Otis fad diet thread — Also rowing, yoga and pillows (and let’s not be fat)

[Otis 13,526]

Diets yadda yadda 

 

Edited January 29 by Otis

[kevzilla 7,751]

[Otis 13,526]

Some helpful pointers from the smart guys in the other thread:

On 5/6/2016 at 4:19 PM, ProstheticRGK said:

Long time reader of the forum, never been motivated to post before. But wanted to thank you, Maurile, for what could have amounted to saving my life. I read up about the potato diet when you posted about it months ago, and It struck me as interesting and scientifically sound. Kept reading and mulling it over, knowing I had to do something drastic. Then, about 5 weeks ago, saw those spud fit videos, and decided to just do it. Committed to 90 days of the pure potato diet, with no added fat.

started out: 5'11", 280 lbs (holy smoke, that's bad) BP not too bad at mid 130s/ mid 80s, cholesterol over 200, triglycerides over 300, 42" waist, creeping into 44" waist territory.

5 week results: 238 lbs, BP 121/73, cholesterol 118, triglycerides 94, FBG 80, 38" waist creeping down into 36" territory. Started this past week adding in additional foods just because I was in a serious caloric deficit away from my BMR- it's really, really hard to eat your BMR in just potatoes, even with ketchup and salsa.

Otis, you need to do this and document it. It would be right up your alley, and the results are not only unbelievable, but easy. I haven't even started exercising seriously, just making sure I hit around 10,000 steps per day on Fitbit. Waiting until my weight comes down more before starting jogging again. Plus, I get bored reading the same crap in the forums and want to read an Otis " look at me, I'm really gonna do it" thread. 

 

Anyway, thanks Maurile and Culdeus for the solid posting on all things nutrition. I really appreciate it, and it changed my life.

On 5/11/2016 at 5:25 PM, ProstheticRGK said:

I haven't even hit the 90 days yet. But for the first 10 days, it was nothing but potatoes and salt and pepper, black coffee and water. 3 days in, and all food cravings went away and was never hungry, even though I was only eating about 800-1000 calories/day. I dreaded eating potatoes by the end of the week. Then for the next 3 weeks or so, I added in onions, garlic and green, leafy vegetables to the potatoes: Kale, spinach and some broccoli and cabbage. I needed to get some variety in my diet, and even though my energy levels were through the roof, I worried about such a huge calorie deficit. Made a big difference in just being happy, but didn't slow down the results, at all.

After that first month, I was reading where you could add any kind of condiments you wanted, as long as there was no added fat. So, no ranch dressing or mayo, but salsa, ketchup, sriracha are good. This bit of reasoning came via dr. John McDougall, from one of his mentors, Dr. Walter Kempner at Duke Univeristy, who devised the first diet to treat malignant hypertension in the U.S. He fed his patients a diet of white rice and fruit juices, supplemented with table sugar, to get them to lose weight and keep their hypertension in check. That blew my mind, and really turned a lot of what I used to think I knew about nutrition on its head. I added in 2-3 pieces of fresh fruit per day- which tasted like the greatest thing in the world after nothing but potatoes for over a month and started using a ton of salsa and sriracha- even started making my own ketchup without HFCS. Just made sure that my fat intake was below 10% of total calories and calories still were down (1200-1400, even on the biggest eating days). After a week of that is when I had my doctor's appointment and got my results for 5 weeks on the diet.

sorry, this is running away from me, because I am really excited and have a lot to say about this... Don't mean to ramble. Anyway, after I got my results from the doctor, I knew that I was adopting the McDougall diet for a sustainable change for life. Instead of doing strictly potatoes, I switched to vegan/starch-based/no oil added, with 80% of calories from starchy plant foods (potatoes, rice, millet, barley, quinoa, wheat, oats) 20% from vegetables and fruits. No added fats. I think that's basically the secret to the potato hack- that ratio of keeping fat% under 10, and getting 80% from starchy plants, which have a really high satiety factor, with little caloric density. So, I'm basically doing the starch hack now, with a much more varied diet that doesn't feel restrictive. I just started doing the potato hack hardcore again on work days (12 hour shifts Su, Tu, Thu) and just do the McDougall's diet the other days of the week, with Saturday's as an almost cheat day, with stuff like vegan cookies, vegan ice cream or pizza. I bought a book on making vegan cheese, because a lot of vegan substitute foods taste like they were fermented in the trousers of an indigent. Trying this out from Tim Steele's book, the Potato Hack, that Maurile recommended up thread.

for cooking potatoes- I might not be the best person to ask, because I still get a little queasy thinking about all of the cold, boiled potatoes I choked down, just to put something in my stomach. I boiled a lot of them. Made mashed potatoes with no butter or milk added, substituted vegetable stock. Baked them. Made potato curries out of them. Made rosti and hash browns and potato pancakes. I have gotten pretty good at frying stuff with no oil added. Made potato chips in the microwave- surprisingly good. Made a really good potato soup with leeks and celery and mushrooms. I like to cook, and I'll share recipes if there's an interest or a place for it.

Otis, if your personality IRL is even 75% of your online persona, this is the diet for you. There's all sorts of links and information out there, but here's the gist of it. When you are hungry, eat a potato.

Are ice cream sandwiches allowed? No. Eat a potato.

how many coronitas can I drink? None. Eat a potato.

How many potatoes can I eat? Trick question. You can eat as many as you want, but you will get full and not crave anything to eat way faster than you ever thought you would.

seriously, it's Taco Tuesday. I'm having a bucket of Coronitas. Put the mini beer down, oven mitts, and grab a frosty potato.

Commit to a timeframe to do this diet, at least a week, and follow it hardcore with no cheating, and you'll keep going. You'll see amazing results and you will lose food cravings and not be hungry, with a huge spike in energy level. Potatoes are like, the perfect food. No supplements, no shakes, no handfuls of almonds, just potatoes. You don't need to think about it, you can shut that part of your brain off that thinks about food. Plus, it's as extreme as full-Bale, but way more interesting and better for you. Plus, I guarantee you can finally beat Woz in that bet that's taken 100 years and finally get that embarrassing albatross off your neck. I mean, what kind of super-heroic comeback story would that be, if you rose from the dietary dead, Jon Snow like, and absolutely crushed it? An Otis comeback story, that's what. You got this.

Links: check out the McDougall's website above, search for the MWL (Maximum Weight Loss program) and Mary's Mini diet. Also, get your hands on The Potato Hack, by Tim Steele. All the info you'd need is in that book. 

Potato Hack blog

Mark's Daily Apple forums

Spud fit videos this is an Australian guy who committed to doing the potato diet for a year. Check out his results and how much weight he loses so fast. This is what inspired me to do it.

Paleo blog on the potato hack

tl;dr eat potatoes. It works

 

On 5/13/2016 at 1:00 AM, ProstheticRGK said:

Here's why I did full spud, maybe you can relate: I was motivated to do something, anything. I saw a video of a guy getting tremendous results incredibly easily and quickly. The solution was the easiest solution I saw- eat potatoes. Put fuel in the machine and not have to calculate macro percentages/ phytonutrients levels/ gut health biomes, or anything else. I didn't need an app to start, just a 10 lb. bag of potatoes.

i also realized listening to the spud fit guy that I related to a lot of what he said about how he viewed food. I was using food like a drug. Ice cream, chips, burgers, pizza, that was my go-to way of coping with stress and feeling crappy. I'd always been fairly fit most of my life and was able to eat like a 20-year-old and stay fairly trim because I was so active into my 30s, like fantasycurse42, but when I started to get older and stopped being so active, I ballooned up. The things Maurile wrote about the hyperpalatabilty of food is real. So much of what we eat as the Standard American Diet has been engineered by scientists whose job is to figure out how to make stuff taste so good that it stimulates every neural pathway that you have in your mouth, eyes, nose, and makes an association with happy memories of mom's apple pie, and safe, warm hugs. And, it's designed to make you crave it like the lab rat in the cocaine maze tapping the cocaine dose button until his little paws fall off, and never get hungry, so you can keep eating more. Think about that- every time you've mustered a Herculean effort of will and managed to slim down 15-20 lbs., you slide right back down the rabbit hole and start eating the same stuff. Why? Because science. You have to go through some pretty hardcore "deprogramming" to lose those associations with that food. The blandness of nothing but potatoes works. Food cravings die down after about 3-4 days, and you just think about having to put fuel in the tank. Not about what you're in the mood for, or what sounds good.

the science says you could do it a whole bunch of ways. Culdeus does it his way, MoP did it his way. Fc42 does it his way. You can get great results just doing all of the things you know you should do- drink a ton more water, never drink calories, restrict calories, eat less processed food and more natural, home-cooked food. I was overwhelmed at the thought of trying to figure out all the calories and macros and lists of foods to exploit/avoid. This is simple, and I'm a simpleton. 

On 5/13/2016 at 10:54 AM, ProstheticRGK said:

That's the hard part, is what to do afterwards. I decided to go vegan and stay vegan, because i found a lot of information on diet that supports that as a sustainable and (imo) most healthy lifestyle. I know that choice is not for everyone, I used to make fun of vegans when I'd help my FIL with his BBQ catering business. so, here's my take, without the actual practical application of having done it, yet: after you've had a week vacation at the beach, eating crap: come home and do the potato hack for 3-5 days, or do it every other day for a week. I don't think it's optimal, but it would work for keeping the pounds off, and doing a detox from all the typical vacation foods.

I would recommend looking into a vegan diet at the Dr. McDougall website, and reading all the information on how heart disease, type II diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, and many other diseases can be completely eliminated through diet. That's what made sense to me, through a lot of reading while I started the potato diet. I realize it's extreme, but it makes sense to me, from the scientific standpoint.

17 hours ago, Maurile Tremblay said:

Part of it is that plain potatoes are off-the-charts satiating, so you'll naturally run a significant caloric deficit even if it feels like you're stuffing yourself.

Possibly just as important is the psychological aspect of resetting your taste buds and your relationship with food. A lot of people don't eat only when they're hungry, but also when they're bored or just because certain foods are so freaking delicious. You won't do that on a potato-only diet (unless you're adding salt and oil, as with french fries or potato chips). You'll naturally retrain yourself to eat only when you're hungry ... and you'll retrain your taste buds to be satisfied with simple, whole foods.

Maurile recommends this book on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/Potato-Hack-Weight-Loss-Simplified/dp/1530028620/

Maurile is smart.

[Otis 13,526]

3 hours ago, ProstheticRGK said:

Bake half and boil half. Take baked potatoes to work and heat them in the microwave and add some sriracha or salsa (read the label, if you don't wanna make your own). Cooling them down actually makes them better for you by increasing Resistant Starch, which encourages good gut flora growth. Don't have to eat them cold, though. Re-heating doesn't get rid of RS. I find cold potatoes pretty horrible, but I ate them in a pinch.

boiled potatoes you can eat the same way, but they are better for frying at night for dinner, and adding seasoning in. I got hooked on making a curry, or making Mexican spuds with taco seasoning (cumin, granulated onion & garlic, chili powder, coriander, Mexican oregano and cayenne) add water to the pan after a couple of minutes of sautéing, then add the spices and stir until the water dries up. This goes well in Tupperware for bringing to work, too. GL, brother!

ETA: sweet potatoes. Get a bag, and buy some premium, real maple syrup. A baked sweet potato with about a tbsp of maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg tastes like the greatest thing in the world while doing this. I discovered this about 3 weeks in, when I was already crushing it and realized I didn't care even if the maple syrup slowed things down, I wanted something as a change of pace. It didn't slow anything down, at all. And was great.

[Otis 13,526]

On 5/12/2016 at 7:33 PM, Maurile Tremblay said:

Most people who eat too many calories tend to eat processed, hyperpalatable foods like Doritos, ice cream, and pepperoni pizza. It would be nice if they could stop eating those foods and replace them with more plain vegetables ... but for most people, that's a nearly impossible task. When you are habituated to hyperpalatable junk food, plain vegetables will be at best boring, and at worst kind of bitter and gross.

Eating just plain potatoes temporarily can be an effective fix. Plain potatoes are satisfying enough that you can eat them and they won't be gross, but they're not so palatable that you'll eat them just for the flavor even when you're not hungry. Once you've become habituated (or neuroadapted, if you want to be fancy) to eating plain potatoes instead of Doritos, plain raw carrots or celery will actually taste delicious. It will be much easier at that point to eat mostly healthy whole foods and to mostly avoid densely caloric junk food.

(It doesn't have to be potatoes. The same concept should work with any bland food, or even with just water. But potatoes seem rather optimal because they offer nearly complete nutrition.)

[Cliff Clavin 3,182]

I eat potatoes probably 5 nights a week. So easy to make a big batch of mashed or oven roasted that taste great freshly cooked and reheated. Love'em. 

Full diet of plain potatoes sounds terrible though.

[The General 24,572]

How about Potato AND Tuna.

[Tiger Fan 3,867]

in for this trainwreck

[cstu 6,086]

Thinking about doing this with sweet potatoes. 

[Juxtatarot 11,310]

What are you going to do at social events?

[comfortably numb 7,553]

Potatoe vodka allowed?

[The General 24,572]

3 minutes ago, Juxtatarot said:

What are you going to do at social events?

Excuse me, I have some potatoes to boil can you point me to the kitchen.

[Ditkaless Wonders 16,251]

6 minutes ago, Juxtatarot said:

What are you going to do at social events?

How about being the center of attention with his new Christian Bale-like physique.

[Maurile Tremblay 22,524]

Give us a weigh-in as you start so we can track progress.

[bagger 3,364]

I had French fries for lunch yesterday so I am one step ahead of you.

[Otis 13,526]

23 minutes ago, Juxtatarot said:

What are you going to do at social events?

Could just adopt it as new shtick.  Just carry a sack of potatoes around with you everywhere you go.  Ehhh, potato guy!

[TLEF316 4,930]

maybe just...ya know...eat normal portions of mostly decent food and sort of pretend to exercise occasionally?

 

Just a thought.

[Wrigley 3,446]

More like dud 

[Peyton Marino 4,780]

Reminds me of my favorite Latvian joke

 

Quote

Q : What are one potato say other potato?

A : Premise ridiculous. Who have two potato?

 

Edited May 15, 2016 by Peyton Marino

[Peyton Marino 4,780]

Two Latvian look at clouds.

One see potato. Other see impossible dream.

Is same cloud.

[Peyton Marino 4,780]

Quote

 

Q: What is happening if you cross Latvian and potato?

A: This is cruel joke. please, no more.

 

 

[Binky The Doormat 12,815]

Is this the superschtick he was talking about cooking up?  

Calling so much attention to someone else is not his style.

[matuski 4,968]

In .. gave it a trial run yesterday.  No problem sticking with this until Memorial Day weekend.  Will begin tomorrow.

May include a casein + water shake at night before bed.

Edited May 15, 2016 by matuski

[steelerfan1 371]

12 minutes ago, TLEF316 said:

maybe just...ya know...eat normal portions of mostly decent food and sort of pretend to exercise occasionally?

 

Just a thought.

after seeing your avatar I am now compelled to say "This hallway smells like potatoes" and "That's a lot of potatoes"!.

[matuski 4,968]

My diet for the next 12 days will be:

Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Water and Sparkling Water

Some minimal spices/salsa/etc.

1 Casein protein shake/day

[kutta 5,525]

I'll follow along.

[Otis 13,526]

1 minute ago, kutta said:

I'll follow along.

GB does this mean join or just throw hamburger meat at the potato eaters from the sidelines?

[gmbacm 362]

[Otis 13,526]

OFFICIAL THREAD ARTWORK

[Doug B 6,825]

Otis quoting Maurile upthread:

It doesn't have to be potatoes. The same concept should work with any bland food, or even with just water. But potatoes seem rather optimal because they offer nearly complete nutrition.

Seems even a combination of unprocessed foods should do well, too. I am imagining not just potatoes alone, but mixing in, say, avocados and egg whites. Many, many ways to go with this.

[sports_fan 2,700]

Here's some inspiration for you. Good luck!

[AAABatteries 24,773]

56 minutes ago, Ditkaless Wonders said:

How about being the center of attention with his new Christian Bale-like physique.

Here's O at his next pool party

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1541008.1386464469!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/935381-american-hustle.jpg

[Otis 13,526]

36 minutes ago, AAABatteries said:

Here's O at his next pool party

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1541008.1386464469!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/935381-american-hustle.jpg

Fairly accurate before pic.

[Just Win Baby 2,611]

[Otis 13,526]

Day 1:  231.6

Normal eating today (some snacks and junk food, but went shopping for potatoes midday and transitioning tonight.  Mrs. O is cooking up some baked potatoes with some seasoning for dinner.  That will be the beginning of the hack.

I've in recent weeks done two things that should make this a little easier.  First, and maybe most importantly this coming Thursday will make two weeks without alcohol.  Been a long time since I've done that.  Second, I have been eating only a protein bar for lunch in recent weeks, no breakfast.  So I've been going long stretches without much food.  I figure I'll have some spuds with some morning coffee (black) before I leave the house, and then I'll have whatever potato treat she's made for dinner.   I've been drinking flavored seltzers recently in place of booze, and may continue that as well, though we do have in-door sparkling water in our fridge now, so I could theoretically drink that whenever and regardless of what we have in the house at the time.

Link of interest

[Juxtatarot 11,310]

Russet? White? Red? Yukon gold?

[AcerFC 4,854]

I could be down for an Otis vs Acer spud diet thing. 

[Hawks64 2,442]

@OtisHey GB might want to go ahead and get yourself a set of Potato Nails.

[Otis 13,526]

4 minutes ago, AcerFC said:

I could be down for an Otis vs Acer spud diet thing. 

Love it.  IN

[Otis 13,526]

14 minutes ago, Juxtatarot said:

Russet? White? Red? Yukon gold?

 

Actually got a mix of all 4.  I must have bought 40 or 50 lbs of potatoes.  Mrs. O wants to know where she's supposed to put them all.

[Ilov80s 30,066]

The weirdest and most boring diet I have ever heard of. GL.

[AcerFC 4,854]

48 minutes ago, Otis said:

Love it.  IN

How about this

We both start tomorrow. Let's shoot for an end date of June 30th. Whoever loses more of their body fat percentage wins.

The loser gives $100 to chance for hope. I know its small time for you, but it's what I can afford right now. I already know ill be away a few days for a disney trip. 

[Otis 13,526]

1 minute ago, AcerFC said:

How about this

We both start tomorrow. Let's shoot for an end date of June 30th. Whoever loses more of their body fat percentage wins.

The loser gives $100 to chance for hope. I know its small time for you, but it's what I can afford right now. I already know ill be away a few days for a disney trip. 

I don't turn down good shtick or good causes, particularly when combined.  IN.   

You also doing the potato diet?  Or something else?

[Dignan_ 205]

If I am going to be disciplined and obsessive about a weird diet I'll stick to paleo. Eat nothing but steak, brisket, sausage, bacon, and chicken all week long instead of a bunch of girly hippie vegetables and low fat condiments.

This sounds like the most miserable diet ever. 

Edited May 15, 2016 by Dignan_
for bacon

[AcerFC 4,854]

3 minutes ago, Otis said:

I don't turn down good shtick or good causes, particularly when combined.  IN.   

You also doing the potato diet?  Or something else?

I will do the potato diet but know I cant stick to it for the full time. So let's just shoot for a do what you want to lose the body fat

[Otis 13,526]

4 minutes ago, AcerFC said:

I will do the potato diet but know I cant stick to it for the full time. So let's just shoot for a do what you want to lose the body fat

That's fine by me.  Was just curious what your weapon of choice would be.

[Otis 13,526]

Man, potatoes are delicious.  They don't need salt, or anything really.  Just boiled up some red potatoes for dinner, and ate 'em plain.  Wonderful.

[comfortably numb 7,553]

Just now, Otis said:

Man, potatoes are delicious.  They don't need salt, or anything really.  Just boiled up some red potatoes for dinner, and ate 'em plain.  Wonderful.

Yep.

I'm inclined to try this cause I could eat tatoes all day long

[James Daulton 9,256]

I always bake or nuke my potatoes.  Never once have I boiled unless I was going to mash them.

[cstu 6,086]

3 hours ago, Hawks64 said:

@OtisHey GB might want to go ahead and get yourself a set of Potato Nails.

Quote

Tiffany nails in a Big Lots case.

By John Isaacs on July 16, 2015

Verified Purchase

The nails work fine on a smaller baking potato. Lovely smooth potato meat after 45 minutes in. 375 degree convection toaster oven. However, I was anticipating the great pleasure of having potato nails with their own case which I could bring around to parties and barbecues wnd whip out with the air of a master violinist uncasing a Stradivarius. Alas, the case is garbage. You will never get all six nails back in it and it falls apart like a bad jewel case for a CD. Also the nail puller tool is useless. What's wrong with a pot holder?