Supermodel’s Viral Transformation Credited To “Year-Long Training Camp,” But Fans Aren’t Buying It
Adriana Lima is being compared with herself again, and this time the photos are years apart.
A 2023 image of the supermodel, taken months after she welcomed her son Cyan, is now being placed beside her dramatically different 2026 appearance.
The contrast has left fans debating how much of the change can be explained by pregnancy, postpartum weight loss, intense training, and time away from the spotlight. Others, however, remain convinced there is more to the transformation.
“She’s stunning,” one fan wrote, while another insisted, “That woman’s face has completely changed.”
The 2023 photograph being compared with Lima’s latest appearance came during a very different period of her life
Lima welcomed her son Cyan with film producer Andre Lemmers in August 2022. At the time, Lima was already a mother to daughters Valentina and Sienna from her previous marriage, while Lemmers had two children from a previous relationship.
Together, they became a family of five children.
By November 2023, Lima was photographed at the premiere of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes in Los Angeles.
Her face appeared noticeably fuller in the photographs, and social media immediately began dissecting her appearance.
Some people accused her of having fillers or undergoing a facelift. “She had a facelift, and it’s still swollen.”
Others defended her, pointing out that she had recently given birth and was still dealing with the physical changes of pregnancy.
Lima herself addressed the criticism with a makeup-free selfie.
“The face of a tired mom of one teenage girl, two pre-teens, one active boy, a 1-year-old learning to walk, and three dogs … thanks for your concern,” she wrote in her Instagram Story.
She later explained in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia that she had been surprised by the attention.
“I was like ‘that’s not me,’” Lima said about seeing the red-carpet photographs. “Everything was strange because I don’t see myself like that.”
She also made it clear that she didn’t want to hide getting older.
“I am not 16 years old. I started modeling at 16, but I will never be 16 again,” she said. “I’m 42, and I’m the happiest I’ve been; the happiest with myself. I embrace my age, and I will not change for anyone.”
Now, fans are comparing that 2023 image with Lima’s 2026 appearance and seeing an enormous difference.
Lima spoke directly about what happened to her body after pregnancy
In a 2024 Vogue España interview, she said, “I usually gain quite a lot of weight during pregnancies,” explaining that when the online controversy happened, she had “just had a baby” and had other priorities.
She also explained that exercise after Cyan’s birth was something she did for herself.
“I trained a lot, then I did weights and cardio,” she said, adding that she also enjoyed infrared saunas several times a week.
That matters when you look at the 2023 and 2026 photographs side by side.
The 2023 image captured Lima during a period when her body was still adjusting after pregnancy. The 2026 image, meanwhile, comes after years of continued training and a much longer period of recovery.
Rather than trying to erase the changes caused by pregnancy immediately, Lima stepped back and gave herself time.
She was also balancing motherhood with a demanding career. Her son was still a baby when the 2023 criticism exploded, and she was raising a large blended family at the same time.
Lima’s intense fitness routine consists of battle rope, strength work, and core exercises
Her fitness routine has included boxing, battle ropes, jumping rope, strength work, core exercises, and other high-intensity training.
She has worked with Dogpound founder Kirk Myers, who has described her as one of the hardest-working supermodels he has trained.
“She is known amongst the supermodels for having the hardest workouts,” Myers told Vogue.
Lima has also been closely associated with Dogpound as an ambassador and investor.
She previously said, “I am at the gym every day. Or if I’m not at the gym, I’m working out somewhere, like in my bedroom.”
She has also described working out six days a week with one day off.
Yaklaşık 1 yıldır spor kampında olan ve haftanın 7 günü antrenman yapan Adriana Lima, gençlik yıllarındaki fit görünümüne geri döndü. pic.twitter.com/FXUaK8791m
— Gossip Magazin (@gossipmagazinn) September 20, 2026
Her workouts also included boxing for cardio and coordination, resistance training to rebuild muscle, and core and pelvic-floor work following pregnancy.
Elsewhere in the interview, she explained that she has always enjoyed training and that exercise makes her happy rather than being something she does because she feels forced to lose weight.
Her diet also centers on nourishing food, including lean proteins, vegetables, healthy fats, and carbohydrates such as oats, quinoa, and sweet potatoes.
When it comes to recovery, she has spoken about using infrared saunas, stretching, rest. and sleep.
Lima returned to the Victoria’s Secret runway in 2024 after stepping away from the brand’s shows for several years
Besides the VS runway, Lima also returned to high-fashion runway work, including Schiaparelli’s Spring/Summer 2025 show in Paris after a lengthy absence.
Earlier this year, she also received a Fashion Comeback of the Year award.
The internet, however, remained focused on Lima’s face.
Some viewers credited her transformation to the weight she lost after pregnancy and the intense training that followed.
“How much it’s been exaggerated,” one person wrote, arguing that Lima had been pregnant and that her weight-loss process naturally took time. The commenter added that it was “obvious she’d return to normal self” and dismissed the idea that a “miraculous cosmetic surgery” was responsible.
Another person slammed the criticism Lima received over her pregnancy weight, writing, “The weight she gained… she was pregnant. You’re disgusting.”
“Wasn’t it a bit cruel to call those in the pregnancy period ‘fat’?” another asked.
Others, however, were not convinced that her training and weight loss fully explained how different she looks in the two sets of photos.
“Only those who say she’s just slimmed down have myopia 9.25 or what; that woman’s face has completely changed…” one person wrote.
Another declared, “Adriana Lima in 2026, my point is: PLASTIC SURGERY MATTERS!!”
“Queen, this can’t just be the result of a 1-year sports camp,” another commenter said.
One person similarly argued, “This isn’t surgery or losing weight either… only very rich know what it is.”
“I wonder what she got done,” wrote one netizen
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