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I ate and worked out like a Victoria’s Secret model for a week

How to prepare for those 2018 castings from your dorm room

6 years ago | UPDATED 6 years ago

The summer is now approaching and no one can ever be too ready for operation bikini, so I decided to follow every girl's dream of wanting to be just like a VS angel (not even close) by training and dieting like them for a never ending week of sweat and hunger.

But it's definitely worth giving it a shot if by the end you are even that one per cent closer to looking like Adriana Lima.

The strict rules to a VS week are as follows: eating healthy, mainly protein and veggies, and a snack. Working out six days of the week, with one day being rest day. Drinking lots of water – two litres to be precise. Going to bed at the same time each night (11:30 pm should get you around nine hours of sleep), and cutting out alcohol completely, which is kinda a relief to be taking a break from Svedka drinking sprees tbh.

With these rules in mind, I was ready to begin my week!

Day 1

I missed breakfast (I'm a catered student) and really wished I hadn't gone out the night before. No worries, I'll just find something to eat in my fridge. The realisation that all my healthy food shopping for the week was arriving that night hit me. All I could find in the kitchen that fit into my VS diet was an egg belonging to one of my roommates. That would do surely.

Breakfast: Fried egg and green smoothie (apples, pears, kale, and baobab).

Lunch: Sushi and Edamame – I only realised after I ate it that the sushi did not contain brown rice… but Josephine Skriver says that getting those carbs is the most important thing and not to "follow anything strictly" so I'm all in the clear.

It was sooo worth it

Snack: White grapes

Workout: Single-leg bridge (30 reps on each side), outer thigh extensions (30 reps each side), abs with port de bras (40 reps), sweeping lunges (30 reps on each side), single-leg plié with toe touch (30 reps on each side), angel arms (30 reps), grand plié in second position (30 reps).

Then I did an ab workout that consisted of: first position march (4 reps), add twist (4 reps), fifth position lift (4 reps right), pulse (4 reps to the right), fifth position lift (4 reps left), pulse (4 reps to the left), side bend stretch, first position lift (4 reps), add twists (4 reps), hold (for 10 secs), port de bras (left to right), marching abs (4 sets of 8), mountain climbers (50 reps), bicycle crunches (50 reps).

Took around 45 mins

Dinner: Battered fish, peas and corn, and cucumber. An awful mix, I know, but it was the healthiest I could find in the dining hall. After this dinner I was still starving and wished I could have a McDonalds, but I had to stay strong for the challenge and went for an apple instead, and later natural Greek yogurt with honey.

Day 2

All models usually wake up super early in the morning for their daily workout and routine. I followed this advice and woke up at 9am, which counts as 6am really, and was ready to have a healthy breakfast and hit the gym by 10am.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, gluten/wheat/milk free bread – it definitely tastes as good as it sounds.

Workout: Kettlebells (60 mins) – involves getting resistance, core, and cardio all in one as well as toning muscles. I started with 8kg and then changed to 6kg weights.

Post workout snack: Dried mango.

Lunch: Salad (lettuce, spinach and rocket) with unsalted nuts, pears, and blue cheese, kind of like a Waldorf salad, and gluten/wheat/milk free bread.

Snack: Crispy seaweed and smoothie (strawberry, cherry, guarana, vitamin C, B1, B2, B3, B6).

Dinner: Salmon and Caprese salad.

Day 3

Brunch: Avocado on toast with tomatoes, fried egg, and halloumi cheese. To drink, a multivitamin juice.

Snack: Natural greek yogurt with honey.

At 6pm I realised I hadn't drunk any water that day and had to down the whole two litres before going to sleep, which felt like being at pres all over again.

Workout: Body balance (60 mins) – combination of yoga, tai chi, and pilates.

Dinner: Chicken and sweet potatoes.

Day 4

Breakfast: Natural yogurt with granola and honey.

Lunch: Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, and cherry tomatoes. Then as a "dessert" mango.

Snack: Unsalted mixed nuts.

Dinner: Caesar salad. I had to resist the temptation of stuffing my face with pizza and nachos that my friends were eating in front of me. I wished I could give into that greasy food, especially when I went to the cinema afterwards and for the first time couldn't get popcorn and Coke. Only three days left!

Workout: Rest day!!

Day 5

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, potatoes (cause VS models need their carbohydrates!), and natural yogurt with honey, it's becoming a classic.

Lunch: Chicken and sweet potatoes.

Workout: Cardio Combat (60 mins) – Adriana Lima loves it!

Snack: Crispy seaweed.

Dinner: They had chicken burgers at dinner, so ofc I had to have one. But we know how much VS models love their chicken, and besides I had coleslaw with it and broccoli on the side.

Day 6

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, potatoes, and then fat free strawberry yogurt.

Lunch: Vegan wrap (houmous and baby leaf salad).

Snack: Almonds.

Dinner: Vegetable stri fry, and sweet potato and butternut squash soup.

Workout: Bicycle crunches (50 reps) as a "warm up", then I decided to do a circuit that involved of 30 secs for each next exercise: plank, plank jacks, plank, plank jacks, side plank with reach under (right side), mountain climbers (cross-over), side plank with reach under (left side), mountain climbers (cross-over), russian twist with double crunch, jump rope, side plank with reach under (right side), mountain climbers (cross-over), side plank with reach under (left side), mountain climbers (cross-over), russian twist with double crunch, jump rope, arms above head plié squat, plié squat jump, plié calf raise, plié hold, fire hydrant (right leg), roundhouse kick (right leg), fire hydrant (left leg), roundhouse kick (left leg), arms above head plié squat, plié squat jump, plié calf raise, fire hydrant (right leg), roundhouse kick (right leg), fire hydrant (left leg), roundhouse kick (left leg).

Side note: after the first minute my body was already collapsing, just one more day I thought.

Circuit takes 20 mins.

Day 7

Last. Day.

I actually dreamed of eating pancakes with bacon. I can't take eating any more chicken or yogurt with honey.

Breakfast: Porridge with honey, and fat free strawberry yogurt.

Lunch: Avocado on gluten/wheat/milk free bread, fried egg, and smoked salmon.

Snack: Crispy seaweed.

Dinner: Fish cakes, potatoes (probably not the healthiest but it's my last day) and green beans.

Workout: All exercises 1 min – squat, front lunges, side lunges, deadlift, donkey kick right, donkey kick left, hip bridge, leg extensions, flutter kicks, froggy glute lifts, jump rope.

Takes 11 mins – it was definitely enough.