Potato diet for weight loss: Does this diet have side effects?
Everyone wants to be physically healthy; have you ever come across someone who says, “I want to be obese, and I don’t care about having a fit body?” Such a person does not exist at all, so neither you nor we can locate him.
You must have tried a variety of diets to shed pounds and get your weight to the most desirable range; however, you either failed or weren’t entirely pleased with the results, which is why you came across the potato diet and are interested in learning more about it. Do you intend to seek it out or not? Yes, this is the diet you want, I assure you.
In this post, we’ll discuss the potato diet in detail and expose you to its various varieties as well as its negative impacts. Don’t miss reading this post, which will only take you 5 minutes to read, if you also want to reduce weight and get a more fit body.
What exactly is the potato diet?
In contrast to other diets like the protein diet, the Canadian diet, etc., the potato diet is primarily a short-term diet. It’s less expensive (because you should just eat potatoes, after all).
The diversity of foods in this diet, as is evident from the name, is meaningless, and you can lose up to 4500 grams of weight by simply eating potatoes for three to five days (there is, of course, a seven-day potato diet as well).
79% of a raw potato’s weight is water; 17% of that is made up of carbs, 88% of which are starch, 2% fat, and very trace levels of fat.
Potatoes can be utilized as a diet for a few days, even though they don’t provide all the nutrients the body requires. Potatoes have been dubbed the best diet supplement ever discovered by some specialists.
Despite all the advantages of the potato diet that have been stated, you should be aware that this diet does not contain all the nutrients that the body requires.
For this reason, most nutrition experts only advise following the potato diet for a limited time—three days or at least two weeks.
Try to utilize the potato diet within the suggested time frame because using it for an extended period of time can be harmful to your body.
Dietary recommendations for the potato diet
Like other existing diets, the potato diet has specific guidelines and rules that you must follow in order to be healthy.
- Only consume potatoes for three to five days at a time.
- Each person can consume between 900 grams and 3 kilograms of potatoes every day, depending on their weight and appetite.
- While on the potato diet, it is best to avoid using condiments and sauces (although you can use a little salt and black pepper).
- You are only permitted to consume water, black and green tea, and bitter coffee while on this diet.
- It is best to stay away from strenuous exercise and opt for gentle exercise while on this diet.
- It is best to avoid using dietary supplements while on this diet.
various potato diets
There are various potato diets, which are briefly described below.
1–3 days on a potato-only diet
Losing 5 kilograms in just three days is the guiding principle of the potato diet. It is preferable to consume 12 glasses of water per day on the three-day potato diet.
One and a half kg of potatoes should be cut before cooking. The potatoes should be cooked until they are brown. The potatoes should be cooked, then divided into six portions and eaten throughout the day.
Use natural seasonings like pepper, black pepper, thyme, salt, etc. to add flavor to potatoes. Use with caution. Remember that this diet is only for three days, and stop following it after that.
A three-day potato diet is provided below:
- Breakfast: It is preferable to have two potatoes and a cup of bitter coffee for breakfast.
- Snack: consume a boiled potato.
- Lunch: Eat two mashed potatoes.
- Evening meal: A roasted potato might be appropriate.
- Dinner: Without using any butter or oil, lightly fry the baked potato.
2–7 days on a potato-only diet
The seven-day potato diet’s proponents assert that you can lose five to six kilograms by only eating potatoes during this time. We advise you to thoroughly wash 1.5 kg of potatoes before putting them in the oven.
When the potatoes are fully cooked (golden), take them out of the oven. Divide the potatoes into four to six portions, depending on how many meals you have throughout the day.
It is preferable to have two servings of potatoes per day without flavoring them. You may use ingredients like olive oil, butter, black pepper, thyme, salt, and others in the remaining meals.
3-yogurt and potato diet
As the name implies, the potato diet that we follow is straightforward and easier to follow than the potato diet. Similar to the potato diet, this diet has a three-day plan that calls for consuming yogurt and potatoes with each meal.
It is advised for short-term weight loss. Similar to the potato diet, this diet cannot supply the body with all the nutrients it needs and should not be followed for an extended period of time.
benefits of eating potatoes
Because the potato diet lasts for such a brief amount of time, it is quite simple to follow. In fact, this is one of the diet’s key benefits. You must have realized that the potato diet is short-lived, but it does provide a number of advantages, some of which are listed below.
- A significant source of nutrition is potatoes.
The vegetable potato is a good source of vitamin C, potassium, iron, and folate, as are all vegetables.(1)
- The potato diet is quite easy.
There is no need to estimate your daily caloric intake when on the potato diet because you can only eat potatoes in set proportions throughout the day (however, you can add the appropriate quantity of spices and salt). Potatoes have a specific number of calories.
- This diet is affordable.
Due to the high cost of purchasing protein sources (such as red meat, white meat, tuna, etc.), following a protein-rich diet will be very expensive. On the other hand, potatoes are a cheap food; therefore, ingesting one to two kilograms per day won’t cost you much.
- The potato is a fiber-rich food.
According to studies, consuming fiber on a daily basis helps the digestive system operate better and helps ward off some digestive disorders, including constipation. Dietary fiber has the potential to be very efficient in lowering blood sugar and weight, in addition to enhancing the operation of the digestive system.(2 , 3 , 4 , 5)
Problems with the potato diet
Long-term reliance on the nutrients found in potatoes has a number of negative impacts on the body, the most significant of which are the following:
- You must always consume potatoes; this food restriction may be confusing to you and may make you want to stop your diet. Because it is so difficult for them to accept eating potatoes without any spice, many people who start this diet eventually stop.
- The potato diet puts you under restrictions, and the restrictions mentally encourage you to binge after the diet is finished and quickly put back on the weight you lost (you might even weigh more than before at this point).
- The body needs fats, proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients to function properly. This diet lacks these elements, which can make it harder for you to do your mental and physical tasks.(6)
- Your muscle mass will undoubtedly drop if you follow the potato diet for an extended period of time, which is not at all enjoyable.(7 , 8 , 9)
- Although the potato diet has relatively few calories, it can eventually hinder the body from burning calories since it becomes accustomed to the low calorie intake (you won’t lose weight). It is advised that you adopt this diet as a short-term shock diet.
final word
Everyone strives to be fit, and everyone’s desire is to have an athletic body with less body fat. You must work really hard and put in a lot of effort to achieve a fit figure. Dieting is one method for shedding pounds and getting the figure you’ve always wanted.
The potato diet is one of many different types of diets. We made an effort to cover all aspects of the potato diet, including benefits and drawbacks, in this post.
Every diet has benefits and drawbacks, and in order to lose weight, you must starve yourself, exercise, and give up many unhealthy behaviors like staying up late. Have you noticed any enticing advertisements promising weight loss via a certain medication, cream, equipment, etc.?
The majority of these techniques are marketing techniques, and they are not suitable, risk-free solutions for exercise and weight loss. There is only one route to take if you want to get healthy and lose weight. Exercise regularly, follow a basic and exact diet, and stop your bad habits.