★FitStars: Jillian Michaels Talks Back
Jillian Michaels, isn’t just a tough trainer from The Biggest Loser. She’s a bestselling author (check in tomorrow for a review of her book) and now has her own upcoming show on NBC, Losing It with Jillian. Now Jillian is jumping into the nutritional waters, introducing a line of weight-control supplements. She says she’s always been an advocate of supplements for boosting metabolic function and supporting weight-loss, and she took matters into her own hands to help make a product that is made with natural ingredients.
While the FBGs always take our multivitamins to be on the safe side, Jillian’s supplements—dubbed the QuickStart Rapid Weight Loss System—are aimed at appetite control and fat burning. Always skeptical journalists, we went to Jillian herself to get the scoop. While she ducked some of our juicy Biggest Loser questions, she gladly gave us her thoughts on her new supplement system.
- FBG: Why did you feel the need to create a supplement line?
- Jillian Michaels: I’ve been doing this for a lot of years. As many people know, before I became a successful TV trainer, life coach and author, I was just another overweight kid with low self-esteem. So believe me, I know what being overweight is all about. But I took the necessary steps to change my life. I finally overcame, and I wanted to help make it possible for others to do so. For quite some time I’ve been searching for compounds that would help overcome the two greatest pitfalls to successful weight loss: first, not having the willpower to actually reduce your caloric intake (follow a diet plan); and second, not seeing and feeling results quickly enough to motivate you to continue toward a healthier life. My new products are designed to cut through all the diet jargon and help you get the results you want.
- FBG: What makes your supplement line different from what’s currently on the market?
- JM: In the first place, they actually work! As you likely are aware, there are a lot of fly-by-night companies in the weight-loss business. But I wouldn’t put my name on a product unless I truly believed in it and in its quality. The compounds we use are proprietary and unique, and the extractions are the purest available. That may not sound that impressive, but you truthfully can’t get this quality and composition of ingredients anywhere else in the world. In making effective, natural weight-loss formulations, the important thing is the active compounds have to be as pure as possible, and be the same compound or herb as in the published studies showing them to be effective. AND the extraction process must be the same high quality as used in the clinical studies. Quality control is therefore extremely important. Putting all of these things together is a time-consuming and very exacting process.
- FBG: Because supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA, how are you ensuring that your supplements are effective, natural and safe?
- JM: Because of my TV connections, I’ve been lucky enough to have access to some of the best bariatric scientists in the field. Over the past few years, I’ve spoken personally to some of the leading experts in the field of obesity from around the world. I know what the problems are, and kept on asking the experts, “Are there any natural compounds that will really help reduce caloric intake and help withfat burning?” The experts I spoke to kept on pointing to these two formulations (the Calorie Control and Fat Burner compounds). So I read about them, asked around, read the studies, spoke to more experts, and I firmly believe these are the absolute best natural compounds to help people who want to lose weight.
- FBG: Should most people who are trying to get fit or drop some pounds take supplements? Do they need to if they’re eating healthy and hitting the gym?
- JM: You know I’m going to tell you that exercise is extremely important, for two reasons: First, it makes you look good. Exercise tones your body and helps give you attractive muscular structure and curves. This boosts self-esteem and makes you want to keep doing it. Second, exercise makes you healthy. It’s good for you. There is simply no substitute for regular strenuous exercise (if you’re in otherwise good health). Interestingly enough, overweight people often have more muscle mass because they’ve built up muscle to carry around all that extra weight. The key is getting rid of the excess fat hiding what could be a rock hard, lean, trim body underneath. And in many cases you simply can’t exercise your way to significant weight loss. That begins with caloric restriction. That’s where my new Calorie Control supplement comes in. It helps reduce your caloric intake automatically, so you’re actually dieting without feeling like you are. As you lose the excess weight, you start looking and feeling better and want to keep working hard. Plus, exercise becomes easier as you start to drop excess pounds and get lighter.
A big thanks to Jillian for breaking it down for us. Hopefully we can get youback in the FitStars hot seat so we can askour burning Biggest Loserquestions! Be sure to check back tomorrow for more Jillian content, including a review of her book, Master Your Metabolism, and her latest DVDs. —Erin
Comments
of course i just went to her site, and low and behold, none of the items (except the cleanse) has how many tablets are included in the purchase price, with the “fat burner” the ingredients are pretty simple, but taking 4 tabs a day, how many days worth are in there for $40? i am seeing a red flag, just like most “fat loss” products….eat right and exercise peeps, take your supplements to assure you are getting the nutrition your body needs and be healthy
unfortunately, Jillian is getting sued over one of her supplements, and i think it’s total and complete crap. these people that expect a miracle pill to overpower their lazy attitude toward getting fit and losing weight disgust me.
love that you readers are honest and intelligent. anything worth going after will take heart and some awesome dedication. no quick fixes!!!
Jillian is only getting sued cause she is rich and famous. That is what class action lawyers do. They basically blackmail and extort money from people all day long. I guarantee the cases will all get dismissed.
I’m neither surprised nor disappointed that Jillian is getting sued. Personally, I find it appalling that someone in her position of reach and tremendous influence would resort to chasing revenue streams by endorsing useless supplements. For starters, supplementation flies directly in the face of her “I was a fat kid once” story, since it’s highly unlikely she achieved her level of fitness using anything but healthy food, discipline, and exercise. Second, I find it reprehensible and utterly irresponsible for someone like her–with a virtual soapbox and huge captive audience–to avoid preaching the virtues of those three components. Everyone knows–even the supplement manufacturers themselves–that there is no magic bullet to lose weight, improve health, and reduce the destructive effects of obesity. But criticizing the few consumers who are ignorant to this fact rather than the person in a position of knowledge, influence, and power is equally irresponsible. If she wants to continue being known as a superstar trainer with extensive knowledge, innovative techniques, and a track record of maximizing results, perhaps she should focus on selling the things that actually do work for healthy fat loss rather than the things that will make her a quick buck. Money lasts only a short time, your reputation lasts forever.
I love Jillian, but I am wary of the supplements. She is everywhere right now and that smacks of selling out an just trying to make money. I can’t say that is exactly what she is doing but beyond who she is as a person, her name has become a brand and she is lending it out everywhere.
I saw Jillian’s special on PBS. In her own special she says you don’t need special supplements. Hmmm…..
Yeah, yeah, yeah, like I believe ANYTHING she says! She is just out to make a buck!
Thank you so much for doing this interview with her! It doesn’t change my opinion that these supplements are just the same as every other one on the shelf, but it’s really nice to see this Q and A and hear what Jillian Michaels has to say about this. You asked some great questions.
I like the 30 day shred dvd. It’s a really awesome workout and it’s FUN to do. But all of the rest of this stuff- supplements, The Biggest Loser, etc- is just NOT something that I approve of as far as it being “healthy”. But that’s just my $0.02 🙂
despite that i don’t agree with her hawking pills, it still boils down to personal responsibility. something that lacks a lot in society and A LOT in the fitness department. folks equate skinny with healthy, exercise with looking perfect and everybody throws health out the window. they are more concerned with weight loss and expect appetite pills to keep them from eating. PHYSICAL hunger is different then EMOTIONAL eating and there is no pill,surgery or fitness plan in the world to keep people from using food as rewards,comfort, and to hide baggage.
if people would stop looking for the quick fix and the easy way out, pills and highly risky surgeries wouldn’t even be the huge industry it is. fitness is about health and strength, not looking model perfect or to be the most beautiful. what will that get you if you have no strength or still not healthy?
i do hope jillian will come back to her sense and keep hawking clean eating habits and exercise and activity as her supplements instead of pills. JMHO!
I still don’t understand how she doesn’t see the cognative dissonance between what she preaches on Biggest Loser (
o short cuts) and her coming out with this supplement line with such misleading names….
love Jillian, love what she does, and I’m constantly referencing “Master Your Metabolism” … but this just reeks scam like any other gimmick supplement. It’s like a civil war going on in my head. I know a girl’s gotta make a living…but really??
I used to completely distrust supplements, and completely trust the advice of Jillian. I thought she always advised a very sensible and healthy approach of diet and exercise and emotional fixes and it taking a lot of hard work to lose weight. But now? I just can’t reconcile the incongruity of Jillian shilling supplements. I don’t know what to think anymore…