JJ Virgin is renowned nutrition and exercise expert whose passion is evidant in her ability to help those struggling with their weight through her education and training. Not only is she the co-host of TLC's Freaky Eaters, she also stars as a secret judge in the Food Networks Fat Chef. JJ took the time out from her vacation in South Beach, Florida to talk with TheCelebrityCafe.com where we found out just what drives this brilliant woman.
TCC: What was your drive to start peeling away at weight loss for people to really start seeing results?
JJ: I started out in this world as a personal trainer and I got very frustrated because people back then came to personal trainers to get fit and there were actually three of us when I first started, me and Body by Jake…maybe there was only two of us, I was one of the very first. I was being taught in school that if you wanted to lose weight you just eat less and exercise more, same old story, but I noticed a lot of clients at the time were 45-55 year old women who would tell me that this stuff just isn’t working. My first thought was, “Oh my gosh, they’re cheaters!” Then I thought, they wouldn’t be spending all of this money to cheat, that doesn’t make any sense. So I started looking for what do you really have to do to lose the weight and keep it off. What we’re teaching people out there IS the reason we have this massive obesity epidemic- it’s the misinformation. My mission is really to get the right information out, because a lot of things just really upset me. But, it’s still out there just killing people with lies and starving them to death.
TCC: Delving deeper into that, what is the biggest myth about dieting?
JJ: That it’s calories in calories out. Calories do count, but where they come from counts more. Your body is not a bank account- it’s a chemistry lab, it’s not about how much you eat it’s what you eat, when you eat, how fast you eat it, if you’re drinking something with it. All of that factors in. If you’re stressed out, your mindset; all of this can screw up your digestion. There is so much more to it than calories. It’s just craziness. There is still this idea that we should be following a low fat diet and that is another big ridiculousness.
TCC: You’ve been quoted as saying and I’ve even heard you say, “Your body is not a bank account, it’s a chemistry lab,” can you expand on that?
JJ: What I mean by that is, food is information and we are governed by our hormones so if you’re eating a very low fat high-carb diet, you’re going to be driving up the blood sugar and driving up the storage hormone that makes you better at storing the fat and worse at burning it off. So, we really have to look at the metabolic effect in the foods we eat. It’s the same with exercise. Endurance training can actually burn up muscle and burn out your adrenals and attribute to weight gain.
TCC: Tell me about the roles you have coming up and your role in Freaky Eaters.
JJ: In Freaky Eaters I’m the co-host and my co-host Dr. Mike Dow. On the Food Network Nation, Fat Chef, they brought me in as an expert to help a couple of the chefs who get stuck, they hit a plateau. I help the trainers to help them make some shifts on their diets to help with what may be getting in the way of their weight loss.
TCC: What is it like co-staring in TLC’s Freaky Eaters?
JJ: That was a great show, I loved the show because, when I first saw the show and really started looking at it, I like to look at show and figure out what sort of impact it can have on the viewer. Of course they have to be entertaining, but I like when you can go “Wow! If they can change and start eating better with vegetables so can I “and that is what really intrigued me going into the show. It was an opportunity to really do some good out there.
TCC: I have to ask, what is the craziest thing you have witnessed on the show thus far?
JJ: I think what was so interesting was our corn starch girl, because she didn’t consider it as food. First off, corn starch starts turning into sugars the second you put it into your mouth! So to think of it as food, I mean, she was so constipated from eating the corn starch [laughs] I mean, so the whole thing really was quite incredible.
TCC: Now, going back to the clients you had, is that when you came up with the idea of the science behind being “weight loss resistant?”
JJ: I was actually in doctoral school in exercise physiology and I really got interested in this, I quit school and went off and took every class possible that would help figure out what could contribute to weight gain and weight loss and what we could do about it.
TCC: What do you believe is the worst thing that you can put into your body?
JJ: Artificial sweeteners are some of the worst foods out there. And what really upset me are the artificial sweeteners and the genetically modified food like soy and corn are so problematic. And, I just really can’t believe that genetically modified food is even allowed in this country, it should be outlawed [laughs], I mean it is in Europe! Just what we are seeing is a totally disruption in our healthy debt system and that is the center of our immune system and we are destroying it. It’s just so bad; it’s not even funny so I would say genetically modified food and artificial sweeteners. Oh, and gluten, the thought that gluten is a whole grain goodness is just ridiculous. I don’t think it’s good for anybody!
TCC: Is there a rule that you live by?
JJ: Moderation is a myth, the idea that a little bit goes a long way is just crazy because it allows people to think, oh, well, I can have a little bit. On the other hand, you do need to make the best choices in the situation you’re in and not beat yourself up because there are going to be plenty more people that will beat you up for you, right! Live by the plate and eat by the clock! Eat breakfast within an hour of eating, but be careful because a lot of breakfasts are desserts in disguise. Snacking is the worst possible thing created by the Snacking Industry because it keeps us addicted to the wrong types of foods, let’s be honest, we’re not out there snacking on salmon.