Jillian Michaels: Outselling or Selling Out?
In last Wednesday’s post, Michael (actually… TWO Michaels) talked about the dangers of the training methods employed on The Biggest Loser. But the contestants aren’t the only ones in trouble: Trainer Jillian Michaels has already been sued three times for her Calorie Control diet pills, just one of the popular weight-loss supplements she’s now endorsing:
The most recent suit concerns the safety of bitter orange – an ingredient allegedly contained in the product yet not listed on the label - which has reportedly caused heart attacks and strokes in healthy individuals, particularly when combined with caffeine (another ingredient in Calorie Control).
As was the case with last year’s Hydroxycut recall, the problem with diet pills is that many contain a number of herbal ingredients that have not been fully studied or evaluated, as “supplements” are not strictly regulated by the FDA. So while we have no hard evidence that they’re dangerous, we also have no proof that they aren’t - and some associations that seemingly suggest they may be unsafe.
What we do know about weight-loss pills is that they only work in conjunction with diet and exercise. So the question remains, If we still have to diet and exercise, do we really need the pills?
Jillian Michaels obviously knows this with the way she preaches proper nutrition on the show. I don’t have her products’ sales numbers in front of me, but my guess is they’ve dropped a lot since the recent lawsuits. But she’s doing a great job of selling out on the fitness industry by endorsing them, and making herself the biggest loser on that show.
Speaking of lawsuits, I just found out Lindsay Lohan is suing E-Trade for this memorable Super Bowl commercial about babies selling stock:
I guess milk can’t do everybody good…
Filed under: fitness commentary
