Dietitian-LedNutrition.
Registered-dietitian-led coaching built around your actual life. Whether your goal is performance, fat loss, or simply eating better without the confusion — you get a personalized plan, real accountability, and a coach who adjusts as you progress.
Sophia Contreras is a registered dietitian and co-owner of CrossFit Trussville. Her approach is clinical, individualized, and practical — built around the way real people actually live, not theoretical meal plans that fall apart in week two.
- Registered Dietitian (RD) credential
- Performance nutrition for CrossFit and HYROX athletes
- Chronic conditions and medical nutrition therapy
- Disordered eating and recovery support
- Fat loss, body composition, and sustainable habits
- Available to members and non-members
The DifferenceA dietitian is not
a nutrition coach.
Most gyms offer "nutrition coaching" from a personal trainer with a certification. CrossFit Trussville has a registered dietitian — a clinical credential that requires a four-year degree, supervised clinical practice, and a national licensing exam. Sophia Contreras, RD can work with chronic conditions, clinical presentations, and medically complex situations that a nutrition coach cannot. If you've been given generic advice that hasn't worked, this is different.
RD is a protected credential. Not anyone can use it. It requires a bachelor's degree in dietetics or nutrition, 1,200+ hours of supervised clinical practice, and passing a national board exam. This is what you're getting at CFT.
No cookie-cutter templates. No one-size-fits-all macros. Your plan is built around your goals, your medical history, your schedule, your food preferences, and your lifestyle — then adjusted as you progress.
Sophia works with performance athletes, fat loss clients, and individuals with chronic conditions or complex medical nutrition needs. She also works with members recovering from disordered eating patterns.
The ScienceMost people have no idea
where they actually burn calories.
Everyone thinks it's the workout. It's not. Your workout accounts for 5–15% of your total daily calorie burn. The other 85–95% comes from three things most people never think about and all three are directly influenced by what you eat, how you sleep, and how you live. This is what Sophia builds a plan around.
What Sophia Actually Works OnYour resting metabolic rate
has more levers than you think.
Your resting metabolism accounts for 50–70% of every calorie you burn. It's not fixed. It's directly influenced by at least a dozen variables and most of them are addressable through the right nutrition strategy. This is what separates a registered dietitian from a generic meal plan.
Poor sleep suppresses metabolism, spikes hunger hormones (ghrelin), and blunts the hormones that signal fullness (leptin). Even two nights of poor sleep can meaningfully increase appetite and reduce fat oxidation.
Even mild dehydration (1–2%) slows metabolic rate and impairs the body's ability to burn fat efficiently. Optimal hydration keeps cellular metabolism running at full capacity.
Muscle burns significantly more calories at rest than fat. Building and preserving lean mass — through the right protein intake and resistance training — is one of the highest-leverage moves in any fat loss plan.
Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which promotes fat storage (particularly in the abdomen), drives sugar cravings, and disrupts sleep — creating a compounding cycle that makes fat loss significantly harder.
Higher body fat relative to lean mass means a lower metabolic rate per pound of bodyweight. Improving body composition — not just losing weight — raises your resting burn and makes maintenance easier over time.
Chronic low-grade inflammation — often driven by diet — taxes the immune system and redirects metabolic resources away from fat oxidation. Anti-inflammatory nutrition is a core part of any serious metabolic strategy.
Thyroid function, insulin sensitivity, estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol all directly regulate metabolic rate. Nutrition is one of the most powerful tools available for supporting hormonal balance.
Eating too little suppresses metabolism through adaptive thermogenesis. Eating too much stores fat. The right calorie level — and the right macro split — keeps metabolism elevated while driving fat loss.
MacrosYour body burns calories
just digesting food.
Not all calories work the same way. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat each digest differently, burn differently, and do different jobs in your body. Getting the ratio right — for your goals, your activity level, and your preferences — is the difference between spinning your wheels and making real progress.
Protein has the highest thermic effect of any macronutrient — your body burns 20–30% of its calories just digesting it. It preserves lean muscle during a calorie deficit, drives satiety, and supports recovery. For most people, hitting protein targets alone produces significant body composition changes.
Carbohydrates are your body's preferred fuel source for high-intensity work. Timed and portioned correctly, they support performance, recovery, and energy without driving fat storage. The type and timing of carbs matters more than the number alone.
Dietary fat is essential for hormonal health, brain function, and fat-soluble vitamin absorption. It also drives satiety — keeping you full between meals. The goal isn't to minimize fat; it's to hit the right amount of the right types.
Who We Work WithEvery goal is
a different plan.
Sustainable fat loss that preserves muscle, maintains energy, and doesn't require misery. Sophia builds plans that work with your training program — not against it — so you lose fat without sacrificing performance or consistency.
Fueling for CrossFit, HYROX, endurance events, and competition. Periodized nutrition that matches your training load — so you have the energy to perform, the fuel to recover, and the protein to adapt and get stronger.
No race on the calendar. No specific goal. Just wanting to feel better, have more energy, and understand what you're eating. Sophia builds education and habits that stick — not a 30-day challenge that falls apart in month two.
Diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, thyroid conditions, and other chronic health issues require clinical nutrition expertise — not general wellness advice. As an RD, Sophia can provide medical nutrition therapy where appropriate.
For clients working through a difficult relationship with food, Sophia provides a safe, non-judgmental, clinically grounded approach that prioritizes health and wellbeing over aesthetics or performance metrics.
Nutrition coaching at CFT is available whether or not you're a gym member. You don't need to train at CrossFit Trussville to work with Sophia. Sessions are scheduled based on your availability.
Former collegiate softball player and CFT co-owner, Candace helps busy women and athletes improve energy, body composition, and confidence through sustainable habits. Her approach is practical, realistic, and built around real life — not ideal conditions.
Former GRID League professional, CrossFit Regionals athlete, and competitive lifter and BJJ athlete, Andrew brings years of high-level performance insight to clients looking to optimize strength, recovery, and body composition. He knows the difference between eating to perform and eating to look good — and how to achieve both.
At your consultation, we'll match you with the right coach based on your goals, your health history, and your needs. Every client gets a personalized experience — not a random assignment.
Also on Our Nutrition StaffTwo more coaches.
Two more perspectives.
In addition to Sophia, CrossFit Trussville has two experienced nutrition coaches who bring real-world athletic backgrounds to their work with clients.
QuestionsAbout nutrition
coaching at CFT.
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No. Nutrition coaching at CrossFit Trussville is available to anyone — member or not. You don't need to train at CFT to work with Sophia, Candace, or Andrew. Sessions are scheduled based on your availability. Contact us directly at info@crossfittrussville.com to get started.
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A registered dietitian (RD) is a licensed healthcare professional with clinical training, a four-year degree, 1,200+ hours of supervised practice, and a national board certification. An RD can provide medical nutrition therapy for chronic conditions and complex health situations. A nutrition coach typically has a shorter certification program with no clinical requirements. At CFT, Sophia Contreras is an RD — the highest credential available in the nutrition field.
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Sessions are scheduled one-on-one at a time that works for you. Your first session is an intake — learning about your goals, health history, current eating habits, and lifestyle. From there, your coach builds a personalized plan and you meet regularly to review progress, troubleshoot, and adjust. The frequency and format are flexible based on what you need.
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Yes — and it's one of the most common goals we work with. Sustainable fat loss requires a caloric deficit, adequate protein, and habits that don't self-destruct after two weeks. Our coaches build plans that account for your training, your schedule, and your food preferences — so the plan actually holds. One CFT member went from 260 to 160 pounds over the course of a year. Results are real when the plan is real.
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Potentially. Registered dietitian services may qualify for HSA or FSA reimbursement, particularly when related to a chronic condition or medical necessity. Check with your HSA or FSA administrator for specifics, or ask Sophia at your consultation.
Ready to understand
what's actually going on?
Book a consultation and we'll match you with the right coach. Available to members and non-members.