Last night Victoria’s Secret taped its highly anticipated annual fashion show, presenting the latest, and most over-the-top, lingerie styles. The brand has an elite team of models, some of the most well-paid, not to mention beautiful, in the industry. This year’s star-studded event will air November 29, and make us immediately regret second helpings of Thanksgiving mashed potatoes.
For the women who model for Victoria’s Secret their bodies are their tools of the trade. They catch a lot of criticism, as much as they do praise, for their long, lean, well-toned bodies. It’s not a look, or a lifestyle, that’s realistic for most women, and with that being said, it shouldn’t be imitated either.
Adriana Lima, one of the Angels, shared how she prepares for one of the biggest fashion shows of the year. Much like bras sold at Victoria’s Secret, her regimen is not one-size-fits-all.
Lima credits daily workouts with a personal trainer for her firm and fit physique. She also increases those workouts to twice daily, like a football player in training, in the final weeks before the event.
While her workouts are commendable, her barely-there diet is as thin as the outfits she dons on the runways. Lima consumes only protein shakes (that include powdered egg), vitamins, and a gallon of water each day while preparing for the fashion show. Two days prior to the show she cuts out the gallon of water, and 12 hours before she stops drinking any liquid at all, which she says is to dry out. “You can lose eight pounds just from that,” she notes.
This is not the first time Adriana Lima’s diet has been openly discussed. She shared just before last year’s show a little more about her fitness and eating regimen, which included boxing, jumping rope and isometric exercises, as well as being closely monitored by her nutritionist to make sure everything is working for her body.
Some of her fellow Angels look just as great but don’t seem nearly as regimented. They raved about the back-stage meal that was prepared by a chef. The models were encouraged to “eat whatever you want before you go on,” and the meal included shrimp, rice, and salad.
One Victoria’s Secret model noted that they need their strength and energy to complete one of this super-charged shows, especially to carry the 30-pound wings that are often mounted on their slender backs.