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NOTE: We are not doctors or nutrition experts. We do not recommend that anyone eat two weeks of potatoes. We started our diet this way and wanted to share our story and the knowledge we gained from it, but you should consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet. (Read More)
Written by Jessica Krock
When Brian came home and told me he wanted to try eating nothing but potatoes for two weeks, I thought he was NUTS! However, we have both struggled with being over weight for the majority of our lives (check out Our Story for more information), so I was pretty desperate and ready to try just about anything.
I honestly didn’t know if Brian would make it to see 40 if we did not make a drastic change. He was 35 when we started this journey and tipped the scales at 514 pounds. My own weight was approaching 300 pounds and my health was starting to suffer. High blood pressure, anxiety and acne were just the start of my issues. So the fact that Brian was so excited to try this potato thing gave me hope that we could finally make a lasting change.
We weighed in at nearly 800 pounds combined when we started. To date, we have lost 220+ pounds!
Looking back, I had no idea how drastically my life would change after those two weeks of potatoes. We picked a start date on the calendar (June 22, 2018 – which also happened to be the 11th anniversary of when we first started dating) and started doing research. The first book I read was Penn Jillette’s Presto!: How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales. It was exactly what I needed to get into the right frame of mind for starting this journey. It wasn’t a book from a doctor or a nutritionist or someone telling me why eating the way I did was going to kill me. It was a book from someone who KNEW the real struggle we have dealt with for years. Someone who spend years overweight, LOVED food, and didn’t buy into the whole “eat in moderation” philosophy a lot of our past failed diets relied on.
So what is the point of eating potatoes for two weeks? This mono-diet approach is meant to reset your palate and help you transition away from the “Standard American Diet.” At the end of the two weeks, ANYTHING besides potatoes will taste good. Plain corn, a carrot stick, lettuce… anything. Eating the “Standard American Diet” of fast food, fried everything, etc. your palate is so overwhelmed with all of the added junk that you can’t really TASTE anything. After two weeks of nothing but plain potatoes, it is amazing the depth of flavor you can get from vegetables, beans… everything!
One of the concepts I connect with Penn on the most is the idea that eating in moderation doesn’t work for me. Brian and I have tried counting calories and portion control, but in the end we always grow tired of that and gain the weight back. We needed a more drastic change to get our lives under control. We needed something MORE restrictive and difficult to get us over the hurdle of starting a new diet. We needed something with no gray areas. We could only eat potatoes. If you have the will power and determination, it’s kind of hard to mess that up.
Because Penn’s book is NOT meant to be a diet guide or a set of rules to follow that will make you lose 100 pounds, it was a bit difficult to figure out what to do AFTER the two weeks of potatoes. I spent a lot of time reading tweets from Penn and Ray Cronise, who helped Penn lose the weight. From what I gathered, after the two weeks, Penn followed a diet very similar to Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s “Nutritarian” diet, as outlined in the book Eat To Live. But more about that later.
As June 22, 2018 approached, we spent our final few weeks as “Standard American Diet” eaters getting in all of the things we craved: Chick-Fil-A, Cheesecake Factory, pizza, cheese (literally blocks of cheese) and so much more. We tried to use up everything in our refrigerator, freezer and pantry because we knew all of it had to go. After the two weeks of potatoes, it would be full steam ahead with our new vegan, no added oil/salt/sugar diet.
For our final meal, we had an epic Cheesecake Factory spread. I remember the last thing I ate was an amazing piece of Godiva chocolate cheesecake. And then it was on to potatoes.
The first day of potatoes sucked. I seriously contemplated quitting during the FIRST day. After eating my first round of potatoes, I literally walked from our apartment to a grocery store to look at the extra cheesy hot-and-ready pizza I thought I needed. I gazed at the pizza and walked around the store looking for something to eat. Luckily, I was able to keep it together and walk out of the store and back home to my pantry full of potatoes.
The next couple of days were okay, but it got really rough after that. The only reason we made it through two weeks was because we had each other. It seemed like whenever Brian was having a rough day, that was an okay day for me, so I was able to be the strong one. When I had a rough day, Brian was able to talk me off the ledge. Somehow, someway, we made it through two weeks of potatoes. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it was seriously one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. It took more will power than I thought either of us had.
Check out the video above (our very first YouTube video!) to see what happened during our two weeks of potatoes. Since June 22, 2018, we have lost over 240 pounds combined while following our new whole food plant based lifestyle. Now we want to help others by sharing what we’ve learned (and continue to learn) along the way!
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I am hard of hearing so u tube is frustrating but I would love to see your saga in writing.
Hi Shirley! We will be writing a blog post on this site to go along with each video we put on YouTube! Be sure to check out this page as well for more about our story – https://krocksinthekitchen.com/our-story/
Let us know if you have any questions 🙂
You don’t state how many potato was consumed breakfast lunch and dinner. I’m curious to know.
It varied throughout the two weeks. Brian ate mostly the larger russet potatoes and I’d say he had around 1-2 per meal 3x a day for 5-6 total per day. I had a lot of the smaller ones like Yukon gold. I would eat around 6-8 of the small ones for each meal 2-3 times per day. Towards the end of the two weeks, we were eating less than that since we didn’t want them anymore!
How many potatoes daily did you have to eat did you drink a lot of water what else did you do?
On this potato diet, is it potatoes only and no snacking or sugar drinks. Like potatoes for breakfast lunch and dinner with potatoes for a snack lol.
Yes basically LOL. We did two weeks of just plain potatoes and nothing else, based on what Penn Jillette did (and wrote about in his book Presto). There are a lot of other potato “resets” out there like Dr. McDougall’s Mary’s Mini or Jeannine Elder’s The Potato Reset. They allow for a bit more flexibility.
Hi… I’m a Fenton neighbor , 61 300lbs, 6’2′ and a week away from bariatric surgery and just came across your youtube videos. I’m having second thoughts about the surgery and inspired by your success. I have a copy of Penn’s book also but didn’t act on it. I’m single and struggling but would love to know your opinion, as vague as I have been. Just kinda at a lose but would love to hear from you. I signed up on your FB page as well, congratulations and THANK YOU! Tom
Hi neighbor! Apologies that we are just now seeing this! I am not sure what you decided, but either way, I hope all is going well and we will be thinking of you. Please keep us updated on your progress with whatever route you chose! Thanks so much for writing and we will be looking forward to hearing from you.
To the Krocks, Thank you for your potato video. Years ago my husband tried the potato diet based on some woman’s book through religious printer. I couldn’t go along with it but did try to encourage him. He was a good ole boy from the south. It did not last long for him. For Tom Duban, Unless you are being crippled by that weight do not give up just yet. My daughter and her husband both had bariatric surgery. He seems sick and lost too much weight and his hair thinned. She had to keep exercising and although blood tests showed low nutrition she started gaining wight again. She gets injections of vitamins and minerals and has a hard time enjoying any food. She is depressed and exercise does not work. Please do what you can. Talk to a lot of people who had it done not just the successful ones.
Wow, i have been a subscriber to your channel for about 5 months and enjoying all your videos. Watching this first video again was cool. You both have changed so much with your weight, your glowing skin and the lovely calm way you work with each other. Such a joy to watch and helps me remember how much better I feel now than I used to. Love your green soup recipe, keep single servings in my freezer. Thanks for sharing your journey!
Thanks for sharing Mary! I just went back and watching a few of our first videos this week and it is crazy to see the difference!
HI, I just read Penn’s book, and as I read it, I kept thinking – that’s nice. for HIM. not me! great for him. happy for him. no way would I do that. then, about near the end, I started thinking “why NOT me?” I have “dieted” for like 40 years and gained 50 pounds. so, if it’s not working, why do I keep trying the same thing? I said “OK, let’s do it!” then, I found you and your videos. you look so GOOD on your 1 yr potato anniversary!! going to find more and watch them all. and going to start my potato journey right after Christmas. my worry is “what if I just can’t do it?” and fail and flop and can’t eat a potato, sick of it by day 2?” and be a quitter/loser. darn. how to keep on it?
thanks!!!
Hi Kathrine! Love that switch to “why NOT me?” We tried so many things, but this is what finally worked for us. I would just say immerse yourself in research and all of the great plant based communities online. I wanted to quit on the FIRST day after the FIRST meal of potatoes, but I was at that breaking point like… if this didn’t work, what would? We NEEDED this to work and that kept us going. Keep us updated on how it goes for you!
I’m doing a three day reset before traveling for the holidays, just to try my ability to change my diet. I plan on doing the 14 day December 29 and am excited in approaching my lifestyle change with a different attitude. I’ve done the pills, powders, keto, and lost weight for a minute, but then never was really able to change my habits of eating. I like the idea that I don’t have to buy anything “special”, since potatoes are a food that everyone in the house enjoys. I’m just using mine to reset my lifelong habit. Love your channel and am very happy to have read Penn’s book and have you as someone who I can learn from. You both look great and I appreciate your willingness to help us 🙂
Thank you for watching! Sorry this reply is SOOO delayed!
I have always struggled with my weight. For some reason was surfing around looking for weight loss help and stumbled upon your channel. Within five minutes of turning your channel on, I was hooked. You come across so genuine and provide so much personal experience and information. Please keep going with your channel because you are naturals at this and also very talented I might add. I have been on a high protein diet for six months and lost nothing only gained high triglycerides and being putting on meds/fish oil. The program I was on worked against my arthritis as well as lactose and nut allergies.
I have been watching your channel for only a week but feel connected somehow to both of you and your journey. You have overcome the typical American dieting path and changed to such a natural, healthy path! What an accomplishment.
I have 40 pounds to lose and now for some reason I do not see it as a mountain anymore. I want the right path for me and I believe the plant based/whole foods way is the answer.
This may sound odd to you but I have been praying for a long time for the right way to go re weight loss and you both are my answer to prayer. I thank you for this.
Lastly, may I also ask of you if there are recipes that you could point me to or address in your videos re nut and lactose allergies and also recipes that would help menopause and arthritis? Do not ever stop taping. This is your gift and it is wonderful.
How much weight did you each lose after the first 14 days of eating just potatoes??? 😛
I lost around 25 pounds and Jessica lost around 20. 🙂
I wish I lived with you guys. Starting this adventure myself cooking for my family. Need recipies. I have 75 pounds to take off. You both inspire me.
Hi Edith! You got this! We will keep making recipes 🙂
During your 2 weeks of potatoes only, did you have any sweet potatoes or purple potatoes to change things up a bit? Also, did you prepare them in any way other than baked? I would like to assume that boiled or steamed is ok or even grilled.
Could you enlighten me? Penn says he slept a lot during those days and got headaches. Did you experience that too?
Yes, we did have sweet potatoes. They were great until they weren’t. 😂🤣 Usually we just baked them all. It was easy to prepare them like that ahead of time. But you could always boil or grill them if you like. 🙂
Hello,
You both are so strong, beautiful and inspiring. Not about the weight loss, but just the love you have for each other, yourself and the respect you have for yourself and each other too. I love seeing that you both take care of yourselves. I have health problems and I make so many mistakes, but seeing you in action helps me. I am human so I mess up a lot. Hopefully, one day I can get better and be there for the people that matter and the people I love. I want to be a wife one day to my boyfriend, and definitely have dog babies. I like to see the recipes you have also, and I hope you both have a wonderful day. Thank you for sharing your lives. All of it. Take care <3
Hello,
You both are so strong, beautiful and inspiring. Not about the weight loss, but just the love you have for each other, yourself and the respect you have for yourself and each other too. I love seeing that you both take care of yourselves. I have health problems and I make so many mistakes, but seeing you in action helps me. I am human so I mess up a lot. Hopefully, one day I can get better and be there for the people that matter and the people I love. I want to be a wife one day to my boyfriend, and definitely have dog babies. I like to see the recipes you have also, and I hope you both have a wonderful day. Thank you for sharing your lives. All of it. Take care <33333
Hi Brian and Jessica!
How are you both ?
I watched your video on your experience of two full weeks of potatoe eating. I noticed that you purchased a bag of sweet potatoes too.
Can I also include sweet potatoes or yams into this way of eating to ? Say 50 per cent to Yukon gold and the rest are Okinawa purple sweet potatoes ?
Will I be able to yield the sane results as compared with an all only potatoes?
Thks honeys!
Yes we could eat any type of potatoes! The sweet potatoes became SO sweet while eating nothing but plain potatoes! I couldn’t eat them anymore because they were too sweet… crazy!