The Starch Solution for losing weight.

hollydolly said:
But, but, HFL....how can we eat taters without butter ? :cry:...i badly need to lose weight now too..
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When I went to a Keto diet dr. several years ago. She told me to stop all pieces of bread, but eat potatoes with REAL BUTTER on them, NO salt, so I use a lot of pepper. Also, she said I can eat all the bacon I wanted. I did lose weight on her diet.
 

Not every diet works for everyone, and I had followed a low-carb/keto diet for so many years, losing and gaining the weight back, over and over.
I missed having the fresh fruits, and got tired of having mostly meat and salads. It is funny, but back when keto first became popular, it was put down by most doctors, who just recommended low-calorie diets, and not caring how you got those calories, just that you stopped when you reached the limit for the day.
Now, it seems like doctors are telling people to cut the carbs, and eat more protein.
This is another reason that I am doing better on the starch solution diet, is because it is relatively low protein, compared to a keto diet. I have had kidney failure for several years (which is now improving, even though my doctor said it would keep getting worse), and too much protein is bad for the kidneys and liver function.
My husband lives on fatty foods and almost all protein, and he is completely happy with eating that way, so that seems to work for him; but he is more concerned with body-building than with losing weight.
 
Tom 86 said:
When I went to a Keto diet dr. several years ago. She told me to stop all pieces of bread, but eat potatoes with REAL BUTTER on them, NO salt, so I use a lot of pepper. Also, she said I can eat all the bacon I wanted. I did lose weight on her diet.
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Did you always use unsalted butter, Tom ?
 

Happyflowerlady said:
It has taken me most of this year to lose the weight, but I have lost over 45 lbs, and looking forward to that 50 lb weight loss. I am still basically doing the whole food, plant based way of eating, although I have added foods like non-fat cottage cheese with fresh pineapple (after crushing it in the food processor), and also the non-fat yogurt and coffee creamer, and I am still feeling good and losing weight comfortably.
I feel much better in my body now than I did when I was so overweight, if that makes sense.
I am thinking that by next spring, I should be at my goal weight, unless winter slows me down. I am really happy that I found the Starch Solution book !
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Congratulations, HFL! 45 pounds is very impressive! I went whole food, plant based 7-1/2 years ago and lost 20 lbs pretty quickly (all of which I'd gained during a long anti-depressants stint for treating very gnarly menopause symptoms). The weight loss stopped after about a year and settled at where I'd mostly been since graduating HS.

Lost another 8 pounds surprisingly quickly and easily via SS. I've intentionally stabilized my weight to keep my BMI remains in the 21 range. My face was starting to look drawn so I upped my intake of avocados, nuts and olives to halt the weight loss. After a couple of months some pounds rearranged themselves (as they tend to do) and my face filled out again. :cool:

DH continues to lose weight on it - he's down 25 pounds over the past six months by following Start Solution guidelines. He more follows the spirit than the letter. He still eats eggs a few times a week and when fish tacos are on an eatery's menu he'll likely order them (once or twice a month). I might have a few bites of salmon or other fish once a month but stay pretty true.

My dairy cheats are limited to adding a couple of tbsps of feta when making a Greek salad, and using various (real) cheeses when I make pizza (which we eat roughly once a month). During a visit to Italy I took a one day cooking class and learned that balance is the name of the game. When it comes to cheese on pizza, less is definitely more. The American tendency is to use too much so I weigh it up. 5-1/2 oz of mozzarella on one of 16" pizzas is perfect!

p.s. I just asked DH how much he'd lost so far on SS and he told me 25 lbs. I mentioned your weight loss and that you were the person who recommended SS to me. He asked me to thank you for pointing me (and him by extension) toward Dr. McDougall's plan. So thank you from both of us!
 
Anything a person can do to lose weight is a Plus. Obesity is the "root cause" for 1/3rd of the nations health problems and costs....across ALL age groups. I've lost several old friends in the past few years, and they ALL shared a common trait....excess weight, and sitting in front of the TV all day.
 
So, here I am, almost a year later, and starting over again.
I was doing great until late last fall, and then my heart went into wackiness again and all of the a-fib problems. My doctor decided to do another procedure with the pacemaker, and in February, he changed it so that it is now in total control of my heart, and it can’t go into a-fib because he did an AV node ablation which stops that.

I lost a lot of energy, and it was not until late spring that I even went back to the fitness center and started swimming again. It has been really hot here all summer, and not good for being outside working in the yard , or walking my little Poodle, and over these last several months, I have gradually gained back about 15 lbs of what I lost.

So, I am starting back on the starch solution diet, and doing the potato reset for probably the first month, or until I lose those 15 lbs again and get back to where I was last fall.
Once I reach that first goal, I will add a few more healthy foods back into my diet, but right now, it is just the potatoes and non-starchy veggies and greens and water to drink.
I have been using the Sodastream and making the plain carbonated water because I like drinking that better than just plain water.
 
@Happyflowerlady: wishing you the best. Glad your doctor sorted out your heart problems and that your energy has returned. You'll shed those 15 lbs in no time!

I'm also a huge fan of seltzer and drink it rather than plain water. Sometimes I add a little lemon or lime juice, or even a couple of ounces of unsweetened fruit juice.
 
I actually lost the 15 lbs again, and then I got a sniffly/achy cold, and stopped being careful what i ate, and I am now back at about a 10 lb re-loss, and need to get back to the healthy eating again.
My daughter is here visiting from her job in the Netherlands, so we have been spending some time with family, and then I just ate what everyone else was eating, and said it was not the time to be concerned about my diet. She goes back in a couple of days, and then I will have no reason not to get back on track again.
Sometimes, motivation is just not my strong point.
 
Enjoy the rest of your daughter's visit, HFL. After she leaves you can figure out what you want to do.

Sometimes I remind myself why I moved to a WFPB diet by rereading the books (or the most motivating chapters) that set me on this path.
 
Yep……springtime, and starting over yet again. It seems like every time I am doing better, something changes, and then I stop doing the starch solution, and then I have to start over.
Since I have been reading Dr. Gundry and Dr. Davis, they both recommended low carb, and I started following more of a keto diet again. It is a diet that works for a lot of people, and used to work for me, but it doesn’t anymore. I just gained weight, and felt deprived; not working for me at all.

I am doing the potato reset again, and lose that 15 lbs I gained over winter, and then regular starch solution , but the weight loss plan, which is mostly starches and greens and low-carb veggies, and maybe I will be better again by the time summer comes, and I can fit my jeans again.
Cowgirls just HAVE to be able to fit in their jeans…..
 
The potato reset is just eating potatoes, nothing else , for a few days to reset your mindset and body about food. Food triggers pleasure signals in our body and brain, and then we want to eat to hit that trigger. Eating potatoes meets nutrition requirements for protein, carbs, etc; but it does not trigger that pleasure center, so we do not over eat.
I started on Sunday, so this is day three of potaotes, and I am down about 2 lbs so far. Tomorrow, I will eat regular veggies, salads, etc along with the potatoes for 2 days, ad then cycle back to the potato reset for 3 more days. This way, you are not just eating potatoes forever, but the three days helps to reset everything and you lose weight.
Then I will do starch solution food the other two days, so I can have some fruit and veggies and salads. I think that this is what I did before and it worked, and I feel like I can do 3 days at a time of potatoes when I know I will have 2 days coming up where I can have more foods.
 
This is the book, @StarSong . It is available for free with Kindle Unlimited. I think that I borrowed it and read it before, and then just borrowed it again last week and am re-reading it. It explains all about resistant starch and why it helps so much with digestive system as well as weight loss, because it is a good prebiotic. Potatoes have more resistant starch than any other food, especially when you cook them and then let them cool down.

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StarSong said:
PP, although I love wheat based products - cereals, breads and pastas - I try to either stay away from them or make the indulgences really count. Cake, cookies, or pizza, for instance.

Potatoes, yams, beans, lentils, quinoa, whole oats and brown rice are my usual starchy go-tos.
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Thanks Starsong
I’d love to eat vegetarian and skip eating meat. I just got the book ‘The Starch Solution and already on page 60. It’s fascinating.Starches are actually my favourite foods. The only thing I’d really miss is cheese. Eating animals is starting to disgust me. I actually hate cooking meat.

I’m determined to lose weight. My biggest problem now is that my man has become a really good cook since retiring and makes all kinds of delicious foods, most which are really fatty.

I’m certainly not blaming him for my weight gain. He just doesn’t really help much. I think he likes me overweight. 😝 Luckily I’m working out so definitely have muscle tone.

How are you doing? Are you wanting to lose weight also?
 
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PeppermintPatty said:
Are you wanting to lose weight also?
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No. My BMI is currently at 21.1 - a little lower than usual due to recent back-to-back bouts with the flu and Covid.

My weight dropped and stabilized when I went first to WFPB and then dropped another 5ish pounds 5 years ago when HFL recommended Starch Solution. Since then I've remained close to 21.5 BMI. I typically gain 2-3 lbs from holiday indulgences then take it back off a couple of months into the year.

I'm focused on healthy eating, but stay in touch with this thread because I sometimes see @Happyflowerlady post here. ❤️
 
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Happyflowerlady said:
This is the book, @StarSong . It is available for free with Kindle Unlimited. I think that I borrowed it and read it before, and then just borrowed it again last week and am re-reading it. It explains all about resistant starch and why it helps so much with digestive system as well as weight loss, because it is a good prebiotic. Potatoes have more resistant starch than any other food, especially when you cook them and then let them cool down.

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I just recommended this book to my son whose wife just had their second baby. He's trying to lose his portion of the pregnancy weight. :cool:
 
StarSong said:
I just recommended this book to my son whose wife just had their second baby. He's trying to lose his portion of the pregnancy weight. :cool:
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It’s a fabulous book. I can’t put it down.
I love this guys brutal honesty. His written oat isn’t to protect other doctors but to care and be brutally truthful to his patience. It’s truly refreshing read. I’m going to become vegetarian. I’ve spent the last few years trying to stay away from starchy foods only to gain more and more weight. I’m about 40 pounds overweight and really dislike it. It’s gotta go and this diet is how I’m going to do it. This doctor actually gives his readers his phone number and email address in case you have any questions. It’s unheard of in this day and age.
 
Both the Starch Solution and the Potato Hack are good books. The potato hack goes into resistant starch a lot better , and explains why it is so important for our gut biome Health.
I desperately need to lose weight again, and I remembered the potato hack worked before, so I quit messing around and borrowed the book again, bit the bullet, and am going to do 3 days on, 2 days off until I can fit back in my swimming suit and my jeans. Then , I want to just do starch solution.

The more i read about meat, the less I want to eat it ! (Chicken and farmed fish included)
All of our commercial meat is packed full of antibiotic and growth hormones (which make us gain weight, too), and other stuff. And now, I am reading about the whole insect thing, growing cockroaches and turning them into animal food…… cows were NOT designed by God to eat BUGS !
And I do not want to eat animals that have been fed this way anymore, not even going into the whole thing about eating a living creature part, and that bothers me a lot now, too.

I love cheese, but I understand how addictive it is, along with other dairy. Milk has a heroin-like hormone in it, so that babies will want to drink milk and also feel good and bond with their mother. This is great for healthy babies, but not for an adult who does not want to be addicted to dairy products.
I have found that once I get off of eating cheese, then I am okay without it, and maybe I will eventually learn to like that vegan cheese made from brewers yeast and tofu, and whatever.
 
I wish you the best with it, PP.

Starch Solution, The China Study and Forks Over Knives are similar. None of them are selling any products. The authors' greatest interests is in helping people become healthy. Ditto Dr. Gregor at www.NutritionFacts.org.

As soon as people start hawking their vitamins, supplements and other products, they lose all credibility with me.
 
I stay away from dairy foods, cheese included. Same with meat. I stopped eating meat 10 years ago and haven't had a UTI since. Poultry and pork are very common sources of UTIs. When I want meatballs (the only meat I sometimes crave) I make and freeze a batch using Beyond Meat. Tastes just as good without bringing dead cow meat in my house and having to freaking sanitize my kitchen afterwards. Pea protein? That I can live with.
 


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