Whatever it is, it's real, and it works. I started the day after Easter. after 5 weeks went off full spud and started adding in other food, kept the same ratios of 80% calories from starch (potatoes, rice, wheat, millet, corn, quinoa) 10% protein, and less than 10% total calories from fat. Then went back to full spud every other day, with some IF thrown in. Down from 284 (weighed on dr's scale) to 245 week 5 ( same dr's scale) to 231 this morning (home scale I bought after week 5). went from tight 42" waist to slipping into an old pair of 36" cargo shorts yesterday. Had blood tests done after 5 weeks- BG normalized, BP lower than its been in years, and cholesterol/triglyceride numbers are heart-attack proof. I'm not even thinking about changing anything until I get down to 185, then I'll re-evaluate what diet I want to continue to maintain my body. If my set point ends up being lower, I might just roll with it and see where it ends up.
I could do this diet forever. I don't crave crap food anymore. I appreciate raw carrots and celery and the subtle tastes of a lot of foods now. Sometimes I cook stuff for my kids and it smells really good- grilled cheese, hot dogs, we still do pizza night every Friday from a local joint.but I feel awesome, like I went in a time machine and got my body back from 20 years ago. I sleep better, I have more energy, and my mood is better, to the point I am weaning off anti-depressants (with MD supervision).
i know it sounds weird and crazy and like a snake-oil pitch, but the only thing I care about is helping people get their lives back. If I did it, anybody can do it. Hell, I talked to one of my patients today and she said she is going to start doing it when she gets discharged. I told her I'd buy the books for her. I am becoming the apostle of potatoes, Johnny spudseed. All because I got results from something so damn easy, it doesn't make sense.
and Acer, don't feel bad if you quit, but just know I went through feeling really lousy the first 3-4 days, too. It passed, and that's when the hunger pains stopped, and I noticed I was never hungry anymore. Don't watch the scale, either. It's easy to shift a good 5 lbs. in a day, up or down. Just focus on getting right, and the results will happen.