Lifestyle Health Kate Upton Says She's 'Still Not Confident in a Bathing Suit' and Isn't Losing Weight for Her Wedding Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Kate Upton says she's "still not confident in a bathing suit," and isn't losing weight for her wedding By Julie Mazziotta Julie Mazziotta Twitter Julie Mazziotta is the Sports Editor at PEOPLE, covering everything from the NFL to tennis to Simone Biles and Tom Brady. She was previously an Associate Editor for the Health vertical for six years, and prior to joining PEOPLE worked at Health Magazine. When not covering professional athletes, Julie spends her time as a (very) amateur athlete, training for marathons, long bike trips and hikes. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 18, 2017 04:13 PM Share Tweet Pin Email With three Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers under her belt, Kate Upton is no stranger to wearing a swimsuit. But the model says she isn’t a fan. “I’m still not confident in a bathing suit!” Upton, 24, tells Yahoo! Style. “That’s why you eat healthy and work out, to feel your best. You always have struggles. It’s not like I always feel my best. Everybody has moments where they don’t feel confident in a bikini … When I don’t feel my best, that’s OK.” Upton — who has spend the last year focusing on building up her body and strength with trainer Ben Bruno — says she was often pushed to lose weight by modeling agents. Kate Upton/Instagram “Honestly, because coming from the fashion world, weight — when I first started modeling — was very important. How much you weighed, how much you needed to lose, whatever it was,” she says. “[Agents] insinuated, always.” RELATED VIDEO: Kate Upton Lands Third ‘Sports Illustrated’ Swim Cover: ‘I Have a Completely Different Mindset About My Body’ But she didn’t bother agonizing over her weight, then or now. “I’m not trying to be fit for a number on a scale,” Upton says. “Whenever I’m happiest, I try to maintain that. I don’t need a number.” Which is partly why the model says she’s not focusing on losing weight for her upcoming wedding to her fiancé, Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander. Upton says she doesn’t restrict herself. “Anytime you take something away, you’re always going to miss it and want it,” she says. “I try to eat healthy and work out and keep up a healthy lifestyle. But if I want a treat, I allow myself that freedom.” Plus, with intensive workouts five to six times a week, Upton says she has a little wiggle room with her diet. “I weight train, which also really helps raise my metabolism and gives me the ability to enjoy food.”