NEW YORK CITY (VINnews) – Celebrity fitness trainer and wellness expert Jillian Michaels has never been one to mince words, and her latest take on the booming class of weight-loss injections—like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound—is making waves.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
In a recent interview, Michaels cut straight to the point:
“What people are not literally telling you is that the mechanisms by which these medications facilitate weight loss and the health benefits that go along with it is calorie reduction.”
The former Biggest Loser trainer argues that the dramatic results users are seeing aren’t some revolutionary metabolic magic; they’re largely the result of one simple, old-school principle: eating significantly fewer calories.
These GLP-1 receptor agonists (and the newer dual GIP/GLP-1 drugs) work primarily by:
Slowing gastric emptying so users feel full longer
Suppressing appetite signals in the brain
Reducing cravings and obsessive thoughts about food
The end result? Most patients on these medications naturally consume 20–40% fewer calories per day—sometimes even more—without having to consciously “diet” or count every bite.
“That’s literally forced calorie restriction,” Michaels says. “You’re getting the benefits of a calorie deficit—the weight loss, the improved insulin sensitivity, the lower inflammation—because the drug is doing the hard part of appetite control for you.”
She emphasizes that this isn’t an attack on people who need or choose to use the medications, especially those with severe obesity or related medical conditions. But she believes the public conversation has been misleading, often framing these drugs as a fundamentally new way to “fix” metabolism rather than a pharmaceutical tool that enforces the same energy-balance equation that has always governed weight loss.
“Calories in, calories out isn’t canceled,” Michaels insists. “The drugs just make ‘calories in’ a lot smaller, whether you want it to or not.”
Her comments come amid explosive demand for the injections, with some analysts predicting the market could exceed $100 billion in the coming years. Celebrities, influencers, and everyday patients continue to share stunning before-and-after photos, while side effects—nausea, muscle loss, gastrointestinal issues, and the near-universal weight regain after stopping—are often downplayed.
Michaels, a longtime advocate for sustainable lifestyle change over quick fixes, warns that relying solely on pharmacology without addressing the behavioral and environmental drivers of overeating sets many users up for a difficult road once they eventually discontinue the medication.
“The weight loss is real. The health improvements while you’re on the drug are real,” she acknowledges. “But let’s be honest about why it’s happening. It’s not because you’ve magically rewired your metabolism forever. It’s because you’re finally in the calorie deficit your body needed all along.”
Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates