UrbanUpdate

Since parting ways with WWE in August after a four-year stint in pro wrestling, Natalie “Eva Marie” Coyle has been working diligently to ensure that her post-“All Red Everything” career is as successful as her first one. Over the summer, Coyle appeared alongside Nicholas Cage and Faye Dunaway in her first feature film, Inconceivable, and continues to develop her own clothing line, NEM Fashion. And since years of hectic scheduling often made it tough for her to adhere to a strict diet, the former Total Divas star has figured out a flexible approach to monitoring what she eats. “Nutrition can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be,” Coyle says. “There are certain foods I can eat, and certain amounts of them I can eat. It’s like balancing a checkbook. You budget so you can splurge on something you really want.” We caught up with her to learn more about her love of meal prep services, intermittent fasting, and bacon waffles. Lots of bacon waffles.

GQ: There must be some similarities—being in character and following a storyline—between wrestling and acting. Was there anything about acting that surprised you, though?

Eva Marie: Honestly, they are very similar. In the ring, you’re constantly working out and honing your craft, and you’re doing the same thing with acting, too—taking classes and working with vocal coaches. I think the thing that stands out for me is that in the WWE, we were in a new city every night. When you go to a movie set, though, you get to be at the same location for awhile. I had become very used to not even bothering to unpack my suitcase. Suddenly, it was like, "Oh wow, I get to stay in one place!"

How does that stability help you plan your workouts and meals?

I won't lie—being on the road is difficult, especially when the show ends at, say, 10 o'clock or 10:30 at night. By the time you leave the arena and arrive in the next city, the only places that are still open are fast-food joints. When you're tired and hungry, it’s hard to make smart choices. Working on a movie set makes it easier to plan. You can do it on the road, but it requires some tremendous willpower.

Your former WWE colleagues Seth Rollins and Jinder Mahal have told us that they bring their own foods on the road, or use a meal delivery service. Did you try those out, too?

Yes, I worked with a meal-prep company, which meant I didn't have to think too much about where I would go, or which grocery store had rotisserie chicken, or what restaurant could make me a salad. I was just able to bring food that was already packaged for me. Waiting too long to eat can be a trap, especially after an event. I would eat my pre-planned meals every three hours while traveling just so I wouldn’t hit that "I'm starving" point by the time we arrived at the hotel.

How has being away from the demands of professional wrestling changed your training regimen?

Oh, my workouts have definitely changed. In WWE, I focused more on Olympic lifting. I had to make sure that I was physically able to lift another human being at all times. Now, I’m going for a different, leaner look. High-intensity interval training and Tabata workouts are really good for me, because they prevent me from getting bored, and don't require me to be in the gym for two hours. I can get in, do what I need to do, and get out.

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How long did it take you to develop a process for planning your nutritional intake?

At first, I tried things like inputting fat and carbohydrate and protein grams into my phone, but that really just stressed me out because I was thinking way too much— when all of a sudden, my fats were too high, or I had eaten too many carbs, or my calories had exceeded the number I had in mind for the day. Once I started to take away the pressure to hit an exact amount and instead focused on rough estimates, it started to become less stressful.

Since you’re probably eating less now without the demands of wrestling, what does a typical day of meals look like for you?

It depends, because sometimes I practice intermittent fasting, in which case I won’t have my first meal until around two in the afternoon. If I'm not doing that, though, I’ll wake up and have a protein shake or a veggie egg white omelet. The rest of the day is pretty much salad and grilled chicken. I really love fruit, too, because I have a sweet tooth. I wish that I didn’t, but fruit helps me deal with it.

I do cheat, though. I kind of go by an 80/20 rule. 80 percent of the time, I’m pretty good. Otherwise, I allow myself—especially during the holiday season—to live a little! It’s not going to hurt.

How do you choose when to fast?

I do it about two to three times a week. I have a lot of stomach issues, just from when I was a little kid, and fasting helps with my digestive system. I really enjoy it, but first, see if your body can handle it. A lot of people have trouble because they’re so focused on the idea of "I can’t eat for this certain amount of time," and then they can’t function.

The key for me is making sure I’m taking a branched-chain amino acids supplement. When I'm fasting, I’ll take BCAAs in the morning before my workout, and again afterwards. Doing that helps me avoid feeling tired or lethargic.

Okay, you mentioned you love to cheat. What are some of those vices?

Oh my God, there are so many! I’m Mexican and Italian, so my mom is a fantastic cook. I shit you not, every time I go back home, I gain, like, 10 pounds, just because her food is so hard for me to turn down. Plus, I’m not there all the time, so I give myself a little allowance to enjoy it more.

I’m a sucker for bacon waffles—they’re to die for. And I love banana pancakes. I should just honestly film my cheat day because people would be impressed by how much food I can put down. When my husband and I first started dating, I had just started my WWE tryouts—I think I was in my third week. I went over to his place and he made banana pancakes. I really liked them, so he asked "Do you want another one?" That kept going, and I swear I put down about 20 of them. I was training at the time, but also, they were that good. I do not play around when it comes to cheat days.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.