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Elina Basaraba
Founder of FITNELLO
Transformation Specialist
Macro Nutrition Expert
Master Personal Trainer with 14+ years of experience
Elina Basaraba is a women's fitness and nutrition coach, founder of Fitnello Fitness, and a certified ISSA Master Trainer and Nutrition Specialist. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from UC Davis and is based in Rocklin, California.
Elina became a transformation coach to help women who are sick and tired of yo-yo dieting, all-or-nothing approach, and starting over every Monday. Through her proven complete system, macro-friendly nutrition for lean physique, and mindset-first approach, Elina helps women finally achieve results they can sustain. And it all came out of her own personal struggle she faced for almost 20 years.
In 2019, Elina launched Fitnello Fitness, a boutique fitness studio dedicated to empowering women through strength training, proper nutrition, and sustainable lifestyle changes. Fitnello offers personalized training programs, group classes, and nutrition coaching, both in-person and online. Elina's approach emphasizes the importance of consistency, balance, and mental well-being in achieving long-term fitness goals.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Elina is a devoted wife and mother of two. She is also actively involved in community initiatives, including organizing events to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
In her own words Elina shares her story from the beginning:
"My journey started at just 13 years old. That’s when I became deeply aware of my body and the perception to “fix” it because i thought my weight was too much for a 13 year old girl. I still have the journals I wrote in at 13, 14, and 15 — page after page of frustration, failed diets, and a constant sense of defeat.
By 16, I was nearly 50 pounds overweight, despite years of trying to desperately lose the weight.
I had already cycled through every fad — slim teas, zero-carb days, infomercial workouts, starvation phases. The harder I tried, the more I gained. I wasn’t just stuck physically — I was stuck mentally.
At 14, I believed the only way out was knowledge. I told myself I would become a registered dietitian so I’d never struggle with weight again. And while I didn’t end up in a formal dietetics program, I followed that obsession all the way through college — majoring in Psychology at UC Davis, but taking every class I could in nutrition, kinesiology, physiology, and anatomy. I needed to understand how the body works — not just for others, but for myself.
But it was in late 2009 that everything changed.
I was a sophomore in college when I signed up for my first weightlifting class — and it was love at first lift. I had finally found something that didn’t feel like punishment… it felt like power. Around the same time, I stumbled across Zuzka Light on YouTube — back when home workouts on YouTube were almost unheard of. Her workouts were intense, real, and addicting.
I followed them consistently for 10 weeks — and for the first time ever, I was getting in shape and loving the way the process of getting FIT felt.
I felt alive in my body. Strong. Capable. Excited to train.
That spark inspired me to start my first blog in late 2009, where I posted my workouts, my full days of eating, and beginner recipe creations. It was the early version of what we now call “fitness influencers” — only with no filters, no apps, just raw passion and WordPress.
Then in December 2009, everything shifted again — I found out I was pregnant with our first son.
But I didn’t stop. I pivoted.
Throughout all of 2010, I dedicated myself to learning everything I could about weightlifting. I became a regular on Bodybuilding.com — especially their old-school fitness forums, where users would post their meals, workouts, and transformations. I was hooked. I didn’t train much during pregnancy, but I studied like my life depended on it.
So when my son was born in September 2010, and I returned to UC Davis in January 2011 after maternity leave, I was ready.
I walked back into the weight room with a fire in me I had never felt before. And from that moment on, I never missed a workout. I was consistent, focused, and obsessed — but in the healthiest way possible.
That was the beginning of my true transformation.
And now, more than 14 years later, I’m still showing up with the same fire — only now, I help other women light their own.
My interest in bodybuilding and clean eating started in 2009. I became deeply fascinated with the idea of building muscle, sculpting definition, and using food as a powerful tool — not just for weight loss, but for creating a strong, confident physique. I was hooked by the discipline, the structure, and the transformation it promised — both inside and out.
By 2012, that passion evolved into something tangible. I started creating macro-balanced recipes and sharing them on Instagram through a page I called Beach Body Kitchen, along with a blog where I wrote about nutrition, mindset, and healthy eating. Long before “macros” were mainstream, I was experimenting in my kitchen and building meals that supported both my body and my goals.
Then in fall of 2014, I took on my biggest challenge yet: my first 14-week bikini competition prep.
I followed it through completely — the training, the cardio, the meal plans. But when the time came to step on stage, I backed out. I didn’t feel ready. Still, I had pushed my body to the limit — and got stage lean. I had never seen that version of myself before.
But instead of empowerment, it triggered deep body dysmorphia.
What I saw in the mirror became my new standard — and anything less felt like failure. For the next three years, I spiraled through rebound weight gain, obsessive behaviors, and a low-grade eating disorder I didn’t even recognize at the time. At that time my mind was so messed up instead of working through my unhealthy relationship with food and understanding my unhatlhy habits I thought the only way to fix the problem is get into another bikini competition prep, and that digged even a deepr hole for me and delayed my true progress.
During that phase, I stopped doing what once made me feel whole. I stopped creating recipes. I gave up the kitchen for the rigidity of meal plans that told me exactly what to eat and when — even if I hated it.
I lost my joy. I lost my freedom. I lost me.
What healed me wasn’t a new diet.
It was returning to the passion I had abandoned.
I went back to the kitchen. Back to flavor, balance, creativity — and building meals that felt like mine. I rebuilt the very system that once brought me peace… and made it even better.
That was the foundation of FITNELLO Nutrition — the method I now teach to women who are done with extremes and ready for lasting transformation."
She got stage-lean — 9% body fat — but it came at a high cost.
Her first prep triggered body dysmorphia, food obsession, and a low-grade eating disorder. For years, she bounced between shows, clinging to competition prep as the only path to feeling in control of her body. But the aftermath of every show brought emotional chaos, extreme rebounds, and deep self-doubt.
It wasn’t another program that healed her — it was her own creativity with food.
Through her recovery, Elina began creating macro-friendly recipes that helped her reconnect with food, enjoy her meals, and still see results. Over time, she built out more than 300+ sustainable, delicious meals and full meal plans, which became the heart of FITNELLO Nutrition — her proven system for real-life fat loss that lasts.
Today, Elina’s clients don’t just count macros — they change their mindset, master consistency, and build bodies they love without giving up the foods they enjoy. Her signature 5 FIT Rules create structure without obsession, while her deeply personal coaching helps women rewrite their entire relationship with food and fitness.
And she’s open about it all: her battle with body image didn’t stop in her teens. Her mid-20s through early 30s were filled with internal battles and healing work — which makes her coaching not only effective, but deeply compassionate.
If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and thought, “Why can’t I figure this out?” — Elina built FITNELLO for you.
This is not a quick fix. This is a system. A lifestyle. A new identity. And Elina will walk beside you the whole way.
"I didn’t become a transformation coach because it was trendy.
I became one because it was my destiny. It was my calling.
Because for most of my life…
I was the woman desperately trying to lose weight — and somehow gaining more.
My journey started at just 13 years old. That’s when my awareness of my body became inescapable. I remember it vividly — not just in memory, but in the actual journals I still have to this day. Page after page from 13, 14, 15 years old… filled with frustration, defeat, and this relentless question:
“Why can’t I lose the weight?”
I spent the next 2–3 years doing what most girls do — chasing quick fixes.
Starving myself, cutting out entire food groups, following fad diets, copying routines from infomercials and magazines… believing if I just tried harder, it would finally work.
But it didn’t.
Instead of getting smaller, I got heavier.
All that effort — the restriction, the shame, the “starting over” every Monday — only dug me deeper into the hole.
By 16, I was at my heaviest — nearly 50 pounds overweight, mentally drained, physically uncomfortable, and completely lost on how to fix it. At 14, I thought I found the answer: I’d become a dietitian. I believed if I could learn the science behind weight loss, I’d never struggle again. And while I didn’t go on to get a degree in dietetics, the passion stuck.
I majored in Psychology at UC Davis, but took as many classes as I could in nutrition, anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology. I needed to understand the body. Not just for a grade — for freedom.
After college, I got certified in personal training, sports nutrition, and transformation coaching through ISSA — and that’s when my life started to shift.
In 2014, I finally SIGNED UP to do my first NPC Bikini Competition
I had dreamed of doing it since 2009, but early motherhood and a full-time college schedule put that dream on hold.
Now, with my two boys — ages 1 and 4 — I finally did it.
I reached 9% body fat. Stage-lean. Magazine cover material.
But behind the tan and abs? I was the most emotionally and mentally unhealthy I’d ever been.
That prep triggered a wave of body dysmorphia, disordered eating, and the belief that unless I was prepping, I wasn’t good enough.
I began cycling through show after show, thinking that was the only path to feeling confident.
Until one day… I walked away from it all.
What saved me wasn’t another show.
It was my kitchen.
I started creating macro-friendly meals — food that supported my goals, felt satisfying, and most importantly… didn’t feel like punishment.
I launched an IG page in 2012 called Beach Body Kitchen, where I began sharing recipes before “macros” were mainstream. I built a community. And more importantly, I built freedom — one meal at a time.
Today, I’ve developed over 300+ recipes, self-published 4 cookbooks, and turned my story into a complete transformation system now known as FITNELLO Nutrition.
What makes my coaching different?
I don’t just give you a meal plan and tell you to “stick to it.”
That’s the easy part.
What I really do is help you understand why you haven’t been able to stick to it — and build the habits, mindset, and structure that make it effortless.
My 5 FIT Rules are the foundation.
My macro-based system is the tool.
But the real secret?
I coach the psychology of weight loss.
Because information alone doesn’t change lives.
Identity does.
What I do today
At FITNELLO, I help women completely transform — not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.
Whether you're a burned-out dieter, a busy mom, or a high-achieving woman who's constantly starting over, I coach you through:
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Sustainable fat loss (without extremes)
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Macro-friendly meals that taste amazing
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The 5 FIT Rules to create effortless structure
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Training programs tailored to your body
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Emotional tools for binge triggers, self-sabotage, and inconsistency
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A high-touch coaching experience that changes who you are — not just how you look
I’ve lived every phase of this journey.
And now I’ve built the exact system I wish I had back then.
If you’ve ever said, “I know what to do… I just can’t stay consistent” — I built this for you.
This is the last time you’ll need to start over.
This is the program that works — because it’s real, human, and built on the truth of what women actually need to succeed.
Let’s finally get you the results you’ve been working so hard for — and never give them back.