Potato diet: Hi everyone, Has anyone... - Weight Loss Support

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Potato diet

goragon profile image
24 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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24 Replies
IndigoBlue61 profile image
IndigoBlue61

Is this a long term plan?? Sounds too extreme for me . . . Not to mention lacking in many essential nutrients? Please take care 😕

Pineapple27 profile image
Pineapple27

I like food too much to just eat one particular food stuff! I'd also want some protein in my . meals for the day....

Per 100g of potatoes

Calories (kcal) 75.4

Protein (g) 2

Carbohydrate (g) 16.5

Sugars (g) 0.7

Fat (g) 0.2

Saturates (g) 0

Fibre (g) 1.4

Sodium (g) 0.025

So eating 2 and a half pounds of potatoes will only provide you with 834 calories - no wonder you are losing weight - you are running your body at a severe calorie deficit.

You've been doing this for 4 days - I'd be surprised if you are able to keep it up for even one week.... I know I wouldn't be able to.

The only reason I've succeeded in losing weight this time around is that nothing is banned, I can choose what I eat, I eat only things that I really enjoy, I can have regular "treats", I have learned about the calories in certain foods and learned how to reduce my portion sizes to healthy sized ones.

I wish you luck, but eating potatoes day in day out will not teach you a healthy way of eating that can be sustained forever.... and in order for weight to stay off, we need to learn to adapt our eating habits to something that can be maintained for the remainder of our lives....

Stoozie profile image
Stoozie

It's just under 1000 calories a day which sounds extremely low.

I wish you well but am also concerned about your vitamin and mineral needs :)

Stoozie profile image
Stoozie

I'm not disagreeing with Pineapple27 on the nutrition, I just assumed you'd be having jacket potatoes, because I would! And the skins are slightly more energy dense :)

Maria821 profile image
Maria821

I saw a programme featuring a lady who did well on two weeks of potatoes... A above comments though. I really would struggle to stick to it. Good luck x

CrimsonMama profile image
CrimsonMamaRestart June 2023

I saw that diet too on tv! I love potatoes but I don't think I could do it. It certainly wasn't a long term plan. Lol but if I don't lose weight next week I might just try it for one week for a weight loss boost! I like the sound of mint sauce added! Yum!

Please keep us updated how it goes and how you feel on it!

FP59 profile image
FP59

Never heard of potato diet. Sounds like you have basically reduced your calorie intake which will inevitably cause you to lose weight.

The fact that you are tired may be because you have omitted essential nutrients from your diet so I would say just be careful as your health is important.

When I did Weight Waychers, the group leader said something that stuck with me...she said you could eat your required calorie intake in just Mars bars and you would lose weight....its the extra calorie intake of ANY food that will cause weight gain.

In the long term it doesn't sound feasible and it would mean introducing other foods back into your diet at some point.

My only suggestion is to think carefully about whether this is healthy and how it is making you feel.

A healthy diet should leave you feeling energised!!!

IndigoBlue61 profile image
IndigoBlue61 in reply to FP59

Wise words FP59 😊

Helibobs profile image
Helibobs in reply to FP59

Couldn't agree more, I always thought it was the amount you put in your mouth that equates to how much weight you lose, just makes sense to me and always works for me too. However, since putting hubby on the strict low carb diet nearly 3 weeks ago, I can't believe just how much he now eats every day, with a fried breakfast (sausages eggs bacon only) lots of berries for lunch with full fat cream, and then say, a meat meal or salad at night but without the potatoes! I did watch the prog which trialed the potato diet, stuffing yourself with nothing but carbs (potatoes) is the opposite of the healthy food I'm giving my husband. Not only does he look great, feel great, but in just two weeks of eating like a king, he has lost 6 kgs!! He says he is never hungry now and never bored with anything I have on offer.....foodwise of corse lol!

IndigoBlue61 profile image
IndigoBlue61 in reply to Helibobs

What a fabulous story Helibobs 😊. Are you eating this way also?

Helibobs profile image
Helibobs in reply to IndigoBlue61

Thanks😊 and yes, if/when I start my own diet, this will be my favoured choice. Trouble is, since I retired, contentment set it, and that age thing that gives you a bit of a pot belly, but that's ok, because baggy tops are really 'in' now aren't they!😄 I was a size 10 all of my life, never dieted, always eating, but once I hit 50, bang, I looked pregnant in front so started cutting down on what I ate. When I hit 60 I lost the will to even try, because my gsd puppy walked the socks off me for the past ten years, minimum of 2 hours UPhills mostly, I was cream crackered and hungry, so gave up with any form of dieting. Have to say though, no matter WHAT I have done, eating less, walking more/less, every year when I get weighed at my health mot I am always 69 kgs and have been like that for 10 years now, so I think your body has an ideal weight it wants to be at, and I'm buying that theory lol. By the way, I did hear something the other day on a programme, that the reason you seem to gain a bit more in your old age, is your own body wanting to protect your bones from the dreaded 'falls' and I'm also buying that one, so any enthusiasm I had to diet has sadly gone out of the window. It's all down to how you feel in yourself, and if my size 12 trousers start getting too tight on me, then I will know it's time to do something drastic. They currently fit, so I'm just off to unwrap my chocolate cornetto after my slap up pork chop, jacket spud and cabbage lunch! Can't beat it lol.

IndigoBlue61 profile image
IndigoBlue61 in reply to Helibobs

Sounds as if your lifestyle is working perfectly for you, and I’ll take inch loss over scale weight anyday!! How your clothes feel is a perfect measure 😊

FP59 profile image
FP59 in reply to Helibobs

I agree, the low carb diet does work. I tried this many years ago (recent weight gain through hormonal meds) and was successfully quite quickly.

If I'm correct , carbs are energy, unused energy turns to fat. Eating high protein/low carbs puts the body into ketosis where the body burns the stored fats.

As long as it's medically safe for the individual to do so then I wouldn't knock it.

We're all individuals with individual needs so it might work for some and not others.

Just stay healthy during the weight loss process 😁

Helibobs profile image
Helibobs in reply to FP59

Yes, that all sounds like the correct theory with this low carb from what I have read, and my hubby knows this too, so if he dares to succumb to the free biscuits at work, then my diet, with the amount he is eating, will kick him out of ketosis and he will put weight ON.....so far so good though, he is being a good boy for me😊 I will of course know, after Sunday's weight in, if he has fallen off the wagon.

IndigoBlue61 profile image
IndigoBlue61

Morning goragon

I hope you’ve had time to read the responses you’ve had and think carefully about your eating plan. You are not alone in feeling the need for a quick and easy weight loss plan, I sense your eagerness and frustration, but your body and your health are really important. I’m sorry that there isn’t any magic wand anyone can wave.

Take care and keep in touch

BridgeGirl profile image
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone

As the others have said, it's just another low/very low calorie diet with a lack of all round nutrients. It's likely to work in the short term as you're cutting back drastically on your intake, but as soon as you go back to eating "normally", the pounds will be back, too.

Makes more sense to eat healthily from the off, eating enough and eating the right stuff. That way, you'll lose those pounds steadily, allow your body and mind time to adjust to the changes, and say goodbye to the pounds for good :)

Jennympo profile image
Jennympo7lbs

I saw this one on the Tv, the lady that was given it to do for 2 weeks lost 12lb, How about dry roasting or jackets, good luck, I will watch to see how you get on

BridgeGirl profile image
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone in reply to Jennympo

I don't suppose you heard what she was six months later. She would inevitably lose weight on a low/very low calorie diet.

Galaxy55 profile image
Galaxy55

Good luck with your diet but surely potatoes are very high in starch which your body turns into sugar which in turn can't be good for you.

13Valerie profile image
13Valerie

Interesting... Let us know how things go.

I remember when my son was a toddler, he went through a phase where he only ate mashed potatoes and milk. The doctor reassured me that he was getting all the nutrients he needed and not to worry about him!

Sullom100 profile image
Sullom100

I could do with a kick start and I think I could manage (potatoes only ) for a few days, please let us know how you get on, I could start on Monday

IndigoBlue61 profile image
IndigoBlue61 in reply to Sullom100

Hello Sullom100 and welcome back to the Weight Loss Forum 😊. This is quite and extreme way of eating and not one we can condone without medical advice.

We've found active participation to be key to success, especially with our weigh-ins and Daily Diary. Follow this link to our chat thread and a list of all the activities we run. healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

If you haven’t already, then please have another read of the Welcome post here which has lots of useful information about all the things we have on offer healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Best wishes

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.

I am very fond of potatoes, but maybe not quite that fond!

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