Jillian Michaels Sells Out...

Sad. 

I don't care about celebrities. I don't know much about Jillian Michaels at all, but she's just in EVERYTHING right now... Magazines, shows, etc. But she seemed (NOTE I SAID SEEMED!!) fairly "real". I always liked reading articles, etc. that she had a hand in, because she seemed to have a very logical, sensible approach re weight-loss and exercise.

(She gives advice like I expect to find, here in the good ol' halls of CC.)

Tonight I saw her plugging "miracle" weight-loss supplements.

(And to further prove what a nutter I am, I actually yelled at the telly, "No, no, NO, NOOOOO, Jillian. Don't sell out like THIS. Please, for the love of God, not like THIS!!" And my beau's sitting there going, "What? Who is this woman? What's wrong?") *lol*

I'm SO disgusted at the moment. Not because I care one way or the other what this woman does on any "real" level, but because she's SUCH a guru for so many (other) women who are going to buy into that expensive crap and... Ugggh. I'm pissed. Up to this point I thought she might be relatively genuine.

I guess everyone really does have their price, huh? Just ONCE it'd be nice to see someone get their 15 minutes in the limelight and NOT sell out.

and what would they do for the rest of the time, you say sell out but I dont want to alarm you but thats their job, to sell a product to make money. You seem surprised by this. and bothered by it..  thats quite surprising.

who is this chick anyway?  maybe i don't want to know.

Made her name with a fitness video/system called "30 day shred" - which is actually quite good, despite the fact that it won't let me skip past the 5 minute intro explaining the "exclusive 3-2-1 system" (I pretty much got the gist of it after the 1st time...)

She has some other videos out, and with her success, I guess she's branching out.  Apparently she has endorsed a particular brand of treadmill.

I don't watch that much TV, and I haven't heard about the supplements, but I can't say I'm surprised.  Eh - just pay attention to the stuff you like.

I understand that it may seem silly to some to feel betrayed, but Michaels was one of only a very few high-profile fitness gurus who emphasized the prime importance of exercise and lifestyle change in losing weight and keeping it off.  For her to endorse diet pills is a complete 180, and I must agree with the OP in being disappointed. 

Original Post by akela9:

 ...that she had a hand in, because she seemed to have a very logical, sensible approach re weight-loss and exercise...

Um, have you ever actually seen her show? logical and sensible aren't exactly the words that come to mind. 

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by akela9:

 ...that she had a hand in, because she seemed to have a very logical, sensible approach re weight-loss and exercise...

 

Um, have you ever actually seen her show? logical and sensible aren't exactly the words that come to mind. 

What? Expecting 15lb weight loss/week and making highly overweight people do jumping jacks on an unstable surface (as if their knees aren't enough at risk already) isn't logical and sensible?

(Santo skipped that she's also one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser)

Despite the crazy stuff they do on the biggest loser... I was pretty icked out by the fact she started peddling diet pills also.

Lame.

I was annoyed by this too. Her endorsing diet pills sucks, I actually used to like her...oh well.

Loosing wieght is hard work and determiniation. There is no easier way then that to get yourself in shape. Sorry to see her pushing pills.

At the end of the day, Jillian Michaels is a celebrity, and most celebrities will do what it takes to make a buck.  Plus, she's human.  People make bad choices!  Life goes on.

Original Post by corvuscorax:

I understand that it may seem silly to some to feel betrayed, but Michaels was one of only a very few high-profile fitness gurus who emphasized the prime importance of exercise and lifestyle change in losing weight and keeping it off.  For her to endorse diet pills is a complete 180, and I must agree with the OP in being disappointed. 

Yes, this was sort of where I was leaning. She's not MY guru, but she is a role-model for lots of others, and I always thought she seemed fairly sensible. I've only read articles, etc. I've not seen the Biggest Loser. So as I admitted from the get-go, I'm not all that familiar with her. But what I have read, etc. seemed okay. Until the diet pills, that is. 

wow, she's pushing diet pills now, for serious?

that's sad. And I had respect for her, too.

Good article:

http://deceiver.com/2009/08/03/biggest-loser- trainer-jillian-michaels-hawks-diet-pills/

I yelled at the TV too.  I don't necessarily agree with people losing 15lbs in a week but at least the show advocates diet, exercise, and commitment.  Seeing her endorse diet pills makes me sick.  Sell out is not a strong enough term for her.  She is using her "power" for evil instead of good...

I always thought she was a crazy bit**

I know I just said ignore, but out of curiosity, I looked up the products in question at GNC, and I have to ask:  What is the difference between "maximum strength" and "EXTREME maximum strength"? (other than there just being more pills in the "extreme" version, or the implication that one formula is for people who aren't "messing around.")

However, the "triple process body detox" is really what just lowered my opinion of her.  Detox....pphhhffffth

She still has good workout videos.

Below is Jillian's response...

First off, this isn't an endorsement deal. It's MY line. It was my idea and I created the products with the top bariatrics doctors in the world. And I do mean the world. These are some of the same doctors I have been working with for years to help me with my Biggest Loser contestants and my books — especially Master Your Metabolism. I have ALWAYS been an advocate of supplementation. Not as a total solution, but as a means to accelerate weight loss, and enhance your performance in every aspect of your life be it metabolic, immunity, antiaging and so on. For reference, you can take a look at Making the Cut (pp. 251-262), where I talked about which supplements work and which don't. In my latest book, Master Your Metabolism, I talked about natural ingredients that can boost metabolic function, like caffeine, vitamin C, and zinc. For years I have advocated the use of caffeine and white willow bark to increase performance in the gym and speed metabolism. I have recommended fiber blends to help curb appetite. I have referred people to different multivitamins, fat burners, protein powders, bars, drinks, etc.

The problem for me was that every line out there has stuff in it I don't like. There are artificial colorings in the gel caps, or artificial sweeteners in the protein powders. There is soy in all the protein bars. Often the ingredients in the supplements aren't combined properly so they are not effective and so on. There is NOTHING, and I do mean NOTHING, harmful in these products. They are all natural. Have a look at the ingredients: Calorie Control: Yerba Mate leaf, Coffee (bean) Extract (Coffea arabica) - standardized to 70% natural caffeine ,Guarana (seed) Extract (Paullinia Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) ** Fat Burner: White Willow (bark) Powder (Salix alba), Grapefruit (fruit) Extract, Bitter Orange (fruit) Extract , Blood Orange (fruit) Extract, Sweet Orange (fruit) Extract, Coleus forskohlii (leaf) Extract, Forskohlin , Tribulus terrestris (root) Extract - standardized to 20% steroidal saponins ) - caffeine Cocoa (seed) Extract

All Natural stuff, no drugs, no chemicals. They even have the perfect amount of caffeine. No more than 200 mg so you won't release stress hormone. Caffeine when supplemented properly has MANY health benefits. It improves cognitive function, fights Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, helps insulin resistance, reduces risk of liver cancer, and speeds metabolism by up to 6%. If you don't believe me check out this link  http://www.coffeesage.com/archives/2008/02/go od-news-on-coffee-from-oprahs-dr-oz/

With all that said, you still MUST eat right and work out. This stuff is just meant to support your body while training and accelerate your results. Ok, that’s all for now.

Just in case anyone was inclined to believe that line of . . . marketing, please recognize that something extracted from a plant is exactly as much a chemical as something made in a lab.  You take the plant into the lab, you manipulate it, you expose it to (gasp!) chemicals and out come the chemicals from the plant.  It's NOT all-natural.  She's not just grinding up coffee beans here, folks!

/rant off

Original Post by susiecue:

Just in case anyone was inclined to believe that line of . . . marketing, please recognize that something extracted from a plant is exactly as much a chemical as something made in a lab.  You take the plant into the lab, you manipulate it, you expose it to (gasp!) chemicals and out come the chemicals from the plant.  It's NOT all-natural.  She's not just grinding up coffee beans here, folks!

/rant off

And just to add, all-natural does not mean something is healthy, or effective, or even safe to take. 

It may be 100% natural and organic, but so is cobra venom.

 Though I can well believe it's been put together with the help of the same people who assembled that incoherent mess of misinterpreted research called "Master your metabolism".

I'm extremely disappointed by this! Of course she wants to make money on her celebrity status, hence the books, appearances etc. and I absolutely don't blame her for that, but pills!  She was always the one to tout hard work, and no short cuts. I am really bummed out to see Jillian peddling this garbage. I was really hoping that it was another case of some company stealing her image, but I guess not.