Personal trainers in Australia can write nutrition plans within scope: general healthy eating, energy balance, macro guidance, and meal structure. They cannot diagnose, treat, or write medical nutrition therapy plans. That's the legal line for an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD). The Mr PT Fitness $120 nutrition plan covers daily energy targets, protein/carb/fat ranges, sample meal structures, and grocery guidance. Anything medical gets referred to an APD.
What's the legal scope of a personal trainer for nutrition in Australia?
Australian Cert III/IV qualified personal trainers can give general nutrition advice consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and write programmes around energy balance and macros. What's in scope:
- General healthy eating principles
- Daily energy (calorie) targets based on bodyweight and goal
- Macronutrient ranges (protein, carbs, fats)
- Food category guidance (vegetables, lean protein, whole grains)
- Meal timing and structure for training
- Hydration and electrolytes
- Sample meal templates
What's out of scope: medical nutrition therapy, prescribing supplements as treatment, managing diagnosed conditions, eating disorder treatment.
What's the scope of an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD)?
An Accredited Practising Dietitian holds a 4-year university degree (or equivalent) and is the only nutrition professional in Australia legally allowed to provide medical nutrition therapy. APDs handle:
- Type-1 and type-2 diabetes management
- IBS, IBD, coeliac disease, food allergies
- Eating disorder recovery (alongside psychology)
- Cancer recovery, kidney disease, cardiovascular conditions
- Pregnancy and lactation nutrition
- Anything Medicare-rebatable under a Chronic Disease Management plan
If you have any of those conditions, see an APD first. Mr PT Fitness refers out for these.
What's actually in the Mr PT Fitness $120 nutrition plan?
The plan is a 1-hour intake call plus a written 8 to 12-page document covering daily energy target, macros, sample meals, and a grocery framework. Specifically:
- Daily energy target: calculated from bodyweight, activity, goal (fat loss, maintenance, muscle gain)
- Macro ranges: protein, carbs, fat in flexible ranges rather than rigid grams
- 20+ meal templates: breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks at multiple calorie levels
- Pre/post-training fuelling: what to eat around sessions
- Grocery framework: shopping list categories and a sample weekly cart
- Eating-out guidance: Northern Beaches cafe and restaurant choices that fit the plan
- One follow-up call at week 4 to adjust based on outcomes
How does Mr PT Fitness use nutrition during PT sessions (without the formal plan)?
Nutrition guidance is built into every PT session at no extra cost: short conversations about energy, sleep, food choices, and general healthy eating principles. What's covered informally:
- "What did you eat before this session?" and how it affected energy
- Quick guidance on protein at meals (most clients undereat protein)
- Hydration, especially before early-morning sessions
- Eating around training (not too much, not too little)
- General check-ins on sleep, stress, and how they affect appetite
This isn't a substitute for the $120 plan, which is for clients who specifically want a written framework.
Want a real nutrition plan, not a generic template?
Free 15-minute consult covers whether the $120 plan or an APD referral is the better fit. Book here or call 0422 745 334.
When does Mr PT Fitness refer to a dietitian?
Anything that's clinical, complex, or beyond a personal trainer's scope gets referred to an Accredited Practising Dietitian on the Northern Beaches. Specific cases:
- Diagnosed type-1 or type-2 diabetes
- IBS, IBD, coeliac, or food allergies needing structured elimination
- Eating disorder history or current disordered eating patterns
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding nutrition
- Kidney disease, cardiovascular conditions, or oncology nutrition
- Anyone wanting a Medicare-rebated Chronic Disease Management plan
What's the realistic outcome of a PT-written nutrition plan?
For general fat loss, maintenance, or muscle-gain goals without medical complications, a PT-written plan produces 0.3 to 0.7kg per week of body composition change for 8 to 12 weeks before a re-assessment. Specifics:
- Week 1 to 2: water/glycogen drop of 1 to 2kg, sleep usually improves
- Week 4 to 8: visible body composition change. Clothes fit differently.
- Week 12: photo-visible change for fat-loss focused clients
- Beyond 12 weeks: re-assess targets and adjust. Stuck plateaus get re-worked.
Frequently asked questions
Are you a dietitian?
No. Matt Reilly is a Cert IV qualified personal trainer, not an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD). Mr PT Fitness writes nutrition plans within the legal scope of a personal trainer in Australia, which covers general healthy eating, energy balance, and macro guidance. For medical conditions like diabetes, IBS, eating disorders, or kidney disease, the plan refers to an APD.
Will you give me a meal plan?
The $120 nutrition plan includes meal structure examples (sample breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks at various calorie ranges) but isn't a rigid day-by-day prescription. The format is more flexible: daily energy target, macro ranges, food category guidance, and 20+ meal templates you can rotate through.
Do you do macros?
Yes. The plan calculates daily protein, carbohydrate, and fat ranges based on bodyweight, training frequency, and goal (fat loss, maintenance, muscle gain). Most clients run a flexible macro range rather than rigid daily targets, which is more sustainable and produces equivalent results.
Ready to dial in nutrition?
Free 15-minute consult. Honest advice on whether the $120 plan or a dietitian is the right fit.