A DD Hack

[ouizoid]

You are most welcome to all who have thanked me, and I am so sorry to all who have had bad experiences with this! It is all N=1, yes? Worth experimenting with and seeing how it is going for you. So, in light of N=1, I am going to tell you what has changed for me since doing this.

I will never go back to a fully lowcarb diet. I had terrible times with my UD's and I was sure I was doomed to eat VLC forever, but I will tell you all, that nothing quiets down my cravings and desires to eat like a potato. I get a feeling of calm that is really weird. I will also say that I am a week ahead of most of you with this hack, and I am still learning weird and interesting things about myself. Note: If yourblood sugar shoots up and you feel like crap, listen to your body! What I have noticed is that I am continuing to feel different incorporating potatoes into my diet. The key, for me, is lower fat, which is so interesting. I have known for YEARS that I couldn't do the high fat promoted by lowcarb folks. I lost weight doing kimkins, I lost weight doing stillmans (and in both cases my hair fell out, so yuck!), I never lost a pound doing HFLC. And unlike most people here, I still had cravings and sometimes binged on high fat (peanut butter or fat bombs anyone?) and felt like crap.

Now I am recognizing that tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, starchy squashes, etc, seem to have a very beneficial effect on me. Maybe because I am of german heritage and we had to live off our root cellars during the long winters, I don't know. It really seems to me that there are people who have some kind of therapeutic response to tubers and those who are poisoned by them!

I had a higher fat dinner Thursday night and my tummy was very unhappy, so even though I am not doing the PPD right now, I went back to some potatoes mixed with veggies and lean protein yesterday and felt SO much better.

The other profound experience I am having eating potatoes is a cessation of my UD cravings for wheat and sugar. Maybe all that starch (glucose not fructose) is soothing my poor deprived brain in some way, but I end up feeling calm and not driven. It is so clear to me that I fell better. That is significant. Remember that old book, Potatoes Not Prozac? Seriously, I think taters are prozac for me in some way!

So, N=1 and all that. I am really sharing this for the people who had a good response to the PPD. I totally get (from this site and all the other sites where people are trying this) that it is a disaster for some folks and their experiment needs to be discontinued asap.

I am looking forward to Monday and another 3-4 days of just taters. Oh and by the way, my weight has not budged since I went back to regular foods. So relieving.

[GrannyPants]

Originally Posted by ouizoid

Now I am recognizing that tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, starchy squashes, etc, seem to have a very beneficial effect on me. Maybe because I am of german heritage and we had to live off our root cellars during the long winters, I don't know. It really seems to me that there are people who have some kind of therapeutic response to tubers and those who are poisoned by them!

I am first generation born here and my blood type is probable P+ (p=potato) so this is the exact reason I am stalking and addicted to this thread. I also feel bad doing low carb and haven't in quite some time. I have one week left before the whole holiday-get togethers-birthday parties-holy days-parties...(Did I say parties) begin. I will do this 4 day experiment in January and I cannot wait.. . I am crossing my fingers that it works for me...(I have a feeling it will

Thanks again for posting( I know you are probably getting tired of the thanks, but it is only polite of us..)

And I do love and make Pozole? My version is a little lower in fat than tradtional. Thanks alot for posting that...NOW I can't get it out of my mind...

[Su11]

I've started trying some of this. I haven't done up and down days for a while, the stress of this year has gotten to me in some ways. But I firmly believe in eating clean and in a way that promotes your immune system. So, if your systematic stress is lowered by a particular type of plan, then that should help your body heal and fight off all kinds of problems. I was recently fascinated by the book "The Woman Who Cured Cancer"...it just highlights the potential of healthy foods, whether you believe in the 'cure' or not.

I'd like to try to make sure that my potatoes are organic, since I'll be eating a lot of them, so I'm off to the store in a bit. It really is an easy way to eat and so far I am very satisfied so far. I can't tell about weight loss since I had a very high sugar Thanksgiving, and accidentally continued that with a sugared sweetner that sneeked into my cupboard!

[mykidsteacher]

I find it fascinating how we are all so different. I am so thrilled that this is working well for some. (and a bit bummed that it didn't work for me). I was really hoping this might help my insulin resistance/carb sensitivity. Maybe I'm just not healed enough yet for it.

German heritage here too. LOL Bit of Irish, with a small smattering of French. You'd think potatoes would be in my blood.

[Erika1962]

Goodness, now I know why I'm so drawn to the tater thread, is also German, born and raised in Germany!

[Joyjoy]

Okay, I'm only on day two. And I Love LCHF, generally. But so far this potato thing is a bit o' heaven. They're satisfying, filling but not stuffing, sitting there ready to eat when I put my paintbrush - which will be in my hand all day every day till Christmas, is my guess - down.
I'm doing the Ouiz thing and just eating till satisfied. I wanted to see what happened with appetite and fullness rather than combining it with rotations.
And I may be whacked on fumes or something, but I think my painting pants are a touch looser today.
More tomorrow.
What is it that makes me want to post here every time I eat another potato?

[sunday]

Originally Posted by Joyjoy

What is it that makes me want to post here every time I eat another potato?

Keep it up Kristin! Potato, pootato, who cares? we love to hear the finale! no matter how boring or how fascinating! I enjoy hearing your research!

[sunday]

Originally Posted by ouizoid

You are most welcome to all who have thanked me, and I am so sorry to all who have had bad experiences with this! It is all N=1, yes? Worth experimenting with and seeing how it is going for you. So, in light of N=1, I am going to tell you what has changed for me since doing this.

I will never go back to a fully lowcarb diet. I had terrible times with my UD's and I was sure I was doomed to eat VLC forever, but I will tell you all, that nothing quiets down my cravings and desires to eat like a potato. I get a feeling of calm that is really weird. I will also say that I am a week ahead of most of you with this hack, and I am still learning weird and interesting things about myself. Note: If yourblood sugar shoots up and you feel like crap, listen to your body! What I have noticed is that I am continuing to feel different incorporating potatoes into my diet. The key, for me, is lower fat, which is so interesting. I have known for YEARS that I couldn't do the high fat promoted by lowcarb folks. I lost weight doing kimkins, I lost weight doing stillmans (and in both cases my hair fell out, so yuck!), I never lost a pound doing HFLC. And unlike most people here, I still had cravings and sometimes binged on high fat (peanut butter or fat bombs anyone?) and felt like crap.

Now I am recognizing that tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, starchy squashes, etc, seem to have a very beneficial effect on me. Maybe because I am of german heritage and we had to live off our root cellars during the long winters, I don't know. It really seems to me that there are people who have some kind of therapeutic response to tubers and those who are poisoned by them!

I had a higher fat dinner Thursday night and my tummy was very unhappy, so even though I am not doing the PPD right now, I went back to some potatoes mixed with veggies and lean protein yesterday and felt SO much better.

The other profound experience I am having eating potatoes is a cessation of my UD cravings for wheat and sugar. Maybe all that starch (glucose not fructose) is soothing my poor deprived brain in some way, but I end up feeling calm and not driven. It is so clear to me that I fell better. That is significant. Remember that old book, Potatoes Not Prozac? Seriously, I think taters are prozac for me in some way!

So, N=1 and all that. I am really sharing this for the people who had a good response to the PPD. I totally get (from this site and all the other sites where people are trying this) that it is a disaster for some folks and their experiment needs to be discontinued asap.

I am looking forward to Monday and another 3-4 days of just taters. Oh and by the way, my weight has not budged since I went back to regular foods. So relieving.

My bff could not do low carb and yet she loved and could live on taters.
I have given her the results and shown her the way. I can't wait to see if this works for her. Thank you for pointing this direction, especially for my friends and anyone who may struggle with low carb or high fat.

[gotsomeold]

I remember back when I was a month into JUDDD and started re-introducing carby foods. Eat a few bites, watch to see what happens.

Potatoes and rice caused no cravings, no thoughts of food, no spikes and crashes. Grains and sweets did. I was three months into JUDDD before I could eat them without having an unpleasant reaction.

I loved LC. I felt good on LC. I understand the science behind LC. But, I also know I stall if my carbs drop below about 120. JUDDD made such a difference in my life.

My potatoes and my blood glucose monitor are ready. I am looking forward to tomorrow's experiment. I hope SPUDDDs can be part of my DD/UD future.

[C'Marie]

So if we're iffy about how we might react to the starch, it's better to pre-cook them, cool them, and then reheat if we want hot or just eat cold and it doesn't matter? Do we want the "resistant starch" or not? LOL.... I'm thinking about pre-cooking mine tomorrow and then reheating or eating cold except I do want to try hashbrowns on my waffle maker or my sandwich cooker as some have done. *confused*

I experimented with raising my carbs the last few days to try to not go into this straight from almost completely LC. But today didn't go so well, oatmeal and fruit first thing this morning didn't hold me and I felt weird all day until I ate chicken. It could just be coincidence, several in my family have gotten ill recently. Or it could be the grains in the Ezekiel bread or the oatmeal. Or it could be the moon. Who knows!

Originally Posted by piratejenny

You only get the resistant starch if you eat potatoes that have been cooked & cooled. (I think it's okay to reheat them.)

Yesterday I ate potatoes that I had just boiled.

This morning I ate a leftover potato, but I ate it with butter & sour cream to "get it out of my system" because I haven't eaten potatoes in YEARS! I ended up taking a nap--not necessarily potato-related; I had to get up really early--and 3 hours after eating, my BG was down to 80 from 125 before eating. I felt fine and actually *finally* got around to a de-cluttering project. Then I ate another potato + 2 hot dogs. A few hours later, I had that uncomfortable, low-blood-sugar hunger...not as bad as yesterday, but not my "normal", bearable hunger.

So, anyway, I don't know if I felt better today because they were cooled potatoes, or because I ate them with fat. Very unscientific.

Btw, I'm thinking...if potatoes do reduce insulin resistance, that could be why some of us are feeling shaky & bad...in a sense, we'd be getting a higher dose of insulin than we're used to (assuming the effect is immediate; if it's supposed to take a couple weeks to kick in, please disregard my theory ). And if we don't usually eat carbs & the potatoes are also spiking our blood sugar, then the swing between the high & low is very uncomfortable.

Some things that are supposed to be "good" for diabetics & "controlling" blood sugar actually make me feel terrible--cinnamon, particularly. Too much garlic makes me very sleepy--I mean, passing-out-while-standing-up sleepy! I recently found out that it can lower blood sugar!!! I never knew!!!

[C'Marie]

Thanks for this. I read the link and clicked on another one, it said that vinegar with it lowered the glycemic index also. I didn't buy any russets, they all smelled moldy to me! I bought yellow, red, purple, and a couple sweets.

Originally Posted by GrannyPants

I followed South Beach for a while and I sort of remember one of the potatoes were a little lower on the GI scale... I can't remember but I thought it was the new potatoe.
I came across this page searching for GI index of potatoes...I don't know if other studies were done...

It seems that pre-cooking is best.

Adi....your Potatoe Recipe wins...

From the site:

CONCLUSIONS: The glycemic index of potatoes is influenced by variety and method of cooking and US Russet potatoes have only a moderately high glycemic index. Individuals who wish to minimize dietary glycemic index can be advised to precook potatoes and consume them cold or reheated.

I hope this link works.

Glycemic index of potatoes commonly consumed... [J Am Diet Assoc. 2005] - PubMed - NCBI

[CarrieK]

I've read the whole thread and now I'm craving potatoes. It's 4 o'clock in the morning and the grocery store doesn't open until 6 so I'll just drink my tea and wait patiently.

[gotsomeold]

Originally Posted by ouizoid

... I will never go back to a fully lowcarb diet. I had terrible times with my UD's and I was sure I was doomed to eat VLC forever, but I will tell you all, that nothing quiets down my cravings and desires to eat like a potato. I get a feeling of calm that is really weird...

Have you tried combining potatoes with other food groups? I wonder if you will get the same satiation and good vibrations that way?

[adillenal]

What I read somewhere recommended cold boiled potatoes for the filling, satisfying effect. I am doing the cold boiled since I like them better after trying baked versus boiled. I am now loving cold boild potatoes with a sprinkle of lemon pepper. I left my bottle of malt vinegar at work so will use that when I get back on Tuesday.

My current favorites are the gold cold boiled. I had never eaten the gold ones before since all I had ever tried was russet and baked. Bought some little red ones yesterday. We are rural so a variety of potatoes aren't readily available. Am going out of town to a craft show today so will stop at the grocery there and see what they have.
Have my lunch packed and in the car. Five cold boiled potatoes. How easy was that?

Have a great potato day all.

[Scotty]

Two pounds down after a DD with 385 calories 300 of which were potatoes half boiled in broth and half roasted with a bit of Pam.(yum) The rest was coffee, splenda, and fat free half and half.

That's a real nice loss! I was kinda hungry and my stomach was growling and I am looking forward to eating today.

Conclusion-none yet but I'll try it again.Certainly was easy...

[cuttie99]

Ok Potato Budds... Need your help!! I have been following this thread since it started. my last rotation wt was 168.5 however in anticipation of doing this potato diet and knowing I wouldn't be able to eat certain foods...I indulged in a few treats knowing I wouldn't be able to have them for 2 weeks. Yup, stupid choice... Unfortunately my irrational mind won over instead of me telling myself I can have it IN 2 weeks again... well I gained some bloat weight 5lbs!! in 4 days some of it due to poor rotations, 2 days of treating myself to some ethnic foods and mcdonalds.)

So my question to Ouizoid is or anyone else that wants to give me feedback. Do you think its best for me to just return to regular food rotations and get rid of the bloat first before doing the potato diet? or
eat potatoes in juddd calorie rotations (heard this can be hard) or
eat potatoes until I am full like the protocol suggested and not consider the first 5 lbs as part of my " fat wt loss". I know you started the potato diet post thanksgiving and got rid of the bloat wt etc... i can't recall this correctly but I think you said you lost 5 lbs in 6 days... was that loss including your bloat wt loss? How much was considered bloat wt?

Also I am just wondering how fast I will drop the bloat wt on the potato diet compared to returing to rotations .

Boy I should not have indulged and gotten bloated.. my mistake. the stupid things we do sometimes... didn't think this through very well.... Hopefully someone learns from my mistake.

Any advice will be appreciated. I have potatoes ready to go for breakfast today if that's what I should do.

Hope all you potato heads today have a great potato experience!!

[Joyjoy]

Potato hack, Day 3, early.
I read that things change at day three or four, so I'll be watching.
So far:
- hunger feels different. Not like the hunger on LC or HC. Just a different kind of hollowness.
- fullness feels different, too, than on LC or HC. I feel full but not sedated and not blech-y. I do miss the solidness I feel with high fat.
- sweet cravings appear to be gone.
- I feel as though my body is trying to access a different fuel system. I walk hills, here, and can feel it a bit. Nowhere near as drastically as when going LC, though.
- I miss rotations already and would like to ease my way into them, but I'm too hungry to do a legit DD and, for the first time ever, ever, ever, I can't get up to UD cals (which are only 1530 for me) doing this. I feel like I'm living in someone else's body!
- I weighed myself today for the first time in six or eight weeks (we moved, I packed the scale early, unpacked it late, and didn't like the way my pants were fitting). The news is not good (in fact it's awful!) but I thought I'd better find out what the taters are doing to me in that department. I hope they work miracles.
- lastly, I am nowhere near sick of potatoes. I fried cold potatoes this morning (dry pan), and sprinkled vinegar and salt on them. Feels as though I should be sleeping by a campfire somewhwere, using my Stetson as a pillow. My horse tied to a tree nearby.
Happy day, potato heads.

[LoCarbGal]

I just love reading everyone's potato experiences!

I had a small revelation yesterday (UD). I was contemplating whether to do another potato DD today, and logging it on my FD to see how many I could have, and I realized that the last 2 potato DDs I shorted myself on calories. Not a bad thing, I guess. I had 2 lower calorie DDs than I thought. No harm, no foul. I logged in baked potatoes, which I did have, but I weighed them BEFORE I cooked them. 5 calorie difference per ounce. Oh well.

[Carly]

I did a potato only DD yesterday. 3 cups cubed and boiled in FF broth. I ate half a cup at 11am and almost 2.5 cups at 10:30pm. They were filling and i ate them slightly warm- reheated after chilled in fridge. Yesterday Morning I was 138: that was way up after some Chinese food. I'm about to go weigh in. I'll report back.

[gotsomeold]

DON'T KEEP US IN SUSPENSE

[Carly]

136.3- well that's down, but not to 135.7 where I ended November. I'd do it again though.

[Joyjoy]

Cuttie, I don't know whether it makes any difference at all. It's just two different experiments. Either way, you'll learn great things. And you'll teach is great things through your experience. Let us know how it goes. (And stop flogging yourself, for heaven's sake!)

[gotsomeold]

Well, count me as a member of the No Potato Hack club.

In the interest of science, I bypassed my beloved hwc in coffee this morning. Ate three new potatoes 30 minutes ago. Now, I am shaking, feel physically ill, and the bg monitor says 145. (I am not diabetic, but since it is on both sides of my family and I used to have strong reactions to carbs, I use the monitor to keep an eye on the situation).

145 is miles higher than I soar on an UD dinner with dessert.

Looks like I am out of the game, she said while munching on some turkey.

Golly 'zoid, this is really interesting!

[Joyjoy]

Wow, Nancy! Makes me wish I had a BG monitor.
Somewhere in the Potato Hack threads it suggested that the hack would not create a BG problem, but it would reveal one. Hmmm.

[sunday]

Cuttie, I agree with Kristin. Stop flogging yourself and enjoy the trial. I think I would go w/ the potato hack to release the extra. It will be a great experiment.

Kristin, So normal exercise is not a problem? This is great to hear! I was thinking the same thing about UD cals being difficult to reach on potatoes. I think when the food is boring or same ol' stuff, it becomes a bit more difficult to eat past the sated state. I have done all egg fasts and a few protein fasts, and not once have I ever been able to eat more than around 1200 to 1350 calories in a given day.

There is something to the experiment method of one food, no matter which route you take.

[sunday]

Nancy, I think I read the same as Kristin, that if you do have BS issues, then the potato hack would reveal this. It is interesting that you and PJ both had the same feeling after only one meal? I will see if I can find the person who wrote this on the MDA thread and the research behind it.

[gotsomeold]

Originally Posted by Joyjoy

Wow, Nancy! Makes me wish I had a BG monitor.
Somewhere in the Potato Hack threads it suggested that the hack would not create a BG problem, but it would reveal one. Hmmm.

Yeah Kristin, that was occurring to me too. I haven't checked formally/frequently in awhile. Looks like I need to start...and maybe a stretch of LC JUDDDing would be a good idea (and I was just getting ready to experiment with making ice cream!).

Oh well, the cuppa joe with hwc sure is good!!

[Su11]

Just in the interest of science (and adding another N=1 to the discussion), I'll chime in with my results. I'm someone who absolutely should not eat sugary treats, and I have some fructose issues as well. And if I have any of the above, I usually can't stop eating without a LOT of struggle. Low carb keeps me on an even keel, but I have a hard time losing weght.

So, I decided to try this starting around last Thursday. During the first two to three days, I had a LOT of water bloat. My fingers swelled so much I'm not wearing my rings right now.

However, my appetite was very controlled, which it was not at all with my Thanksgiving slips. And of this morning I am down around 4 lbs from my pre Thanksgiving low. So.... maybe really good.

I'm going to continue for now. I'm sticking with organic potatoes as much as I can as potatoes are one of the foods that make a difference that way. I eat them sprinkled with chicken stock (that may be the source of my water retention), and sometimes I have sweet potatoes sprinkled with cinnamon.

If I keep this up, I'm going to try to cook up a large batch to try other methods of preparation. But I am very saisfied and only occasionally think of other foods.

[sunday]

Also, out of curiosity, I would like to know how many are exercising along with the P-hack. My friend is working out w/ weights and power walking or treadmill daily trying to prepare for her son's wedding. I told her that I would think doing 4 days on and 3 days regular would not cause her issues in this area? What do others who have done several days of p-hack straight think?

[GrannyPants]

One of the tricks I used while SouthBeaching was... (when I had limited choices due to travel) and ate potaoes or white bread was to make sure to eat it with some type of fat to delay or slow down the emptying of your stomach (I'm sure there is a better way to say this), so as not to have a high spike in insulin levels or blood sugar or something of the sort...


I know there are herbs (like cinnamon) that are known to help...except for PJ (it doesn't agree with her)... Maybe those who have issues with glucose could use other herbs.
Oils seem to be out...I don't know much about CO...but what I read here posted, is that it is not metabolized by the body... Don't know what it would taste like on potatoes... maybe adding it to a beverage you drink before you eat...

Su ate her sweet potato w/cinnamon...

Nancy drank her coffee without fat...and it may/or may not be the reason her reading went up...

Maybe unrelated maybe not...

As we know everyone is different.

I have to stop thinking about this thread, but I can't stop myself...