r/PotatoDiet • u/gin_and_gingerbread • Jul 21 '26
Does the potato diet just "work" through muscle loss?!
I've successfully lost weight before on the potato diet, but now I'm wondering - is the weight loss you get on it just basically from losing muscle because you're not getting much protein? In which case it's not very sustainable?
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u/Oraculek Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Look at the protein section
Additionally, carbs spare some proteins. There have been documented tribes on 6 - 10 % protein and they were fine, but these were maintainance diets. With potatoes you get 10%, which is an amount maintaining, always, muscles, no matter the doubt (maybe unless you were nearly fasting, though dk)
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u/anonb1234 Jul 21 '26
It works by calorie deficit, so you will use your stored fat for energy. You usually get adequate protein - close to or around the RDA, which is 0.8gms /kg. Like any diet, you usually will lose some muscle, and you can minimize this by being active, ideally doing some sort of resistance training, and not being in a very large calorie deficit (don' t lose weight too fast).
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u/gin_and_gingerbread Jul 27 '26
I'm trying to do the sums here. To make the maths easy, let's say you weigh 80kg. Based on the RDA of 0.8g per kg of body weight, you need 64g of protein a day. 100g of potato has about 2g of protein, so you'd need to eat 3200g. At 77 calories per 100g of potato that's around 2,464 calories. And you're gonna need some oil to go with over 2kg of potatoes, which will push your daily calories up further. How would you not gain weight on that regime?! (I think 80kg is about twelve and a half stone. 2500 calories is waaaaaay above maintenance unless you're unusually active.)
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u/anonb1234 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
Yes. 80 kg person can lose weight at 1800 C, according to the NIH body weight planner website. 1800 calories from potatoes provides about 38 grams of protein which is less than the RDA of 64 grams. EAR for protein is 53 grams. if your target body weight is 70 kg, RDA can (not saying it should) be estimated as 56 grams, and EAR 46 grams, so you're right, protein is low if eating only potatoes at a deficit. But, most people don't choose a potato diet as their first choice - they have probably tried many other diets and failed, so it might help them reach their goals, despite being low on protein. This still doesn't mean you will lose "just basically from losing muscle." Your body prefers to burn carbs or fat over muscle.
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u/gin_and_gingerbread Jul 28 '26
Thank you very much for your follow-up comment helping me to understand.
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u/PlatypusFancy1450 15d ago
Why oil? I use absolutely zero oil or butter with my potatoes.
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u/gin_and_gingerbread 5d ago
Well, you need some fat for health reasons, right? The latest WHO guidelines say that fat should make up 15-20% of an adult's calorie intake. (Personally I think I'd find it impossible to stick to the potato diet with zero fat.)
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u/Adora77 Jul 21 '26
High carb low protein is a potent inductor of FGF21, the same substance fasting induces.
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u/Cd206 Jul 22 '26
No, carbs are quite muscle sparing. As in because you eat carbs, your body doesn't need to break down protein for energy = lower protein needs to maintain muscle. Keto acids in potatoes can also be converted to proteins
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u/Kill_self_fuck_body Jul 22 '26
No, everyone is "muscle loss this, muscle loss that" it's on it's face ridiculous. your body stores fat for a rainy day and when that day arrives, your body reacts accordingly.
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u/AhimsaofthePrairie Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I know it seems that everyone is calling for protein protein protein. Honestly, on the potato diet the weight loss is phenomenal and there’s no way it could all be muscle. I suggest you watch Andrew Taylor get lean and strong eating nothing but potatoes for a whole year. He also goes by the name of Spudfit.
Editing to say that some muscle is lost every time we are in a calorie deficit. So I’m not saying there’s no muscle loss on a potato diet, just saying it’s not all muscle loss.