Since changing my lifestyle , I have taken control of my health experiencing dramatic results off a diet centered about starch. In October, 2011 I made the decision to not including oil, dairy and meat in my diet. The catalyst in this all, the documentary Forks Over Knives, and the fact I could not remember all the medication I was prescribed on a routine visit to my dentist.

After successfully meeting my weight goal of 175 pounds in only 10 months I saw my total cholesterol dip to a level of 130. I had lost 44 pounds and decreased my TC by 134 points! I was shocked, all this with including oil, dairy and meat in my diet. Since this time I have addition weight lifting to my routine, 3 days a week using the Stronglifts method. Meals still follow the what Dr. McDougall professes in eating a plant-based whole foods diet or as his his latest book calls it, “The Starch Solution.”

I haven’t strayed far from what this way of eating calls for. Unfortunately, I see a lot of grains, like brown rice, quinoa, couscous and breads and not enough green and yellow vegetables. It’s been like that for as long as I can remember. Growing up I was never a big fan of vegetables, but that has changed as I have tried many unique and common vegetables I never thought I would eat. I can only assume that the added grains account for what weight gain I see. Okay and the beer, which is my one bad vice (Read Just one more drink…).

I had been contemplating following Mary’s Mini McDougall Diet as the principals are similar, “it is starch-based with the addition of fruits and vegetables.  The difference is the goal is to lose weight quickly with as little effort as possible.” I didn’t really want to lose weight. I then looked at the MWL or Maximum Weight Loss. This too didn’t truly fit what I wanted to accomplish.

I then ran across All Hail the Potato Challenge on the McDougall Forums, which discussed eating only potatoes, fat-free condiments and vegetables for a period of 5 days. By the time I saw this thread, the challenge had already ended, but it gave me an idea, to do my own “potato hack” for 20 days.

The guidelines for my potato hack are not strict, but it’s my goal to eat potatoes for every meal, while avoiding grains and high fat plant foods (olives, nuts, seeds, avocado and soy). Along with my starch (including beans, lentils and peas) I can eat as many vegetables as I want until I am satiated. Hopefully by doing this I can “reset” myself, as I found I was going for the grains a majority of the time when I was hungry because they were quick and easy.