‘Survivor’ 49 Winner Reveals Pre-Show Fasting Routine
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Survivor 49 season finale.]
Survivor 49 winner Savannah Louie took her pre-show training seriously.
The former news anchor emerged triumphant in the December 17 season finale, taking home the show’s $1 million prize after an intense season that saw her dominate the competition. (Among Louie’s accomplishments? Tying the record for the most individual immunity wins by a woman in one eason.)
During her Survivor season, Louie relied on her skills as a journalist to build relationships and get information while also displaying some seriously impressive strategic skills. But her road to victory began before she ever arrived in Fiji, as she trained her body to withstand Survivor’s tough conditions.
‘Survivor’ 49 winner Savannah Louie fasted, cut sugar ahead of filming
A few days before the Survivor 49 finale, Louie took to Instagram to share how she prepared to compete on Survivor.
“My Survivor prep included multi-day fasts, no sugar/caffeine, and no water until I finished my workout,” she wrote. “But I actually do feel like it kind of worked.”
In an accompanying video, Louie explained that she fasted for between 48 and 60 hours while doing “pretty intense work outs.” She made sure her diet consisted of mostly whole foods, and she cut alcohol in addition to sugar and caffeine.
“About three months before I headed out, I began this routine that sort of was based on one big fast at the beginning of the week … My goal with this was, OK, maybe it will help almost mimic what you’re going through when you’re playing Survivor and you’re not getting a lot of nutrients out there, and I’ll be used to working out in a very exhausted, depleted state,” she said. “Now that I say that, it actually sounds insane.”
‘Survivor’ star challenged herself ahead of filming
Louie took her pre-Survivor regime seriously. Her routine involved eating a regular meal on Sunday nights, followed by workout (usually hot yoga). Then, she’d do two workouts on Monday and one workout Tuesday. At that point, she either eat again on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning following another workout.
While she didn’t drink water while working out, she did make sure she didn’t deplete her body too much during her fasting days.
“During my fast, I’d make it a point to have electrolytes,” she explained. “I feel like that was super-important for anyone who’s fasting, whether it’s for Survivor or not. And outside of my fast, I would eat whatever the hell I wanted.”
While Louie gave herself permission to eat freely on non-fasting days, she wasn’t chowing down on McDonald’s or ice cream.
“I do really like whole foods, so my diet was pretty healthy,” she said.
About a month before leaving for Fiji, Louie ramped up her restrictions. Completely cutting caffeine, alcohol, and sugar, explaining that she didn’t want “to hit the beach and then feel this withdrawal from not having these things that my body is used to.”
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