Review of Season 1 of "Losing it with Jillian"

Losing It with Jillian was a spin-off of the popular weight loss show The Biggest Loser. The series aired in the early summer of 2010 on NBC and starred fitness trainer Jillian Michaels. Jillian went to the homes of different families for one week and helped them learn healthier eating and fitness habits, while also addressing underlying emotional issues tied to overeating.

As a fan of both Michaels and The Biggest Loser I expected I would like this new series very much. Although I did not miss episode, I will admit I have mixed feelings about the show.

Jillian moves into the homes of families that are all in some degree of crisis. One family has ignored the grief of the death of a baby that occurred years earlier. Another family was dealing with a father's inability to find a job in a time of recession. Still another family is dealing with a painful divorce and the betrayal and abandonment of a father and husband. While some of the family scenarios are extreme, the viewer is still able to identify with members. Americans are having a tough time financially and socially and this show is an example of this. Unfortunately the break neck pace of trying to fit a week into an hour makes it hard for viewers to truly get to know the families. I have a feeling viewers are missing a huge portion of Jillian's time with each family member.

In one episode of Losing It with Jillian, Michaels went to an Indian reservation and attempted to change the eating habits of that particular nation. There was some controversy in this episode as culture conflicted with her tough love strategy. This episode was a different experience for me as it was the only episode in which I felt sorrier for Jillian than I did the people she was working with. She was out of her element here, and although she was somewhat effective in getting people to think about what they were eating, it was not her most successful project.

While I love Jillian Michaels, there is one component to her training that I find discomforting. Michaels will often refer to certain foods as poison. I am in full agreement that certain foods are not healthy if eaten all of the time, but I am not sure that there should ever be foods that should be given the do not eat ever label. My fear is doing this could lead to other dysfunctional eating problems such as obsessive fear of foods that may accompany eating disorders. Referring to food as poison just seems a bit hypocritical to me when coming from someone with her own line of diet pills.