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Potato Diet:Potatoes are typically considered flawed for not just your weight, but your overall health. Consuming too much potato in your diet can lead to erratic blood sugar levels, weight gain, and several other health-related complications. But, what if we told you that there is a potato diet for weight loss, which guarantees to make you lose weight by eating only the starchy tuber for some days? The potato diet plan sounds odd, and it probably is, but some people have sworn that they got the results they desired by just eating the one food for the diet period. The diet is based on the nutritional health benefits that potatoes come with, including health carbohydrates and fiber, and some essential vitamins and minerals.
Potatoes are rich in vitamin C, which is nature’s immunity pill, and adequate potassium amounts. Moreover, sweet potatoes contain vitamin A and other essential nutrients. What makes the potato diet useful in melting the fat apart and making a person lose weight? Nothing special; it’s just that the potato diet puts you on a calorific deficit, making you lose weight. However, this weight loss isn’t sustainable and may not last for long, as you are bound to get back to your typical meals at some point after the diet ends.
What Is the Potato Diet?
There are many types of potato diets, but they all involve eating cooked potatoes and very little else for a certain amount of time. So the “potato diet” (or “potato hack”) is essentially what it sounds like—a diet of potatoes!
However, not everyone does the in the same direction. Because of all the variations out there, there are two primary questions you need to ask about any particular how long you do the potato diet and precisely what you can consume on the potato diet.
How long is the Potato Diet?
You can do a potato diet for any interval of time, but in general, there are two potato diet “camps”: the short-term potato diet (or the “potato hack”) and the long-term potato diet.
- Short term potato diet/potato hack: For a short-term weight loss of a few pounds, many people do the “potato hack,” and only eat potatoes for a short time. The average length of time is 2-3 days, but some people go up to a week. The idea behind the “potato hack” is that you can maintain a particular weight without long-term super-restrictive dieting by completing one every once in a while. Potato hacking was pioneered by Tim Steele (anchor link), who deserves to have based the potato hack on an 1849 diet plan for “dyspeptics.”
- Long-term potato diet: For significant weight loss over a long period, some people will do a for multiple months at a time. This is what renowned Australian potato dieter Andrew Taylor did—he went an entire year eating only potatoes, plus a few seasonings.
Potato Diet Rules
The potato diet comes with relatively little instruction. Though several variations exist, Tim Steele outlines seven fundamental rules in his book:
- Rule 1. Eat only plain, roasted potatoes for three to five days.
- Rule 2. As a common rule, eat 2–5 pounds (0.9–2.3 kg) of potatoes each day.
- Rule 3. Don’t eat any other foods, including condiments and toppings, such as ketchup, butter, sour cream, and cheese.
- Rule 4. Salt is okay if you absolutely must, but try to avoid it.
- Rule 5. When you’re thirsty, only drink water, plain tea, or black coffee.
- Rule 6. Heavy exercise is not recommended. Instead, stick to a dull routine and walking.
- Rule 7. Take your usual medications as directed by your physician, but refrain from using any unprescribed dietary supplements.
In Steele’s version of the diet, only white potatoes are allowed. Some options include White Russet, Yukon Gold, and red potatoes.
Should You Do the Potato Diet?
Based on the available proof of its long-term nutritional harms, I can’t recommend doing a long-term potato diet. Even if you can lose lots of weight on this diet, the truth is that most restrictive diets do not work in the long run. People usually regain their lost weight. While Penn Jillette and Andrew Taylor had some pretty dramatic potato diet before and after stories, it’s too early to see if their significant weight losses will last.
For long-term healthy weight loss, you require to make gradual, sustainable changes to your food habits and physical activities. This doesn’t mean that you can’t use a short “potato hack” to help kick cravings and start a new food regimen. You have to remember that you will have to maintain sustained changes in your food choices once the potato diet is over.
FAQs
Conclusion
On the potato diet, you eat only common potatoes for three to five days. It’s claimed to aid weight loss, restore gut health, and boost immunity. Though it may help you lose weight, it hasn’t been studied, is overly restrictive, lacks certain nutrients, and may lead to unhealthy eating behaviors.
The potato diet is not the right choice for healthy, sustainable weight loss. Share your valuable thoughts and suggestions in the comment box section below.