Keto Critic Jillian Michaels Claims This Diet Mistake Is Screwing Up Your Weight Loss

Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels has been clear about what she considers flawed diet philosophies (looking at you, Keto). And now she's sharing new comments about diet strategies that simply won't work — and in fact will sabotage the best-laid weight-loss diet plans. 

Micheals shared what she considers to be the top obstacles to weight loss with Pop Sugar. "The top mistake I see is not combining their workout with a calorie-controlled diet comprised of healthy foods," she said. "Eat more calories than you burn in a day and you will store those calories as fat."

In other words — and this is controversial among non-calorie-counting fans of such diets as Keto — it's all about the number of calories you take in, versus the number of calories you burn. That's it, she said. So make sure you track that number.

"You can monitor your food intake by measuring or weighing your food to ensure your portion sizes are accurate and track your calories in an app like My Fitness Pal or Lose It! It can be eye-opening to see exactly how many calories your meals and snacks add up to and to see what a portion size is," she told PopSugar. "Make sure to track everything, including all those extra bites, handfuls, and add-ons like sauces and dips."

And once you get used to that, she explained, it does get easier and more intuitive. "After several weeks of tracking and choosing healthy, whole foods most of the time, you'll have more experience counting calories in your head and won't need to be so strict about tracking every single calorie — you'll just know what works for you."

Here's what celebs have said — passionately! — about the controversial Keto diet: