How to Lose Belly Fat Faster, According to Jillian Michaels

Diet Vs. Workouts

Michaels can’t emphasize strongly enough how important exercise is for weight loss—but says all the work you do at the gym can be undone with a Happy Meal, if you’re not careful. “To lose weight you need a calorie deficit,” she says in a recent Instagram post. “You just do.”

Use Technology

Michaels recommends using wearable technology to track progress. "People are like, 'Why does everybody give up? Why does everybody quit?'" she told E! News. "Because they're killing themselves. They're making sacrifices. They're working hard. And when they don't see the fruits of that labor, they're like, [giving up]. And the reason the wearables are awesome, is because they give you accurate information. And with this accurate information, you can make informed choices, that yield powerful results."

Track Calories For a Deficit

Michaels says it’s important to understand the calories in your food so you can ensure you’re in a deficit, without which weight loss cannot happen. The ideal deficit is 500 calories a day, for weight loss of a pound a week. "If I don't tell you how to do it, you won't be able to actually effectuate change,” she told E! News in January. “And then you don't believe what I'm saying because you don't realize how much you're eating and you get discouraged and become vulnerable to more fads and trends. It'll be tedious for about two weeks while you learn how many calories are in the foods that you consume regularly, but once you know, you'll know forever."

Portion Control Is Key

Michael says the key to successful weight loss is to simply eat less. "If it's too much to ask people to switch that pizza to a chicken salad, here's what we're going to do," she told E! News. "Instead of half the pie, you're going to do one slice of pizza and you're going do a side salad. Or two slices of pizza and a side salad with the dressing on the side. And we're going to opt out of the Coke. Or the two glasses of wine. Done. And all of this will work. I promise."

RELATED: Jillian Michaels' Big Ozempic Warning.

10,000k Steps a Day

Michaels recommends movement throughout the day—it doesn’t have to be grueling gym sessions, but you have to move. "I put my computer on [my treadmill] and I walk 1.8 miles an hour and work. It's a game-changer," she says, suggesting working your way up to at least 20 minutes in your living room. "Talk on the phone standing up and pacing. Do two minutes of jumping jacks every hour on the hour. Just getting you to move is going to make a massive difference."

No to Keto

Michaels is still against keto and other “fad” diets, saying a diet rich in whole foods is key to health and weight loss. "Keto is not ideal," she said. "And it's like 'Oh, I've lowered my A1Cs and my triglycerides.' Well, yeah, because you're not eating McDonald's anymore. Guess what? I do the same thing with carbs… It's preying upon people's vulnerability and it's like, 'Oh, no, no, no, I have the answer. This is the magic bullet.' And the answer is eat less food, move your body, get your sleep. And if we are then ready to take it a step further, make better food choices by utilizing common sense."

Sugar and White Flour

Michaels strongly recommends avoiding added sugars and white flour. "Added sugar sucks, white flour sucks,” she said. “Use your common sense and eat foods as whole as possible. Start there. Don't overeat. Eat on the schedule I mentioned [breakfast, snack, lunch, light dinner]. Try to stop eating when you're full. Try to move your body in the way I talked about. And you can forget the rest."

Don’t Worry About Macros

Michaels says macros are not important if torching fat is the goal—just stick to whole foods as much as possible and understand what causes insulin spikes. "The truth of the matter is you really don't need to think about it,” she says.

RELATED: 4 Unexpected Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight.