The Virgin Diet: The US Bestseller

Much of the reason for our poor digestion is how we eat. We eat too fast. I tell people, “Be a slowpoke when you’re eating.” Put your fork down in between bites. You can improve your digestion by increasing your chewing. Chew more. If we eat with people who eat fast, we tend to pace ourselves with them, so eat with slow people.

Mindful eating is not just taking the time to chew. It is also being calm while you’re eating. Take time for your meals. Focus on what you’re eating and the company around you – and don’t eat while you’re doing something else that needs your focus, such as driving or working. Keep your mind on the food and the pleasure of sharing it. You’ll enjoy it more – and you’ll eat less.

I don’t want to gross you out, but now we need to talk about poops because they are a crucial part of digestion. Either diarrhoea or constipation can indicate that you have problems digesting your food, which could ultimately affect your ability to lose weight.

Many people don’t realize that they are suffering from constipation. When I say, ‘constipation’, I want you to think three things:

1. You’re moving your bowels less than once a day. Ideally, you should be going twice a day.

2. You’re having to really struggle. Ideally, everything should come out nice and smooth.

3. You’re producing poops that are tiny or don’t easily come all the way out. That is not good for your digestive tract or your overall health.

What is a poop you can be proud of? It is a well-formed poop that you don’t have to struggle with. It comes out fully – it doesn’t stop halfway through and leave you stuck. Nor does it dive-bomb to the bottom of the bowl. It sinks to the bottom of the bowl. It doesn’t mark things up.

If you have an oily residue or slick slides, you are not absorbing your fat well. If you have rabbit pellets or you’re straining, you don’t have enough fibre. If you have floating poops, it could be from excessive wind, produced by an overgrowth of bad bacteria lurking in your intestines.

Now at this point, you might be wondering why I’m putting you through this kind of gross science lesson. The answer is, because if you don’t eliminate properly, you’ll be bloated and fat and setting yourself up for a permanent problem with both indigestion and obesity.

Okay, I’ll get a little more gross and ask you to picture what would happen to a poop that just sat in the toilet for a few days. Ewww, right? Well, do you want that toxic mess sitting inside you? No, you don’t, and that’s why elimination is so important. If you aren’t having poops you can be proud of, you are holding a toxic mess inside your body every single day. That uneliminated poop is releasing toxins that are reabsorbed into your body, leading to bad breath, piles and acne, not to mention impaired digestion, inflammation and food intolerance. The net result is that you gain weight that you can’t lose, and you feel sluggish, tired and old before your time.

Those toxins are also putting a terrific strain on one of your primary detoxification organs: your liver. If you tax your liver with excess toxins, you could impair its ability to do its other critical functions, such as metabolize fat, which will ultimately make it more difficult for you to lose weight.

Maybe this isn’t the most pleasant topic, but it’s an important one – and what we focus on, we can improve. So at this point, I’d like to invite you to take my poop quiz.

Okay, so here’s the deal: none of these symptoms are normal, and you shouldn’t experience any of them regularly on a long-term basis. You might have symptoms that occur periodically because of stress, a transient parasite, bad food – some problem that your body handles and you recover from. But if you have any of these problems chronically, you need to address them. And you should be aware that the more questions you answered yes to, the more severe your issue is.

Now, here’s the good news: quite often, removing high-FI foods and adding in healing and low-FI foods correct most if not all of the problems. Here’s some more good news: the Improving Your Poops section can tell you how to fix any remaining problems.

Now that you see how important pooping is for getting rid of toxins, let’s talk about things that can help you poop better.

First, make time for it. Everyone has a rhythm. You will find your best time of day. For most people, it is when they get up in the morning or about an hour after they wake up and move. Make sure you have time for that. You may also need to have another bowel movement in the afternoon after lunch. Start to get used to what your body needs so you can set time aside. You need the right place to be able to do this, too.

Second, you need to have one to three bowel movements a day. They shouldn’t be urgent, and you shouldn’t have to run to the bathroom every time you eat. When you eat, it should stimulate some peristalsis in 30–60 minutes. (Peristalsis is the contraction and relaxation of your intestinal muscles to move food through your digestive tract.) But you should not be feeling the urgent need to run to the bathroom as soon as you finish your meal. If you pull all of the top 7 high-FI foods from your diet and your urgency hasn’t cleared up in a couple weeks, see your doctor.

Fibre definitely gives us poops we can be proud of! You need fibre to add the bulk to your stools. Here are the top 10 sources of fabulous fibre, so load up on these:

1 Raspberries (All berries are high-fibre, and these are the highest.)

2 Lentils

3 Nuts

4 Seeds, especially chia seeds and freshly ground linseeds

5 Kale

6 Quinoa

7 Avocado

8 Apples

9 Winter squash

10 Broccoli

You need to eat optimal amounts of fibre. The average person is getting only 5 to 14 grams of fibre per day, but I want you to get it up to 50 or more. You can’t do it overnight. Add 5 grams each day until you reach your goal – and make sure to drink more water as you do so.

In Chapter 8, you’ll find my instructions for drinking water. Water and fibre together make a nice sponge that will give you the bulk you need in your stools.

 Vitamin C: Start with 1 gram and increase as needed up to 5 grams each night.

 Magnesium: Start with 300 milligrams and increase as needed up to 1,000 milligrams each night.

If your poops become runny, back off the supplements a bit. Iron and calcium are constipating, so if you are taking either of these, you may need some supplements to offset those effects. I like to take vitamin C and magnesium at night to get things moving in the morning.

 Get things moving with exercise.

 Try drinking some hot coffee or tea in the morning.

 Sip some peppermint tea throughout the day.

 Throw two or three prunes into your shake.

 When you move your bowels, consider elevating your feet with a footstool – our toilets are just about the worst possible set-up for elimination.

If none of this is working, try cascara sagrada, senna, Chinese rhubarb and/or frangula (I prefer to use herbal blends of these) on a short-term basis. These are also great to take along if you happen to get constipated while travelling. You should only use them for a few days – don’t become dependent on them, as they may irritate the gastrointestinal lining long term with chronic use.

I know it’s hard to believe that the foods you’ve always thought were healthy are actually causing you to gain weight, feel lousy and look at least 10 years older. But trust me, I’ve had thousands of clients – from students to CEOs to top Hollywood stars – lose stubborn extra pounds, look 10 years younger and feel better than they had in years. The Virgin Diet is the key for me, for them and for you.

I’ve had thousands of clients lose extra pounds, look 10 years younger and feel better than they had in years.

If you’re feeling sceptical, leaf through this book, read some of my clients’ testimonials and see whether you recognize yourself in them. Most important of all, give the Virgin Diet a try. I’m only asking you for 21 days, and in return, I’m offering you a lifetime of feeling and looking your best.

Now, at this point, I’m going to give you a choice. If you’re totally on board with my reasoning and just want to get to the weight loss, jump right on over to Chapter 2 for a full explanation of what you’re going to be doing for the next 21 days and then turn to Part III to begin the Virgin Diet.

But if, like me, you don’t like simply following orders and prefer to understand how your body works, read on. In the next chapter, you’ll learn exactly how the Virgin Diet will help heal your body, and in Part II, you’ll find out just how the 7 high-FI foods are affecting your weight, your energy and your overall health. In other words, I’m going to give you the most useful chemistry lesson you’ve ever had in your life. This is the chemistry lesson that’s finally going to help you understand why you haven’t been able to lose weight before – and why you’re finally going to be able to lose it now.

Karen Bristing

Age 48

La Canada-

Flintridge, California

Height: 1.7m

Starting Weight: 11 stone 3 pounds

Waist: 79cm Hips: 104cm

Current Weight: 10 stone 2 pounds

Waist: 75cm Hips: 100cm

Lost: 1 stone 1 pound

I first heard about JJ Virgin through her book Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy: The 5-Step Plan to Sleek, Strong, and Sculpted Arms. I started implementing her programme immediately – and seeing results – then I signed up for her online newsletter and heard about the concept of the Virgin Diet.

I had never tried eliminating gluten and dairy from my diet, never mind soy, corn, peanuts and eggs. I had been trying to lose a stubborn 5 pounds for years, but I was never able to do it on the traditional ‘eat less and exercise more’ programmes. And believe me, I tried them all! I had even tried extreme exercise, getting up at 5 AM for a gruelling hour of outdoor boot camp. I did that for years!

I also fell prey to ‘diet’ foods that were full of chemicals and artificial sweeteners. I was working out and I thought I was eating right. But the stress on my body kept me from ever getting below that number I hoped to see on the scale.

Now, I am working out less, eating according to JJ and loving it. I weigh less than I have in 10 years. Not only did I lose the elusive 5 pounds, but also another 10 fell off my body for a total of 1 stone and 1 pound down! My skin is clearer, too. I found that as soon as I tried to add dairy back into my diet, my skin broke out. So dairy has stayed out of my life.

The great thing is, I really don’t miss any of those foods. I have much more energy. My breakfast shake keeps me full until lunchtime. I no longer need to have some sugar after lunch to keep me going, and I don’t feel the need for an afternoon nap anymore. I fit into all the clothes in my closet, although buying more jeans in a smaller size has been fun.

I am just so glad that I found this programme. I’ve recommended it to my friends, and I enjoy seeing their successes as well. All I can say is that it has changed my life.

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