Potato Hack on Paleo Blogs - Anyone Doing This?

[pibble mama]

Originally Posted by Yennie

PM: I hope someone with more experience and research jumps in here to back this up, or correct me if I'm wrong but I believe I've read in several places that the magic window seems to be 4 hours. You want to separate the potatoes and any fats, etc with a 4 hour buffer. That's enough time for your body to process the fat or the potatoes alone, without one interfering with the other and defeating the purpose of the potato only diet.
Also, be sure you're drinking enough water. There is a thread in the JUDDD boards on the benefits of lemon in your water (many of the "cleanse" drink programs are based on lemon in the water). For me, I find that the lemon helps me drink more water and it also helps "flush" out the retained water. There are other benefits as well - all well lined out in the thread.

Hey there! Thanks!! I am getting at least 120-150 oz of water a day + what ever hot tea i drink. I drink a LOT of water! lol and I've waited minimum of 4 hrs between my morning coffee and my lunch each day (which i try to keep that IF window even on up days) and am not including anything with my potatoes. Tomorrow is my only day where i have to have dinner out....and looking at the menu ahead of time...about the only thing i will be able to afford will be a baked tater! I do hope that i see a drop...I would hate to think i'm one of the TOTAL carb/starch resistant ones out there, i'm also beginning to think my body doesn't like higher fats...i slowly find i gain weight when i do that!

I know that the other tater thread is a monster of a read....it took me two days to get through it! lol..but i was determined to read it! lol

we can put a man on the moon but we can't cure weight loss problems?!? lol

[sunday]

Yennie, Yes the 4 hours between the taters and protein/fat are minimum time to clear it from the system. I did the egg breakfast and taters later in the day with no issues. Not as big of losses as the taters only, but I did have loss.

Pibble, Hope to hear good news today!

[pibble mama]

I was down .4 this morning.....sigh!
I did have some emotional eating last night but all was AFTER the 4 hour window from my last potato! Not sure what i'm going to do today...i was hoping to last till monday...but i have two social events today i can't get out of and meeting a friend for coffee at noon....what if i went light today and went back to taters for sunday and monday? though I am seriously ready for some other food....though i like not having to think about what i am eating! lol

[sunday]

What day is today 4? What if you broke up today in morning breakfast of whatever you desire then wait about 5 hours and nothing but taters? I think you may be closer than you know to a drop.

[pibble mama]

Thanks Sunday! My only problem with all the timing is a dear friend is in town from OK and she wants to meet up for dinner tonight.....do you think it would be ok, if today were a normal day(reg foods) (i just finished my coffee w/ 1 tbs of hwc) and I eat regular up day (on the lighter end) foods and i can do green tea when i meet another friend for coffee at noon....normally my social life is as dry as the SAHARAH! I really want to stick this out...but now i'm lost after my late night emotional binge (all WAY after my last potato....but STILL! grrrrr!)

Sunday, what do you think? You are further along in all of this than I am!

[sunday]

You must enjoy your friend! Taters are always going to be here!

Do exactly that and come back and report your fun day!

[Xexist]

Originally Posted by sunday

You must enjoy your friend! Taters are always going to be here!

Do exactly that and come back and report your fun day!

Im glad you posted that because that is good advice. Stick to the diet as best you can, but dont stop enjoying life in the meantime. The dinner may set you back a little in the short term, but stick with it in the long term and it will be nothing more than a speed bump on your journey.

Enjoy your dinner!

X

[pibble mama]

Ok, thanks ya'll! I also meant to post that at odd times I can go from being absolutely fine temperature wise to all of a sudden drop me in the arctic like freezing can't get warm....have ya'll experienced that?

I just had a cup of greek yogurt and some blueberries...and within minutes GUT BOMB! lol whoa! my tummy is like "where are the taters and WHAT is this yumminess?!?

[Xexist]

Here was my sugars
Fasting: 92
1/2 Hour mark: 130
1 Hour mark: 156
1 1/2 Hour mark: 119
2 Hour mark: 101

Do these seem good? or reasonable at least?

[Key Tones]

I read on another thread that you are pre-diabetic. While my blood sugar normalized on the potato hack, I am reluctant to encourage others with blood sugar problems to eat carbs. My numbers were already pretty good on the low carb paleo diet (good A1c but abnormally high fasting glucose), they just got even better on the potato hack (normal fasting glucose but I don't know what my A1c is yet). I really don't know if I am unique or not in this in normalizing fasting blood sugar on potatoes. I recognize I am taking a risk. I am clueless as to the mechanism.

[Xexist]

Originally Posted by Key Tones

I read on another thread that you are pre-diabetic. While my blood sugar normalized on the potato hack, I am reluctant to encourage others with blood sugar problems to eat carbs. My numbers were already pretty good on the low carb paleo diet (good A1c but abnormally high fasting glucose), they just got even better on the potato hack (normal fasting glucose but I don't know what my A1c is yet). I really don't know if I am unique or not in this in normalizing fasting blood sugar on potatoes. I recognize I am taking a risk. I am clueless as to the mechanism.

I am also willing to take a risk. No lie I am on day 5 and I have never felt better. My mood feels great, my cravings and appetite feel unlike I have ever felt before (in a good way). I certainly have no proof but I really dont want to believe something that feels so good could be bad for me.

[Key Tones]

Originally Posted by Xexist

I am also willing to take a risk. No lie I am on day 5 and I have never felt better. My mood feels great, my cravings and appetite feel unlike I have ever felt before (in a good way). I certainly have no proof but I really dont want to believe something that feels so good could be bad for me.

Yes, I do feel so in control! I took another 3 day hiatus due to valentine's day chocolates, dinner out, and social events. I am on day 2 back on, and what a relief! I feel good and my appetite is greatly reduced. It is just....wow.

I had a 4 day hiatus the week before due to my birthday. I weigh in on Friday on the honeybadger's thread. I'm not sure how it will go since as of today, I have been off the potato hack for 7 of the past 12 days, but we will see.

It is my hope that my condition will greatly improve if I can get somewhere near 150 pounds. I would love to be on the Perfect Health Diet proper.

[sunday]

Keytones & Xexist, I would love to have you both over there anytime you feel like it. Some just drop in to post and may not even be doing PHD fully or may be paleo lurkers? It really is basically high fat, low carb, low protein, 65/25/10, Pacific Paleo, this means you can enjoy taters & rice daily and Jaminet encourages it.

[Key Tones]

Thanks! I do read your PHD thread. I made the mashed potatoes with chicken broth...yum!

[Yennie]

Thanks for verifying the 4 hour window. I read so much stuff, cant remember where I saw it to cite later. It occurred to me this afternoon after telling someone else in the JUDDD boards 4 hours that I never checked the veracity of that statement. BAD ME!!! So I appreciate the double check & that I'm not gonna have to go back & eat crow...just eating potatoes!
I haven't done a multiple day run yet but my last 5 DDs have been potato days. I'm satisfied, full & very happy with the scale the next day.
Wednesday, which is supposed to be a DD, I'm going to a fantastic restaurant in Seattle for a continuing ed meeting. I've already pre-ordered the ling cod! My plan is to potato until 3pm, go on water & tea til dinner @ 7, enjoy but not over-indulge. If something isn't totally fantastic, I won't finish it. Then, to recover, I'm gonna hack Th & Fri. That's mostly to stay on the same UD/DD rotation as some of my JUDDD Budds cuz, well, I like them & I like knowing who else is in DDs. Reading that now makes me sound like a creepy stalker, I promise I'm not. If Th & Fri go well, will try to extend the hack through the weekend!
Loving me some potatoes!!!

[LOW_CARB_LOLA]

Key Tones, I feel as though me and you are in the very same boat.
I too suffered from Insulin resitance and PCOS, so I decided to turn to low carb to lose the weight. LC was very successful for me ( I lost 120 pounds), however it seems that lately nothing is making the scale budge. I have tried PMSF (HP/LF/LC) and NK (HF/MP/LC), both of which worked for me in the past, but as of lately are making me gain weight

Today is the first day of my potato hack, so I will report back results tomorrow.

I had a question for you, how are you eating your potatoes? Cooled, hot? It seems that there are 2 different diets/theories colliding with one another when discussing the potato hack. Some eat it cold for the RS factor, however I thought that we were looking for that insluin surge in order to call upon our fat cells to produce insulin

Another good point is cold potatoes are more satiating then hot ones..
I don't know which methodology to pursue. I had cold potatoes this morning, but I am yearning for mashed warm potatoes for dinner....

We will see!

[Key Tones]

Post from Jerome - on paleohacks in reply to Potato Protocol Latest Rage in Paleo Thread - 11-13-12



I can attest to the effectiveness of the Potato Protocol, or Primal Potato Diet (PDD) as they call it on Mark's daily Apple.

I have been primal for 3+ years, I'm a 48yo/6' guy, went from 275 to 180 over those years. I was full-blown metabolic syndrome at my heaviest--no meds now.

My weight has been stable at 180lbs for about a year. I have tried everything to lose a little belly flab and extra fat. I tried IF'ing, carb refeeds, ketogenic, Warrior diet, and some others. I'd lose a little, but then go right back to 180 plus or minus 3 pounds.

I first read of Ray Cronise' success with losing fat eating just potatoes last summer. I gave it a go for 5 days and lost 3lbs. Not a big deal, right? But then I did it again a few months later when they started talking about it on Mark's Daily Apple. I did it for the full 14 days and lost 12lbs. I ate just plain baked potatoes or shredded hashbrowns cooked in a waffle maker with no oil. I drank black coffee and water.

Bottom line, I lost 12 pounds in two weeks. Then I resumed my normal paleo/primal eating and in the month since, I regained 2 pounds. My weight seems pretty firmly set at 170 now.

Here's where I think the magic lies:
- Potatoes have a really good amino acid (protein) profile, so you aren't wasting muscle as you would eating only cabbage or grapefruits.

•According to studies on the satiety of food, plain potatoes blow away every other food. Google it, potatoes are at the top of every study.

•Eating a huge starch bomb 2-3 times a day spikes insulin, the blood glucose is quickly cleared, and fasting blood glucose ends up lower. Fat burning can only occur in an insulin-depleted state. Eating lots of fat and protein slow the digestive system down with release of pancreatic CCK, eating starch is a fast digestive act--it starts in the mouth and finishes mostly in the stomach. Protein and fat digestion starts in the stomach and finishes in large intestine.

•Eating a plain high GI diet for 1-2 weeks improves gut flora signalling. This is probably the most important thing I said in this answer!

•Losing fat with a potato diet, when done simply, is repeatable, predictable, and painless.

I see myself using the Potato Protocol once or twice a year at most as a means to keep my weight within the narrow band that makes me feel healthiest. If someone wanted to abuse it to become a walking stickman, they could.

[Key Tones]

Originally Posted by LOW_CARB_LOLA

Key Tones, I feel as though me and you are in the very same boat.
I too suffered from Insulin resitance and PCOS, so I decided to turn to low carb to lose the weight. LC was very successful for me ( I lost 120 pounds), however it seems that lately nothing is making the scale budge. I have tried PMSF (HP/LF/LC) and NK (HF/MP/LC), both of which worked for me in the past, but as of lately are making me gain weight

Today is the first day of my potato hack, so I will report back results tomorrow.

I had a question for you, how are you eating your potatoes? Cooled, hot? It seems that there are 2 different diets/theories colliding with one another when discussing the potato hack. Some eat it cold for the RS factor, however I thought that we were looking for that insluin surge in order to call upon our fat cells to produce insulin

Another good point is cold potatoes are more satiating then hot ones..
I don't know which methodology to pursue. I had cold potatoes this morning, but I am yearning for mashed warm potatoes for dinner....

We will see!

Good luck!!! Yes, it has given me new hope!!!

I have not worried at all about resistant starch and eating cold potatoes. It works with potatoes any which way I have made them (without doing illegal things like deep frying), so I don't see a need to figure out how to make cold potatoes palatable!

[Key Tones]

Tatertot exchange w/Jaminet on Perfect Health Diet Blog, Dec 18, 2012. Be sure to read to the end on butyrate:

Loved your take on the Potato Diet. We had a few people doing just that on this thread: (removing link - MDA). I think the consensus is that the satiety effect really only come through when sticking to potatoes, though.

Wonderful forum member, J3NN, charted her diet on her blog, (removing link, the 3volution of J3nn, Potato Plus Diet Results) and included mega-info like blood sugar, weight, hunger, energy etc…

They have taken to calling it the “Potato Reset” and it’s been especially popular around the holidays. We look at it as a way to “reset” your eating, weight, and relationship with food.

These are the rough guidelines we came up with for the best version of the Potato Reset:

1. Plan on eating mostly potatoes for 5-7 days (90%+ of calories)
2. Eat between 2 and 4lbs of potatoes daily.
3. Other foods allowed (but optional!): 1/2 cup sauerkraut, 1 cup bone broth, 1 tsp max daily coconut oil, olive oil, or butter,
1-2oz lean meat daily. Unlimited coffee, tea, and water.
4. Spices, salt, pepper, and vinegar OK.
5. Lifting of Heavy Things discouraged, think ‘de-load week’ Lifting light things/walking OK.
6. All normal supplements OK to continue
7. IF’ing, especially by skipping breakfast encouraged.
8. If you need to lose more weight, alternate the “Potato Reset” diet with healthy Primal Blueprint in 5-7 day increments.
9. Not recommended for people who eat every 2-3 hours, have glucose issues, or have eating disorders.
10. Highly recommended for people who have their hunger under control, have been eating PB style for 6 months or more, and are having trouble losing weight with the normal approaches.

Reply


Paul JaminetDecember 18, 2012 at 8:33 am


Hi Tater,

Sounds like a thoroughly worked out approach! You should write a bestseller!

Reply


TatertotDecember 18, 2012 at 12:53 pm


I was hoping it will get a special place in your next book!

You are kind of responsible, you know, with your safe starch ideas…

One interesting note, many people have tried using rice and sweet potatoes, but found it easier to overeat on those and not get ‘full’. The other safe starches are not so readily available in the mass quantities needed for a week or two of the reset. Tapioca, yucca, plantain, etc… would be great candidates, but they are not really part of the American diet scene.

People have loved the idea of going out and buying 25-30 lbs of nice organic potatoes of different varieties and then get inventive cooking them and eating soley potatoes until they are gone. Works like a champ!

I’d love to see you give it a try and blog about it. You’ll quickly see that adding much more than a miniscule amount of fat and protein negates the satiety effect.

Boiled and chilled potatoes top all the ‘food satiety’ lists and so end up being a great go-to food/snack when doing the reset, this trick also works great when following your diet, or any really.

Thanks for your work with safe starches!

Reply


Paul JaminetDecember 18, 2012 at 12:58 pm


Hi Tatertot,

It’s possible the fiber in potatoes, which is good for promoting butyrate production, is important. Rice doesn’t have much fiber.

It is a clever diet and I’m impressed at all the effort that went into this experimentation!

Merry Christmas!

Reply






TatertotDecember 18, 2012 at 6:27 pm


Feel free to exploit it’s potential! It’s all about sharing the knowledge. You must admit, a book on the subject would write itself! I can even picture the cover…a potato with a measuring tape cinched around it’s ‘waist’.

Some have referred to the potato diet as ‘Nature’s HCG’ due to the unbelievable hunger blunting effects. Many others have mentioned a favorable sodium/potassium ratio, the full compliment of amino acids in a potato, and it’s perfect partners–salt and vinegar–all as possible contributors to the success.

Reply



ChrisDecember 19, 2012 at 3:12 pm


What about the sola nine in potatoes.it seems to be a problem for quite a few people,guess they’ll have to stick to rice etc.

Reply


Paul JaminetDecember 19, 2012 at 4:06 pm


If the potatoes are properly handled, solanine levels are low. They are also mostly near the skin, so peeling reduces levels substantially.

Reply




tatertotDecember 19, 2012 at 3:46 pm


Some people are sensitive to nightshades, so certainly they would not want to partake.

We also made the butyrate connection early on. Removing all forms of resistant starch from the diet, as paleo used to do, could not be optimal for gut health. You know what has one of the best arrays of resistant starch and creates butyrate like nothing else? Cooked and cooled potatoes. Seems strange that cooling them changes their structure so much, but it really does. Also, vinegar changes the absorption rate of the resistant starch and aids in butyrate production…German Potato Salad anyone?

[LOW_CARB_LOLA]

I am up 2 pounds... Not going to freak out because I know I did not eat an additional 7000 calories yesterday!

Did anyone get an initial gain from water weight followed by a loss? How long did it take before you all saw your initial loss?

[Yennie]

Hi Lola,
On the potato hack threads on the JUDDD boards, people do report an initial gain, especially if they were doing LC before starting the hack. I think the more experienced ladies have said it takes 2-3 days for the body to adjust, and they don't look at the scale until day 4-5.
Personally, I've never had a bounce after a potato day BUT I added carbs back several weeks before I tried a potato day AND I'm only doing it a day at a time. I'm JUDDDing, so I do potato days as my down days. I tried to do a hack but only made it until dinner on the second day before I bailed. I'm getting ideas for recipes from the threads and I want to try again next week (this week-end I'll be going off plan).
I think if you stick with it, based on previous reports, you'll see a whoosh as your body lets go of the water.
Best of luck!!!

[Key Tones]

Originally Posted by LOW_CARB_LOLA

I am up 2 pounds... Not going to freak out because I know I did not eat an additional 7000 calories yesterday!

Did anyone get an initial gain from water weight followed by a loss? How long did it take before you all saw your initial loss?

Ah, yes, I doubt you ate 70 extra potatoes!

Hang in there.

[LOW_CARB_LOLA]

Question: what do you use in your coffee? I used to use HWC but can I switch to fat free flavoured creamer? It's got 7g of sugar and no fat.. It would be a nice treat

[Key Tones]

I have been using waaaay too much Splenda! I found doubling up on Splenda helped me get it down without cream. Maybe that will help?

I'm now using pure Kal Pure Stevia Extract, which is a little bitter and odd in coffee, but I am going to stick to my guns. Mass quantities of artificial sweetener can't be a good thing, esp. when it is so much of my intake.

Ah! I just tried the Kal stevia in black tea. That actually tastes great! Hmph. I guess I will be a tea drinker now.

You could check with the JUDDD ladies for coffee advice! They are doing awesome potato down days. Here:

A DD Hack

[piratejenny]

I figured out that Splenda makes me pee in my pants!
This has been plaguing me for years...I figured it was related to my diabetes (regular sugar makes me pee, too). A few weeks ago I saw an article about Splenda + bladder irritation, stopped using it, and the problem went away very quickly. (It also comes back very quickly if I slip up! But at least there seems to be no permanent damage.)

I've been using a homemade combination of erythritol, coconut sugar, and lo han guo. Just today I received a package from Netrition; I ordered tagatose and am looking forward to trying it!

[Key Tones]

Wow, Jenny - I just googled this. I have a few of the issues listed for Splenda/sucrolose. I am curious to see if they go away now.

Thanks!

[sunday]

Gosh Jenn, I don't know how many people have told me of different health issues they have had with splenda. My daughter has terrible migraines and another nurse told her to quit splenda, because she was experiencing the same and figured out it was linked to splenda.

[Yennie]

Originally Posted by LOW_CARB_LOLA

Question: what do you use in your coffee? I used to use HWC but can I switch to fat free flavoured creamer? It's got 7g of sugar and no fat.. It would be a nice treat

I use HWC & CO both in my coffee (one or the other, not both ) on my hack days & it seems to have no detrimental effects. I just try to wait 3-4 hours before eating my potatoes, per the window cited above.

Lately I've been using SF vanilla syrup and CO, blend it & its like a vanilla latte! I am not sensitive to Splenda, thankfully, but I also do try to limit its use to a reasonable amount.

[sunday]

Day 3 of just taters. Down 2.9 lbs. I will wait until Sunday to make sure that this is going to stick. I think I can go two more days.

[Key Tones]

Excellent result, Sunday!

I am starting day 3 and am hoping to post good results for weigh in on Friday. Here's hoping! If it doesn't go well, I will have to look at my weekend hiatus days more carefully.