The most unusual, anti-paleo and anti low-carb mod

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

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germanherman
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Location: northern germany

The most unusual, anti-paleo and anti low-carb mod

Post by germanherman » Fri Feb 10, 2017 3:43 pm

Disclaimer: I personally don't use the mod i describe here! For the last couple of years i'm a vanilla No-S-Guys and I don't plan to change that, there is no need. I would recommend vanilla for everyone, but I recognize the struggles: First and foremost, building a “clean” eating habit like “no S” is hard and second losing weight that way is way easier for men! Therefor this is a mod to speed things up and to level the mental playing-field.


The Mod:
Make potatoes the only food on N-Days! Eat 1 to 1,5 Pound of potatoes (3-4 tennisball sized spuds) per meal, three times a day! Eat free on S-Days! Keep doing it for up to one or two month, then change to vanilla No S. After 4 Week into this mod, start urban rangering!


I developed this mod for a former colleague of mine, who was “potato hacking” ( https://potatohack.com/2016/03/12/welcome/ ) at the beginning of the year and was losing weight very fast without any exercise. We are talking about “25 Pounds in a month”-fast here.

I don't recommend that, but there are some benefits to eating nearly exclusive potatoes for most of the time. Regardless if you are male or female you will be undereating (something around 1000-1400 kcal per day). You will losing weight fast. Potatoes are nutrient dense and have a ridiculous high satiety value. They are the reason, why the irish population exploded in the early 1800s (on a diet of potatos, oats and some milk). Hard working men ate up to 14 pounds of potatos back then...

Eating only potatos for a time has a lot of benefits:

1. Psychological Stuff
The only “successful” diet for myself before No S-Diet was the “Burger-Diet”. You were allowed to eat exclusive at McDonalds and up to 1500 kCal per day. I could stay on this diet, because it accepted, that I love fast food. I just had to wait for up to 24 hours and then could eat the food that I loved. It eased up and reduced the amount of willpower I had to invest.

Potatoes are the other extreme: They are bland, boring and...easy.

By elimination of choice I reduce the chance for bad ones. It's not “Do I eat this or the worse form of that” but always: I will eat potaoes! They are tasty enough that I don't start to hate them, but at the same time not exciting enough that i'm overeager to eat. I don't eat potatoes for entertainment, just when i'm hungry. And I will stop when i'm not hungry anymore. There are no “tastegasms” that seduce me to eat more, so stoping is easier.

I can use seasoning, and even some topping, but the main dish are simple potatoes, cooked, baked, raw or mashed (Sorry, not fried, too much oil). You can eat them with some ketchup, with some jam, with some sauce, but the main meal are boring potatoes.

There is no one on this planet, who ever said: “I'm bored, let's eat a potatoes!” or “Great, an all-you-can-eat-potato-buffet!”

You will relearn that food is mainly fuel and you will only eat, when you are really hungry. At the same time you will be well satiated with a very low risk for malnutrition.

2. Physical Stuff
By eating pretty small portions (around a plate per meal) you stomach will “accept” less fillings outside the potato-eating (a.k.a. S-Days).

Warning: Potatoes ain't magical food. They are just the most basic food to sustain a human being for a stretch of time. You could also use rice or other most basic foods.

It's all about elimination of food-choices and a basic sustainability. After 1-2 month of eating mostly boring potatoes the classic No S will fell like decadence even on N-Days.

Like I said in the disclaimer, I recommend this hack for a friend who plans this:

January: Potatoes all days (No S-Days) – Done
February: Potatoes all days (No S-Days) +Urban Ranger -Done so far.
March: Potatoes all days (No S-Days) +Urban Ranger +Shovelglove
April: Potatoes all days (S-Days!) +Urban Ranger +Shovelgolve
May: No S-Diet +Urban Ranger + Shovelglove

So far it is impressive what he did: Eat potaotes for over 30 days, walked the last 10 days something about 10 km, per day and lost around 34 pounds so far. I believe his transition into No S will be a breeze.
Spend over 450 Dollar on some Systems, Gadgets and courses = Zero Results

Spend 15 Bucks for a Shovelglove + NoS-Diet= ;)

German by nature

LifeisaBlessing
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Post by LifeisaBlessing » Fri Feb 10, 2017 4:06 pm

Very interesting! :)
I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
~Jimmy Dean

The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective.
~El Fug, on the NoS Diet

MaggieMae
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Post by MaggieMae » Fri Feb 10, 2017 4:09 pm

I actually had a baked potato for breakfast.... but just because I haven't had time to get to the grocery store yet. haha. I love potatoes and have them in some form almost every day, but I can't imagine all day every day for a month.

Bullisaba
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Post by Bullisaba » Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:49 pm

I could not imagine a less satisfying way of eating. Four months of potatoes!

Bluebell
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Post by Bluebell » Sat Feb 11, 2017 8:55 am

Am I missing something? only potatoes? To me that is the antithesis of the NoS diet. This is an early April Fools right :?

RAWCOOKIE
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Post by RAWCOOKIE » Sat Feb 11, 2017 6:55 pm

Bluebell wrote:Am I missing something? only potatoes? To me that is the antithesis of the NoS diet. This is an early April Fools right :?
:lol:
I love Everyday Systems :3

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Desert Rat
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Post by Desert Rat » Fri Feb 17, 2017 2:39 pm

I think this started with "That guy who ate all the potatoes" - http://www.potatoes.com/files/9313/4885 ... okbook.pdf

The head of the Washington State Potato Growers Association wanted to counter all the "carbs are evil" and "potatoes are unhealthy" rhetoric that was so prevalent with the resurgence of Atkins, et al. He achieved some amazing results eating nothing but potatoes (and a little oil).

I don't think I could stick with it for a very long period of time. Some of the recipes (which are not potato-only) in the cookbook look pretty good though.

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heliz
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Post by heliz » Fri Feb 17, 2017 4:40 pm

It is an interesting idea, but I put it in the fad category and definitely not long lasting. If you need to lose weight fast for an acting part, or to meet weight class, that would make some sense to me.
But for those of us just looking to get a better relationship with food, and eating right for years to come, this probably wouldn't be the way to go.

Though I do love me some potatoes. It's quite tempting. :lol:
I could go all bubba gump.... Baked potato... Fried potato... potato o gratin... potato and catsup... potato and cheese... papas fritas....
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bunsofaluminum
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Fri Feb 24, 2017 6:45 pm

The president of the potato board or something. He had fries once in a while, for the fats, and he thrived.

It isn't ideal, but it is possible to live on nothing but potatoes. They have every nutrient that our bodies need to live...not thrive mind you, I know that...but the fact is, potatoes are very healthy food. You wouldn't want to eat nothing but fries or load EVERY baked potato with sour cream and bacon bits, but they are a good food, healthy and wholesome.

it might not fit in with No S though ;) however, why not lose some weight, fast, while following the No S rules of three meals a day...and then go to regular No S because now you've got the habit in place and you're not going to throw everything to the wind just by reintroducing variety.

leafy_greens
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Post by leafy_greens » Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:50 pm

I'll definitely try potatoes for breakfast.
"No S IS hard... It just turns out that everything else is harder." -oolala53

Selcazare
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Post by Selcazare » Sun Mar 19, 2017 10:28 pm

Potatoes are completely, 100% paleo. Just sayin. 8)

I love potatoes but this "hack" would make me hate them.

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kaalii
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Post by kaalii » Mon Mar 20, 2017 6:23 am

Nantahala wrote:

I love potatoes but this "hack" would make me hate them.
same here...
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in it for maintenance and, more importantly, sanity!!

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Wed Sep 06, 2017 1:06 pm

I'd be interested to hear how things are going for Potato Man. If things went according to plan, he should have been on Vanilla the same amount of time he was on Potato No S. Thanks.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
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1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Wed Nov 29, 2017 3:09 am

I just read The Hungry Brain. He reported that researcher Susan Holt found way back in 1995 that boiled potatoes were the most satisfying of 38 common foods.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

gingerpie
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Post by gingerpie » Wed Nov 29, 2017 10:47 am

Boiled potatoes with salt are absolutely the best after-hike food.

germanherman
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Location: northern germany

Re: The most unusual, anti-paleo and anti low-carb mod

Post by germanherman » Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:17 am

Someone asked how it turned out for "Potato-Man" so i asked him last time i met him. He wrote me an e-mail today and i want to share it:
Hello, XXX,
you asked me to describe how my switch from the potato diet to No S went.

First of all, thank you very, very much for introducing me to No S. As effective as eating potatoes was, I couldn't imagine going on like that for the rest of my life. At this point, No S is the best system for me to avoid ever getting "fat" again.

In the first three to four months I lost about 30 kilograms of weight with the combination of Potato Hack and Urban Rangering and then later also Shovelglove. Since then I have completely switched to No S and have lost another 20 kilos since mid-2017. It has to be pointed out that I reached my current weight of 83 kg around mid-2018 and since then I have maintained the same weight. For a man with a height of 189 cm, this is quite the ideal weight. As a former couch potato, the muscle build-up is particularly impressive: I have visible abdominal muscles and generally a very defined, i.e. visible, body musculature.

So the whole thing was a complete success for me personally. But if you ask me now if I would do it again like this, I would deny it. I would reduce the time of potato eating considerably, knowing full well that this would slow down the weight loss. Why? Because in my experience the things you learn from eating potatoes are internalized after 1-2 months and No S is simply more pleasant.

So learn the lessons that simple mono nutrition gives you and then use them for No S.

Which lessons are these?

- Eating is not meant as entertainment, but to nourish you. It may be a pleasure sometimes, but if it is your main entertainment, you will get fat.
- Eating is not a reward!

- By consuming extremely processed food, your taste buds are "dulled". Consuming extremely simple foods such as potatoes for a period of time will allow you to reset. After that, it is much easier to accept even simple meals as standard. Three years ago I would never have dreamed that I could be satisfied with a simple salad or porridge.

- You learn to recognize again what real hunger is and can distinguish it from boredom, habit or thirst. It is frightening how often I used to eat for the wrong reasons.

So if somebody would ask me, I would probably recommend starting with the potato hack for 1-2 months (already including Urban Rangering and Shovelglove) and then swing straight to No S and never look back. The rapid weight loss will motivate impatient people in the beginning and the insights will help to "heal" the psyche.

You are welcome to post this text on the No S board if you wish. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both you and Reinhard explicitly! It is no exaggeration when I say that you both helped me to avoid eating myself into an early grave.

In addition, Reinhard's concept of Everyday-Systems and the focus on daily habits has enriched my life on so many levels (health, sports, work, finances, peace of mind, etc.) that I do not know how to express my gratitude for that. I have read my share of self-help books and many gurus make millions by selling snake oil and by making their customers/victims stupid. And here we have a man with ingenious ideas that are really suited to change people's lives for the better and he gets far too little attention. From there: Thank you Reinhard and keep it up!

With kind regards

"Potato Man!
So kind blessings from germany.

Herman.
Spend over 450 Dollar on some Systems, Gadgets and courses = Zero Results

Spend 15 Bucks for a Shovelglove + NoS-Diet= ;)

German by nature

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