Potato diet: Hi everyone, Has anyone tried... - Healthy Eating

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Potato diet

goragon profile image
12 Replies

Hi everyone,

Has anyone tried the potato diet?

It claims that the can lose between 0.5 - 1 lbs a day.

I started it on Monday, I’ll try and update my progress as and when I can, here is what I’ve found so fare.

My weight has been creeping up over the past 2 years and I’ve been stuck between 240 lbs - 237 lbs for s number of months now so it’s time to take action.

I started the diet on Monday, I can only eat boiled, mashed or baked potatoes, between 2 - 5 pounds a day.

I can just about manage to eat 2.5 lbs of potato’s a day at the moment, it’s just so filling, I do put a few drops of chilli or mint sauce on the meal to make it more interesting.

The first few days were ok, the third day I’m starting to get a bit tiered around 9:00 p.m and don’t seem to have much energy to do things.

I had a quick weigh-in Thursday morning and to my surprise I’m already down 2.4 lbs, I’m going to weigh again on Saturday to see if it was just an error.

I’ll keep you all updated on how things go.

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goragon profile image
goragon
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12 Replies
Praveen55 profile image
Praveen55Star

goragon

In my opinion, it is a starvation diet without consideration of essential nutrients that body needs. Obviously, it is very unhealthy way to lose weight. Moreover, you are most likely to regain even more than the lost weight once you switch back to normal diet.

Consider following LCHF/KETO diet which is a healthy way to lose weight that can be sustained for life. It is not a short term prescription but a permanent change in lifestyle.There are many in this group who have been following this kind of diet with great benefits.you may lose 2 lbs/week but that will be permanent.

Zest profile image
Zest

Hi goragon

I don't know if you've seen this review of the Potato Diet (from Healthline), but you might want to have a read, to see what you think:

healthline.com/nutrition/po...

It does sound like there are some concerns about it - as it is extremely restrictive, and you can see the various downsides listed.

Wishing you the best with whatever you decide to do, but please do look after your health and well-being and consider getting all your nutrients that your body requires.

Zest :-)

Wow, interesting! Keep us informed. 😀

Cooper27 profile image
Cooper27Administrator

I wouldn't want to follow this diet for an extended period. How long do you intend to do it for?

Lulububs profile image
Lulububs

I dont think this is good for ur body ir giving it no nutrients or minerals, plus it just startch and carbs...

i think a good green and colourful varied diet of fruit and veg would benefit u better would also make u feel better.

I eat no carbs... coz i have ibs and they just make me feel blah!

I gave up bread and most carbs and the weight fell of .. i went from 10st 3lbs to 8st 5lbs.

Also a

Good diet is the 5:2 diet by michael moseley it really works and by fasting ur body two times a week it really helps with blood pressure and diabetes.

So u may wana try that one.

The potatoe one hmmmm not such a good idea.

TheAwfulToad profile image
TheAwfulToad

I saw a video on Youtube by Penn Jillette, who apparently used this method to fix his eating habits. Have a look. The takeaway point is not precisely that eating potatoes helps you lose weight (although I suppose it might, since as you've discovered you can only eat about 1000kCal/day). It's that eating a bland diet resets your tastes.

While it might well change your appetite, it seems a very drastic approach. As Praveen55 said, your goal here should be to make a permanent change to a healthy diet, which will result in a normal maintenance weight. The rate at which you lose weight is irrelevant. My main concern here is that, since you are already quite seriously overweight, you may be prediabetic. Eating nothing but starch for the next few days/weeks could push you over the edge into full-blown diabetes.

Drop in on the LCHF group:

healthunlocked.com/lchf-diet

There are lots of people there eating proper, enjoyable meals (and losing weight) without resorting to extreme measures.

Lesley1234567 profile image
Lesley1234567

I agree with all of the above. It’s not healthy and it’s not sustainable. Do have have a look at lchf it curbs your appetite and you can eat a good range of healthy foods, healthy fats included.

deejames profile image
deejames

I am sorry to say goragon, that this sounds like the most unhealthy almost dangerous diet I have heard of yet. Nutrients ? Mix of food groups ? No wonder you are tired.

I suspect you might lose weight but will put it all back on again once you stop eating just potatoes.

I cannot see how you think this is a good idea.. I hope you can find a sensible way of losing weight that you can maintain. Best of luck.

Dee

andyswarbs profile image
andyswarbs

If health is determined by having diverse microbiome gut flora then the potato diet can win hands down. I have seen more than one person doing a potato diet for a year and their gut flora testing looking better than anyone else's!

Remember potatoes come in a wide variety. Purple sweet potatoes are extremely nutritious, and in my opinion the king of potatoes. Sweet potatoes can be eaten raw.

If I was in a post apocalypse then potato would be my food of choice. It is the one food that on its own would keep me alive longer than any other food on the planet.

Most people who eat carbs slather them with fats, eg butter. And therein lies their mistake. Fats plus carbs in excess (aka moderation?!?) is a bad formula, a very bad formula that is the cause of much obesity.

Remember, unless your doctor says you need to lose weight fast, slow and steady weight loss is the best. So don't look for dramatic numbers, just solid loss. It will come.

Ideally I would use this in the short term and then add other foods more and more. With a goal of a wide whole food plant based no refined oils diet.

The risk on a potato only diet is, as others have indicated, nutrient loss. I would add in celery and cucumber juice fairly early on, like now! Then add in dark leafy greens - whole bags of them at each meal in a week's time! Some you can add to your juice. Then start consuming some quinoa or buckwheat for really rounded top-quality protein. At this stage the diet becomes sustainable for the short to medium term.

I cannot stress enough that you need to aim for a diverse whole food plant based diet. Look at any video on youtube of failed "why I am no longer vegan" videos, and you will see a common thread of diet restriction.

There are things that vegans need to be aware of. B12 is one of them, which most farmed animals get from B12 supplements added to their diet. We can cut out the middle animal and get B12 from plant sources cheaply and easily. But that's nothing to worry about today. B12 stores in the body can last for a couple of years if not longer.

Final point. If you are going to do a restricted diet research, research, research. Consider getting blood tests analysed by someone like GojiMan gojimannutrition.com/.

No-one wants you to fail.

goragon profile image
goragon

Potato diet experiment over.

I weighed this morning and have lost a total of 4.2 lbs in five days.

How did my diet go, the first two days went well, I ate boil baby potatoes with the skins on, I could only manage to eat around 2.5 lbs of potatoes a day.

The rest of the week I had to great the potatoes, bake them in the oven and add a small amount mint sauce or chilli sauce to add a bit of flavour.

On day three I did feel a little tiered, it was like I’d worked a night shift but I had a good night sleep and felt really good the next morning.

Day four and five I felt ok, I did go to bed around 21:30 because I was nodding off in the chair, I normally go to bed around 22:30.

During the diet, I didn’t feel hungry at all, if anything I felt really full and didn’t even want to look for any snacks.

I slept a lot better than normal, I usually wake up in the middle of the night but during the diet I slept until the alarm went off.

The positive from the diet.

I lost weigh 4.2 lbs (I’ve not lost much weight in months).

I slept really well.

It’s was cheap.

It’s was quick and easy cooking.

I felt full and didn’t look for snacks.

The negative

I did have more headache then normal.

I felt tired in the night.

I wasn’t getting the nutrition I needed.

Bland and boring food.

I think this diet has given me some confidence that I can lose weight again.

I need to try and eat a more healthy balanced diet and accurately log my food and cut out the alcohol.

Would I try the diet again, possibly but I don’t think I could do more than five days, it’s just so bland.

I’m going back to eating normal food now to see if I can keep the weight loss going. Wish me luck.

visimpact profile image
visimpact

I prefer to do this in 3-4 day stretches, which some people call a "potato hack".

Wht this is supposed to do is help you lose weight, but also reset your appetite to where you only eat when hungry when you resume normal eating or a different diet.

Here's the rules of doing a Potato Hack:

(source) visualimpactfitness.com/pot...

* Plan on eating just potatoes for 3-5 days.

* Eat 2-5 pounds of potatoes each day.

* No other foods allowed (this includes butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon bits).

* Salt is allowed, but not encouraged.

* Drink when thirsty: coffee, tea, and water only.

* Heavy exercise is discouraged; light exercise and walking are encouraged.

* Take your normal medications, but dietary supplements will not be needed.

I consider this more of a special event diet and to use before a wedding, class reunion, vacation, etc.

Kai-- profile image
Kai-- in reply to visimpact

.

For a lark, visimpact, kindly consider scrolling down to Penn Jillette & his "potato diet" 🥔 : healthunlocked.com/cure-art...

Best wishes. ☺️ 🙏 🍀 🌺 🌞

.

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