What Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models Really Eat Before The Shoot
If you think August is the hottest month of the year, we have some news for you: It's actually February. How is that possible you say? Four words: Sports. Illustrated. Swimsuit. Issue. The SI swimsuit issue always turns up the heat with its seriously gorgeous modeling veterans - Chrissy Teigen, Kate Upton, and Ashley Graham, to name a few - but they also like to feature up-and-comers, often turning rookies into household names. We talked to five of this year's newbies - Kelly Gale, Myla Dalbesio, Danielle Herrington, Bianca Balti, and Mia Kang - to see exactly what they did to prepare for the shoot (and vie for the fan-awarded title of Rookie of the Year).
Shockingly, their diet plans aren't as strict as you'd expect.
When you think of models eating, you probably think of them scrutinizing every ounce of food for its sodium, sugar, and fat content, but the rookies are actually not obsessing over every extra calorie.
"I don't really think about calories," Dalbesio said. "For a long time, I had body image issues, and was calorie-counting constantly, and that's a horrible way to live life," she said.
Kang agrees: "I eat what I want, I love food, and really, life is too short."
None of the models follow a strictly low-carb or low-calorie diet, or any other sort of restrictive eating plan, they said. They just try to eat clean, healthy foods.
Like the rest of us, they shudder at the thought of having something completely banned from their diets. "As soon as I hear that I can't have something, that becomes all I can think of," Gale said.
You definitely won't catch them doing fad diets.
Juice cleanse? No thank you. Herrington said she once gave the lemonade diet (i.e. a concoction made of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup) a try and she "absolutely hated it." Dalbesio agrees that she's "not one of those people who is gonna go on a juice cleanse because [she has] a big shoot."
Instead, she and the other ladies all advocate creating healthy eating habits rather than resort to some popular path to weight loss. Balti, for example, doesn't believe in diets. "It's all about portion control," she said.
The key is consistency (and lots of veggies and protein).
If there's one thing all of the rookies agree on, it's that constantly eating healthy is the only way to stay looking good. "Lean proteins, vegetables and unrefined carbohydrates keep my energy levels up to work and train, and keep me satisfied," said Kang.
Breakfasts consist of avocado and turkey sandwiches (Balti), omelettes with veggies (Herrington), granola with yogurt, berries, and honey (Kang), breakfast smoothies (Gale makes one with bananas, raw cacao, raspberries, and salt, which she says is "literally the best thing on the planet"), and even paleo banana bread (Dalbesio swears by the recipe she found).
Lunch tends to be veggie-centric for all of the models:
Herrington opts for large salads, skipping dressing in favor of apple cider vinegar
Gale goes with shrimp or turkey with roasted veggies, drizzling them with lemon and balsamic vinegar for extra kick
Dalbesio enjoys turkey chili and soups when it's cold outside, including a homemade Mexican soup that has "so much sh*t in it" - all healthy sh*t, though, she assures us
Dinner is a free for all, which can include anything from pasta with tomato sauce (because even Balti can't resist the power of pasta), to a more healthy baked salmon with broccoli (Herrington's favorite). Kang is also a huge fan of zucchini noodles, which she prepares with a little pesto and tofu.
There's no magic trick to shed pounds fast.
Plenty of celebs have cited special tricks to drop a couple pounds right before a big movie or photo shoot, but the SI rookies insist their process is pretty straightforward. "Cut sugars, alcohol - anything processed," said Gale.
Though some stars may skip liquids a few hours before a shoot to look extra cut, the rookies advocated the opposite, with many saying that constantly drinking water was key for them.
"Drink water and keep eating to keep your metabolic rate up, but just eat the right things," Kang said. "It's important to still give your body the calories it needs to function optimally."
Being that good lookin' involves lots of home cookin'.
Choosing a salad over a juicy burger with a side of fries takes some major willpower. That's why these ladies often prefer to stay in and cook for themselves, so they can have full control over what they're eating and how it's being prepared. "I almost always cook my own meals and try to have friends over for dinner, so I can cook for them also," said Gale, who equates staying in with staying healthy.
Dalbesio is also a fan of whipping up her own meals. "I travel so much it's meditative. It's almost like therapy, to come home and be able to spend time in my kitchen and just cook and watch terrible television," she said, proving that models aren't immune to Real Housewives binges.
Healthy snacks are a must.
While preparing for the shoot, the rookies can't just grab something from the nearest vending machine, so they always make sure to have healthy snacks on hand. Balti is a fan of chia pudding, while Herrington opts for edamame. Meanwhile, Gale always keeps stock of her very specific snack, North Shore Goodies Original Coconut Peanut Butter, which she orders from Amazon.
Kang keeps it simple with raw unsalted nuts, while Dalbesio gets a little more creative with her snack. "I make a nut mix of my own, because I just feel like the ones I buy at the store are never exactly what you want, " she said. Her mix includes bits and pieces of leftover nuts and fruits that she's used for other recipes, like roasted almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cranberries, and white mulberries all mixed in a "humungous mason jar."
But chocolate isn't out of the question.
Like all humans, the models do have weaknesses. In the words of Balti, and literally any other human in the world, "chocolate is hard to say no to." She's a big fun of Reese's, Nutella, and Snickers, and she's not alone.
"I get those days when it's my time of the month, where I feel like life will be over unless I eat all the chocolate in the world," Kang said.
Gale's another chocoholic, though she prefers raw or vegan chocolate. "If you haven't tried it yet, you have to go on Amazon right this second and order some," she said. "I can't even begin to describe how good it is. But prepare to get addicted." Consider yourself warned.
Neither is junk food.
While the rookies try to stay healthy most of the time, they cited having one day during the week (generally on the weekend) when they can eat whatever they want - or at least one meal every now and then, as a treat.
So what are the ladies eating on their day off? Apparently, lots of In-N-Out and chips. Herrington, Balti, and Dalbesio all mentioned being big fans of the west coast fast food chain. Herrington even has a very precise meal she likes to get: a No. 3 with no tomatoes, extra onions, animal-style fries and a Dr. Pepper."
Chips are another cheat-meal favorite. "Anyone that knows me knows I could happily replace all meals with bags of chips," Kang said. Her coworkers seem to agree: Dalbesio's big on Sour Cream and Onion Ruffles, and Herrington loves salt and vinegar chips drizzled with sriracha.
They travel with more food than clothes.
The ladies agree that jetsetting between shoots makes it hard to stay healthy, since airport terminals are generally lacking on the healthy food options, so in order to stay fit they often travel with their own healthy meals. Herrington packs bags of chopped veggies with tuna or chicken, and Dalbesio often packs full salads. Gale goes even more hardcore:
"Literally my suitcase is always at least 50 percent food, and out of the other 50 percent, at least 2/3 is workout gear and equipment for working out," she said.
The shoot was actually a time to indulge.
"When you're traveling somewhere new, one of the best ways to experience a culture is trying all of the food," Balti said. When the ladies traveled for the swimsuit shoot they definitely indulged in the local cuisine. According to Dalbesio, the models went on group dinners to some bomb restaurants and got to dine on razor clams and oysters (at a place called Fishalicious, no less).
Sports Illustrated took food requests during the shoot, so the models were well-stocked to keep their energy up throughout the shoot (green juice and tropical fruit topped Gale's requests). It wasn't all lean, healthy foods though.
"Every day I was there I got French fries as an appetizer," Herrington said, adding that the rest of the meal was pretty light.
Home is where their workout is.
Aside from making sure they don't overdo it on fries, the rookies stay in shape by working out pretty constantly (most of them work out 4 to 6 times per week), but you'd be surprised to know that their gym is generally their living room. Herrington is the only rookie to work with a trainer; the rest of the models generally stay fit by using free weights, doing workout videos, or going for a jog.
To keep it interesting, they often mix up their workouts. Kang for example, is trained in Muay Thai, and Gale newly discovered stand up paddleboarding. They also work in small ways to stay active throughout the day.
"Take the stairs, walk instead of a cab[bbing], go for a hike instead of putting on a movie," Kang said. "Changing your mindset about exercise can make a world of a difference."
The advice sounds simple, but it just could land you a spot in Sports Illustrated's pages. After all, it worked for these rookies.
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