Still No Magic Pill for Weight Loss

by Jillian Michaels - trainer for The Biggest Loser

Who doesn't want to be fit and fabulous with little or no effort? Well, as much as we'd all love to have one, there's no magic pill for weight loss. If all of the pills, shakes, and supplements that claim to work really did, everyone would be thin. And even then, we'd still maintain a steady diet of ice cream, chips, pizza, and candy. Let's not kid ourselves, people.

For now (and let's face it, forever), successful weight loss still comes down to a simple formula. You have to burn more calories than you take in. Calories are a measure of the amount of energy provided by the food you eat — the more calories you eat, the more energy you are giving your body. If you give your body more energy than it can use — well, honey, that's stored as fat.

Let's break it down. A pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. If you want to lose one pound in a week, you have to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories a week, or 500 calories a day. To lose two pounds in a week, you have to create a calorie deficit of 7,000 calories a week, or 1,000 calories a day, and so on. Get the idea?

There are two ways to create a calorie deficit — eat less and exercise. If you want to meet your weight-loss goals, start by comparing your calorie intake against your exercise expenditure. It's not a magic pill, but it's very simple. Find a way to cut and burn more calories and the weight will come off!

JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY
Too Good to Be True...

If you see some claim that is too good to be true, it probably is. All you have to do is look at the fine print on the packaging of most diet pills to see that they're completely bogus. You'll find that there is almost always a disclaimer that says something like, "This product can successfully help you lose weight when accompanied by a sensible diet and exercise program." Why does it say that? Because the product itself has nothing to do with your weight loss, and your "sensible diet and exercise program" have everything to do with it. The good news is that you're on my program, so you're already on your way to successful weight loss!