New 52 | Week 31: Potato-Free July

Some time in mid-June Todd read a short blurb on Lifehacker about how weight gain/loss is affected by WHAT you eat, and not just how MUCH you eat. And apparently, potatoes are the number one bad item for gaining weight. This was the conclusion based on three separate studies conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, looking at how changes in multiple dietary and other lifestyle factors relate to long-term weight gain. Coincidentally, a few weeks prior to this article coming out, Peppermint had made changes in her diet (for her health) and basically cut out bad carbs, including potatoes. And even before that, she and I had conversations about The Potato. She has always said that if she didn't eat potato chips or french fries, she didn't gain as much weight. I didn't really believe her at the time. How could ONE food make that much of a difference?

Well, after the results of these studies came out, I decided to cut out potatoes for the whole month of July, to find out how my body feels without eating potatoes, and also if I would lose weight.  I think the hardest thing for me was not eating french fries.  They're everywhere.  You go to a restaurant to get a burger, and it comes with french fries.  Even non-burger meals come with french fries.  My only french-fry-fail (FFF!) of the month came, when Todd brought some Middle Eastern food home for dinner, and the falafel meal came with french fries!  How does THAT make sense?!  I ate ONE french fry that time.  There were other times when I held very steady and didn't get french fries with my Wendy's sandwiches after Thursday noon-time Bible study.  I also had a couple of incidents where I ate hidden potatoes!  Potatoes hide everywhere, I tell you.  I ate a bite of corned-beef hash before realizing there were little bits of potatoes in there.  I also ate some samosa at an Indian buffet before realizing there was potato in it.  But other than those, I was able to stay away from potatoes all month long.

This morning was the first time I purposely ate potatoes since July 1st. 


So what's my conclusion? I lost a pound. I don't know if it was from not eating potatoes or not. But I do know that not eating french fries definitely made me feel better. I was not lethargic after meals. I felt pretty energetic overall in July. And it wasn't as difficult as I had imagined it would be. So I'm going to eat a lot less french fries going forward. French fries will be an occasional treat and not a staple in my diet. Ultimately, I care about my health and how I feel, more than a number on the scale. But I wouldn't mind the number going down a few numbers to a lesser number, that's for sure!

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About This Project

New52 is a project started by Peppermint and I to encourage each other and others around us to try something new every week in 2011. The "new" each week doesn't have to be something big. It could be something as simple as ordering a new dish instead of old standbys at your favorite restaurant. It's simply opening your heart up to NEW possibilities.

Don't worry if you're late getting started on joining in. It's totally OK if you miss a week here or there. We encourage everyone to keep an open mind about trying something new. This is a life project, and a photography/blog and even scrap challenge if you wish. If you participate this week, please leave a link to your blog post in the link list below.