The Potato Diet....criticisms and metabolic theory page 11

[gopintos]

Ok, the thing is... we are talking up to 14 days. Not your entire childhood. And we are not talking 14 days on, one day off and then 14 more days either. Just keep it in your bag of tricks when you feel like you need it.

I think the childhood obesity is far more prevalent in this country and that is just as dramatic and sad also, as they are in the same boat of depending on their parents, just a different end of the spectrum.

I use to watch the commercials of these little pot belly kids when I was a kid, and thinking why do they need food, their belly is bigger than mine? I wonder why we dont have little pot belly American kid PBS commercials saying dont feed me so much crap because I am too fat. And maybe we do, I dont watch much TV.

So for me, I really think I have the obesity disease and not the kwhatever so that is the one that I am going to try to treat. And I really do not think that by treating that one, I will morf into the other one, but I might be able to prevent a few of the other obesity diseases that my parents died from, well mom was thin and died from cancer so that probably doesnt count, and I might be able to get DH off his meds and maybe we both can get rid of our cpaps.

For me, once I get the weight off, hopefully I won't ever have to use it again but it is nice to know that it is there if I need it or just cant get the last little bit off. But I would much rather do that for a few days to a few weeks, than to mess around with moar fat only to have slow loss like I had since March down to No weight loss for the most part, like I had all summer since going even higher fat.

I know it is a marathon and not a sprint to the finish line. I know there will never really be a finish line, but I do want this race to move along a little faster than 5 more years of piddling around eating moar fat when now I know all I have to do is eat moar tators once in awhile & eat less fat. Not no fat but less fat, at least until I reach maintenance. Then maybe I can add the fat back in.

Now if it is not Fat loss, that would be one thing. If I lost and then gained it right back, like I do when I fast usually I might sing a different song. But now that I know to cut the fat, I might have better fasting results also. Anyways, that's another thread

[drnemer]

My problem with the potato diet is that its whole philosophy is about hacking your way to rapidly extreme fat loss while neglecting a balanced diet. It seems like Paleo Dr. Oz type science which really does not reflect how Grok lived. Grok hunted for meat and he ate wild fruits and nuts and veggies that he could scavenged.

This whole weightloss plateau/slowing metabolism phobia is affecting too much of this forum . People are obsessed over the how they are not losing enough fat fast enough and immediately start panicking.

This chronic micromanaging of diet nutrition hacks like the potato diet where you eat nothing but potatoes is not really based on the primal diet of returning to how Grok lived and promoting a healthy nutritious lifestyle. Potatoes alone cannot supply you the antioxidants, nutrients, proteins, fats that your body does need.

The whole premiss ignores why low fat diets are unhealthy because we need fat more fats that carbs. We need carbs too. But there should be a large emphasis on nutritious diets that follow Grok mentality then just what leads me to a lower pants size quickest.

Nothing against the science of the potato diet, i am sure it works. i am sure it is safe. But i don't consider it living primal.

You could lose weight quickly a lot of ways both safely and unsafely but fast weight loss is overrated goal. Weight loss plateaus has become a phobia that i don't think it is healthy but that is IMO

[otzi]

You can lob that grenade in my lap when you hear me advocate fasting for two weeks or more without providing any conceptual framework as to why you might want to do that apart from breathlessly proclaiming ... "it just works!!!!!"

Until that time, save your ammunition.

-PK

Just messin' with ya. But to answer your question, people are willing to do this because they find that despite years of adhering to the Primal Blueprint, they still have some fat to lose. Others may just want to lose a few pounds put on over the holidays, while others may want to shed a few pounds for an event like a family reunion or wedding.

As long as the people are going into this with eyes wide open, realizing this isn't a diet for life, and just using it as a quick way to drop a couple pounds of fat, I think it's cool.

[gopintos]

Grok hunted for meat and he ate wild fruits and nuts and veggies that he could scavenged.

I get what you are saying, but what did Grok do when the deer ran away and maybe moved on to the watering hole, and it took Grok a couple of days to find the herd, and all he was left with was a big ole pile of tators? Did he just fast for a few days until he could balance his starchy carbs with some protein and fat?

Totally agree it is about balance. And I think we all know that and I would say the majority of the rest of the time, we all practice that. And it is about the long haul. We know that also. I just dont know why you can't help push it along once in awhile just like you do when you fast? I realize fasting does other things, I am just saying that is another drastic thing that ppl do and they too can take it too far for too long.

I also get that there are specific nutrients in play here doing specific things, the sciency stuff. But if you are otherwise healthy and just eat mono for a few days, I just dont see the harm. But that's just me.

I think the other key thing, is just ppl have learned it is okay to eat tators again. Some ppl already knew that, but some of us thought low carb high fat was suppose to do the trick. Just do it. Dont question why it isnt working. Just stick with the program. Only problem, it wasn't working for all of us.

[Gorbag]

I think you can survive for months on only potatoes IF you are obese enough. No problem, people have been water fasting for up to a year before - and a "potatofast" cannot be worse than that! It may be a tool for some obese people to try, just remember that it will be less and less optimal when getting leaner due to risk of starvation i.e. that your body start to cannibalize protein from muscle and internal organs…

[paleo-bunny]

I'm intrigued by this potato diet and keep an open mind about it. A few days is not a fad where there's a basis of scientific reasoning. Individual success is of course very context dependent - the metabolism/thyroid stimulating effects for someone who had previously been chronically eating a very low carb diet are obvious.

The arguments I've seen here that Grok never had the luxury of micromanaging his macronutrient intake or eating a 'balanced diet' within the timescale of a few days are very valid IMO.

[otzi]

The arguments I've seen here that Grok never had the luxury of micromanaging his macronutrient intake or eating a 'balanced diet' within the timescale of a few days are very valid IMO.

That's what sets this apart from the run-of-the-mill crash diet or fad. All parts of the world have long-lasting starchy tubers or fruits--potatoes, plantains, squash, rice, cassava, taro, etc... For some reason, God or Evolution gave us starch sensors in our mouth and the ability to process starch in a very efficient manner. When you eat starch, amylase sensors in your mouth sense the starch and tell your pancreas to release some insulin in preparation for the starch-bomb about to come. Your saliva then starts breaking the starch into glucose before you even swallow it.

Now a vegan might say this is proof we should only eat plants, I'm just saying we are well-developed to eat starch. i'm also saying that it is highly probable that ancient man had periods where the only food he could find was starchy tubers or fruits. These foods can withstand frost, drought, and rain. Some are underground and would withstand a plague of insects or rodents. The above-ground types like plantains and squash are so tough most animals and birds ignore them. Even the inuits had "Eskimo Potatoes" a viny tuber that was eaten in late winter when little other food was available.

[paleo-bunny]

That's what sets this apart from the run-of-the-mill crash diet or fad. All parts of the world have long-lasting starchy tubers or fruits--potatoes, plantains, squash, rice, cassava, taro, etc... For some reason, God or Evolution gave us starch sensors in our mouth and the ability to process starch in a very efficient manner. When you eat starch, amylase sensors in your mouth sense the starch and tell your pancreas to release some insulin in preparation for the starch-bomb about to come. Your saliva then starts breaking the starch into glucose before you even swallow it.

Now a vegan might say this is proof we should only eat plants, I'm just saying we are well-developed to eat starch. i'm also saying that it is highly probable that ancient man had periods where the only food he could find was starchy tubers or fruits. These foods can withstand frost, drought, and rain. Some are underground and would withstand a plague of insects or rodents. The above-ground types like plantains and squash are so tough most animals and birds ignore them. Even the inuits had "Eskimo Potatoes" a viny tuber that was eaten in late winter when little other food was available.

Absolutely. Amylase is the only digestive enzyme released into our saliva. I agree that this doesn't emply obligate veganism. There are no fat or protein-digesting enzymes released into the mouth as they would damage it.

Ability to store tubers safely in quantity to consume during cold winter weather and absence of other foodstuffs required a certain amount of intelligence and application - hence it became a winning genetic adaptation. No nearly so easy as it is for a squirrel to bury a nut for future consumption.

[otzi]

Ability to store tubers safely in quantity to consume during cold winter weather and absence of other foodstuffs required a certain amount of intelligence and application - hence it became a winning genetic adaptation. No nearly so easy as it is for a squirrel to bury a nut for future consumption.

Actually potatoes store better if left undisturbed in the soil where they grew. In the spring, they can be dug and eaten before other plants start to grow. However, potatoes are native to the Andes in South America, so they were not widely eaten by the guys who originated in Africa. But there were starchy tubers there, too, like taro and cassava, probably more.

Cattails also have a starchy root that was eaten by many cultures.

[paleo-bunny]

Actually potatoes store better if left undisturbed in the soil where they grew. In the spring, they can be dug and eaten before other plants start to grow. However, potatoes are native to the Andes in South America, so they were not widely eaten by the guys who originated in Africa. But there were starchy tubers there, too, like taro and cassava, probably more.

Cattails also have a starchy root that was eaten by many cultures.

Potatoes may well store better that way - but surely there is plenty of competition from other humans/animals to eat their precious starch?