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"Supermodels don't eat''

healthypelican
healthypelican Posts: 215 Member
edited November 16 in Debate Club
I used to think main stream/catwalk models existed on apples and cotton balls. It seemed like they didn't eat, growing up in the 90s.

I've been on MFP for a while now and have read many transformation stories. I've seen people with fantastic figures, low body fat and decent muscle tone from people that claim to eat 2000+ calories a day assuming they exercise.

So do models eat a sensible, healthy amount of food? I don't think Victoria Secret models could look that way if they starved themselves. I guess it depends on the type of model.

I'm probably not going to reply to this because I am expecting some heated responses, but I will watch. Sorry!
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Replies

  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    victoria's secret angels eat i'm sure, i know they work out like crazy. tons of cardio, lifting, 2 x per day before a show. but i've read that up to a few weeks before a show they'll do liquid only diets or less than 1000 cal per day.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Super models do eat and most eat healthy diets. They generally avoid resistance exercises other than yoga because they don't want to build muscle but rather stretch and lengthen muscle. They also look extra skinny because they are also super tall which naturally means longer, leaner muscle tone and a taller model will look thinner than a shorter model to the human eye via a sort of optical illusion. They also deliberately dehydrate themselves and fast before a show so their bellies will be as flat as possible. They spray on anti-cellulite, firming spray that tightens up thighs and upper arms while prepping backstage. Many also get contouring body make up on all over to create the illusion of bigger boobs and rounder buttocks, slimmer thighs, defined abs, etc.

    IDK about that...current trend in runway modeling looks like this...

    Thin-model-012.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=305d31439ca663e0e26f384c9fc26960

  • healthypelican
    healthypelican Posts: 215 Member
    edited March 2017
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Super models do eat and most eat healthy diets. They generally avoid resistance exercises other than yoga because they don't want to build muscle but rather stretch and lengthen muscle. They also look extra skinny because they are also super tall which naturally means longer, leaner muscle tone and a taller model will look thinner than a shorter model to the human eye via a sort of optical illusion. They also deliberately dehydrate themselves and fast before a show so their bellies will be as flat as possible. They spray on anti-cellulite, firming spray that tightens up thighs and upper arms while prepping backstage. Many also get contouring body make up on all over to create the illusion of bigger boobs and rounder buttocks, slimmer thighs, defined abs, etc.

    IDK about that...current trend in runway modeling looks like this...

    Thin-model-012.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=305d31439ca663e0e26f384c9fc26960

    Yikes.

    Although my stream of thought is, once you reach a certain weight, you eat to maintain at that level rather than eating to lose weight? So wouldn't they eat 1200 minimum.

    ^Although maybe not that model.
  • Macy9336
    Macy9336 Posts: 694 Member
    Erg I can't embed a picture. But you've posted some no name model. super models include the VS angels. Here is a pic of them
    https://goo.gl/images/smKH5U.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    most models don't tbh. One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia. Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia. 1.1% - 4.2% of females suffer from bulimia nervosa in their lifetime. As many as 10% of college women suffer from a clinical or nearly clinical eating disorder, including 5.1% who suffer from bulimia nervosa. Part taking in looks based sports or professions raises the odds by 20% of those that even admit to having a disorder.
    I used to amateur model and even in that range many who seemed healthy were not. You cannot gage someone's health by looking at them at my "fittest" I worked out 3hrs a day and ate 500-max 1000 cals a day and was 10lbs over what would be considered high fashion catwalk for my height.

    But they still eat very small amounts. I don't know any anorexics who ate nothing at all. You wouldn't be able to function at all on no food.
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    Id argue that real stats are probably much higher than what is reported in my experience. That's not to say every model has an ED but I would confidently say the majority would fall on the disordered spectrum
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    most models don't tbh. One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia. Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia. 1.1% - 4.2% of females suffer from bulimia nervosa in their lifetime. As many as 10% of college women suffer from a clinical or nearly clinical eating disorder, including 5.1% who suffer from bulimia nervosa. Part taking in looks based sports or professions raises the odds by 20% of those that even admit to having a disorder.
    I used to amateur model and even in that range many who seemed healthy were not. You cannot gage someone's health by looking at them at my "fittest" I worked out 3hrs a day and ate 500-max 1000 cals a day and was 10lbs over what would be considered high fashion catwalk for my height.

    But they still eat very small amounts. I don't know any anorexics who ate nothing at all. You wouldn't be able to function at all on no food.

    generally people with disorders will eat small amounts but not always daily. I know most VS models don't eat for 3days before shows, the longest I ever went I think was 3days but I know many who went longer. Even with the small amounts its not healthy.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Super models do eat and most eat healthy diets. They generally avoid resistance exercises other than yoga because they don't want to build muscle but rather stretch and lengthen muscle. They also look extra skinny because they are also super tall which naturally means longer, leaner muscle tone and a taller model will look thinner than a shorter model to the human eye via a sort of optical illusion. They also deliberately dehydrate themselves and fast before a show so their bellies will be as flat as possible. They spray on anti-cellulite, firming spray that tightens up thighs and upper arms while prepping backstage. Many also get contouring body make up on all over to create the illusion of bigger boobs and rounder buttocks, slimmer thighs, defined abs, etc.

    IDK about that...current trend in runway modeling looks like this...

    Thin-model-012.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=305d31439ca663e0e26f384c9fc26960

    Yikes.

    Although my stream of thought is, once you reach a certain weight, you eat to maintain at that level rather than eating to lose weight? So wouldn't they eat 1200 minimum.

    ^Although maybe not that model.

    Not if they're anorexic.
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member

    I agree and it's not healthy. Just clearing up the misconception that anorexics never eat. I had an argument on here the other day with someone who was convinced that anorexics never ever eat (only bulimics eat apparently) and didn't believe me when I said they do even though I am a mostly recovered anorexic who went through inpatient and day hospital refeeding programs. They definitely don't eat a healthy amount but not absolutely zero. [/quote]
    oh I've not experienced anyone who thought they literally never eat anything.. not to say there aren't cases where that happens leading up to hospitalization and/or death but yea that would have been an odd discussion to be in I didn't mean to seem as though I was suggesting all anorexics literally never eat. thanks for clarifying the misunderstanding as well.
  • kmcfran
    kmcfran Posts: 1 Member
    Dont forget age in there. A 16yo or even a 23yo can stay thin while eating the same amount as an older woman of same height and weight. I know that at 36 i def need to eat less, where in my teens and 20s i just snarfled up anything in front of me with no consequence. Some (more rare) people also can eat tons more without weight gain, possibly by having a higher body temp. The army discovered this in the 50s. So, age and genetics. In addition to restraint.
  • Macy9336
    Macy9336 Posts: 694 Member
    I know a very successful male model who is also a recovered anorexic. He says the industry definitely has triggers for anorexics with the obsession of being slender but he has a personal nutritionist and a therapist that support him. He is at a BMI of 18 and says that over half of models are at that BMI and any who are just below that are working on gaining weight. He also mentioned a French law that requires a health certificate and that he keep his BMI at 18 to work in France. A BMI of 18 is the lowest BMI in the healthy range...so even supermodels cannot be a single BMI into the underweight range the way the industry is going if they follow in Frances footsteps. Compare to the 1960s model Twiggy who had a BMI of 15. Compare also to plus size models who have very overweight BMIs to obese BMIs...Ashley Graham is borderline obese at a BMI of 29.7 (30 is start of obese range) and Tess holliday has a BMI of 42.9...almost morbidly obese. any low healthy weight model will look underweight put next to these medically overweight and obese models.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    edited March 2017
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Super models do eat and most eat healthy diets. They generally avoid resistance exercises other than yoga because they don't want to build muscle but rather stretch and lengthen muscle.

    You're not going to lengthen muscle without some fairly radical surgeries. Clothing model aesthetic is a living, walking clothes hanger.
  • Macy9336
    Macy9336 Posts: 694 Member
    CipherZero wrote: »
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Super models do eat and most eat healthy diets. They generally avoid resistance exercises other than yoga because they don't want to build muscle but rather stretch and lengthen muscle.

    You're not going to lengthen muscle without some fairly radical surgeries. Clothing model aesthetic is a living, walking clothes hanger.

    Please read the attached MIT article on stretching and the lengthening reaction. The muscle as a whole does not lengthen but the muscle fibres within each muscle do lengthen...making the appearance of the muscle flatten out and look leaner overall as opposed to building muscle by contracting it which shortens the muscle fibres resulting in the appearance of the muscle to become more "cut."

    Yes you have to be really good at yoga to get max benefits of stretching like teacher level..but many models are actually certified yogis. Rainbeau Mars for example. But that is no different from fact you need to be really good at bodybuilding to get your muscles to be cut/ripped etc. Stretching exercises vs contraction exercises affect the muscles differently and the results are different types of equally muscular bodies.
    http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_2.html#SEC17
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    CipherZero wrote: »
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Super models do eat and most eat healthy diets. They generally avoid resistance exercises other than yoga because they don't want to build muscle but rather stretch and lengthen muscle.

    You're not going to lengthen muscle without some fairly radical surgeries. Clothing model aesthetic is a living, walking clothes hanger.

    Please read the attached MIT article on stretching and the lengthening reaction. The muscle as a whole does not lengthen but the muscle fibres within each muscle do lengthen...making the appearance of the muscle flatten out and look leaner overall as opposed to building muscle by contracting it which shortens the muscle fibres resulting in the appearance of the muscle to become more "cut."

    Yes you have to be really good at yoga to get max benefits of stretching like teacher level..but many models are actually certified yogis. Rainbeau Mars for example. But that is no different from fact you need to be really good at bodybuilding to get your muscles to be cut/ripped etc. Stretching exercises vs contraction exercises affect the muscles differently and the results are different types of equally muscular bodies.
    http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_2.html#SEC17

    That article doesn't say anything about altering the length of the muscle itself.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Erg I can't embed a picture. But you've posted some no name model. super models include the VS angels. Here is a pic of them
    https://goo.gl/images/smKH5U.

    LOL! No retouching done there at all! ;)
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    CipherZero wrote: »
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Super models do eat and most eat healthy diets. They generally avoid resistance exercises other than yoga because they don't want to build muscle but rather stretch and lengthen muscle.

    You're not going to lengthen muscle without some fairly radical surgeries. Clothing model aesthetic is a living, walking clothes hanger.

    Please read the attached MIT article on stretching and the lengthening reaction. The muscle as a whole does not lengthen but the muscle fibres within each muscle do lengthen...making the appearance of the muscle flatten out and look leaner overall as opposed to building muscle by contracting it which shortens the muscle fibres resulting in the appearance of the muscle to become more "cut."

    Yes you have to be really good at yoga to get max benefits of stretching like teacher level..but many models are actually certified yogis. Rainbeau Mars for example. But that is no different from fact you need to be really good at bodybuilding to get your muscles to be cut/ripped etc. Stretching exercises vs contraction exercises affect the muscles differently and the results are different types of equally muscular bodies.
    http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_2.html#SEC17

    That is talking about how to become more flexible. When you try to stretch to touch your toes but can't? That's because of the thing you linked. The muscle works against you stretching it too far. It has nothing to do with how your muscles look while relaxed.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Super models do eat and most eat healthy diets. They generally avoid resistance exercises other than yoga because they don't want to build muscle but rather stretch and lengthen muscle. They also look extra skinny because they are also super tall which naturally means longer, leaner muscle tone and a taller model will look thinner than a shorter model to the human eye via a sort of optical illusion. They also deliberately dehydrate themselves and fast before a show so their bellies will be as flat as possible. They spray on anti-cellulite, firming spray that tightens up thighs and upper arms while prepping backstage. Many also get contouring body make up on all over to create the illusion of bigger boobs and rounder buttocks, slimmer thighs, defined abs, etc.

    May I ask how you 'know' all of this?

  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    CipherZero wrote: »
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Super models do eat and most eat healthy diets. They generally avoid resistance exercises other than yoga because they don't want to build muscle but rather stretch and lengthen muscle.

    You're not going to lengthen muscle without some fairly radical surgeries. Clothing model aesthetic is a living, walking clothes hanger.

    Exactly, considering muscle has fixed points due to its "job".

    Muscle will stretch out if someone rather sedentary starts working out, but it is quite minimal.

    Muscle lengthening has been debunked as a myth over and over by well known professionals in the field.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    From clientele I've trained who were former models, my understanding is the industry is built around VLCD. But that's anecdotal. For all I know it could also include bulimia.
    I DO know that many professional dancers and professional jockeys have eating disorders after watching a documentary on it a few years back on HBO.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C1xnm7rhz0


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • Macy9336
    Macy9336 Posts: 694 Member
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    CipherZero wrote: »
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Super models do eat and most eat healthy diets. They generally avoid resistance exercises other than yoga because they don't want to build muscle but rather stretch and lengthen muscle.

    You're not going to lengthen muscle without some fairly radical surgeries. Clothing model aesthetic is a living, walking clothes hanger.

    Please read the attached MIT article on stretching and the lengthening reaction. The muscle as a whole does not lengthen but the muscle fibres within each muscle do lengthen...making the appearance of the muscle flatten out and look leaner overall as opposed to building muscle by contracting it which shortens the muscle fibres resulting in the appearance of the muscle to become more "cut."

    Yes you have to be really good at yoga to get max benefits of stretching like teacher level..but many models are actually certified yogis. Rainbeau Mars for example. But that is no different from fact you need to be really good at bodybuilding to get your muscles to be cut/ripped etc. Stretching exercises vs contraction exercises affect the muscles differently and the results are different types of equally muscular bodies.
    http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_2.html#SEC17

    That article doesn't say anything about altering the length of the muscle itself.
    . I know...I was just saying that what I wrote was just referring to the muscle lengthening process whereby the muscle fibres are lengthened...so I didn't choose my words exactly correctly..was just trying to explain what I meant better.
    Macy9336 wrote: »
    Super models do eat and most eat healthy diets. They generally avoid resistance exercises other than yoga because they don't want to build muscle but rather stretch and lengthen muscle. They also look extra skinny because they are also super tall which naturally means longer, leaner muscle tone and a taller model will look thinner than a shorter model to the human eye via a sort of optical illusion. They also deliberately dehydrate themselves and fast before a show so their bellies will be as flat as possible. They spray on anti-cellulite, firming spray that tightens up thighs and upper arms while prepping backstage. Many also get contouring body make up on all over to create the illusion of bigger boobs and rounder buttocks, slimmer thighs, defined abs, etc.

    May I ask how you 'know' all of this?
    I have a professional photographer friend in London. She's tells me about the weird tricks of the trade when we gossip. :)

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    most models don't tbh. One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia. Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia. 1.1% - 4.2% of females suffer from bulimia nervosa in their lifetime. As many as 10% of college women suffer from a clinical or nearly clinical eating disorder, including 5.1% who suffer from bulimia nervosa. Part taking in looks based sports or professions raises the odds by 20% of those that even admit to having a disorder.
    I used to amateur model and even in that range many who seemed healthy were not. You cannot gage someone's health by looking at them at my "fittest" I worked out 3hrs a day and ate 500-max 1000 cals a day and was 10lbs over what would be considered high fashion catwalk for my height.

    But they still eat very small amounts. I don't know any anorexics who ate nothing at all. You wouldn't be able to function at all on no food.

    generally people with disorders will eat small amounts but not always daily. I know most VS models don't eat for 3days before shows, the longest I ever went I think was 3days but I know many who went longer. Even with the small amounts its not healthy.

    I'm curious to know how you know so much about what VS models do and do not do as far as eating habits.
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