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Health guru Jillian Michaels takes on chickens, parenting and the comedy of her rapid-fire life in a new eight-part reality series called, ‘Just Jillian.’ (January 20)
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Jillian Michaels’ critical opinion of the keto diet is proving to be unpopular among celebrities.
The former “Biggest Loser” trainer slammed the trendy weight-loss regimen tied to everyone from Al Roker to Halle Berry because she says it starves the body’s cells of essential macronutrients.
“I don’t understand. Like, why would anybody think this is a good idea?” Michaels, 44, told Women’s Health magazine, calling the keto diet a “bad plan, for a million reasons.”
According to Michaels, the high-fat, low-carb diet ignores the reality that “your cells, your macromolecules, are literally made up of protein, fat, carbohydrates, nucleic acids,” and can threaten the body’s overall health.
Related: Jillian Michaels slams the keto diet: ‘Why would anybody think this is a good idea?’
“To make a very long story short: Avoid the keto diet,” she told the magazine. “Common sense.”
Michaels’ nutrition advice, however, did not sit well with some celebs.
During Wednesday’s episode of “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen,” the outspoken host named Michaels the “Jackhole of the Day.”
“Don’t feel bad, keto diet,” Cohen continued. “A lot of people think Jillian Michaels is a bad idea.”
Roker, the high-profile “Today” weather anchor, took to Twitter to slam Michaels for her remarks.
“So @JillianMichaels says #Keto is a bad idea. This from a woman who promoted on camera bullying , deprivation, manipulation and more weekly in the name of weight loss,” he tweeted last week. “Now those sound like bad ideas.”
So @JillianMichaels says #Keto is a bad idea. This from a woman who promoted on camera bullying , deprivation, manipulation and more weekly in the name of weight loss. Now those sound like bad ideas
— Al Roker (@alroker) January 10, 2019
Michaels doubled down on her claims despite the backlash, challenging Cohen and Roker to lay out their reasoning behind their beliefs.
“I have an idea… @Andy @alroker how about a civil intelligent debate on The 6 Keys book and keto instead of personal attacks and name calling?” she tweeted in response. “I’m also a motivator and I know you guys can do this.”
I have an idea… @Andy@alroker how about a civil intelligent debate on The 6 Keys book and keto instead of personal attacks and name calling? I’m also a motivator and I know you guys can do this. ??
— Jillian Michaels (@JillianMichaels) January 12, 2019
In another tweet, Michaels sent Roker a video message: “If you want to debate the personal sciences of keto, by all means let’s do that. But the personal attacks are bizarre. It’s unnecessary. It’s uncalled for. It’s beneath both of us.”
Celebs like Kourtney Kardashian and Vinny Guadagnino (who affectionately went by the nickname “Keto Guido” on the new seasons of “Jersey Shore”) have popularized the diet.
Ketogenic diets are low on carbs and high on fat, which puts the body in a state of ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state that happens when your body doesn’t have enough carbohydrates for your cells to burn for energy. So, instead, it burns fat.
The Keto diet is very effective at slimming your waistline, but does cause huge changes to your body that aren’t always positive. U.S. News & World Report says that changing the way your body is fueled from carbs to fat can lead to leg cramps, dehydration, brain fog, dizziness and more.
Contributing: Rebecca King, Josh Hafner
Related: Keto, Whole30, Mediterranean: The trendy diets of 2019
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