Yesterday I had a lot of time at home. I had the TV on for a good amount of the day, mostly as background noise. Twice, however, I was called to it when I heard the familiar voice of Jillian Michaels. First, it was on a rerun of the Rachel Ray show. I found that interesting just because. Rachel Ray, who when she add cheese, cheese and more cheese to a recipe, finds the audience clapping and cheering for her. Jillian Michaels who probably hasn’t even eaten a piece of cheese in years. Put em together and apparently you get Jillian plugging her diet supplement. I was uncomfortable with her huge Gucci belt and stiletto heals. Especially when she was doing push-ups and pull-ups. I was much more uncomfortable when everyone in the audience got sent home with a box of her supplements. She also mentioned that this past season was the first that the BL contestants took her supplements and they lost the most amount of weight in the quickest time…I am totally uncomfortable with the RACE to lose weight though again, when it comes to BL, I realize it’s not just a TV show, but also a game — a race. From my experience, supplements aren’t worth taking. They are expensive, they don’t always work and when they do, they often have some not so nice side effects. My experience was with ephedra in the form of Diet Fuel and Ripped Fuel back in the early-mid 90s. For the record, they did give me energy and help me maintain my ideal weight (which was about 10 pounds less than I am now). I also ground my teeth every night, (ruining some) and just about the time I started noticing this, ephedra was pulled from the market because it was just too dangerous. I can’t imagine how many others suffered undesirable health effects.
Later on yesterday, there she was again. This time on a rerun episode of The Doctors. She was a lot more fun on this show, where she competed in some physical challenges with the young, good looking, ER doc. They lunge-raced while holding spoons with a raw egg. His legs were about 3 times the length of hers, so she didn’t stand a chance, but somehow they tied. She sat on the panel and they discussed healthy choices for meals. I promise you that on neither BL nor Losing It, do they really eat some of those healthy, yet fattening foods. Instead, they apparently now take supplements and according to Kai Hibbard, drink coffee as a meal.
Finally, last night, it was Losing It. They were the tallest family I have ever seen. Mom, Dad, 4 sons. All over 6 feet tall. The show focused on the parents and 2 of the sons, while the twins were away at college. Nice family. Stern dad who didn’t believe in showing emotions. It was how his daddy raised him and how he raised his boys. I think this episode was more about that, than weight loss, but somehow, after just one week, Jillian fixed everything. Turns out, she is Superwoman. When she returned in 8 weeks, dad lost 50 pounds, son Elijah lost 56 pounds (and gained all the self-esteem he never had) and mom lost 31. They all looked wonderful and I’ll bet those supplements helped speed things up. If I ate a subway sub for lunch I would need to take a supplement to. Jillian ordered her veggie sub on Italian bread and I don’t for ONE SINGLE MINUTE believe she would really eat it. In fact, I have been told through a reliable grapevine, that she never lets the contestants actually eat the Subway subs, they just do it on the show as product placement advertising. Hey the 50,00o bucks she gives away at the end of the show has to come from somewhere, no?
If I sound a little bitter, I am. I got sucked into these shows because I love to see the transformations. Its one of the things I live for…seeing people adopt exercise and wellness into their lives. I figure there is always something I can learn from them. I just don’t believe in using unhealthy tools to get healthy. It doesn’t really make sense to me. I usually think of supplements in the way I do medications. The makers are really the ones who reap all the benefits. CHING CHING.
I subscribe much more to what the good doctor is saying in The China Diet. I am up to the chapter about obesity, so I look forward to getting back to it this afternoon. So far, every single word this man has said makes great sense. For me, personally, it affirms so much of what I believe to be true. EVERYTHING that ails you, can be made better by choosing whole plant-based foods over anything and everything else. Science has proved time and time again that you can lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, lose weight and avoid or even reverse heart disease, cancer, auto-immune disorders, Alzheimer’s (lets hope) and more by choosing whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables over animal proteins. I always did think Dr. Atkins was the devil. Now I am starting to wonder about Jillian Micheals. Or should I say JillianMichaels.com
Last night’s episode of Losing It felt a lot more real and I saw the empathetic Jillian that I fell in love with several years ago. I think she relates well to kids and I got a sense of respect from Jillian for this family because of their work ethic. She didn’t have to beat them down during the workouts because they just did everything she asked for and then some.
The mom lost 31 lbs in 8 weeks (3.875lbs per week) which is still a lot, but not completely unrealistic, especially at the start of a weight loss program.
Years ago, back in 1997 I think, my doc (at the time) prescribed Phen-Fen for weight loss and I lost 50 pounds going from a size 16 to a size 10 in a few months with absolutely no effort on my part. Of course with no effort on part I could not maintain (because I didn’t know how) and I gained it all back on then some within a year or two.
I’ve had several EKGs since that time and all is well, but who knows if there is damage to my heart that may show up years down the road.
I struggle everyday with my weight and I’ve been gaining a bit – especially now with the broken arm and no real workouts – but I’m trying hard not to beat myself up over it and to make as many good choices as I can.
Carole – Happy B-Day wishes (better late than never – right?)
Rita – glad you’re feeling a bit better. Hope the Aqua class went well and you’ll be able to resume more and more of your regular schedule soon.
I had X-Rays on the fracture a few days ago and the Ortho is pleased with the healing process and with my rehab progress. Currently my arm is mostly sore with the occasional zing when I mistreat it in some way. A few more weeks and then we’ll see where I stand.
Miss TFC and my friends there, but I’m keeping busy with my 3 grandsons in town until Monday.
I became a skeptic of Miss Jillian a while ago. She definitely has an “ego trip” going on. Yes….her clients do get results, BUT I would like to see those same people in a year from now. Can they maintain their healthy life style and continue to lose weigh (without her supplements) or do they revert back to their old ways? I am sure that they gleam some information from her..how much???
As I continue to read The China Study…..it makes so much sense. It is a shame that our country does not open their eyes about good nutrition. I just read today on the internet that obesity is at an all time high. Mississippi was proclaimed “the fattest state.” They name the top ten states……….all in the south. It is time for someone to begin a nation-wide initiative towards wellness and good nutrition in a sensible way. How about it…..BONNI!?!?!?!?? 🙂
Bonni – Your comment “I just don’t believe in using unhealthy tools to get healthy” is one I too subscribe in. I generally believe that people need and should do what makes them happy as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. But this past weekend I was at the home of a friend of a friend and the hostess told me she started giving herself some sort of injections to lose weight. YIPES! She did it about a year ago and found it worked well. It somehow ‘eats away your fat cells’. YIPES again!! She’s only about 10 pounds heavier than she wants to be. It seems more than a little radical to me (and too healthy)! If she were MUCH heavier and this would jumpstart her weight lodss I’d have no problems with it. But this method for her seems so counter productive, unsafe and unhealthy!
Rita and Carolanne – THANKS for the b’day wishes!!
“a nation-wide initiative towards wellness and good nutrition in a sensible way” – Rita, I like the way you think!
Everyone wants to take the easy way out. Americans are always looking for the quick fix. We who excercise and sometimes struggle to keep ourselve at a respective weight know full well what we have to do to acomplish our goals. We are what we eat,and there is no quick fix. Some people would rather take a pill for whatever ails them than to excersise and eat right. Thats why the pharma people have it made!
The aqua class went great. I have never taken a class like that before and I was pleasantly impressed by the exercises……..stretches……cardio…….core work with water weights and noodles. I left there feeling a sense of calmness (and totally missing Bonni’s class).
It’s Jillian’s World.
She IS everywhere! I think she’s great.
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