Hey Jillian, if Diet Pills are all it Takes to Lose Weight…
February 15th, 2010. By LucyC
Yet another diet supplement lawsuit was filed last week—this time against Jillian Michaels, “America’s Toughest Trainer,” as the Jillianweightloss.com site proclaims.
In fact, two nearly identical lawsuits have been filed by women who allege that Ms. Michaels is guilty of false advertising around her product, Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Calorie ControlTM. According to the product advertising on the website—”its proprietary formula restricts your calorie intake automatically.”
Jillian Michaels, FYI, is one of the trainers who appears on the hit reality TV program “The Biggest Loser.” The show takes clinically obese people and gets them back on the road to health and happiness through diet and exercise—the two most time-trusted ways to lose weight. And the two most painful.
So, it looks like Ms. Michaels was tapped by ThinCare International LLC to endorse several diet products made and marketed by the Utah-based company. No surprise there, that’s just business as usual.
According to the product website, you just take two pills “Two Capsules Before Main Meals And You Lose Weight…That’s It!” Really? So why don’t they use it on the Biggest Loser? It would certainly save a whole lot of pain and suffering, which is the point of these pills—is it not?
But I suppose taking a pill and having the weight dissolve before your eyes without any effort wouldn’t make for good or believable television. Let’s face it, most of us can identify with the contestants on the reality show who cling to the frame of the stair climbers like drowning men to life preservers, as they brave on for another 40 minutes of extreme pain so they can shed some pounds. Or when they climb onto the scales to discover that after yet another week of denial of all things tasty and bad for them—they’ve only lost two pounds. I mean what North American can’t relate to that? That’s why the Biggest Loser is such a hit. We feel their pain and suffering—we’ve been there—and most of us know there really is no magic weight-loss bullet.
However, in a nation suffering from an obesity epidemic and paradoxically obsessed with the culture of ‘thin’, what enterprising supplement company isn’t going to prey on our weaknesses by offering us the illusion of an easy fix? Certainly past experiences should teach us to be wary—not only do supplements tend to underperform, they may not always be very safe—remember Fen-Phen—or more recently Hydroxycut?
At the end of the day it’s human nature to want an easy way out and it’s also apparently human nature to take advantage of that tendency. If there really was some kind of supplement that could induce weight loss safely, painlessly and effectively, shows like the biggest loser wouldn’t exist.
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I recall the McDonalds hot coffee suit of not too long ago. I have trouble believing that someone could win a suit for not losing weight, but Ms Michaels better have a good lawyer.
I know everyone wants to loose weight however the answer is a lot more simple then what is reflected in the biggest looser. I was in the military once and trust me these contestant would have had an easier time with 8 weeks of basic training and still get the same results while getting to eat cheese burgers for lunch on Sundays and MRE's out in the field.
Do we really need to be a contestant on a TV reality show to loose weight?
Does anyone find it just a little suspect that she preaches proper nutrition and busting your butt in the gym, and then turns around and endorses a weight loss pill? She claims to be an expert on weight loss and as such, she should know that diet pills don't work. She's either grossly incompetent when it comes to weight loss or she sold out- point blank. A few years ago she had an article on her membership site detailing the dangers of diet pills, and another article talking about the harmful ingredients and chemicals used to make diet soda. This clearly isn't a question of incompetence, but rather greed. Yes, it’s naïve to believe that you can take a pill and lose weight, but it’s not right for JM- someone who has supposedly dedicated her life to helping obese people reclaim their lives- to take advantage of it.
Hi Ryan–couldn't agree with you more…
I'm a huge fan of Jillian's and I own 4 of her workout DVD's but this really disappoints me! I couldn't agree with you more!!
Wow really this is sad. Do you not understand what it is to workout. Thats all hitting the gym and dieting is about is pain and suffering. The pills are supposed to help you loos weight not just do it for you. You cant sit on ur ass and think hey i dont need to diet or workout these pills will do it for me. Wrong if that were how it was then that would be extremely unhealthy. Also the comments about how diet soda is unhealthy for you well so is smoking. But its not like its gonna cause an instant death so get over it. One more thing yes there should be a tv show to help obese people. They can do just fine with getting a personal trainer then going into the military. P.S if Jillian didnt help fat people loose weight why is she a personal trainer cause obviously you can do soooo much better.
Hi Darik, Thanks for your enlightening comments. You know, you’re right–maybe I’ll go light up while I’m sitting here enjoying my breakfast ’cause, heck, if I listen to you, smoking’s not going to cause instant death. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for someone to grant me that permission–that sort of validation that it’s “ok” to smoke. Hey, I’m indebted to you. Maybe you should contact the Surgeon General while you’re at it so the public-at-large can benefit for your wisdom. As for Jillian, yes, she should have a show–after all, she knows exercise is important for weight loss. However, the little detail she seems to have overlooked is her responsibility to those dieters who look up to her and will basically purchase whatever she’s hyping.
For everyone dogging on Ms. Michaels, its kind of funny that people out there who are stating that diet pills don't work, then why are people still buying them and having law suits? If you read her books, she states how healthy eating and exercising are the key ways to losing weight but for the impatient people who are in time pressured situation, there are some pills out there that are the lesser of two evils. Do your research before laying down nasty comments.
In all fairness, Jillian has been very open about the fact that there are certain supplements that she feels will help you lose weight, but that all supplements are banned from the Biggest Loser show by the producers. So charges of hypocrisy don't really hold water in that context, regardless of what actual claims are being made by the supplement manufacturers.
That being said, these lawsuits do smack heavily of frivolity and opportunism. Seriously, who in this day and age actually believes "all" you have to do is swallow a pill and you will automagically drop lard while sitting on the couch watching teevee and stuffing your face with Cheetos?
Hey Destry–Thanks for your comment and I'm absolutely lovin your use of the word "automagically"–great word. Ok, agree on your point re: supplement use on The Biggest Loser, but the bigger question for me here is why would Jillian lend her name, her image, her integrity…to a supplement line as such. Hey, we all have our price I suppose. Re: the lawsuits being frivolous–depends on how you look at it. I don't believe in any form of misleading advertising or promotion. That said, I do agree that at times folks file ridiculous lawsuits–you can talk to me all you want about McDonald's coffee being at a temperature way the heck above standards or a Starbucks worker not having the little cardboard "safe to touch!" sleeve on a cup of coffee–but bottom line is…it's coffee! It's supposed to be hot! so be careful! If negligence is involved–and I'm talking blatant negligence, fine–but I agree some lawsuits put into question the plaintiff's actions as well as the defendant's. Here though, you're playing on people's hopes, dreams, fears–you've got an audience that, in many instances is hanging on your every promise–and it's not just tied into some low self-esteem schtick–you're addressing their physical health and well-being–maybe some folks listening to the supplement rap have diabetes or high blood pressure and they see this as the avenue to helping improve those conditions. Believe me, I'm all for personal responsibility–but I don't believe in falsely dangling a carrot in front of a captive audience.