Victoria Secret Model Fast to keep shape

Adriana Lima admits to fasting for her Victoria's Secret gig. Photo by Getty Images

Your average diet and exercise won't cut it for the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show—the production costs $10 million and approximately eight million people tune in to watch supermodels strut around in panties so all abs and glutes must look perfect. When models say they have good genes and "eat whatever they want" that's only partially true. Victoria's Secret Angel Adriana Lima has opened up about her extreme dieting tricks prior to a major event that we're sure many other top models may adhere too. Take a look at her routine:

• According to the Telegraph, the 30-year-old Brazilian supermodel has been working out with a trainer every day since August. For the last three weeks she's upped her routine to twice a day.
• Lima also sees a nutritionist who measures her muscle mass, fat fashion, and water retention levels. He gives her vitamins and supplements and prescribes protein shakes for energy. And you can forget that eight glasses of water a day rule—Lima drinks an entire gallon to flush out her system.
• For nine days leading up to the November 29 show Lima will consume absolutely no solids. Only a gallon of water a day and protein shakes which include powdered egg.
• Two days before the show Lima will cut out the gallon of water and just drink a normal amount. And 12 hours before the show Lima will put nothing into her body whatsoever. No water, nada. "Sometimes you can lose up to eight pounds just from that," Lima told the Telegraph.

Sophia Neophitou, the British fashion editor who is chief stylist for this year's Victoria's Secret fashion show equates this route to training for a marathon. "Adriana works really hard at it," Neophitou tells the Telegraph. "It's the same as if you were a long-distance runner. They are athletes in this environment - it's harder to be a Victoria's Secret model because no one can just chuck an outfit on you, and hide your lumps and bumps." It's true—when you have eight million pairs of eyes watching you strut down a runway in revealing lingerie you want to look your absolute best and that doesn't happen overnight. But we're amazed these supermodels don't pass out from hunger, exhaustion, or dizziness on the catwalk!

Still, Lima says all the hard work is worth it since Victoria's Secret has practically made her a household name. "The Victoria's Secret show is the highlight of my life," she told the Telegraph. "Becoming an Angel, once I achieved that, it was a dream come true for me. And I know that after all this is done, when I sit down with my daughter one day, we are going to look back and it's going to be very special."

Hmm. There's no denying Lima is a beautiful woman, but we wonder how a daughter would feel about her mother doing extreme diets and posing for the camera in sexy lingerie? And how would having a hot supermodel mom influence a young girl? With 11 years of being a Victoria's Secret Angel on her resume, perhaps Lima will hang up her wings before her baby girl gets teased about her mom being a MILF.