Oh, and so far, 20 Amazon reviews. All "5 star." I have been holding my own in the top 10 books for the massive "diet and weightloss" category. Rising to #5 over the weekend, but settling in at #10 lately. It changes hourly! To be #5 blew my mind. There are something like 10,000 books in this category! Is it the cool cover that my Aunt Ann made? Check out her latest pics.The first couple reviews were from potato industry trade magazines, which was cool. I had hoped to attract potato growers and marketers. The first review I got was from The Potato Growers Magazine:
Book Touts Potatoes Health Benefits (see full review)
Author Tim Steele’s new book, The Potato Hack: Weight Loss Simplified, focuses on potatoes as an article of health. Included in the book are simple ways to use potatoes to aid in weight loss and an extensive section on the benefits of resistant starch, of which potatoes are an excellent source.
The “potato hack” diet was modeled after an 1849 diet plan for people who were becoming overweight and “dyspeptic” from, simply put, living too luxuriously. This potato diet simply called for one to eat nothing but potatoes for a few days at a time, promising that fat men would become as “lean as they ought to be.” One hundred and sixty-seven years later, the population is more overweight and unhealthy than ever, but the potato diet still works.
The next major review was from elite trainer of personal trainers, Rusty Moore. His two-part series has done wonders for my reputation in the fitness industry, an audience I did not think I would attract. But, it turns out that personal trainers need "hacks," too, and the potato hack fits their needs.
The Potato Hack for Rapid Fat Loss, part 1
Here are my experiences so far with the potato hack.
I have only done two rounds of a 3-day potato hack (currently on round 3).
I lost 3 pounds on round #1 and 5 pounds on round #2.
I regained a little bit of weight after resuming with normal eating, but not as much as when I go low carb.
There seems to be less of a rebound effect with potatoes.
I’ve kept 6 of the 8 pounds off…and feel I will hit my goal weight in just a few weeks.
My face and mid section are noticeably leaner.
I really didn’t expect that to happen so quickly.
The Potato Hack for Rapid Fat Loss, part 2
Remember…this isn’t a long term diet, it’s just a way to quickly get lean without hunger or low energy.
I plan on using 3 days hacks whenever I feel I want to lean out a bit.
One last thought…
It makes sense to me to string together 3 days in a row versus alternating every other day during the week.
In my experience, the fat loss seems to accelerate on day 2 and day 3.
I’m not sure if that would happen if you alternated days.
Anyway…this is one of the easier ways I’ve seen to get lean in a hurry.
Give it a shot!
As if these reviews were not good enough, another review today from Christopher Walker, founder of TestShock.com & author of The TestShock Program ("helping guys increase their testosterone naturally"). Mr. Walker did an honest and critical review of The Potato Hack, at times making me think he hated it, but then also that he loved it. I feel humbled that the likes of Walker and Moore are even looking at my book, let alone critiquing the hell out of it!
Awesome and Attractive: The Truth About The Potato Hack?
The potato’s wide ranging abilities seem to have been finally identified by the mainstream fitness community with the recent release of “The Potato Hack“.This apparently unassuming book highlights an important trend in the fitness industry. Namely re-positioning old or forgotten nutritional protocols as something unique or differentiated.
On the surface, many authors purport to acknowledge the inauthentic nature of their recommendations. When I first read such an acknowledgement in the preamble to the potato hack, I was unimpressed.
The author goes on to discuss how the book he is marketing is “nothing new” as the diet first appeared in “an 1849 diet plan for people that were becoming fat and dyspeptic”.Alright, admissions out of the way, now that their is a disclaimer to cover the author he can go on to discuss the superpowers and such any potato hack follower will undoubtedly receive.
Surprisingly, what followed the short introduction was a very reasonable set of recommendations followed by the history of some of the issues discussed. There was also a very straight forward section discussing growing and harvesting the potato.
This is a really long review, I highly recommend anyone who is on the fence about whether or not the potato hack has substance, and also it's shortcomings, please read the full text. Christopher Walker's conclusion is:
While the potato hack is clearly no panacea, it was not designed to be. Nearly every author that syndicates the potato hack recognizes that it should be used as a 1-5 day reset for your digestive system.
While it may not be the best diet in the long run, it is pretty good at what it is designed for, short term weight loss and improvements in the gut microbiome. I don’t have a specific context you can use the potato hack in, but truthfully, you don’t need one.
I could not have said it better myself, and I feel quite pleased that this is how an elite personal trainer saw it. I was afraid that people would see this as "snake oil" or just plain bogus. I'm grinning from ear-to-ear!
Cheers, all
Tim
You ought to be (grinning ear to ear) - you've done a lot of good for little in return. I selfishly hope you continue!
ReplyDeleteKeep on grinning from ear-to-ear!!! You deserve it. At last, an honest book with none of that flowery self praising prose that most diet guru's can't avoid. The only other one who has remained himself (and not become a fanatic) is Mark Sisson. I came across his blog site shortly after went live and have been following him ever since.
ReplyDeleteJo tB
Hey, you deserve the praise! People can sense genuine sincerity, and your lack of bloviating when it comes to the potato (because you actually KNOW a shitload about what you're talking about) is a welcome relief from the pseudo-scientific, quasi insulting tone that so many 'nutrition experts' attempt to fob off.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the fact that you're getting comments/serious consideration from some solid fitness folk is also a measure of the quality of your work. Kudos for all your hard work!
Absolutely, really well said. Mark Sisson seems fine, but he's got a business going on - not that there's anything wrong with that; Tim is a researcher, writer, experimenter it seems to me. A very smart, curious person, who enjoys sharing what he learns. Thanks, Tim!
DeleteDebbie
So, this sexy reviewer Christopher Walker seems to be an expert on "natural testosterone enhancement".
ReplyDeleteTim, shame on you. You do not talk testosterone in your book at all.
"
Tim,
ReplyDeleteI picked up the paperback from Amazon and it's great! First hack under my belt and it was pretty easy.....actually the best thing about it was just how easy it is to have the potatoes ready to go. My life is pretty hectic and not having to extensively plan meals is a big time saver.
What are your feeling about "pulsing" this hack on a weekly basis? 3-5 day hack during the weekdays and "normal healthy" eating on the weekends for those of us that need to lose 100 pounds?
I think I describe this method in the book for dieters wanting to lose large amounts of weight. You could do a potato hack every week for as long as you like, even taking a month or so off at times. The trick is coming up with a good long-term diet that relies on whole foods, plenty of fiber, and keeps your weight stable. I would hate to see people potato hacking one week and pigging out on junk food the next. But for long term losses and stability it works great.
DeleteTim,
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten that when I was a kid my Irish grandmother (yes, actually from Ireland Irish, not from Boston Oirish) always made the best baked potatoes, far superior to any others I ever had, and I never knew why. Reading your book and stumbled across the recipe for Irish Roasted Potatoes and absolutely must try them. I'm hoping I just found a path back to the taters of my childhood. Thanks.
As an aside, she was slim, elegant, and tough as nails til the day she died.
I liked the way the Irish "rough up" the potatoes. For some reason, I think that the Irish just like any excuse to rough stuff up whenever they can, lol.
DeleteCongrats Tim! I've been following your work for well over a year now and I'll be honest, even a few months ago I thought the Potato Hack was nothing short of weird and kooky. After buying your book and putting my bias aside, I'm currently on day 3 of my first Potato Hack and am feeling pretty amazing. And as a former full time Amazon bookseller, you have a great sales rank that is indicating steady sales...I will be posting my own review once I finish up day 3. And no, I didn't cheat...only potatoes and went 1.5 days without any salt (you said this was good for bragging rights, yes?). :)
ReplyDeleteYou get the T-shirt!
DeleteThanks for the note, that's great. Honestly, I was a bit scared to publish it. I kept thinking maybe it should be an RS book, with the potato hack as an appendix. But people just seem to love the potato hack and love discussing how it works, why, variations, etc...
Congratulations! How about a novel next?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, you're a really good writer -
Debbie
PS: I can post on my office computer, but not at home!
ReplyDeleteDebbie
What is your feeling about potatoes in place of animal protein for lunch? Typically I skip breakfast and eat a few ounces of chicken for lunch and 3 1/2 ounces of wild salmon for dinner. So, could I eat vegetables and potatoes for lunch indefinitely and be consuming enough protein?
ReplyDeleteDebbie (again)
I think that replacing most of the meat in your diet with plain potatoes would do everyone a world of good. Even just eating potatoes for breakfast and lunch every day would make a big difference for most people in terms of gut health and weight.
DeleteI have been doing Pots. By Day with all the expected benefits for a month or so. Also noticed by the 2nd week no longer desire to drink wine. Went from a daily glass to once a week if I think to do it. Anyone else encounter something unexpected?
ReplyDeleteProud of you Tim!! We are believers after a couple weeks on and off the Hack.
ReplyDeleteDid you see Ian Spreadbury's presentation:
ReplyDelete"Acellular Carbohydrates: Are Our Bacteria a Detector of Dietary Refinement?" - Dr Ian Spreadbury
He even p0ut the potato in the ancestral class of foods (as apposed to the highly processed western food).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh5XVDe2ia0
Jo tB
"He even p0ut the potato in the ancestral class of foods (as apposed to the highly processed western food)."
DeleteWhat??? But a potato is a carb. And white? It must be bad.
Just finished a 3 day hack. Ate 5.5lbs of taters each day, completely plain. Mashed potatoes were much easier to eat than rack fries but also less satiating (maybe due to less chewing?). Brain hunger and cravings were knocked out by day three. First two days my hands were very cold, (maybe due to lack of salt?) but improved on the third day. I lost 3.5lbs, noticeably from my face and lower abdomen. Digestion has improved, great turds were had! Sense of smell has increased and wow...normal food tastes completely different. I would definitely do it again.
ReplyDeleteWe should treat potatoes with the reverence they truly deserve, like in this video - https://youtu.be/bPsY_nhTtxg?t=7s
Thanks! Great video, posted it on Facebook.
DeleteIn my neck of the woods, we'll soon approach the warmer months of the year, also known as Salt Potato Season. Salt Potatoes would fit perfectly in the diet of the hackers...without further adieu - my local delicacy:
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_potatoes
Yes please.
DeleteWell that sounds fabulous! Wish I had known BEFORE I wrote my book, lol.
Delete"Salt potatoes are bite-size "young" white potatoes scrubbed and boiled in their skins. The proper size potatoes are Size B, Grade US No. 2. The potatoes are small and their appearance and shape are not important.[1]
According to a recipe, the cooking water contains salt in a ratio of one cup of salt to six cups of water, giving the dish its name, unique flavor, and texture. After cooking, salt potatoes are served with melted butter.[3]
The resulting potatoes are creamy, as the starch in the potatoes cooks more completely due to the higher boiling temperature of the extra-salty water.[citation needed] The salty skin stands up particularly well to both herbed and plain melted butter.[3]"
I enjoyed the book very much. Did a 5 day hack and lost 7 pounds. I was not pure potato though. I made garlic mashed potatoes and put Dave Asprey's XCT oil in them instead of butter or cream (3/4 tsp per 14 oz potatoes). I guess I made bullet proof potatoes. I ate them with boiled taters or baked fries to get mouth feel.
ReplyDeleteI need to get off the hack briefly due to travel and difficulty getting cooked potatoes, but will try hack again soon with no added ingredients. I made the hasbrowns with no added ingredients in a non stick skillet and they were the bomb (but I used hot sauce..meh I refuse to give that up)
lots of fun!
ramon
Good job! Bulletproof Spuds, lol, can I patent that?
DeleteDave likes butter too so not sure if I was truly bulletproof, but It helped the garlic potato mash be a little more interesting.
DeleteMy wife says my temprament is better "less grouchy" on the hack so she is all for it.
thanks again
ramon
Hi Tim! Congratulations on your book. I've read through it once already and am working on a 2nd read through. Really well-written and researched. I've noticed a wonderful improvement in mood and digestion since hacking! You've converted this former LCer.
ReplyDeleteI was curious though - when I make rack fries or hash browns, I notice the weight drastically decreases as water is being baked out. Do I want to base my potato consumption on the taters' weight before baking or after? Thanks again!
Skylar
The weights used in The Potato Hack, ie. 3-5 pounds per day, are for planning purposes only. This is the weight of potatoes "as bought." Not cooked weight. For the diet itself, eat as much or as little as you like. Eat to satiety. The goal is not to eat as many potatoes as you physically can, but just enough to stave off hunger. Most find their perfect range in 3-5 pounds of potatoes daily.
DeleteHi Tim,is the nutritional makeup of new potatoes very different to the usual ones.I seem to get a fuller feeling,sleep better and feel more relaxed eating the older ones but had hypoglycemic episode after eating just new potatoes for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite possible there are differences in fiber and starch. I have not seen any great studies.
DeleteI think and have read that new potatoes are sweeter. This seems to agree:
Deletehttp://www.cooksinfo.com/new-potatoes
Perhaps the sugars in new potatoes are too simple and interfere with your glucose control.
They definately taste sweeter to me Wilbur.I did see somewhere that new ones were supposed to have a lower GI/GL count than old ones.Probably for freshly cooked so perhaps the older ones contain more starch able to convert back to RS.Not had one of those episodes since giving up toast and cereal fro breakfast.
DeleteI have just come off a 3 day PH. I didn't do it for weight loss but to see if I could help my RA. Prior to starting the 3 day hack I was eating just potatoes for my lunch meal. Also I have been using potato starch in my kefir smoothies for about 2 years. Also had incorporated potatoes back into my diet.
ReplyDeleteI thought the hack would be a piece of cake! After 2 lb of plain potatoes the first day, 3 days was daunting. The last day and a half I did add some of my own kimchi and sauerkraut along with some bone broth at night.
I ended up losing weight, 3 lbs. Which I hope to regain because I need them. My RA pain was worse. I am not giving up on potatoes (maybe I didn't eat enough of them:) ). My husband also lost 3 lbs.
Anyone out there with RA who did have success, I am all ears.
Kudos to you Tim, love the book!
Hi Nav - I'd like to hear some different stories, too! I have heard from some people that swear it eliminates arthritis pain, and others who said it caused flareups. Must be due to the different natures of the disease.
DeleteThanks for sharing!
Hi Tim! I've followed your blog for quite awhile and bought your book the first day it was out. I'm so happy for you that it's been such a success. I tried to hack a few weeks ago, but simultaneously got some sort of virus. It's taken me awhile for get over the sick=potatoes equation that created, but I've started the hack again this week! Yay! Feeling good this time, though I do have to cheat and use salt, pepper and vinegar. I've been wondering about the RS factor in the potatoes I'm eating - and went back to your book to double check. For some reason, I thought that even reheating the previously cooked and cooled potatoes resulted in a decrease in RS. But from what I read in your book, it doesn't sound like that is correct. I'm just double checking because I really like to eat the potatoes pretty warm rather than cold. In re-reading parts of your book today, I also notice that you say that the potatoes should be cooked so that they are still firm/not quite raw in the center. I've been cooking mine pretty soft, and really like them that way - is there any benefit (other than 'lasting longer in one's system' to cooking them al dente?
ReplyDeleteThanks~Jennifer
Jennifer - During the potato hack days, just eat the potatoes any way you like. Just get them in ya!
DeleteFor normal days, it's easy to make potatoes "high RS" by cooking and cooling in a big batch, store in fridge, and reheat however you like. Alternatively, cooking them until they are not quite cooked through leaves a center that contains a very high level of uncooked RS. If you recall, uncooked (raw) RS (RS2) is always much greater than the RS3 formed from cooking and cooling starch. For instance, a potato cooked al dente with a raw center will have ~20g RS. If you cook that same potato until cooked through and cool, it has ~5g. Reheated ~6g.
Just little tricks I've picked up along the way.
Thanks Tim - you're always so good about responding to comments and questions. I get that the RS increases with the cooking/cooling/reheating/cooling process. I guess I didn't phrase my question quite right, because what I recall reading previously on other blogs was that in order to maintain any RS the potato, after having its initial cook/cool, could only be GENTLY reheated before eating; otherwise the RS would reconvert to regular starch - I'm remembering 140 degrees as being the top 'rewarming' temp. I wonder if reheating my potatoes in the microwave (until they are pretty hot) isn't reconverting the RS to regular starch - and if I need to develop a taste for 'just warm' potatoes.
ReplyDelete140 deg F is the point at which raw starch (RS2) granules swell and burst, turning into readily digested starch (RDS). Upon cooling, the RDS binds together forming bonds and turning the RDS into retrograded resistant starch (RS3).
DeleteThe RS3 will maintain it's bonds, even becoming more resistant, through subesequent cycles of heating and cooling. Normal cooking temperatures do not seem to destroy the RS3 values. There may be a point, especially when steaming or prolonged boiling, where the binds disintegrate. But reheating in a microwave or pan frying, etc. do not seem to cause a breakdown.
Heat and eat!
Good to know! Thanks so much! Happily on day 5 now - good sleep and good tummy - it's been a good experiment thus far.
ReplyDeleteHi there. I just wanted to thank you for all the information you've provided on your site - I perused it last year and realised I had hugely underrated the poor tater! I dabbled in potato hacks over the months but couldn't really sustain it. However, two or three weeks ago, inspired by 1. all that information, 2. the loads of fat I've been carrying for the last year or two, and 3. Andrew from Spudfit (not the vegan aspect though), I decided to embark on a 90-day potato hack. The first days were hard so I bought your book for extra support :) Anyway, I won't go into the details now as it's late where I am and I'm tired, but suffice it to say that it is now day 20 and I have lost 6.5 kg. Also, I feel very well and energetic. Thanks, and I'll be back with more details when I get the chance :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't had time to read your reviews, Tim. Are they still going well for you? I hope so! I gave a copy to my sister and have mine still on my nightstand to read again.
ReplyDeleteSo excited about this book! Ordering a copy for me and a family member. Will review once read :)
ReplyDeleteQuestion... I know you have different versions of the PH. I am debating between doing a 3 day back to back hack every week or the PUDDD with an every other day hack. Does your book talk about both of these and if one would have an advantage over the other? I need to lose 75 lbs so it will take a while no matter what! Tend to have food addiction issues so really hoping this will help.
Welcome to the wild, wacky world of potato hacking! Yes, I talk about all those different versions and more. Really, it just kind of gives options and ideas, but what ultimately works will be up to you.
DeleteJust talked to my aunt, the one who took the photos throughout. She wants to lose a good 20-30 pounds, and she simply does 3 days a week of as close to a perfect all-potato diet as she can. She skips breakfast, eats a big lunch of pre-cooked, cold potatoes on the run (as you'd normally eat McDonalds, lol), then a cooked potato dinner, with potatoes as snacks. Three days is pretty do-able for most people. She then eats normally, but finds she is not as hungry, even has pizza and beer on the weekends, and finds the weight loss has been substantial and real, I think she said she is down about 12-15 pounds over a couple weeks and feeling great. Wants to do this until she hits goal weight and then see what happens. But really, a lot depends on the structure of your day, family, commitments, energy level, etc.
People with food addiction issues are helped tremendously with a potato diet. They get to eat to satiety, but also place a limit on themselves of "potatoes only." Someone wrote a nice Amazon review mentioning this, if you care to search for it.
Good luck, Sharon! Thanks for the note and feel free to stop by for progress reports or to ask dumb questions, lol. I don't mind at all.