The hCG Diet is a very low calorie diet that uses human chorionic gonadotropin—a hormone produced during pregnancy. Taken by injection, drops, or pills, hCG is a powerful appetite suppressant. The problem is that the FDA has not approved hCG to be used for weight loss. Perhaps due to the side effects of “fatigue, irritability, restlessness, depression, fluid buildup (edema), and swelling of the breasts in boys and men (gynecomastia). Another serious concern is the risk of blood clots forming and blocking blood vessels (thromboembolism).”
Many “professional dieters” have been telling me that the Potato Hack works even better than hCG in terms of weight loss and hunger. If hunger is your enemy on other diets you’ve tried, give the potato hack a shot. Study after study show that plain potatoes are the most satiating food on Earth. Potatoes also contain several different types of special fiber that feeds your gut flora. The gut flora is credited with modulating many hormones that makes us feel hungry and full. Additionally, most diets that are low in calories are also low in food. While eating potatoes, no one complains there’s not enough to eat, in fact, most people find they cannot finish their meals and leave much of it on their plate, having become full before they’ve finished eating.
While some diets promise “all-you-can-eat,” the potato hack delivers! Still, it’s not a race to see how many potatoes you can eat, but how few you can eat to fill yourself up. For most people this is somewhere in the 3-5 pounds per day range (pre-cooked weight). I’m a big eater, and it’s nearly impossible for me to finish a 2-pound bowl of mashed potatoes.
This same effect has been noted by obesity researchers. A recent study showed that when kids are allowed to eat unlimited mashed potatoes with meals, they will eat 30-40% less calories overall! And so it is with the potato hack. In the end, to lose weight you must eat less. But some foods create MORE hunger when eaten to exclusivity, potatoes REDUCE hunger. The Cabbage Soup Diet is moderately effective, but most participants report gnawing hunger for the duration. The original Cabbage Soup Diet allowed only cabbage soup, recent iterations allow fruits and vegetables, even meat, in an effort to make it more satiating…I’d bet the Cabbage Soup Diet would work better if they allowed unlimited potatoes.
I’ll leave you with the very first Amazon review of my book:
April 1, 2016Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
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