Some tips on proper weight loss from Jillian Michaels

What's the secret

What helped Gillian say goodbye to those extra pounds was not constant hunger strikes, which she never endured, but systematic intense training. The first step towards realizing my dream was karate training. Hard sports developed willpower and gave me an understanding that one can and should work with one’s own body. And also the ability to set the right goals and achieve them.

When the number on the scales began to steadily decrease, Gillian believed in her own strength and wanted to speed up the process. By that time, she already knew for sure that a proper balanced diet is no less important than regular exercise. She became interested in nutrition and began to develop effective proprietary programs that combine a healthy diet and daily exercise.

Rules from Jillian Michaels

First rule: The Jillian Michaels Diet is not a diet, but a lifestyle. It has no time limit, although visible results are achieved within a month. But it’s not enough just to lose excess weight, you need to stabilize it so as not to lose the results achieved. Therefore, it is not suitable for those who are not ready to constantly work on themselves.

There are also a number of fairly strict rules, thanks to which a quick and sustainable result is achieved:

1. The system involves daily training. At the first stage, these are simple exercises with dumbbells, after 1-1.5 months. – fitness, Pilates, aerobics, running or other type of active exercise.
2. The calorie content of the daily diet should not be lower than the physiological minimum, which you will have to calculate yourself using the formula: 655 + (9.57 × body weight in kg) + (1.852 × your height in cm) – (4.7 × number of full years). Otherwise, your metabolism slows down and the fat burning process is much slower.
3. There are four meals throughout the day. Of these, you need to eat thoroughly twice, it is better if it is breakfast and lunch, and the other two should be light. Thus, the digestive system is relieved and high physical activity is maintained.
4. Drink at least 8 glasses of pure still water per day. In between meals, you can drink freshly squeezed juices and green tea. But don’t forget that a glass of fruit juice contains from 100 to 150 kcal, and a glass of vegetable juice contains 80-120 kcal. They will have to be taken into account in the overall calculation.
5. The maximum daily calorie intake is your physiological minimum plus 400-600 kcal, depending on the type and intensity of physical activity. Within this fork you can eat all non-prohibited foods.

To quickly get used to a new lifestyle, you should get a food diary in which you need to record everything you eat during the day. You can then safely count the calories and make appropriate adjustments if necessary.

Forget about newfangled diets

“New-fangled diets don’t work, better use your brains. The Internet is full of useless and absurd meal plans, often created by people who have nothing to do with nutrition at all. By blindly following advice like “eliminate all carbohydrates and fats,” you are not only wasting your time, but also harming your digestion.

The secret is to create a good exercise program and nutrition plan that will allow you to eat more healthy foods than bad ones, plus you won’t feel like a martyr.”

Healthy Eating Bonuses

Without a doubt, the Jillian Michaels diet is an example of rational and healthy sports nutrition. It can be recommended to absolutely everyone and is in no way capable of harming health. On the contrary, the recommended changes in diet will bring significant benefits to the body:

• smooth and stable weight loss;
• burning fat deposits;
• lowering cholesterol levels;
• increasing strength and endurance;
• improving skin condition;
• healthy and fresh complexion;
• increased blood circulation;
• decrease in blood pressure.

Those who are not used to regular physical activity will have a hard time at first. You may feel heaviness and even mild pain in the right hypochondrium.

This is due to the fact that the body begins to actively cleanse itself of waste and toxins, which the lazy liver is quickly unable to process. Therefore, those who have problems with liver function should visit a doctor before starting a diet.

Sample menu

The menu for the Jillian Michaels weight loss system should be compiled as follows. First, calculate your daily energy expenditure, taking into account the duration of each type of exercise from the training program you are using. This is easy to do using an electronic calorie counter or online calculator. Now subtract 400-600 kcal from the value obtained above. You will receive the amount of “energy reserve” that will help you maintain your body in a safe state for health. Due to the reduced calories, weight loss will occur. Do not forget that a woman should drink 2.3 liters of water per day, a man - 3.5.

Day 1

Breakfast: 2 eggs (hard-boiled, soft-boiled, scrambled or scrambled), whole grain toast, a piece of smoked salmon Lunch: salad with chicken, avocado and mango Snack: orange, almonds Dinner: homemade wholemeal pizza with tomatoes, red onion, olives and feta cheese

Day 2

Breakfast: Oatmeal with fresh apple slices and a handful of crushed nuts Lunch: Chickpea porridge Snack: Banana-apple smoothie Dinner: Chicken sauté

Day 3

Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese with pieces of fresh pineapple, a cup of wild berries Lunch: grilled veal steak, canned corn Snack: mozzarella, pear Dinner: chicken breast marinated in lemon-honey mixture

Day 4

Breakfast: baked potato, turkey or chicken sausage Lunch: pita roll stuffed with carrots, tomatoes, spinach, red onion and mozzarella Snack: hard-boiled egg, green apple Dinner: baked salmon with yogurt sauce

Day 5

Breakfast: half a banana, 2 soft waffles, teaspoon honey Lunch: mixed grilled vegetables (pepper, tomato, eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin and red onion) Snack: protein bar for weight loss Dinner: red bean and chicken burrito

For convenience, start keeping a weight loss diary. Write down your training plans, foods eaten, as well as suitable recipes for the dishes you are about to cook. Periodically take pictures of yourself in a swimsuit and paste the pictures onto the pages of your notebook, recording nearby parameters such as the size of your chest, waist, buttocks, hips, etc. If technical innovations have long forced you to give up pen and paper, start an online diary by making it private or open for reading by other users. As a rule, admiring reviews from “friends in misfortune” are an excellent supportive incentive for further weight loss.

Menu for active

In the first 30 days, Gillian suggests limiting the consumption of animal proteins as much as possible. Eliminate all types of meat and eggs from your diet. Low-fat fish varieties can be left in small quantities. After a month or a month and a half, when the fat burning process is already intensive, it is recommended to gradually introduce white meat into the menu - chicken, turkey (without skin!), rabbit. Meat contains amino acids necessary for the formation of muscle fibers.

Finally and unconditionally lose the right to be present at your table:

• all types of fast food and ready-made snacks from bags (chips, salted and sweet nuts, snacks, crispy sticks);
• heavy cream, mayonnaise, margarine, flour sauces, ice cream;
• fatty meats and fish, poultry skins;
• all types of semi-finished products that were not prepared by you;
• pickles, smoked meats, canned food;
• baked goods, cakes, pastries, sweets;
• refined sugar;
• coffee, all types of alcohol;
• white polished rice, semolina, wheat flour;
• seasonings and products with monosodium glutamate;
• juices from packages, sweet soda.

Lean sausages and boiled sausage can be left in the diet, but in very small quantities. It is better to use sauerkraut and canned vegetables only for preparing salads. Use dairy products with a minimum percentage of fat content. Minimize salt consumption, or better yet eliminate it altogether.

The daily menu is compiled independently. Remember that it should be varied and based on a large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables and slow carbohydrates (pasta from durum wheat, cereals). Don't underestimate legumes - they are an excellent source of vegetable protein.

An example daily menu might look like this:

1. Breakfast: oatmeal or other porridge with low-fat milk (you can add fruits or nuts); a glass of yogurt.
2. Lunch: fish fillet with stewed vegetables; vegetable salad.
3. Snack: a little low-fat cottage cheese; fruit smoothie.
4. Dinner: baked eggplants with tomatoes and cheese in sour cream sauce; a glass of kefir.

Try to keep animal proteins - meat or fish - on the table no more than once a day, preferably in the second half.

Home workouts with Jillian Michaels: how to choose the right one?

The number of video courses with home fitness makes your eyes wide open. At the same time, some fade into oblivion some time after their release, while others become truly popular. In 2005, American trainer Jillian Michaels began releasing DVDs with her fitness courses - and they are still popular.

Gillian develops programs for girls with varying levels of experience. There are strength, aerobic, and cardio workouts. Some programs consist of several levels - this way it is possible to achieve the best effect. One lesson lasts from 10 to 45 minutes.

Thus, you can choose a suitable workout from Jillian Michaels based on your level of training, goals and availability of free time. But how to choose from the endless number of programs? The article below contains a classification of the most popular courses, collected based on the athlete’s experience criterion.

Workouts for Beginners

Slim figure in 30 days

Duration: 30 days, every day for 30 minutes, 3 levels

Necessary equipment: mat, sports shoes, dumbbells (alternative - bottles of water or sand)

The program is an aerobic strength training program that uses all muscle groups (even those you didn't know about). Each level is more difficult than the other. Although this program is classified as a program for beginners, in order to overcome it, you will need to use all your willpower.

After childbirth
Duration: 1 workout lasts 27 minutes, classes every day with one day off per week. One level.

Equipment: mat, sports shoes, dumbbells (about 1 kg).

The goal of this program is to get in shape after giving birth and prepare for more challenging workouts. You shouldn’t expect a radical transformation and mega-weight loss from the classes, but you can work on problem areas and become more resilient.

The program is divided into three days: upper (back, arms, chest); torso (abs), legs. Each training day includes a warm-up, three circuit sets (3x2), and stretching. The intensity is low, even unusual for Gillian's training.

Courses for intermediate level athletes

Body revolution

Duration: 90 days, one lesson 30 minutes, 6 levels

Equipment: expander, 2.5 kg dumbbells, free space (about 6 square meters minimum).

Body Revolution is Jillian's longest-running program. At the end of the course, participants can expect to lose excess weight, accelerate metabolism, pump up muscles and form a distinct relief.

You need to study this course 6 times a week with one day off. These six workouts include 2 cardio and 4 strength workouts. During the first lesson, arms, chest and abs are worked; on the second - legs, back, buttocks and abs; third day - cardio. The fourth, fifth and sixth days duplicate the first, second and third, respectively.

Flat stomach in 6 weeks

Duration: 45 days, one lesson 30 minutes, 2 levels

Equipment: 2 dumbbells, 1.5 kg each (in the lightweight version - without them).

The goal of the program is fat burning, pumping the abdominal and leg muscles, and overall tone. The training is based on cardio, which maximizes the use of problem areas, plus targeted exercises for the waist and abs. The course consists of two levels, each lasting three weeks.

Programs for advanced

Power yoga for weight loss

Duration: lesson 30 minutes, 2 levels.

Inventory: rug. You don't even need shoes!

This program is perhaps the leader in criticism among all of Gillian's courses. The trainer is accused of taking an overly sporty approach to yoga, ignoring its philosophical part. However, everyone is confident in the results of the classes: muscle tone, improved stretching, improved posture and weight loss.

Workouts with dumbbells for the whole body (Hard Body)

Duration: 45 days, 45 minute lesson, 2 levels

Equipment: dumbbells weighing from 1 to 4 kg, mat, comfortable sports shoes.

This program - for very, very experienced fitness enthusiasts - combines aerobic and strength training. Divided into two levels, each lasting three weeks. The second level is much more difficult than the first. Training at both levels is very intense (which, in turn, gives quick results), with a variety of exercises for all muscle groups.