Jillian Michaels 90 Day Body Revolution - Food Plan

AzhureSnow

Hi guys,

so, I just finished week 1 of the 90 Day Body Revolution system by Jillian Michaels. Included with the 15 workout DVDs is a suggested diet plan that includes the following every day:
250 calorie breakfast
400 calorie lunch
150 calorie snack
400 calorie dinner

(I should note that I am NOT doing the 7-Day no-carb kickstart plan).

Although I have only picked through a few of her suggested recipes, I've been staying around these numbers. The problem, however, is that (according to my HRM), I'm burning nearly 400 calories per workout, plus my "bonus" cardio which is another 300-400 calories a day. The literature included with the program offers no suggestions for "eating back" calories or anything, which is something i've been doing in my three months since joining MFP.

I know the general response here is going to be "Eat them back, your body needs them" (and i've said the same thing to numerous other MFPers). I just wonder why this program would encourage such an extremely low-calorie diet for three months?! After the first week, in which my net calories were routinely around the sub-1000 mark, I have decided to shoot for netting no fewer than 1200 a day.

Is anyone else doing the 90 Day BR? Are you following the meal plan, as prescribed? What are your thoughts?

Momjogger

My fear with eating back the calories when you exercise is that this program overestimates how many calories you burn when you work out, so I am conservative on what I eat back. That being said, I also have a day (or two) a week that I eat over my calorie limit, so I guess it all evens out. I also try to counterbalance that with a couple of days of strict 1200 calorie days no matter how much I work out, so I am not the best example of this I don't think, but it is an interesting topic.

osutuba

I'm not sure what to think about this. I've gotten into so many arguments with people about whether or not to eat back burned calories. Right now I'm stuck in a rut as I train for my half marathon - there have been days when I eat back some or all of the burned calories, and there have been days when I haven't eaten them back and the scale didn't go down at all.

I do know that I have been a member of Jillianmichaels.com and followed her food plan for a while. I lost weight on it, but at the same time I felt like I had no energy to go running. Luckily I did it during the winter when I wasn't seriously training for anything.

AzhureSnow

My fear with eating back the calories when you exercise is that this program overestimates how many calories you burn when you work out, so I am conservative on what I eat back. That being said, I also have a day (or two) a week that I eat over my calorie limit, so I guess it all evens out. I also try to counterbalance that with a couple of days of strict 1200 calorie days no matter how much I work out, so I am not the best example of this I don't think, but it is an interesting topic.

That's why I've been using my HRM (Polar FT7) to track my calorie burn (which is actually more than what MFP would estimate for calories burned during circuit training. So, I know I'm burning a TON of calories, but if I were following her eating plan, I'd hardly be getting anything net. I'm not overly hungry or fatigued or cranky, and I do eat something when I feel hungry, so I don't know... looking forward to everyone's responses.

AzhureSnow

I'm not sure what to think about this. I've gotten into so many arguments with people about whether or not to eat back burned calories. Right now I'm stuck in a rut as I train for my half marathon - there have been days when I eat back some or all of the burned calories, and there have been days when I haven't eaten them back and the scale didn't go down at all.

I do know that I have been a member of Jillianmichaels.com and followed her food plan for a while. I lost weight on it, but at the same time I felt like I had no energy to go running. Luckily I did it during the winter when I wasn't seriously training for anything.

when training for something as intense as a half-marathon, i would DEFINITELY eat more than 1200 calories a day, net. I would probably bump up to 1800 or so NET calories every day to keep me going!

Kudos for doing a half-marathon! That's one of the goals on my bucket list to do before I'm 30!

bewitchinglife

I guess I'd just do what you feel like doing and if you start losing too much or not enough, adjust accordingly.


I'm a fountain of help, eh?

yarwell

Jillian is out for results, so she'll have a plan that pushes you.

How much setting up do you do on your HRM - do you put in VO2max for example.

The eating plan looks to have you eating 1200 calories so the nutritional bases should be covered.

AzhureSnow

Jillian is out for results, so she'll have a plan that pushes you.

How much setting up do you do on your HRM - do you put in VO2max for example.

The eating plan looks to have you eating 1200 calories so the nutritional bases should be covered.

I don't know if I CAN set VO2max on my HRM - I use an FT7... probably worth looking into...

Madilyng02

I believe the calorie count for this diet is so low is because it is meant to be a mega weight loss program. This is the type of program she used on the Biggest Loser. Eat enough calories to give your body energy and keep you from feeling hungry, but keep a calorie deficit to lose the weight (a lot of it, and FAST!). If you have already reached your goal weight, I'd say kick up the calorie count a bit, and maintain.

jenluvsushi

It's so low so that you will lose weight quickly and then when you gain it all back, you wil buy more of her products since you had such great results before. Net above 1200 calories...period. end.

klwells08

I completed Body Revolution earlier this week. I originally tried to stick to the 1200 calories. I could not. I was feeling run down, had headaches, and no strength for the workouts. I upped my calories to 1300 and ate a majority of my exercise calories (as provided by my HRM). I lost 23.2 pounds on the program. I haven't totalled the inces completely but I have lost 2 pants sizes. So, I would say modify the meal plan in a way that works for you and ensures you have enough energy to perform the workouts.

MaeMae223

I actually had the same question with Body Revolution. I burn 800-1,000 calories a day doing BR and other cardio DVD's that Jillian Michaels has out, and it seemed odd to stick to a 1200 calorie diet. I finally went to see a nutritionist, and she said that sticking to a 1200 calorie diet may work in the beginning, but it is not something that could be maintained for long periods of time and that it will backfire on me. She suggested that I eat about 1300-1400 calories a day, and eat back about half of what I burn; I'll lose weight slower, but it is more likely to stay off is what she stated. It does make sense. I use a heart rate monitor like you, so my calorie burn is more accurate than using what MFP has. I started making the changes to my diet this week, and will know next Monday when I weigh in and measure if increasing my calorie intake will help me. What I do know is that the first week I lost more weight (eating more than 1200 calories) compared to my second week when I did not eat back my calories, and I was in a huge deficit. I'm sure it's because my body went into starvation mode. We'll see what happens next Monday.

cmykinky

I am starting the workout today, but not the meal plan. After reading every recipe in the book it does make me worry that I will be starving. I also pre-watched some of the workouts just to get an idea of what to expect, and it looks like really tough stuff. So I am not surprised with what everyone is saying by bumping up the calorie intake. I was thinking of adapting some of the recipes into my diet, but not all. Has anyone just done the workouts but used their own meal plan? I'm wondering if sticking to 1200-1400cal but just not her meal plan will work just as well. I don't have a significant amount to lose, I am always up by 20 and down by 20lbs. So I'm pretty much trying to get back down to 130lbs, toned.

So again, just wondering if anyone has steered off the meal plan and has had great results?

kiwivon

Ive just finished the Michelle Bridges 12wk challenge which allowed 1200 cal per day,
including snacks. Is this of any help?

petiteshannon

Hi everyone!
I am starting the Jillian Michaels 90 Body Revolution! I am getting married in September and after I saw a picture of myself I knew I had to change something! I wanted to be healthy about it! Any advice???? I do not have the meal plan book because the person I bought the DVDs off of didnt give it to me

Dmkolls

Personally I say you don't need her recipe book. If you want it, but her Master Your Metabolism cookbook. Is the same recipes.

Choohi87

Hi I have started this today! Anyone else on it?

cheleg105

I started this and am on week 2. Before this, I did her 30-day shred! I loved it and saw results so that is why I went for the 90 day BR. But what I'm trying to figure out is the approx amount of calories I burn on each workout. I don't have a monitor thingy for that (yet). Anyone know how to figure out calories burned?

Suzannemariema

Hi guys,

so, I just finished week 1 of the 90 Day Body Revolution system by Jillian Michaels. Included with the 15 workout DVDs is a suggested diet plan that includes the following every day:
250 calorie breakfast
400 calorie lunch
150 calorie snack
400 calorie dinner

(I should note that I am NOT doing the 7-Day no-carb kickstart plan).

Although I have only picked through a few of her suggested recipes, I've been staying around these numbers. The problem, however, is that (according to my HRM), I'm burning nearly 400 calories per workout, plus my "bonus" cardio which is another 300-400 calories a day. The literature included with the program offers no suggestions for "eating back" calories or anything, which is something i've been doing in my three months since joining MFP.

I know the general response here is going to be "Eat them back, your body needs them" (and i've said the same thing to numerous other MFPers). I just wonder why this program would encourage such an extremely low-calorie diet for three months?! After the first week, in which my net calories were routinely around the sub-1000 mark, I have decided to shoot for netting no fewer than 1200 a day.

Is anyone else doing the 90 Day BR? Are you following the meal plan, as prescribed? What are your thoughts?

Yea, there is a TON of misinformation out there. Here's the SCIENTIFIC reasoning toward eating back calories or not.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO EAT BACK YOUR WORKOUT CALORIES. And here's why:

First thing is first: no matter what your recommended amount of calorie intake per day is, women should NEVER go under 1200 calories. Ever. Also, those calories that you do take in need to be lean protein, good fats, and carbs rich in vitamins such as vegetables, berries, etc.

Here's how you can figure out your Active Metabolic Rate (AMR) and the amount of calories YOU should be eating per day when you're working out (This can be found in Jillian Michaels "Winning by Losing" book, and I'm sure other books as well):

1) Figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is the number of calories your body burns even if you did nothing but stayed in bed all day. Your body still needs calories to pump your heart, digest your food, etc.

For women: 655 + (4.3 x weight in lbs.) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years) = BMR

(remember your math skills! Do the math within parenthesis first, then go from left to right in the equation .

Here's an example:

I'm going to say this woman is 180 lbs., 5'5" tall, and 43 years old.

The BMR equation would then look like this:

655 + (4.3 x 180) + (4.7 x 65) - (4.7 x 43) =
655 + (774) + (305.5) - (202.1)= 1532.4

2) Figure out your Daily Activity Level. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE YOUR WORKOUTS!!!

Sedentary (sit at a desk all day): your score is 1.1

Light Physical Activity (walk around for half the day or more. i.e. doctors, stay-at-home-mom, salespeople): your score is 1.2

Moderate Physical Activity (you move all day. i.e. carpenter, gardener, mail carrier): your score is 1.3

High Physical Activity (construction worker, farm worker, movers): your score is 1.4

Note your score and right it down with your BMR. You will use these numbers later.

For our example lady, I'm going to say she's an accountant, and doesn't move at all. Which would make her score 1.1.

3) Exercise Expenditure: Figure out how many calories you approximately burn during your workouts. It totally helps that you have a Heart Rate Monitor. EVERYONE should get one!!!

For those of you who don't have one, there are charts that can help you figure out the type of exercise, the intensity, and your weight that would burn what amount of calories. A good thing to remember: the heavier you are the more calories you burn within a given amount of time at the same intensity than a smaller person.

Again, for our example lady, I'm going to use your example of 800 calories burned a day with Body Revolution (which coincidentally is how much I burn a day right now as well).

4) Now we take all those numbers together and put them in the following equation:

(BMR x Daily Activity Score) + Exercise Expenditure = AMR

Here's our example lady again:

(1532.4 x 1.1) + 800 = 2485.64

So this lady's daily AMR is 2485.64 Which means these are the amount of calories she could eat per day to MAINTAIN her weight where it is. So, even if she's losing 800 calories a day while working out, if she eats 2485.64 calories a day, she will maintain her weight (which is why it is retarded to "eat back your workout calories").

NOW. We are NOT done!!

A pound is 3500 calories. If you want to lose a pound a week, multiply your AMR by 7 (the calories you would consume per week to maintain your weight where you are even when you burn 800 calories with Jillian Michaels Body Revolution) and subtract 3500. Then divide that number by 7, and you'll find the amount of calories per day you want to limit to to lose a pound a week.

With this info, you can do the math and figure out how to lose 1 pound, 2 pounds, 3 pounds, etc. It is NOT unhealthy to lose more pounds in a week if you are staying at 1200 calories a day (for women) and 1500 calories a day (for men). Jillian Michaels recommends 2 lbs. a week, but you can go a little further if you like. Just do not deprive your body of the calories it needs to function.

So, let's take our example lady again: She wants to lose 2 lbs. a week, at least. In order to do that, she needs to subtract 7000 calories from her weekly calories intake.

(2485.64 x 7) -7000= 10399.48 (round up to 10400 to make it easier

She needs to eat no more than 10400 calories a week (or 1485 calories a day) to lose 2 lbs. a week.

If she were to limit her calories to 1200 a day, her weight loss would be 2.5 lbs. a week.

REMEMBER. When you lose more weight, you need to do the equation again if you want to maintain your weight or lose weight. That way you know you aren't getting too many, or too few, calories if you aren't limiting to 1200 or 1500 calories a day.

I hope this helps clear up confusion, because this debate about eating your calories back versus not for WEIGHT LOSS is stupid. If you want to lose weight, you need to burn more calories!!

MFPRat

I would give it a little time. If you find you aren't losing weight, eat back some of the calories and see how that works for you. If you still aren't losing, eat back all of them. Sometimes you need to play around with those things.

MamaMizzle

Bump

Kandyhar

bump

Kandyhar

So I just did the math based on the equations above and to lose two pounds a week, I can only eat 979.2 calories a day.

BMR= 1572
I only burn 250 calories on Body Revolution 30 minute workout. Someone's HRM is way off if they think they are burning 400 or 800 calories in 30 minutes.
So (1572 x 1.1) + 250 = 1979.2 AMR

1979.2 x 7 - 7000 (want to lose 2 pounds a week)= 6854.40/ 7 days per week= 979.2 calories.

Looks like I'll only be losing 1 pound a week on her program or I absolutely have to supplement her workouts with another 30 minutes of cardio, etc. 979.2 calories isn't an option. Unfortunately, I am disappointed that the 30 minutes a day won't give me the two pounds per week loss that I hoped for but thought it was too good to be true.

Maybe the workouts will get harder and I will start burning more per 30 minutes but I can't imagine it being more than 275.

If the formulas and math above is correct, I have to be way more strict sticking to 1200 calories (which I haven't been)

andreajp24

Subbing to this thread for future

tink_jess

I completed Body Revolution earlier this week. I originally tried to stick to the 1200 calories. I could not. I was feeling run down, had headaches, and no strength for the workouts. I upped my calories to 1300 and ate a majority of my exercise calories (as provided by my HRM). I lost 23.2 pounds on the program. I haven't totalled the inces completely but I have lost 2 pants sizes. So, I would say modify the meal plan in a way that works for you and ensures you have enough energy to perform the workouts.

Thank you for this!!! It helps!