Jillian update: Stopping the late-night eating

Realizing that Jillian Michaels is doing a TV show seems obvious to all of us who are watching the show, but not so much by the families on the show.

The Franklin family of Huntington Woods, MI — Detroit suburbs — seemed surprised that Jillian showed up in their home. And when the camera crew follows dad Todd into the kitchen at 12:00 am (this is what the graphic said), Jillian gets a sixth sense and magically makes her way down the stairs to confront Todd in the kitchen.

Todd says he grazes several nights a week — "grab boards of matzo and dip it in the butter."

"It's a self-deprecating, lonely affair that I have with food."

"I don't want my family upstairs to hear me eating."

It's fun but creepy to think that Todd would still graze right at midnight, knowing Jillian is there with a camera crew.

Jillian helps throw out food the next morning. The youngest daughter cries over having her favorite bread thrown out. Jillian points out the nuts and seeds in the good bread and how there is nothing in the other bread. The child is pleased.

Wife and mother Amy had gastric bypass surgery, but gained a bunch of weight back. Amy's weight is 184 vs. the healthy weight of 131. The doctor tells her that "you almost half made up of just fat" and Amy is back into the obese category. Todd has a healthy weight of 160 but just hits the 300 mark with a 49% body fat rate. Amazingly, at 300 pounds, 140 pounds over the healthy mark, Todd is only barely dipping into Type 2 diabetes.

Though Todd needs more of the help, Jillian does what she does best — well besides mugging for the camera — working with the female half of the relationship. So Jillian sends Todd off on a mission. If you guessed Subway, then you've been paying way too much attention to this show.

"I'm going to scoot you off to Subway because we're trying to diet. I want the vegetarian, skip the cheese right now, save us the calories."

Yes, another commercial/show integration from Subway. Has Jillian not learned her lesson again? This week, Jillian doesn't do the commercial herself. Todd gets to do the commercial.

Todd drives in the rain to Subway, and discovers that Subway now serves breakfast. As if the other real commercials haven't driven that point into our lives. Todd might be thinking what does this have to do with losing weight, especially since a 16 oz. coffee is a prominent part of the "Breakfast Combo." But he and the hapless Subway guy go along with the bit. Todd drives home that point by noting that Subway's breakfast — "that's a good thing to know."

Todd orders footlong veggie sandwiches with no cheese. Though Todd doesn't mention the bread type, the sandwich maker gives him the regular bread. The regular bread doesn't have high-fructose corn syrup, though the regular bread has a lot of sugar in it.

Besides the creepy part of yet another Subway commercial within the show, Jillian lumps herself in with the dieting part, since Todd gets three sandwiches. If Jillian personally relies on these sandwiches, as she has inferred in two episodes now, Jillian should start doing the commercials she said she won't do for Subway.

Jillian has gone on record as being against high-fructose corn syrup. Jillian decides to get the girls to make healthier brownies — marvelous idea. Jillian swaps out whole grain flour for regular flour, olive oil for butter, and honey and applesauce "instead of processed white sugar."

In Mott's regular applesauce — the label is covered but we know it's Mott's — there is high-fructose corn syrup. HFCS is the second highest ingredient behind apples but ahead of water. We see Jillian willingly using a high-fructose corn syrup product and portraying it as a healthy pick.

A great idea in theory, but Jillian should have clearly used either a product with sugar or even better, a natural applesauce with apples is the only source of sugar. And Jillian shouldn't have let regular HFCS applesauce onto the screen. Jillian should know better.

There is a better attempt at eating healthier when the Franklin family invites friends over for dinner. There is lamb and salad. When Amy picks up a piece of pita and asks if it's okay, Jillian says "it's not ideal." Jillian recommends chicken, salad, hummus, and one or two pieces of pita. Maybe there was a disconnect, but Amy seemed to be doing what Jillian wanted all along.

Next week's episode will be the last unless there is a Season 2. Let's hope for no Subway spots in the show, and hope Jillian learns where high-fructose corn syrup can lurk.

Comments

[v online]

Thanks for the kind words. I concur, and therefore, the menu items that were off would not deter my patronage. Thanks for taking the time out to write it! I think spirituality is really important too, we certainly agree on that point. A leader without spirituality is missing a key element.