Well, you're right! It is gross. That's why no one ever talks about the big "E" and losing weight. Except one lady, and I respect her. Now.
I was in a Weight Watchers meeting in 1973 and the leader shared about how excited she was when she had a BM, because she knew that that was lost pounds goin' down. I was shocked at the time. But now I say "Bravo!" And you should, too. But my reasoning gets more, well, nutritional. Unless you live in a box, you've probably heard about colonics, internal cleansing, laxatives, herbal teas and potions to get the inside clean. In fact, food combining is also called "hygiene." It gets you thinking that if you feel sluggish and irritable, if your skin looks bad and you just feel bad in general, could it be that all that crap you are eating is causing it? That's not so far-fetched, is it?
To start off, good digestion is the key to good elimination. Basically: don't mix a bunch of crazy stuff together in your stomach, and then expect good health, good digestion or weight loss. It doesn't work that way. Simple foods in simple combinations will really help to put you on the road to weight loss. Why not start with three foods at a meal at a time. These are the keys for you. Don't over-tax your already over-taxed system. (Those binges are hell on your body!) Just relax. Take it easy. Here's your current mission, should you choose to accept it: Next time you go to a pot-luck (that dreaded diet-buster), just relax and take a few minutes to "scope it out." See what is available. See what looks really good. Then make your choices and eat only those foods. Have seconds if you like. But only eat those three foods that you have chosen. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel. You won't stagger away from the buffet all bloated and gross. You'll feel more in control and you'll feel better about yourself. Plus you'll get to watch all those other people stressing about what else to pollute themselves with.
Here are a few pointers for that potluck that I have gleaned from food combining teachings:
1) Fruit is not dessert.
And it's not dinner. I'm gonna call it a snack. So if you must eat fruit at a potluck, eat it first. According to the food combiners, fruit is hard to digest in combination with other foods, but easy to digest on its own. (There go your French desserts of cheese and fruit!) In fact, when eaten alone, fruit passes very quickly through the digestive system, whereas meat takes a long time. You don't want the fruit, which is digested in a few hours, getting mixed in with meat and staying in your stomach for 12. That's called bad digestion.
2) Don't load up on bread.
I know you've been told that bread has fiber, but even whole grain bread is a processed food. Bread will plug you up. (Remember rolling it in little balls and throwing it at the wall?) Load up on vegetables, cooked and raw. Vegetables have lots of vitamins and beneficial bulk that helps elimination. Double whammy!
3)Don't eat dessert right after a meal.
(Again, there go the French desserts of fruit and cheese.) This may sound counter-intuitive, but it makes sense when you think about everything we have just talked about. Eating dessert after a meal is wrong on so many levels. First, you're not hungry! (Remember the rule about only eating when you are hungry?) The digestive fires that signal you to eat are not burning any more. Your body is no longer crying out for food, it's crying out for you to stop! Listen to your body! Second, you've already eaten your three foods! If you put dessert on top of them it will be a real mess in your stomach! Lastly, as you know, sugar is not doing you any good. Lose the sugar and lose weight.
So, what to do if you really want that dessert?
My recommendation, and it has worked really well for me, is go ahead and eat an occasional dessert, just not right after dinner. How about mid-afternoon, or mid-morning? Or later in the evening. In defense of the French, they really linger over a meal, so by the time they get to the dessert, it's hours later and their dinner is at least partially digested. Americans, on the other hand, don't linger over dinner, and they don't wait to eat dessert. Time to start some new, healthier habits.
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