Jillian Michaels Review

Jillian Michaels philosophy of Self, Science, and Sweat will help you lose weight, shape up and get the body you’ve always wanted!

Jillian is best known for her appearance as the physical fitness trainer on NBC’s The Biggest Loser and Losing It with Jillian.  At first glance, her online weight loss program seems just like Weight Watchers.  But while there are similarities, the clear distinction is Jillian’s well formulated and individualized exercise component with behavioral modification program to develop “healthy habits”.

With the emphasis on exercise and discipline Jillian Michaels program is not for everyone.  However, this is not just some quick-fix solution to lose weight.  Jillian’s online diet and fitness plan create a very effective approach to long term weight management.

Background

Jillian Michaels’ expertise in health and fitness stems from years of personal training, primarily in martial arts.

Jillian Michaels grew up overweight and unhappy. When she was thirteen years old, she was enrolled in a martial arts class by her mom who she says changed her life.  Thereafter, she dedicated herself to helping the overweight transform their lives and their bodies for the better.

To her credit Jillian has 17 years of martial arts background, a black belt in both Akarui-Do and Muay Thai.  Jillian has been a fitness expert and wellness coach for over 20 years.  In addition, she owned and operated a sports medicine facility, where she worked as a physical therapy aid under the physiatrists, physical therapists, and chiropractors.

Jillian’s 2004 appearance as a personal trainer and mentor on “The Biggest Loser” was her big break.   Jillian Michaels’s strength is that of an amazing motivator – taking the tools and techniques from the show and applying them to her online diet service.  Her philosophy is what she calls a “triple-threat” to losing weight by focusing on three elements – Self, Science and Sweat.

Jillian is now a New York Times bestselling author of numerous books including Master Your Metabolism, Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life, and her most recent bestselling release, Slim for Life: My Insider Secrets to Simple, Fast, And Lasting Weight Loss.

JillianMichaels.com – What You Get

Members signup on JillianMichaels.com for a monthly fee – currently $4/week billed quarterly.  You may cancel at any time and receive a refund for the unused portion of your subscription, other than the 5-week minimum commitment of $20, which is non-refundable.  Afterward you get a Customized Weight Loss Plan to follow.

There are three facets to Jillian Michaels’ unique weight loss program: (1) Self: Learn how to change your behaviors to finally reach your goals; (2) Science: Eat right for your metabolism; (3) Sweat: Train your body for serious weight loss. Based on your body type, fitness level, and goals Jillian Michaels will give you a customized weight loss program designed for maximum results.

As you might guess from Jillian Michaels’ background, exercise is the foundation of the program, supplemented by a healthy eating plan.  Most other programs are the other way around – beginning with a healthy diet plan, and adding exercise to the back end.

Product Features:

• Diet Features:
  • Meal Planner – Meal suggestions customized for your body type, with how many calories you need to eat to lose weight effectively
  • Dinning out strategies – Fine dining to fast foods
  • Recipes – 100+ easy recipes that fill you up, boost your metabolism, and keep your energy high
  • Interactive Weight Tracker – Submit your weight and easily track your progress
  • Calorie Calculator – Calculate your calories, with what to look for when shopping at the grocery store
• Fitness Features:
  • 120 printable exercises you can make at home
  • Cardio workouts
  • Personal Fitness Diary – Recording how you’re feeling – physically and emotionally – and inspiration to work toward your goals
  • Fitness Planner – Learn best workouts for your body with step-by-step instructions and videos.
  • Weight Tracker – Track key measurements, weight loss, and get motivational video messages when you hit milestones
• Community Support:
  • Weight Loss Buddies – Support and advice from members just like you – search for buddies your age, live in your area, or at your same fitness level!
  • Message Boards – Jillian’s online community with weight-loss advice, new recipes, and inspirational conversations.
• Expert Advice:
  • Inspiration and advice from Jillian to cheer you on.
  • Team of hand-picked experts on physical and behavioral health, nutritional, beauty and wellbeing.
  • Ask Jillian Advice – As a member of Jillian’s online program, you’ll be able to ask her your personal questions.
  • Learn Jillian’s 7 Steps to Behavioral Modification
  • Information and advice from Jillian’s book, exercises from her TV show, and customization and step-by-step guidance unique to her online program.
• Help Files / Technical Support:
  • If you have questions or comments about Jillian Michaels.com you can e-mail or telephone toll-free from 09:00 to 20:00 ET, Monday through Friday.

Self

The Self aspect focuses on how to change your behaviors to reach your goals by developing healthy habits. During this phase you are provided with Jillian’s Seven Steps to Behavioral Modification which includes motivational support by both Jillian and an online community of other weight-loss “buddies” who share your same goals.

The weight loss buddies scheme is similar to that which operates on other sites.  They include message boards an online community that you can participate in.  Also on hand are a team of hand-picked experts to answer any questions you may have.  From our experience the support (“Self”) facet of the site is not the best online, but is really great for fitness motivation and to get you off the couch.

This online diet plan has a member community, but it isn’t as active or big as other some of other services we reviewed. The website community portal provides message boards and blogs where you can interact and communicate with other members. It may pale in comparison to other online weight-loss communities, but it remains an important component of the Jillian Michaels program.

Self Features:

• Inspiration and advice from Jillian
• Weight-Loss Buddies who share your goals
• Message Boards for daily motivation
• Calorie Calculator & Interactive Weight Tracker
• Jillian’s 7 Steps to Behavioral Modification

Science

The Science aspect shows you how to eat right for your metabolism. As Jillian says, weight loss is as simple as “calories in and calories out“ – the “calories in” part of the program is, of course, diet.  Using the online program you will discover the right foods for your body type and metabolism, and how many calories you should eat per day to move toward your fitness goals.

The plan endorses a diet that is low-fat, low-carb and high in protein. Her eating plans generally feature three meals and a few snacks throughout the day, all of which include a lean protein source. Her online membership program contains a personalized diet plan while her meal-delivery program (provided by eDiets) offers you Jillian-approved meals and snacks without having to prepare them.

Since exercise is the central component to JillianMichaels.com, the diet and healthy eating plan section of online program are not as robust as other websites.  There are more than a hundred low-calorie/high protein recipes to try, but that’s a small number compared to other diet and recipe sites.  See the DietSmarter.com Healthy Recipes section for great low-calorie recipes.

We were impressed with the calorie calculator, which allows you to determine how many calories you need to eat and burn in order to lose weight successfully. Users calculate these figures by using the calorie calculator, which takes into consideration a range of factors, including gender, weight, height, BMI and more.  There is also an “Eating-Out Guide” available to help make better choices at restaurants, but JillianMichaels.com is not as deep when compared to sites like eDiets.com and Diet.com.

Science Features:

• 100s of metabolism-boosting recipes
• Meal Plans and Menus for your body type
• Special food guides to help you eat right
• Customized info on your metabolic rate

Sweat

Perhaps what Jillian’s program is most recognized for is the exercise program, and she is a staunch proponent that it’s the most effective way to burn fat and calories.  From our review the physical training alone is worth the monthly fees.

A weekly fitness planner is provided so that users can follow a strict regime of exercise, suited to a particular fitness level.   With the planner is a complete breakdown on what muscles are involved, how to begin your exercise, how to actually do the exercise, training tips, and variations.  Also worth noting is that the program is designed to let you work-out at home, so none of the exercises require any elaborate equipment.

You can also keep an online fitness diary, to keep track of the activities you enjoy and how you feel while doing them. This emotional element is important to the regime, and is reflected in the weight loss buddies, message boards and strong online community.  A team of hand-picked experts are also on hand to answer any questions.

Her exercise programs all contain a cardiovascular and strength-training component that increase in their intensity as you move through them.  She uses a blend of strength training techniques with her clients, including kickboxing, yoga, Pilates, plyometrics, and weight training.

Jillian herself shows you how to perform each exercise in the workouts and specifies which muscles you’re working out. If structured workouts aren’t appealing to you, the program also allows you to log other physical activities you complete, such as sports, cleaning and walking. You can browse exercises in the fitness tracker and input the duration of the activity to calculate approximately how many calories you burned.

Sweat Features:

• 151 printable exercises you can do from home
• Cardio workouts that you enjoy
• Complete Muscle Manual
• Fitness Advice Videos

Additional Tools

Some of the tools that come with membership in Jillian Michaels Online include: weight-loss buddies that provide encouragement to keep you moving toward your goals, a library of fitness advice videos and 151 printable exercises, plenty of message boards full of great advice, and an “Ask Jillian” feature that lets you get help from Jillian herself.  You can also read articles written by experts on behavioral health, nutrition, beauty, and mental well-being. The newest tool to the program is the Jillian Michaels iPhone application, Fitness Motivation.

Jillian Michaels Pros & Cons

Pros

• A well balanced (no BS) program of diet and exercise and support
• Excellent progressive exercise program helping you begin from any fitness level
• No special exercise equipment required
• Conveniently available via the web
• Support of online community and weight-loss buddies to help keep you motivated
• Personal advice and help from Jillian herself

Cons

• Results slow and require patience
• Exercise intensive and “no-excuses” approach not for everyone
• The system may prove difficult for some dieters since it’s a lifestyle change, as opposed to a simple pill or supplement that can be taken daily.
• Does not provide options for special dietary requirements such as vegetarians, coeliac or those with dairy intolerance.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for quick and dramatic weight loss that, the Jillian Michaels Online diet and exercise program is definitely not for you. But if you’re serious about working hard and changing your lifestyle Jillian Michael’s program is an excellent tool.  The program is well-rounded exercise intensive and educational – encouraging healthy eating habits.    Jillian Michaels’ plan is based on science but is very practical in application.  I recommend the program especially for those who are interested in learning more about fitness for sustainable weight management.

Jillian’s other programs

Jillian Michaels: Making the Cut: This mega popular book is a 30-day body-makeover guide that assesses your metabolism and guides you to eat appropriately for your specific metabolic type so that your body is using that energy and burning effectively. Making the Cut also contains self-empowerment tips and suggestions to overcome negative thinking and poor self-confidence.

Jillian Michaels: 30-Day Shred: Jillian’s popular workout DVD is designed to help you drop those last 10-20 pounds in just 30 days. There are three, 20-minute progressive workouts that become more challenging as you work through the program. Each session includes Cardio, Strength Training and Ab Training in a circuit-style routine.

Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009: This Wii game allows you to create your own character and then follow along with Jillian’s signature intense bootcamp-style workouts as her voice encourages you to exercise harder and use proper form. Fitness Ultimatum also has an updated 2010 version with more bootcamp-style workouts.

Jillian Michaels Master Your Metabolism: Michaels gives you a three-step program to repair the damage that years of fat-free foods, artificial sweeteners, diet sodas and processed weight loss foods have done to your hormones and consequently, your metabolism.

Losing It: Jillian Michaels new television show in which she invades a different family every week to give them her own characteristic brand of tough love and helps them make life-altering changes to their lives and health.

Jillian Michaels Detox and Cleanse: A weight loss supplement that promises to help you reduce belly bloat, get rid of harmful toxins and improves your digestion without the use of harsh laxatives or chemicals.

Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown: This DVD combines Jillian’s famous fat-blasting moves with challenging yoga postures to give you a sleek and toned body.

The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook: A cookbook that goes along with the Master Your Metabolism program, which is designed to rev up your metabolism by balancing your hormones.