PT Nutrition Case Study

Name: Conn McCurdy

Age: 24

Sex: male

Weight (kg): 65

Height (cm): 183cm

Activity level: moderately active

Health issues / allergies / contraindications: Client has no issues that will affect nutrition

Goals: Client wants to gain 5kg muscle in 8 weeks and look fuller as he falls into the ectomorph somatotype so naturally he is extremely skinny and looks very thin. has never been in the gym but works in a trade which requires him to be physically strong.

BMR (kcal): 1701 kcal

Daily calorie target (kcal): 3300 kcal

Working / notes: **Calculation Method Used**

I used the **Harris-Benedict Equation** to estimate BMR.

For males:

**BMR = 88.362 + 13.397 × weight kg + 4.799 × height cm − 5.677 × age**

For Conn:

**BMR = 88.362 + 13.397 × 65 + 4.799 × 183 − 5.677 × 24**

**BMR = 1,701 kcal/day**

To estimate daily energy needs, I used his activity factor:

**Activity Calories = BMR × Activity Factor**

**Activity Calories = 1,701 × 1.55 = 2,637 kcal/day**

I then added the Thermic Effect of Food at 10%:

**TEF = 2,637 × 0.10 = 264 kcal/day**

**TDEE = Activity Calories + TEF**

**TDEE = 2,637 + 264 = 2,900 kcal/day**

To support muscle gain, the calculated surplus for gaining 5 kg in 8 weeks was:

**5 kg × 7,700 kcal = 38,500 kcal total surplus**

**38,500 ÷ 56 days = 688 kcal/day surplus**

This gave a calculated target of:

**2,900 + 688 = 3,588 kcal/day**

However, I adjusted the starting target to **3,300 kcal/day** as a more controlled muscle-gain approach.

**Assumptions Made**

I assumed Conn’s goal is **muscle gain**, his activity level is **moderately active**, and his activity factor is **1.55**. I also assumed that **1 kg of body weight change equals approximately 7,700 kcal**, and that the Thermic Effect of Food is **10% of activity-adjusted calories**. The 3,300 kcal target is a practical starting point designed to support weight gain while reducing the risk of excessive fat gain.

Client Name: Conn McCurdy

Day of week: monday

Date: 04/05/2026

Bed time: 23:00

Slept well? (Y/N): yes

Rise time: 8

Felt refreshed? (Y/N): no

Meals:
• Breakfast (Breakfast: 8:15): porridge, yoghurt, fruit, honey · fluids: coffee 1 cup · supps: none
• Mid-morning snack (mid morning snack: 10:30): protein shake, peanut butter and banana · fluids: water 500ml · supps: none
• Lunch (lunch: 13:00): 3 whole eggs, sourdough toast 2 slices and butter · fluids: water 500ml · supps: none
• Afternoon snack (snack afternoon: 15:30): none · fluids: coffee 1 cup · supps: none
• Dinner (dinner: 19:00): beef mince, potatoes, mixed veg · fluids: milk 500ml · supps: none
• Evening snack (bedtime snack): porridge, greek yoghurt, fruit and dark chocolate · fluids: 200ml water · supps: none

AM training: none

PM training: Hypertrophy, 1 hour 15 minutes, high

Energy levels: stable and normal but dipped in the late afternoon

Notes / symptoms: client was hungry during the afternoon as they didnt have much to eat. also found it hard to sleep that day.

Client Name: Conn McCurdy

Day of week: wednesday

Date: 06/05/26

Bed time: 23:30

Slept well? (Y/N): yes

Rise time: 8:00

Felt refreshed? (Y/N): yes

Meals:
• Breakfast (Breakfast: 8:15): porridge, milk, fruit, honey · fluids: coffee 1 cup · supps: none
• Mid-morning snack (mid morning snack: 10:30): protein shake, peanut butter and banana · fluids: water 500ml · supps: none
• Lunch (lunch: 13:00): 3 whole eggs, sourdough toast 2 slices and butter · fluids: coffee 1 cup · supps: none
• Afternoon snack (second lunch: 15:30): chicken breast, pasta and tomato sauce · fluids: water 500ml · supps: none
• Dinner (dinner: 19:00): beef mince, potatoes, mixed veg · fluids: milk 500ml · supps: none
• Evening snack (bedtime snack): porridge, greek yoghurt, kiwi 2 · fluids: 200ml water · supps: magnesium biglycinate

AM training: none

PM training: Hypertrophy, 1 hour 15 minutes, high

Energy levels: stable all day

Notes / symptoms: was craving sweets at times throughout the day

Client Name: Conn McCurdy

Day of week: Saturday

Date: 09/05/2026

Bed time: 12:00

Slept well? (Y/N): no

Rise time: 9:00

Felt refreshed? (Y/N): no

Meals:
• Breakfast (Breakfast 9:30): porridge, fruit and honey, · fluids: 1 coffee with milk · supps: none
• Mid-morning snack (11:30 snack): protein shake, peanut butter, apple · fluids: water 350ml · supps: none
• Lunch (12:30 lunch): 2 chicken thigh, couscous, broccoli · fluids: water 350ml · supps: none
• Afternoon snack (afternoon snack 15:00): tuna, bagel 2, mayonnaise · fluids: none · supps: none
• Dinner (21:00 dinner): spice bag · supps: none
• Evening snack (drinks): none · fluids: guinness x3 · supps: none

AM training: hypertrophy, 1 hour 30, intense

PM training: none

Energy levels: consistent

Notes / symptoms: no symptoms

Client Name: Conn McCurdy

Day of week: Sunday

Date: 10/09/26

Bed time: 12:00

Slept well? (Y/N): yes

Rise time: 9:00

Felt refreshed? (Y/N): yes

Meals:
• Breakfast (9:15 breakfast): porridge, fruit, honey, chocolate · fluids: coffee 1 cup · supps: none
• Mid-morning snack (10:30 snack): protein powder , banana, peanut butter · fluids: milk 1 cup · supps: none
• Lunch (12:30 meal 2): 3 whole eggs, sourdough, butter · fluids: water 350ml · supps: none
• Afternoon snack (afternoon snack 15:00): dairy milk bar, orange · fluids: water 500ml · supps: none
• Dinner (dinner 18:00): bacon, beef patty, 2 burger buns, chips · fluids: water 500ml · supps: none

AM training: none

PM training: none

Energy levels: consistent

Notes / symptoms: was hungry in the late afternoon

Macro breakdown:
• Breakfast: porridge, yoghurt, banana, berries, honey, milk (750 kcal)
• Lunch: chicken breast, rice, olive oil, veg (650 kcal)
• Dinner: beef mince, potatoes, mixed veg, olive oil (720 kcal)
• Snack 1: 3 whole eggs, 2 sourdough, butter (650 kcal)
• Snack 2: protein shake, peanut butter, apple (530 kcal)
Daily total: 3300kcal kcal · P 188g g / F 101g g / C 402g g

Notes on the breakdown: 1.Estimate BMR using the Harris-Benedict Equation.
2.Multiply BMR by activity factor to estimate activity-adjusted calories.
3.Add TEF at 10% to estimate TDEE.
4.Set a calorie surplus for muscle gain.
5.Adjust the calorie target to a realistic starting point of 3,300 kcal/day.
6.Set macro targets using body weight:
Protein = 2.0 g per kg
Fat = 0.9 g per kg
Carbs = remaining calories
7.Compare the actual food diary macros against the planned targets.

Praise / continue:
• water intake → increase from 1.5l to 2litres daily (for conns weight 2l would be optimum)
• breakfast → drink fruit juice like fresh orange (important micronutrients)

Minor modifications:
• coffee intake → dont have after 14:00 (was finding it difficult to get good sleep)
• protein shake → add oats (wasnt getting enough total carbs for muscle gain)

Complete changes:
• lacking supplements → add creatine (increase recovery and muscle development)
• time he consumes protein shake → take shake after a workout (quickly digested source of protein which helps protein synthesis)

Overall summary & next steps: 1. track bodyweight every week. so I know he's gaining muscle
2. keep a log of his major lifts as strength progress will confirm the nutrition is correct
3. Monitor how he feels and performs in the gym as i might have to tweak his food intake if his recovery is off or if hes feeling sluggish all the time