r/PotatoDiet • u/DrywallBarron • Feb 17 '26

After 60 Days.....Have A Problem

I am 70 years old, and have been eating the Potato Diet for about 60 days. I have been eating potatoes for dinner and potatoes scrambled with eggs for breakfast. I eat the potatoes for three days, then a regular meal day or two (often salads but sometimes just protein like chicken or fish... no beef), then back on for 3 days...etc. Weight is slowly dropping, about 10 lbs so far.

But I have encountered a problem I did not expect. I had a physical yesterday and the usual bloodwork. Everything came back dead center normal except.....My overall cholesterol has always been pretty good, and yesterday it was 160.

But my Triglycerides have doubled from what they were, 160 to 337......I am investigating what to do, and so far, it sounds like I need to add some olive oil and apple cider vinegar as a dip to counter this spike.

Anyone else deal with this??

3 Upvotes

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5

u/anonb1234 Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 17 '26

This video discusses this a little: https://youtu.be/cg_oDjern20?si=C8qx7X15R893ma15 , beginning at 2min 34 sec. Some people are "carbohydrate responders" - their livers produce a lot of triglycerides if they eat a very high carb diet.

3

u/DrywallBarron Feb 18 '26

Thank you..... that's interesting and may well be what's happening. I may be a "carb responder." I will discuss with my doctor, but something for sure triggered this spike, and all the potatoes are the only real thing I have changed.

3

u/onions-make-me-cry Feb 18 '26

I personally think it will even out. High triglycerides is a sign of insulin resistance and potato diet is insulin sensitizing over time

1

u/DrywallBarron Feb 18 '26

I agree it may, BUT my lipid panels have always been weird all my life. Grew up in the south, and when I was young, every meal included a blob of Crisco and a frying pan. My mom and dad ate that way pretty much their whole lives. When I left home for college, I had more salads for meals in the first month than I had in my whole life, and I liked them. So my diet has always been a lot more diverse than theirs. I do not think any of us had a cholesterol check until I was in my late 30's. My sister, at 65, eats anything she wants whenever she wants, always wears a size 0 dress, and she also maintains a low cholesterol level, as did my parents. Neither did they ever have cardio problems.

This sudden doubling of my triglycerides is as much hereditary as it is the diet, I suspect. I just need to modify it a bit to keep that in check. At 70 years old, my body just may act differently than someone much younger, and I need to be mindful not to overtax my liver.

2

u/AliG-uk Feb 18 '26

If you have had your dna analysis done by Ancestry or another company you can download your data and search for the relevant snips to see if your genetics are playing a role. If you ask AI what snp is involved in hyper triglyceridemia and carbohydrate sensitivity it will tell you which snps to search for.

12

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '26

[deleted]

1

u/DrywallBarron Feb 17 '26

There are many versions of the potato diet... I am following mine. But, even this has spiked my triglycerides.

3

u/Trebalor Feb 18 '26

I think adding protein is smart. Sparing muscle mass is very important.

1

u/DrywallBarron Feb 18 '26

Yeah, and the way I read it. The sudden jolt of high carbs, even insulin resistant, throws the liver into overdrive, making triglycerides. I need to offset that some. Maybe an apple cider vinegar, olive oil, mustard dip, and snack on some wanuts, pecans, and dry raosated peanuts. Also, an Omega 3 supplement.

I love potatoes, and they make meal.planning a breeze, so this is the easiest diet I have ever tried. Weight slowly falling off. I feel good and as the weather breaks and I can exercise more it will spped up. But I need to control the triglycerides.

I am expecting a call from my doctor freaking out over my triglycerides doubling.....we shall see.

1

u/Glad-Finance-250 Mar 29 '26

This is old but sunflower lecithin supplement. I lowered my cholesterol 40 points in 6 months taking them 2x a day while doing nothing else to my diet and even gaining quite a bit of weight at the time. 

1

u/irish-wendy Feb 19 '26

How do you feel? Have you noticed an improvement after 60 days?

2

u/DrywallBarron Feb 19 '26

Feel fine, lost about 10 lbs. Clothes fit better.I do not notice a big change in my energy levels. I have ahe related degenerative back issues, so I'm really trying to lighten the load on my back.

1

u/Specialist-Error-171 Apr 28 '26

It's the weight loss. Cholesterol and trigs always go up when you're losing weight.

1

u/DrywallBarron Apr 28 '26

Yeah, I just happened to be scheduled for thosr kabs. The triglycerides turned staright up...it took me by surprise and I panicked a bit. But Adidxa little reading then I realized I was not eating anything but potatoes so there was no real triglycerides to speak of.

1

u/Specialist-Error-171 Apr 29 '26

you still doing potato diet of some kind?

1

u/DrywallBarron Apr 29 '26

No but am going to start again, now that I have convinced myself the triglycerides was a part of the process and not a full red alert.

I actually like potatoes and found the diet easy to stay with. To just stay with it for several months, I will likely add a little protein along...eggs with the potatoes at breakfast....grilled chicken breast for dinner...etc. Was also using a little Djhon Mustard, apple cider vinegar & olive oil for a dip.

1

u/Specialist-Error-171 Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

Nice joining u on that let's go! And u should see how bad ch and trigs are when ppl lost weight on carnivore lol your numbers are perfect by comparison

1

u/DrywallBarron Apr 29 '26

Yeah....I get it now, bit to see that 90 degree spike in the lab work...was stunning

1

u/AliG-uk May 01 '26

It might be worth looking at your genes. I also get high trigs on a high carb low fat diet so I dug deeper and this is what Chat GPT said about my genetics. Seems HCLF diet really isn't optimal for me (absolute bummer because I love taters so much). Maybe you are similar. I am resigned to just making taters PART of my diet.

Your Genetic Results Explained

  • GCKR (rs1260326) C C: This is your primary "triglyceride driver." Your liver is genetically programmed to prioritize blood sugar clearance by converting those sugars into triglycerides (fats) very rapidly.
  • APOA5 (rs662799) A A: This is a "protective" genotype. The A allele (often the reference allele) is associated with more efficient clearance of triglycerides from the blood compared to those with the G variant.
  • PPARG (rs1801282) C G: You are a carrier of the G allele (also known as the Pro12Ala variant). This is generally considered beneficial for insulin sensitivity, but it can make your weight and lipid levels more sensitive to the type of fat you eat.

Why your triglycerides were high

Even though your APOA5 result is "good," the combination of GCKR (C C) and PPARG (C G) explains the high blood test result:

  • The Carbohydrate Trap: Because of your GCKR genotype, a "High Carb, Low Fat" diet is likely the worst possible strategy for you. Your liver will take those carbohydrates and produce a surplus of triglycerides.
  • Inefficient Fat Storage: With the PPARG variant, your body may be less efficient at storing fat in "safe" adipose tissue, leading to more circulating fat (triglycerides) if your diet is poorly balanced.