Hi all! I watch "You are what you eat" with Gillian McKeith almost every day here on BBC Canada. I have noticed that in the most recent episodes, she is no longer referred to as "DR. Jillian McKeith", whereas this is how she was identified in earlier episodes. I'm confused!
Also, has anyone tried her program? What do you all think of her and her program? Is she viewed as a popular diet guru over there?
Kira

There was controversy over people thinking she was a medical doctor. I haven't investigated the details, but I believe it has to do with that.

I don't know if she is a real doctor or not, but the poo segment makes me want to hurl.

She had done couses in nutrition and health but isn't a real doctor. The media made a meal of it and she was forced by trading standards or similar to change her title.

As for her program, she has some sensible ideas towards eating fruit, veg etc but a lot of what she says is bollocks such as needing to boil milk before you drink it! Who's going to bother with that? She knows a lot about supplements and what certain things on the body mean - white flecks in nails, teeth marks or lines on the tounge and the like and brought many seeds and fruits I didn't know about to my attention.

The picture Gillian uses on her products is an old one of her taken many years ago. Now she has bad posture, poor skin and generally looks really, really poorly, which suggests following her diet ideas long term may not be a healthy option.

I am not in the UK but I love Gillian McKeith
! I tried her programme but for me its too rigid and too vegetarian! I honestly can not find many of the food items on the list of acceptable foods and she gives specific times to eat (or drink tea) that don't fit in my schedule- I'm up at 4.30 and leave the house by 6.30; her plan implies that I'm only rising at 7!

While I think she's great and gives great advise, I'll stick to working my plan and schedule fit into WW.

@ moongirl! Wow, I had no idea!

i love the show, but i think what she askes of a person is unrealiztic. i know that i could never afford the stuff she asks you to eat, or find them in the stores. but i have taken some of her ideas..making smootjies to get your daily fruitsis great for on the go..

The McKeith controversy wasn't so much about her pretending to be a medical doctor...

She was committing two sins....she used her 'Dr' title from her PhD without clarifying that she wasn't actually a 'medical doctor', and then she was using a PhD/Dr title which was from a non-accredited distance-learning university, so she had no right to call herself a Dr as she wasn't a scientist/researcher holding a proper PhD.

A journalist who exposed McKeith bought his cat the same qualification as McKeith has.

Snappymuffin, if that is the case, I would agree with calling her "not a real doctor" (if the credentials are not accredited). I didn't make that case about her because I didn't feel like spending the time to research her actual credentials. However, I did want to point out (not to you in particular) that it bothers me to see PhDs called not real doctors. I don't think medical doctors are any more real than other doctors, just a different type.

I completely agree with you Julie.

PhDs are just as worthy of using the 'Dr' title as someone with a medical degree, actually I'd go a little further and say PhDs are more worthy due to the length of study/research and the historic foundations of the title 'Dr'.

I wasn't disagreeing with what you said...just adding to it. I post on academic websites where McKeith is often used as an example of someone who devalues the 'Dr' title.

OMG! According to wikipedia, Gillian McKeith was born in 1959! Making her JUST 50! And the shows I'm watching are a few years old! Making her in her late 40s on those shows!!! I thought she was well into her 60s...
Kira

she may have a disease or something like rheumatoid arthritis that makes her look like that... i had noticed too she looks a little out of whack..

i just started watching her on BBCAmerica and although her plan seems extreme, she really shoves reality into these peoples faces... and when they show the mounds of greazy, mcfatty, fried, foods it actually made me feel almost nauseous to look at and think about my own past eating habits.

and I like how after the 8 weeks the people have a big change and glowing skin (even without the makeovers I'm sure they'd look a million times better than they did!) I don't think she's saying people HAVE TO follow her plan to get these results... She's saying cut out all the crap: processed/refined foods and eat wholesome nutrient dense foods. Eat the all the foods that will get you your vitamins & minerals & amino acids & fatty acids & fiber to be at your optimum health. And when the people do that the results are mostly amazing!

i'm hooked to this show and it's already started to make me think about what I'm eating! I ordered some fish & chips the other day to take home but had to stop and throw them out because I was so disgusted by what it would do to my body. And then went home and ate some healthy food. That was a first too... they even looked soooo good... they were actually fresh and crispy looking not soggy like i would get sometimes and still eat! yuk!

Anyways I like her... she's got good sense.

Her programs are too strict to be sustainable, but she has good ideas here and there. Pushing fruit and water.
My hubby says, he doesn't know how anyone can try her regime after seeing what she looks like!!

I work with nutrionist here in a UK University and they all thinks she's a quack. As mentioned her 'doctorate' is from a non-accredited institution.

It makes good TV but its generally bad science.

Kitty

It's probably not a diet plan the contestants follow, that she has made herself anyway. Being on a show, she will have a team of dietians behind her doing all the leg work.

Anyone can go online or study books and learn eveything she knows, it's actually just living by the philiosphy that she lives by, which is the tough bit. She does change peoples attitudes and it's obviously works. But we all can't have her next to us all the time, nagging us to eat healthy foods. I wouldn't personally try any of her diets, it's too harsh to try 'solo'

She does look awful. Her skin is well saggy. I think that's probably is a case of too much california sun (she's lived there alot of her life) and genetics.