SOMW caught up with Rachel Morgan from Q Models Los Angeles who used to be over 180 pounds most of her adult life! Read on to find out how she got in shape and created the career she desired!
SOMW: How old were you when you started modeling, and in what city?
I was 20 when I started modeling and I started in Philadelphia doing local stuff and then moved to NYC. But my real career didn't start, and by start I'm referring to finding enjoyment in my job, until I was 22.
SOMW: How did you get into modeling?
I went to an open call.SOMW: What was the turning point in your life when you decided to "get in shape?"
I was always heavy all of my life. I remember being a senior in high school and my prom dress being a size 13. At that point I realized to throw away all the crack pot diets and stick to a healthy life style that will later lead to bigger and better things.
SOMW: Was is difficult to stick to a routine?
Strangely no because I made it my life style. a GOOD FRIEND OF MINE WAS A PERSONAL TRAINER SO I DID EXACTLY WHAT HE TOLD ME TO DO AND LOST 20 LBS THE FIRST MONTH. ONCE YOU START TO LOSE WEIGHT, THE FEELING YOU GET WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU HOW AMAZING YOU LOOK IS A MILLION TIMES BETTER THEN THE TASTE OF A CHEESE BURGER. IN AUGUST OF 2004 I GAVE UP FAST FOOD AND HAVENT TOUCHED IT SINCE.
SOMW: Did you have a specific routine you followed to drop the weight? (eating/exercise?) Yes, I worked out in the beginning about 3 times a week doing 30 min of heavy cardio then hitting the weights usually that being 6 different machines doing 3 sets of 25 reps. It is 75 percent diet and 25 percent work out.
SOMW: Do you feel there are any "miracle foods" or supplements that aid in healthful weight loss?
Absolutely not. There is no such thing. People who are looking to lose weight must realize there is no easy way it becomes easy along the way but there no such thing as a magic pill that will make you thin and keep you that way forever. There are diet supplements that work for short periods of time, but I would stay away from those because when you go off them you gain double the weight.
Absolutely not. There is no such thing. People who are looking to lose weight must realize there is no easy way it becomes easy along the way but there no such thing as a magic pill that will make you thin and keep you that way forever. There are diet supplements that work for short periods of time, but I would stay away from those because when you go off them you gain double the weight.
SOMW: How do you feel about the pressures in the modeling industry to maintain a certain size?
I feel them everyday. I eat very well and if I ate french fries or bad food my body would gain weight. My body is naturally a size 10 but i am able to maintain it healthily at a size 4-6. when if first started modeling in nyc i starved myself and stopped working out because i saw all these high fashion girls and wanted to look like them. I became a size 2 doing it the unhealthy way and it diffidently didn't help my career it stopped me from booking jobs because I'm not high fashion, I'm more beauty and commercial and my face had no life in it. I stopped modeling for about six months then started back at the gym and gain muscle tone and started looking like myself again. That's when I signed with Images Model Management in NYC. My bookers there are great people who know the market I'm good for and don't press me to lose weight, they only make me feel confident. This is when modeling became a career for me and that was because i started to enjoy my job and because it made me truly happy. 2 years later I moved to LA where I currently reside and so far the work I've gotten here have been some of the best jobs I've ever done.
I feel them everyday. I eat very well and if I ate french fries or bad food my body would gain weight. My body is naturally a size 10 but i am able to maintain it healthily at a size 4-6. when if first started modeling in nyc i starved myself and stopped working out because i saw all these high fashion girls and wanted to look like them. I became a size 2 doing it the unhealthy way and it diffidently didn't help my career it stopped me from booking jobs because I'm not high fashion, I'm more beauty and commercial and my face had no life in it. I stopped modeling for about six months then started back at the gym and gain muscle tone and started looking like myself again. That's when I signed with Images Model Management in NYC. My bookers there are great people who know the market I'm good for and don't press me to lose weight, they only make me feel confident. This is when modeling became a career for me and that was because i started to enjoy my job and because it made me truly happy. 2 years later I moved to LA where I currently reside and so far the work I've gotten here have been some of the best jobs I've ever done.
SOMW: What advice would you give to aspiring models to achieve their goals?
If there are pressures that are upsetting you one chnage them or 2 get out. Always have a back up plan while modeling is great now you wont always be in your teens or in your twenties. Also not every state is your market, understand that, and move on bigger and better things will come, I'm proof of that.
If there are pressures that are upsetting you one chnage them or 2 get out. Always have a back up plan while modeling is great now you wont always be in your teens or in your twenties. Also not every state is your market, understand that, and move on bigger and better things will come, I'm proof of that.
SOMW: What has been your most exciting job so far?
hmmm a Nike job I did when I first started when I was 20. But recently I did a casino ad with Perice Brosnan which was kind of cool and the Impenena by Gisele Ad I just shot was awesome!! I'm just really excited to have been able to work with some of the amazing photographers that I have here in LA.
hmmm a Nike job I did when I first started when I was 20. But recently I did a casino ad with Perice Brosnan which was kind of cool and the Impenena by Gisele Ad I just shot was awesome!! I'm just really excited to have been able to work with some of the amazing photographers that I have here in LA.
SOMW: What are some of your favorite things do when you are both in front and not in front of the camera? Is modeling the only career you are pursuing at this time?
I always raise my eye brows, it gives the picture more character and makes me appear sexier. As of right now I'm modeling and taking online classes. Im 24 years old and enjoying my career right now and working on another one in school for the future.
I always raise my eye brows, it gives the picture more character and makes me appear sexier. As of right now I'm modeling and taking online classes. Im 24 years old and enjoying my career right now and working on another one in school for the future.
Posts
