Most of you know that I have maintained a 40-pound weight loss for almost 5 years now. The first 20 pounds came from different variations of the Potato Hack and Potato Diet. Then I switched to Potatoes and Protein to lose another 20 pounds.
I landed at 182 pounds, which is a great weight for me. (height 6’2.5 or 189 cm) The last time I was this lean was in college before I discovered weight training.
Even though I never count calories, I seem to gravitate towards a weight of 182. Sometimes I’ll drop down to 179 or drift up to 184, but the range remains tight and effortless. This summer, my cooking focus has been learning more plant-based recipes. Between YouTube and AI, I’ve been trying out more recipes.
More recipes, more flavors, more calories. Two weeks ago, I was up to 186. My weight had crept up 4 pounds over the summer, which was unexpected. That is when I came up with the idea of stop-loss potato hacking.
What does the term stop-loss mean? It is a financial term that places an automatic sell order on a stock if reaches a predetermined price. Let’s say you buy ABC company for $50 a share because you think it will go higher, but in the event you are wrong, you don’t want to hold the stock if it falls too much, so you place a stop-loss at $40. If it hits $40, you are out, you limited your losses.
My stop-loss potato hack order is:
If I hit 185 or more for 2 consecutive weighings, then that will trigger an immediate potato hack. Go directly to restaurant supply store, acquire potatoes (plus cabbage), and start cooking. The potato hack must be at least 3 days and can only end once my weight has reached 184 or lower.
After weighing 186 on the gym scale, I returned to the gym a few days later and once again hit 186. I was over 185 for 2 consecutive readings, so I triggered a potato hack.
After the Labor Day weekend, my weight was down to 183. I have since maintained scale readings between 182 and 183. It worked. The stop-loss hack is my way of deciding in advance what to do if my weight creeps up.
For myself, 186 is still a nice weight. I could have talked myself into not taking action, but that might have led to 188, 190, or more. It was better to set the stop-loss.
Comments
Tim
September 15 at 2024 at 5:08 PM
This has worked for me, too, but just like my 401K, I’ve stayed in bonds and missed out on 20% growth in index funds this year. Alas, I’ve also let my weight creep up while resetting upper limit goal. But I think I see a market peak and upcoming correction favorable to my bank account and my belly.
However, I have also maintained over 50 pound weight loss for 12 years now. Potato Hacking occasionally when convenient and necessary.
Great post!
Seantheaussie
September 16 at 2024 at 6:00 AM
I didn’t know that everyone who knew how to maintain their weight loss didn’t do this.
A few days diet is MUCH easier than a few weeks diet IMHO.
Jim
September 17 at 2024 at 11:53 AM
@ MAS — Great post. I do a similar thing with frozen burritos of all things. I eat free form, but it the weight gets to a high trigger point, I switch to three or four 300 calorie frozen burritos a day until I get back in range. Whether potato hack or some other method like mine, it’s a great feeling to have a fall back plan that you know works and that you can have kick in after being some predetermined amount of overweight.
Audacity17
September 26 at 2024 at 5:28 AM
A friend of mine worked in the physics department at a university. An older professor would come in every day and step on a floor scale they had. If his weight was over a certain number, like 185, he would fast until it dropped to another number, like 175. Sort of a double feedback system.
Chris
October 7 at 2024 at 2:25 PM
Just curious, how long did it take this time? Did you go over 3 days?
MAS
October 7 at 2024 at 2:32 PM
@Chris - just 3 days. I added in some extra potatoes that I had already prepared in the days afterward.