The Potato Hack for Rapid Fat Loss
About 5 1/2 years ago Chris Voigt, executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission, decided to live on nothing but potatoes for 60 days.
He did this to make a point.
The paleo and low carb movement have demonized potatoes…
…and Chris wanted to show that potatoes are nutrient dense and actually have a positive impact on health.
He wound up losing 21 pounds (he wasn’t even trying to lose weight).
Not only did Chris lose weight, his HDL, triglycerides and fasting glucose levels improved dramatically.
Shortly after his experiment…in late 2010…the butterfly effect began.
Richard Nikoley was the first major paleo blogger (as far as I recall) who challenged the paleo diet rule of avoiding potatoes.
Richard led the charge, but a guy by the name of Tim Steele began commenting on Richard’s site about “Resistant Starch” in potatoes.
Sometime after that…
Richard and Tim teamed up on podcasts discussing how resistant starch makes the potato an incredible food for gut health and weight loss.
Tim eventually started his own blog in 2014.
Richard Nikoley was the first major paleo blogger (as far as I recall) who challenged the paleo diet rule of avoiding potatoes.
Richard led the charge, but a guy by the name of Tim Steele began commenting on Richard’s site about “Resistant Starch” in potatoes.
Sometime after that…
Richard and Tim teamed up on podcasts discussing how resistant starch makes the potato an incredible food for gut health and weight loss.
Tim eventually started his own blog in 2014.
Tim has finally released a book on the subject of using potatoes for rapid fat loss…
This blog post is s summary of this awesome book, and a few tips and tweaks I’m currently using.
Before I get to that, time for a music break.
Here’s a good 1990 track from the Manchester band, the Happy Mondays.
The most awesome thing about the Happy Mondays was that they had a band member that did nothing but dance.
His name is Bez…and you know you want to party with this guy!
Okay, back to the Potato Hack.
A brief summary of the Potato Hack:
The potato hack is a short-term 3 to a 5-day diet where you eat nothing but potatoes. You can expect to lose around 1/2 to 1 pound of fat per DAY over 3 to 5 days. Repeat this 3 to 5 day hack each week until you reach your target weight.
It’s not uncommon to drop 10-15 pounds of body fat in one month following this protocol.
We are talking body fat loss, not just glycogen and water (like many other diets).
The Simple Rules:
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 know that you might be thinking?
A potato-only diet won’t cover all of your nutritional needs.
Tim covers this concern in great detail in The Potato Hack.
Note: Tim also follows my High Carb Fat Loss diet and mixes in the occasional potato hack.
Remember…
…you are only doing this in 3-5 day stretches.
A lot of people throughout history have proven that potatoes can sustain human life for months or even years at a time.
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 know that you might be thinking?
A potato-only diet won’t cover all of your nutritional needs.
Tim covers this concern in great detail in The Potato Hack.
Note: Tim also follows my High Carb Fat Loss diet and mixes in the occasional potato hack.
Remember…
…you are only doing this in 3-5 day stretches.
A lot of people throughout history have proven that potatoes can sustain human life for months or even years at a time.
Here are my results so far with The Potato Hack diet plan.
I have only done two rounds of a 3-day potato hack (currently on round 3).I lost 3 pounds on round #1 and 5 pounds on round #2.
I was pretty strict and ate cold potatoes (boiled then cooled) my first time, but the second time I expanded the recipes and ate baked potatoes, baked fries, etc.
[My current favorite potato diet recipe is making baked potatoes and letting them cool. Then I chop up into fries and broil in the oven for 15 minutes.]
I regained a little bit of weight after resuming with normal eating, but not as much as when I go low carb.
There seems to be less of a rebound effect with potatoes.
I’ve kept 6 of the 8 pounds off… and feel I will hit my goal weight in just a few weeks.
My face and midsection are noticeably leaner.
I really didn’t expect that to happen so quickly.
All Potato Diet Success Stories
There are countless people who have achieved results with Tim Steele’s Potato Hack over the past 2 years.
Here’s a weight loss success story of a well-known celebrity.
Kevin Smith followed an all potato diet and lost close to 50 pounds in less than 6 months.
(Kevin is probably most known for his role of Silent Bob in the movie Clerks.)
Here’s Kevin Smith’s potato diet before and after picture:
Kevin desperately needed to lose 50 pounds after he had a massive heart attack in early 2018.
As of this time, June 2018, he is down 48 pounds eating a “potato only” diet.
He was inspired to give it a shot after Penn Jillette (Penn & Teller) lost 100 pounds eating potatoes.
After both Penn Jillette and Kevin Smith’s success stories hit the news, The Potato Hack became a #1 Best Seller on Amazon.
Tim Steele, the author, follows my high carb diet plan when not doing 3-5 day potato hacks.
No comments:
Post a Comment