A food addiction can consume the life of an individual without this person even realising; soon, all he or she will think about is food, which can lead to a whole host of problems including obesity and diabetes. In many cases, the individual will only realise he or she has an addiction once it gets to the stage where a health complication has developed as a result of it. It can be extremely challenging to reverse the effects of a food addiction, and it takes a lot of hard work and determination to do it. One man who knows just how hard you must work to overcome a food addiction is Andrew Taylor, who committed to a potato-only diet and managed to lose eight stone in just under a year.
Clinically Depressed
Andrew Taylor was so addicted to food that he knew he had to do something about it sooner rather than later or risk developing a host of health problems. Andrew began his journey on January 1st 2016 and has shed an impressive eight stone from then until now by eating nothing but potatoes – mashed, baked or boiled, he just couldn’t get enough of them. He explained, “I was clinically depressed last year, and eating potatoes has really helped me with that. I am not taking any antidepressants, and I feel like I’m completely over that and I’m sleeping better too. Over the past ten years, I’ve had joint pain from football injuries, but that’s gone away. Eating only potatoes has improved my life in more ways than I could ever imagine.”
Realisation
Andrew went on to explain that he decided to eat nothing but potatoes after he came to realise that he was suffering from a food addiction. “I had a realisation I was a food addict, and it got me thinking about how if you’re an alcoholic you quit alcohol or a drug addict you quit drugs. You can’t quit food, but I wanted to get as close as possible and wondered if there was one particular food I could eat, and potatoes came up best. You literally get everything you need from potatoes. Everybody knows they’ve got lots of carbs, but they have enough protein and fat, and potatoes are really good for fibre, vitamin C and iron,” he said.
Torture
While the first two weeks of his new diet were ‘torture’, he soon got used to it, and now he eats three to four kilogrammes of potatoes every day. If he is going to a restaurant, he will notify them in advance to be sure that they can prepare potatoes for him, and if he is going to a dinner party, he will bring his own potato dish. Andrew will be hosting a party on January 1st 2017 in celebration of his one-year ‘spud diet’; however, he said that his diet will still be mostly made up of potatoes afterwards. Andrew’s GP did not recommend the diet, but as Andrew ensured the doctor that he would attend for frequent check-ups during the year, the GP agreed. Andrew said, “My health just continues to improve. I had high cholesterol, but now it’s low, my blood pressure has dropped, and my sugar level has dropped. Every time I get a new blood test, it just gets better.”
Balanced Diet in Order to Thrive
Registered dietician and author of The Low-Fad Diet, Jo Travers, argued that it is entirely possible to lose weight safely without limiting his food intake so much. She added, “Andrew is giving credit for the improvements in how he feels to the fact he only eats potatoes. However, it is probably much more to do with the fact that he lost weight when he gave up eating all the junk food. It is completely possible to lose weight and give up the junk food without doing this extreme diet. It is risky cutting out any food groups, let alone all foods except potatoes. The body requires a balanced diet in order to thrive. If anyone feels like they have a food addiction, I would urge them to see a qualified professional such as a dietitian or psychologist who can help and support them to change their eating behaviours.”
Help and Support
If you have concerns that you or a loved one may be suffering from a food addiction like Andrew, then do not hesitate to get in touch with us here at Liberty House. We have helped hundreds of people in the same position and have an excellent success rate with our treatments. We want to make the experience as safe and as comfortable as possible for the affected individual, so we have designed our clinic to be ‘homely’ with a relaxed atmosphere. For additional information or any enquiries, contact us today, and we will be more than happy to assist.
Source: Man unveils dramatic body transformation after eating nothing but potatoes for a year (Daily Star)