Meet Our Team
Lili Semon- Nutritionist & Health Coach
I am a certified nutrition and health coach. I am originally from Texas and I received my undergraduate degree in Human Health & Development at the University of Texas. During my studies, I discovered sports, nutrition and fitness at my University's weight room. Prior to lifting weights, I struggled with disordered eating patterns and had a strained relationship with food and my body. Like many, I found myself caught in an exhausting cycle of fad diets, excessive cardio, and food restriction - a path that led to zero long term results and left me feeling mentally and physically drained.
Once I started strength training and powerlifting, I began to view food differently - not as an enemy, but as fuel for progress and success in the gym. This shift reignited my passion for cooking and helped me develop a healthier relationship with nutrition. As I focused more on how my body performed rather than how it looked, I felt stronger and more empowered than ever before.
Working with exceptional coaches, I've since participated in multiple competitions, using nutrition strategically to bulk up, cut down, or maintain my weight based on my goals. Through this journey, I've learned to balance my nutrition free of restrictions, achieving a sustainable and enjoyable relationship with food and my body. My personal experiences have fueled my passion for helping others approach food and fitness differently, guiding them towards lifelong, sustainable results.
While I’m not in the gym or coaching, you can find me running around Prospect Park with my dog Benny, playing my cello, volunteering at CityHarvest, cooking or reading!
Let's work together to transform your relationship with food and fitness, helping you achieve your goals and feel amazing in your own skin!
Gabriel Cosma- Nutritionist and Strength & Conditioning Coach
Growing up, I was always a large kid. I distinctly remember weighing 75 lbs in kindergarten. Despite healthy eating at home and leading a very active, athletic life as a kid, my weight always perplexed my pediatricians and they used to weigh me on multiple scales in disbelief. Fast forward a couple decades and although I was still quite active, I weighed nearly 300 lbs. It was then that I decided to take my health more seriously. Having grown up competing in fighting, I knew training in combat sports would be an easy way for me to get back into exercise.
I hit the ground running, training 6 days a week and setting MyFitness pal to help me lose an astronomical amount of weight in a very unrealistic amount of time. The tracking app spit out 1,765 daily calories and so 1,765 calories is what I ate for the next year and a half. In that first year I lost 50 lbs, then the weight loss stopped. No matter how much I exercised and how little I ate, the scale wouldn’t budge. I was beyond frustrated. I had so much initial success, I thought I knew what I was doing. My coach at the time suggested I get blood work done and look into my testosterone levels and sure enough, they were low…super low. I dove deeper into learning about nutrition and began a reverse diet, my body was primed and ready and I regained 25 lbs in a few months (not what I planned). My testosterone began returning to normal levels and I was able to begin a safer, educated attempt at weight loss. Nutrition and health is a lifelong journey and to this day I’m still learning how to eat in a healthy, sustainable way, listening to my natural hunger cues and allowing myself to enjoy food!
During that saga, I became an avid gym goer, competitive amateur boxer and most importantly- a coach. I trained hobbyists, amateur boxers and professional fighters before making the switch to becoming a certified nutritionist. I have always been passionate about nutrition, having personally experienced many of the challenges myself. I look forward to the opportunity to help you reach your goals, whether it’s weight loss, habit change or athletic performance. Together, we will come up with a tailored nutrition plan, avoiding the dieting pitfalls I have experienced!
Outside of coaching I enjoy cooking, photography, backpacking, and running with my dog. Currently training as a hybrid athlete which combines strength training and endurance training, I’m working to improve my times in shorter distances, including 1-Mile and 5k.