
sugar) into energy.
Iron helps your organism to produce red blood cells.
Iodine helps the thyroid gland function properly and
also helps body to metabolize fats.
Chloride helps your body to maintain appropriate
cellular pH.

Here are few examples but there are many more.

Remember getting enough micronutrients in you diet isn`t
hard. Eat plenty of nuts, whole grains and leafy vegetables.
Eat plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables like red cherries,
purple grapes, yellow bananas and orange carrots.

That`s it with the micronutrients and remember to keep it

colorful and chase the rainbow in your diet !

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 NUTRIENT TIMING
Is it important ?

Well, for peak performance (like team athletes and weight

trainers , etc.) it is important but for the average person who
is not exercising is not very important.

Source: www.precisionnutrition.com

My recommendation is to don`t stress out with this part and

to master the basics of nutrition first.

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 SUPPLEMENTATION
On a daily basis I recommend to supplement your diet with a
few things:

Complex of Multivitamins (doesn`t matter the brand)

Fish Oil (take anytime during the day)
Magnesium + Vit. B6 (helps keep blood pressure
normal, bones strong and regulates the heart rhytm.)

That would be all with the supplementation part, be smart

and don`t spend money on all kind of magic plants and
marketing inventions.

CREATE YOUR MEAL PLAN

Now it`s time to combine all the informations and create
your meal plan in a simple and enjoyable way. Here you
have the guidelines:

When you know how much calories you should eat

according to your goal (fat loss or weight gain) you must
start to count your calories in every meal if you want results.

Let me give you an example:

Let`s take a male who weighs 74 kg and is moderately active

(exercise 4-6 days/week). This person will need 2604 calories
to maintain his weight at his level of activity. This value is
obtained by multiplying his BMR with the activity level
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(BMR(1736) x 1.5 = 2604 calories)

Weight Loss for this we will reduce his total daily intake
by 20% 2604 (20% x 2604) = 2604 520 = 2084 calories/day

There are many variants to split these calories like low carb
diets , moderate or high carb.

I will use the Zone diet split which I find it the most balanced:
Carbs 40 % (208 g)
Protein 30 % (156 g)
Fat 30 % (69 g)

If you want to split the values according to the number of meals you
want to eat in a day I
recommend : www.macronutrientcalculator.com

According to your goal you should add or reduce the total

intake of calories with these values:

Fat Loss: -10% (off total calories)

Weight Loss: -20% (off total calories)
Faster Weight Loss: -25% (off total calories)

Lean Muscle Gain: +10% (added to total calories)

Bulking: +15% (added to total calories)
Faster Bulking: +25% (added to total calories)

For tracking your daily calories I recommend a very friendly

application : MyFitnessPal

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 IN THE END
I want to congratulate you because you are willing to change
your life, accomplish your goals and be a better version of
you. You have to be patient and trust the process and
remember baby steps to great achievements.

If you learned at least one thing from this guide my mission

is complete.

THANK YOU !

For any questions, compliments, suggestions or any

feedback, you can find me at:

Email: petrifitness@gmail.com

Facebook:www.facebook.com/petrifitness

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