Health & Weight Loss With Nutrition Coach Rosanna Evola

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On today’s blog, I got to have a chat with the beautiful Rosanna Evola! Rosanna teaches dance, is an ICN Bikini & Swimsuit award winner, and is a nutrition coach!

Rosanna is a total girl-boss with running her dance studio and also doing her coaching at her business, Nutrafit! After doing some stalking of her Nutrafit page on Instagram, I felt super inspired and thought I’d ask her onto the blog to ask her some questions regarding health, weight loss and about her personal life!


Hey Rosanna, what are some dieting mistakes you see people make?

Mistake #1: DISREGARDING ENERGY BALANCE
Just because you don’t keep track of the calories you are consuming, doesn’t mean your body doesn’t! Everyone has a calorie budget, whether you’re trying to lose weight, maintain weight or gain muscle and unfortunately, this simple fact tends to be ignored or disregarded. People often think they are doing the right thing by only eating “clean” or by eating lots of “superfoods”, without realising that these all contain calories too (and lots of them).

Mistake #2: HAVING UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Be honest, do you start a new diet and then expect to see instant results? And what happens when you don’t get the results you were expecting? You get frustrated, blame the program/coach and give up. I get it, seeing quick results is key for staying motivated to remain on track, but it’s important to not to set yourself up for failure before you even begin by having ridiculous expectations!
From my experience as a nutrition coach, I have realised that people are not aware of the effort or TIME it takes to change their body composition. In addition to this, they are often unrealistic about the goals they want to achieve (thanks to the media) and the time frame it takes to achieve these goals.

Weight loss isn’t easy. It’s a slow process that requires a lot of consistency and patience. There will be weeks that you lose weight, there will be weeks where your weight remains the same and there will be weeks where your weight goes up! It’s all part of the process!

Mistake #3: FOLLOWING UNSUSTAINABLE METHODS
When people start “dieting”, they immediately think that they must follow a strict diet that is purely made up of “clean” foods and eliminate all processed foods. They think that they need to cut out carbs completely, avoid desserts and avoid eating out. Most of us have tried some crazy all or nothing diet at some point in our lives!

However, experience has shown that restrictive diets which significantly reduce calories and eliminate food groups are not sustainable and often lead to binge eating, cheating, and yo-yo dieting. This in turn creates feelings of guilt, generates self-punishment and negative emotions, resulting in a very unhealthy relationship with food and body image.

Restrictive diets that are extremely low in calories will not fuel the body with the amount of essential nutrients it needs to function optimally. This can lead to nutrient deficiencies which can be harmful to your health. Unless you are competing in a body-building competition and you are in that final cutting stage, do NOT restrict yourself.

Mistake #4: LACK OF EDUCATION
Many of my clients come to me after completing weight loss “challenges” or after following a restrictive, rigid meal plan. They were successful in losing weight while on these programs but as soon as they ended, they had no idea what to do and as a result gained all of the weight back. I see it time and time again. Why? Because a lot of these programs don’t actually teach people anything about nutrition or why they are eating what they are eating.

As a result, they will often just go back to their ways of eating and end up exactly where they started, ready to start the next program or challenge and repeat the whole process again.

Do any of the popular fad diets actually work?
Fad diets work for the short-term because they usually restrict a food group which restricts calories and leads to rapid weight loss. Unfortunately, the benefits do not last long once the participant goes back to a more normal style of eating and includes the foods the fad diet had you avoid.


Are there any myths around nutrition?

MYTH 1: CERTAIN FOODS HELP YOU BURN FAT
No foods can actually help you to burn fat. The important thing is eating less calories (energy) than you are using, rather than eating specific foods that are thought to have special properties. Remember the key is to eat a balanced diet.

MYTH 2: DON’T EAT CARBS AFTER 6PM
All the ladies out there are constantly stressing about carbs. I promise you, they don’t make you gain fat, and this silly myth that eating carbs after 6pm will make you fat is nonsense! Just like fats, carbs are a thing that many people think they need to avoid when burning fat. But it’s not actually true!

Carbohydrates are another thing that many people fear and tend to avoid when trying to burn fat.

There is much confusion about good carbs and bad carbs, and when we can and can’t eat them, so I’m going to keep it simple and clear it up for you.

Example: Let’s look at a 500cal pasta dish at 1pm… eating the same pasta dish at 7pm is STILL 500cal!! It does not matter what time you eat your calories, they are still the same calories.

Use carbs to your advantage! So, if you train at 8pm and don’t eat until 10pm, that’s no problem at all. The body needs to be refuelled after you train, regardless of the time, so use this meal to enjoy the carbs you love – you’ve earned them!

Carbohydrates contain fibre, which is also important for good intestinal health and digestion and essential for brain function.

What are your thoughts on supplements and are there any that you believe are especially important?

There are so many opinions about supplements and their benefits. The truth is that often dysfunction can be more quickly addressed with supplemental support.

People use supplements to help the body regain balance and heal. For example, one of the healing supplements are probiotics. When the body doesn’t have enough healthy bacteria, a probiotic supplement can create microbiome balance within the intestines where sometimes it would be more difficult to regain the same level of healthy bacteria through food alone. I do truly believe that eating real, whole food is the ultimate goal, BUT in the case of people who are transitioning, depending on the supplement, it can get them closer to that goal.

I myself don’t really use any supplements other than protein powder and caffeine. A lot of supplements out there don’t actually have sufficient evidence-based data to prove they actually work, and in my opinion, are a waste of money. The only supplements with any substantial proven benefit (based on current research) are protein powders, caffeine, creatine, and HMB. If you don’t eat fish much, there are fish oil supplements. Whey protein can raise levels of essential amino acids in the bloodstream much higher than can other food sources of protein, making it an important supplement for bodybuilders. Creatine: not much can be obtained in food, and supplementing helps build strength and muscle and even promotes a longer life.

The goal is to acquire nutrition through whole food sources. We need to recognise that transitioning into eating a whole food diet takes time and effort.

Do you have any nutrition hacks?

Divide and Conquer:
Pinpoint which meal is giving you the most trouble and focus on fixing that first. If you find you are skipping breakfast regularly, set your alarm clock five minutes earlier and incorporate a variety of quick and healthy breakfasts such as overnight oats into your repertoire. If you find yourself eating a lot of takeout during the day, start packing lunches the night before.

Keep Staples on Hand:
Stock healthy staples like brown rice, lentils, quinoa, and canned salmon, tuna, or sardines in your pantry. Also super handy to keep greens in your refrigerator and veggies in your freezer for quick and nutritious meals in a flash. Using whole, local ingredients means you have to do less to make them taste delicious, ultimately saving you time in the kitchen. That’s a win for me!

Cook Once and Eat More:
Don’t overwork yourself! Get into the habit of making extra brown rice, quinoa, or lentils while you’re preparing meals so you have those ingredients on hand as a quick and easy add-on to any other proteins and vegetables you prepare later in the week.

Memorise the Healthy Meal Formula: P+F+C:
Know what you need for a balanced meal before you start to prepare your health journey. Include a lean protein, a (preferably) leafy vegetable with healthy fats, and a complex carbohydrate. Apply this formula to your favorite foods and you’ve got a balanced meal.

Zip It Up:
Pre-portion single servings of healthy snacks such as almonds, edamame, and whole-grain crackers into zip-lock bags. Then when it’s time to pack your lunch or satisfy a mid-afternoon hunger fix, you’ll have exactly the right amount at your fingertips, and you won’t end up mindlessly snacking.

Did you always want to be work the health/fitness industry?
As a teenager and young adult, I struggled to accept my body and love it for what it was. I always wanted to be “skinny” or like the women I viewed on social media. I have tried every fad diet under the sun. Did it work ? Yes! I lost weight rapidly but I was also extremely fatigued, moody, depleted and struggled to be social at events filled with food I wasn’t “allowed” to eat. This was NOT sustainable and the moment I stopped, my body bounced back to square one.

I was uneducated and thought I was doing the right thing to look a particular way. To me I believed carbs were the enemy.

I wanted to educate myself the right way and invest in getting a fitness/nutrition coach.

From here I was shown how important food is and how with the right training and food group consumptions, I could transform and get the body “I want” not what everyone else has.

After a huge transformation, I felt 100% confident and worked hard to develop self-love. From here, I started bodybuilding competitions in 2019 and competed in back-to-back shows. It allowed me to dedicate my time and energy on transforming my body the way I wanted and feel beautiful in my own skin without comparing myself to others.

Competing also taught me about goal setting, how to invest in myself the right way and what I am capable of when I am invested in myself vs when I wasn’t/invested in others.

I did however push myself too fast and not take all the changes/adjustments gradually. It made me ill and I was in hospital for quite some time. This was definitely my reality check-wake up call. Enough was enough!

I decided to invest in myself again and study Nutrition. I wanted to use my experience and knowledge to change the way women think a perfect body should look like.

I also wanted to create sustainable weight loss the RIGHT way. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice the food you love. You can eat all the food you love in moderation and I am here to show women how!

Do you have a morning routine?

I’m the type of person that doesn’t like change haha! So my morning routine is the same EVERYDAY!
Wake up bright and early and the first thing I do is make my bed!

“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. Making your bed will [reinforce] the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right.” – U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McCraven

From here I either make myself a coffee (this is a must) or go get a coffee at my favourite cafe Coffee Guru, sit and reply to emails/enquiries. If I am at home drinking my coffee, I will crank up some music after and get myself ready for the gym (I love listening to music while I get ready…. it pumps me up and gets me ready to have a killer session).

Can you tell us about your “Empowered” program?

My 12 week Empowered program is all about teaching women how to eat the food you love and lose weight without the FAD diets or restrictions.

This program is for you if you are ready to say goodbye to:
– Feeling frustrated that you are not getting results after dieting so hard and restricting yourself of what you can eat.
– Having a constant urge to binge because you feel like you can’t eat your favourite food.
– Continuously feeling guilty whenever you eat something that isn’t part of your “plan”
– Always comparing yourself to the girls you see on social media and start to feel confident, sexy and empowered in your own skin.
– Gain a better understanding of nutrition, how to have a flexible diet when dining out & improve your relationship with food.
– Improve your sleep and have more energy to function in everyday life: at uni, at work

My application form is in the link in my Bio on Instagram (@nutrafitbyrosanna)
I want to show you that you can eat the food you love and lose weight!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love going for an early morning drive to the coast – Especially Paradise Point , getting a sneaky coffee, going for a nice walk, sitting by the water, soaking up the sun. I always LOVE to catch up with friends and family.

What are your top 3 priorities for anyone wanting to lose weight?

Importance of order to losing weight:
1. Calorie deficit
2. Exercise, sleep, and recovery (although I would argue that sleep and recovery is just as important as a calorie deficit!)
3. Supplements

Too often, the first question new clients will ask me is: “What protein powder should I buy?” Or “Which fat burner do you recommend?”
And while supplementation is important, this is only the tip of the pyramid when it comes to fat loss. We are disregarding the foundations of what truly matters:
– A calorie deficit
– Exercise
– Sleep
– Recovery

So before spending your money on supplements – ask yourself if you have addressed your nutrition, exercise, sleep, and recovery. Too often, I see women spending so much money on fat burners before considering that their lack of nutritional knowledge and training should be addressed first and foremost.


We are headed towards Christmas – what is your best advice for people who are trying to be conscious of what they eat when it comes to the big Christmas lunches/Christmas dinners etc?

Consistently managing your nutrition plan during the regular year requires enough focus as is, but when it comes to Christmas lunches/dinners, it can be particularly challenging. My first piece of advice here is to allow yourself to relax and to not take things too seriously on this day. Wanting to remain consistent with your muscle building and fat loss goals is understandable, but don’t lose sight of what the holiday season is really all about: kicking back and enjoying time with your friends and family.

If you heavily restrict yourself and begin obsessing over every single calorie going into your mouth, all you’ll be doing is adding a huge layer of additional stress to all of your social events and family gatherings that honestly doesn’t need to be there. It’s ok to have one day off! I’m not saying go overboard and eat until you are going to explode! You can enjoy eating with your friends and loved ones but eat until you’re satisfied (not busting at the seams). Remember, one day won’t ruin your progress.

I used to restrict myself even when I was on a break from competing in bodybuilding comps. I thought to myself, I don’t want to look back on my life years from now and go over the things I might have done differently, tracking macros on Christmas Day with greater accuracy probably isn’t going to make the list.

I do however recognise that everyone is different and has different goals and perspectives. If you are prepping for a bodybuilding comp close to Christmas time, then I suggest you have a chat with your coach and see what they can recommend. How you choose to handle your nutrition at this time of year is ultimately up to you and will depend on your personal situation.

If you don’t have a strict goal/comp coming up, my tip for you is to find a reasonable middle-ground. In other words, this means allowing yourself to relax and loosen things up nutrition-wise, enjoying favourite Christmas food and maybe a sneaky beverage without unnecessary guilt, but at the same time being conscious of what you’re doing and not going too far overboard with it.

If you’re currently in a cutting phase and are trying to lose fat, one good approach is to simply treat the holidays as a 1-2 week “diet break” where you eat roughly around your calorie maintenance level or in a small surplus.

This isn’t going to negatively impact your results (even if you do eat in a surplus, a good portion of those calories will be diverted to lean muscle growth as long as you continue to weight train), and if you’ve been in a deficit for a while then a diet break can be a useful tool to give you a nice physical and mental reset.

Also keep in mind here that your losses in body weight will ultimately come down to your average calorie intake over the course of a few days or the week as a whole as opposed to your calorie intake in individual blocks of 24 hours.

Fat loss is not immediate “on/off” switches, and it’s your total net energy balance in the larger picture that will determine your overall results. So, if there are certain days where you know your intake will be particularly high, one option is to simply lower your calories slightly on the surrounding days in order to balance things out.

You can find Rosanna on Instagram here for some super uplifting content daily.