A DD Hack

[Kettleboy]

Joyjoy, I think the vit c takes longer to be effective, and I think an early morning dose is the key one, as Cortisol is at its highest in the morning. The 7 spray is excellent, and makes me feel good generally. Very expensive over here! As are most imported supplements, but I have a sister in the US, so that helps.

Start slowly with Vit c, I tolerate it very well, but many don't, but you do build a tolerance.

[gotsomeold]

Okay, taking the parents shopping for presents is over. I survived. But it was a near thing when Mother got tired and drifted into a non-stop monologue about past people who never existed and things that never happened. (If JUDDD can help prevent dementia, you will eventually see pics of me as a white-haired wizened little old lady, wearing clothing decades too young for me, leaning on a beautifully decorated cane, and driving nurses nuts when I refuse all calories one day and demand extra portions the next )

So, here are the results on my second run at potatoes yesterday.

History
05:00 - 07:00 two cups of coffee, each with one teaspoon of hwc
07:00 - 13:00 water (normal DD so far, but the story gets more exciting now)
13:00 Blood Glucose 93, ate 2 oz boiled, cooled, mixed potatoes with 2 teaspoons malt vinegar
13:30 BG 99
14:00 BG 106, feeling a bit shakey but not bad
16:00 couldn't get BG monitor to work, ate 2 oz spuds with 1 teaspoon malt vinegar
17:00 BG 92, ate four more oz spuds with no vinegar
18:40 BG 137

Observations
* I was shaky and a bit ill through the whole thing. But no worse than others have described for their first days.
* I was hungry. But, I am one who gets hungry once I eat solid food. Frequently, I drink my whole DD. So, eating a wee bit o potato so early in the day may explain the hunger.
* Malt vinegar appears to suppress the blood glucose/insulin surge somewhat. I love mv, but it does leave a lingering after-taste.
* I adored the discipline of eating only one food. DDs have gotten very easy for me, this challenge was very interesting.
* I woke up starving this morning. Very unusual for me.
* No bloating. In fact, my tummy which is still a bit swollen from surgery went down a bit.
* I had major DD style chills. First time since soon after I started maintenance.
* I was down a pound this morning - drop is consistent with every DD drop.

Interim Conclusions
* Today, I am eating 'regular' UD food.
* Tomorrow I am going to eat potatoes and monitor my BG again.
* Since I am using malt vinegar to suppress some of the blood glucose surge, I am wondering if 1/4 teaspoon of fat or a small amount of leafy veg would produce the same result...without this after-taste that still has not gone away. May try that.
* I need to do more research - is this deliberate spiking potentially going to help regulate BG/insulin? Or is this actually very bad for me? (I figure it cannot be worse than the bad old stress days when I sometimes lived on candy.)

I am willing to experiment a bit more. This is very interesting. I also think I may be playing with fire - as Kettle suspects. So, I am keeping a hunk of cheese with me at all times.

'zoid, I agree with you that there seem to be many paths all leading to approximately the same place.

[Kissa]

I just enjoyed my last potato of the day with some mint sauce. Delish. Planning on doing another Potato day tomorrow.

[ouizoid]

and for some of us, high fat doesn't work, sad face. Every time I have tried the fat fast or higher fat ratios, I've gained. It is too bad. I think it works well for men.

[Kettleboy]

Yes ouis, doesn't wok for my good lady either.

[adillenal]

Originally Posted by ouizoid

and for some of us, high fat doesn't work, sad face. Every time I have tried the fat fast or higher fat ratios, I've gained. It is too bad. I think it works well for men.

I can maintain or lose in the beginning then maintain and gain it back immediately if I quit high fat. Plus I don't really enjoy a high fat diet.

[KeirasMom]

I'm thinking that might be the reason some of us have to count CO and some don't. I stall if I use it, and others lose more quickly with it. I seem to do best with plenty of carbs and moderate fat.

[adillenal]

I also gained trying to add in coconut oil. I dropped back to using 1 t to cook my eggs for B and started losing again.

[Su11]

I hadn't overeaten at all with this, but for some reason I was so focused on eating 'all' of my breakfast and lunch potatoes that I really stuffed them in. I was a bit anxious because I hadn't brought enough yesterday and was a bit empty.

So, all the way home I was thinking I was just too full for dinner. Then suddenly I had very sharp hunger pains and then the next minute I wasn't hungry (but I also wasn't stuffed). Very freaky

It truely is a great way to eat for me. I lost on low carb, plus with my fructose issue, a lot of carbs aren't a great way for me to eat. But I'm thriving on this. I know I never tried it just this way before. I had a massively hard time losing on any method.

And I'm pretty 'up' as well, especially considering what is going on in my life these days. Yea potato!

[ouizoid]

sharp hunger followed by no hunger/fullness. This. amazing. If you feel a hunger pang do not freak out. It is transitory.

[mom23kids]

well, made two more small reds for supper and only ate one of them-just not hungry/no interest in eating. So I'm done for my first potato hack day I've felt totally fine/normal today-no shakes, hunger etc. Interestingly I only had 1 can of diet soda since I ran out, instead of my normal 4-5. Usually by now I'd be writhing on the ground with a migraine from the caffeine withdrawal but I have no headache at all

[shelbyla]

Popping out of lurkdom for a minute...

Absolutely fascinating stuff, you guys! I've joined you on this little experiment but I think I will wait until Thursday or Friday to report everything that I've experienced--which is VERY different than I expected!

Back into my hole 'til then...

[ouizoid]

tease!

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by shelbyla

Popping out of lurkdom for a minute...

Absolutely fascinating stuff, you guys! I've joined you on this little experiment but I think I will wait until Thursday or Friday to report everything that I've experienced--which is VERY different than I expected!

Back into my hole 'til then...

You have to give us more than that lol. Good experience/bad experience?

[SICCHI]

Originally Posted by sunday

The mood lifting effect is quite interesting!
I am curious if this will help my friend with her sugar addiction? Ongoing depression? She has suffered with this for years and it has caused her to struggle with her weight as well.

Especially, since the basis of the book "Potatoes Not Prozac" is that the same brain chemicals that are altered by antidepressant drugs are also affected by the foods we eat. According to addiction expert DesMaisons, many people, including those who are depressed, are "sugar sensitive." Eating sweets gives them a temporary emotional boost, which leads to a craving for still more sweets. The best way to keep these brain chemicals in the right balance and keep blood-sugar levels steady, she says, is through the dietary plan she describes in Potatoes Not Prozac. Her rules are fairly simple--eat three meals a day, eat proteins with every meal (especially those high in the amino acid tryptophan, which creates the calming neurotransmitter serotonin), and eat more complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and, yes, potatoes. Not only will this make you less depressed, DesMaisons says, but it will also keep you from craving too much of the foods you shouldn't eat, making it a self-regulating system.

Wow, this is amazing information!
I know I have that chemical reaction to carbs. I have also suffered depression, medicated through my teens, but I'm ok now. When doing atkins for 5 months, I got really low. And I kept reading the book, over and over, thinking what am I doing wrong? 5 months I gave it!
When I slowly started incorporating carbs again, I felt like i HAD been medicated. I was gaining the whole 3 kilos I lost (and more), but my mood, my gosh, I was so happy again. I also have a pretty hard time with sugar, I eat a bag with just a taste. This explains so much for me, thanks Sunday!

So I have to change my rotation today as my sister is coming over Friday. So today being a PDD, I will make tomorrow a PMD then a normal UD friday. Am still stalling, but have also been stressed and going over on DD's. looking forward to another day of not having to plan food! Just weigh and bake!

[mykidsteacher]

Thanks Nancy, for the info. Looks like your numbers were pretty good!

I just don't know what to think. Seems just when I think I've got my head wrapped around stuff, it all changes. Blood sugar spikes over 140 are baaaaad. Blood sugar spikes every now and then are good because it helps keep you insulin sensitive. Blood sugar spikes make you insensitive to insulin. Which is it!?

Also wondering if there is improvement in the spike (not as high) if you do this for a few days, vs just one day and then stop.

As to the inflammation discussion--I do know what works for me, because I've had my markers tested a few times over the past 18 mos. First time, crp only, it was .61. 6 mos later, after losing 20 pounds and changing to paleo, it was .72 and SED was 3. Started JUDDD, then got diagnosed with food allergies. Cleaned that up, had them tested again after about 4 mos, and crp was down to .12, but sed was up to 5 (was a bit sore from exercising, so maybe a factor). Waited a couple months, and the week before testing, didn't exercise, and was scrupulous in no wheat, no sugar, no allergy foods, good JUDDD rotations. CRP was .12, SED 0. Doesn't get any better than that. I can now feel pretty much immediately when I am even a little inflamed (feel it in my hands and feet first). Wheat will do it every time. The potatoes did it too. Just my experience with it. We are all so different. But I really like that I know what it feels like to be in optimal health with regards to inflammation.

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by ouizoid

tease!

Originally Posted by mom23kids

You have to give us more than that lol. Good experience/bad experience?

Ok, ok...

I am coming from a pretty strict low carb lifestyle, with the addition of daily fruit (usually apple, pear, persimmon, or berries). I keep fats very high (70-80%) and protein usually under 100g per day. Macros usually come in around 78% F, 15% P, 7% C and around 2100-2400 calories. I exercise daily, usually 30 minutes medium intensity cardio plus situps and pushups or weights. Sometimes power yoga. Sometimes long distance rollerblading on the weekends, although not this past weekend (curse this rain!). I have had intermittent BG issues due to hypothyroid and hypo-adrenal conditions but haven't suffered from serious crashes in about 2 years, since losing 70 pounds through hCG. I've put on about 7 from my low point and while I seem to be able to maintain here, I'd like to be 4-5 pounds lower. This sounded interesting and I would LOVE to reduce my carb sensitivity so...here I am!

Sunday I had some additional carbs in the form of leftover cassarole with Durkee onions and some turkey chili with white beans in addition to my daily fruit. So I didn't "carb up" prior to starting but I did have a bit extra.

I decided to go "pure" with this. Potatoes and vinegar and spices--that's it. No cream in my coffee, no broth, no ketchup, etc. I bought some salsa just in case but so far, so good salsa-less.

Anyway, the last two days looked like this:

Yesterday
8am, Coffee, black with stevia
9am, 2 small cold boiled potatoes (one red, one purple), garlic salt
12:30pm, 1 medium cold baked russet, malt vinegar, garlic salt
3pm, 1 small cold boiled potato, lemon pepper
(felt kind of sleepy around 4:30pm)
7pm, 1 medium cold baked russet, 1 small cold boiled potato, seasoning salt, pepper, malt vinegar
During the day: 2 gallons of water with lemon (normal for me)
Total calories ~775

Today
7am, Coffee, black with stevia
12:30pm, 1 medium cold baked russet, 1 small cold boiled potato, seasoning salt, pepper
(felt kind of sleepy around 2:30pm)
4pm, 1 small cold boiled potato, seasoning salt
7pm, 1 medium cold baked russet, 1 small cold boiled potato, seasoning salt, pepper, malt vinegar
During the day: 2 gallons of water with lemon (normal for me)
Total calories ~650
BG 7:45pm 143
BG 8:45pm 103
BG 9:30pm 85

A couple of notes over the last few days:
1. Someone said the were "peeing England" or something like that? Yeah. Me too. Only I don't seem to be going as often, just a lot when I do go. It's like I can...hold it longer? Or it's composed differently (maybe the acid balance or something?) and larger amounts don't feel as irritating? Not quite sure how to describe it.
2. Slept through the night (NOT NORMAL for me, see above water consumption! ). I ALWAYS get up to go to the bathroom at least once, often more. Curious to see how tonight goes. I think this might be related to #1.
3. Exercised both days. Sweated up a storm. No impact to performance on way or the other. (Still don't like it! Still can only do 5 real pushups! )
4. I seem to be having a sleepy time which I would interpret as a blood sugar drop about 2 hours after eating (same feeling I got when I was briefly on Metformin). I will take some vinegar to work with me to see if I experience the same tomorrow. I DID put lemon juice on the lunch potato today (which was yummy!) but it did not prevent the sleepies.
5. I had a 3 pound bump up from a lot of food Sunday and was down about 1.3 of that today. Interesting to see what the scale says tomorrow.
6. No bloating or puffiness.
7. Feel extra cold (JUDDD or hCG shivers) but that could be because of the gloomy weather here.
8. Not at all hungry--this could make me give JUDDD another go!
9. Finally, I really like cold potatoes!

I'll take my BG before bed which should be roughly 2 hours PP. I suspect it will be back into the low 80's. I will also take it tomorrow fasting and during the day, after eating. Super interesting experiment. If I can get to about 143 and stay there, I will be completely happy (I was at 147.2 this morning). I am committed to tomorrow and possibly Thursday and Friday as well depending on how I feel tomorrow and how the scale is moving.

[HomeWorkerMT]

Well, Kudos to all of you who can go days with just potatoes! I made it 2 meals and could not face another potato! But then again, I don't eat them very much anyway! I don't like malt vinegar, so I am pretty limited on toppings.

[Su11]

Great info Shelbyla! It is good to see it is working for you!

I'm doing fine. I was down another pound this am and I still have good energy and mental sharpness.

I'm trying pan toasted wedges from some yukon golds I cooked last night in the crock pot (thanks to this thread for all the good cooking ideas!) I'm not using fat and am going to see if I can toast them enough so that they don't stick, like you can do with chicken.

[stargazer]

I'm in. I started on Monday. No hunger but then I'm not counting calories and eat when I want. On Monday night I got the serious shakes for a little while. It really threw me. I felt ok otherwise and it passed.

Last night I slept like a log all through. I do feel a bit cold but it's snowing outside! My tummy is very calm, which is nice after a week of wind and bubbling. I've made food for family without having the compulsion to dip in and nibble. I still take my supplements and drink black coffee. I really miss the Bulletproof coffees. That's about the only thing I miss too much.

I think you have to remind yourself that if you get the odd weakness or tiredness it's because we are all on VLC with this regime. It's the satiating power of the spuds that makes you forget that. I've not added up my daily average but it's got to be sub 1000.

I'll stick to this as long as I can pre-Christmas - which here is a major cause of weight gain with parties and nibbles that go on for weeks, let alone the big day where we all consume 4000 calories plus! I think it's the cumulation of all those Christmases that makes a lot of us gain slowly over the years. I can stack on half a stone in two weeks.

I'm sneaking more potatoes into my family's meals too as I shall mine once I'm eating normally. I've always loved them and nothing is as warming as an Irish stew with the potatoes in with the broth on a cold Winter's day.

I ought to get back to weighing myself. I've avoided the scales the last few months. I do feel thinner though and the jeans are looser.

I'm still dong my HIIIT workouts BTW and so far no troubles with lack of strength and energy for those.

I've stopped the ptetrostilebene for this week. It was interfering with my sleep too much and I figured the spuds will curb my hunger anyway. I love the sharpness it gives you but it would be too much on top of a VLC diet.

[Flossyliz]

The two pounds lost on the PDD went straight back on yesterday and now I'm really hungry.

I was hungry yesterday too, which is very unusual early on a UD. I had quite a lot of nice bread (which is not unusual for a UD) and some chocolate (which is!). I also had lots of veggies, beans and some wine. I don't know if all that affects the potato chemistry.

I get the advice re counting calories but I don't want to upset my sirtuin levels, as they've been working pretty well for me.

I'm measuring my potatoes by the half cup today but I haven't had any yet. I'll see how it goes. I'm not keen on vinegar – except it's really great on chips (fries) !

Thanks for the compliment re my description, Kristen. My stomach felt like something was slightly wrong somehow. Hard to define. Not unbearable but I was definitely conscious of it all day.

I'm not really looking forward to today. Definitely not euphoric! Feel much better now I've had a cuppa proper tea though. I've some soup and magic noodles if I cave in later!

[mom23kids]

I had some pretty intense food dreams last night-that was wild

Woke up to a new low on the scale-lost the 2lbs that had crept back up since the end of November, plus an extra half pound I went from 158 to 155.5 this morning yay!

Planning on doing another potato day today-same as before, no counting calories/measuring and will eat when hungry. I bought some bacon cheddar popcorn seasoning from the store last night (0 everything), so I'll try that out today, along with other spices and a bit of ketchup. Drinks will be water, diet soda and then 1-2 cups diet hot cocoa.

[dawnyama]

My store has a bag of potatoes on buy one get one free, so I might hop in here later. We will see. I have avoided potatoes more than anything since starting low carb 13+ years ago. It would be hard to eat nothing BUT potatoes LOL. Will read this whole thread to get an idea of if I should do this or not. Do I have to though??!! LOL. Really, 18 pages is huge!!! Just kidding, I will do my research before just jumping in.

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by dawnyama

My store has a bag of potatoes on buy one get one free, so I might hop in here later. We will see. I have avoided potatoes more than anything since starting low carb 13+ years ago. It would be hard to eat nothing BUT potatoes LOL. Will read this whole thread to get an idea of if I should do this or not. Do I have to though??!! LOL. Really, 18 pages is huge!!! Just kidding, I will do my research before just jumping in.

one of the threads over on MDA is over a 100 pages long now It took me several hours to read through all of it, only to find out there was several other threads started too, about the great potato hack lol. But in a nutshell-the key is to eat potatoes with no other fat. This triggers something that promotes fat burning in our bodies. It seems to be working for me-tried it once last week and lost and tried it again yesterday and lost. I'm going to try it for three more days and see what happens

[gotsomeold]

Originally Posted by mykidsteacher

... Also wondering if there is improvement in the spike (not as high) if you do this for a few days, vs just one day and then stop. ...

Me too. Yesterday was a planned UUAD that I did not choose to change. Today, I have my potatoes and I am not afraid to use 'em.

Totally with you - dang it how does this BG/insulin thing work. Every which way does not make sense! You would thing, by now, someone would have the answer. (see "elephant" above)

[dawnyama]

Originally Posted by mom23kids

one of the threads over on MDA is over a 100 pages long now It took me several hours to read through all of it, only to find out there was several other threads started too, about the great potato hack lol. But in a nutshell-the key is to eat potatoes with no other fat. This triggers something that promotes fat burning in our bodies. It seems to be working for me-tried it once last week and lost and tried it again yesterday and lost. I'm going to try it for three more days and see what happens

I am just wondering if I do potatoes every day, or just every DD. That is the thing. I am sure all my answers were asked and answered previously Kind of want the JUDDD slant on things.

100 pages My head/eyes would hurt reading that much on the computer. Kudos to you for reading that much! I will trust you folks here to summarize it for me Like I posted earlier, I love my LCFs and JUDDD BUDDDs Great group of folks here.

[dawnyama]

Originally Posted by gotsomeold

Me too. Yesterday was a planned UUAD that I did not choose to change. Today, I have my potatoes and I am not afraid to use 'em.

Totally with you - dang it how does this BG/insulin thing work. Every which way does not make sense! You would thing, by now, someone would have the answer. (see "elephant" above)

I would love to know too. My DD has type 1 diabetes so I have learned a lot about insulin and blood sugar in the last 18 months than I ever care to know. I do know that with her situation her blood sugar reacts differently if she eats corn (think Doritos an 11 year old's favorite junk food!) vs a potato chip. But blood sugar and foods effect it vary greatly from one person to the next, hence the varying and very different reactions everyone here is getting from the potato days.

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by dawnyama

I am just wondering if I do potatoes every day, or just every DD. That is the thing. I am sure all my answers were asked and answered previously Kind of want the JUDDD slant on things.

100 pages My head/eyes would hurt reading that much on the computer. Kudos to you for reading that much! I will trust you folks here to summarize it for me Like I posted earlier, I love my LCFs and JUDDD BUDDDs Great group of folks here.

There are people doing both ways-this is such a fun experiment I decided for the four days I'm doing it now to just go off of my JUDDD rotations and do pure potatoes (not counting calories/weighing the potatoes). I'll get back on my JUDDD rotations this Saturday, with a normal UD

[dawnyama]

Thanks Sara!! I need to knock off a few pounds (well, actually 5 would be fantastic!!) quite quick and will have to see if this will work for me.

[Joyjoy]

Potato Hack, Day 6

Blather:

1. Re: happiness. I felt this waver yesterday after the massive hiking adventure, and restore itself later in the day. It reaffirmed for me that something wonderful and mood altering is going on. Happy and peaceful.

2. Down three pounds in three days. I did a double take this morning at the scale because I ate a LOT of potatoes yesterday and didn't expect another loss.

3. I've gone back to eating when hungry rather than cycling calories. Hunger is a different animal doing this and I'm curious to follow it. Also curious to know whether this is something I can do for a few days at a time in the future when I have cycle fatigue. It'll be interesting, too, to see whether it's easy or difficult to slide back into JUDDD cycles after the hack.

3. I'm feeling a bit of the DD chill thing during this for the first time in months, even when I eat a ton of tiny taters. (I cannot resist the alliteration potential during this experiment.)

4. This morning, my lovely man said, "Wait, are you eating potatoes only? Only potatoes?"
"Yup," I said.
"You can't do that forever, right?"
"I know," I said. "It's a drag, but life goes on." And I was sad for a second.
I do trust that I'll come out of this with some great new tools for taking good care of myself. That's exciting.

Happy day, terrific tuber tasters.