Can potatoes make you lose weight? That’s the bet that Hannah Howlett, a.k.a. High Carb Hannah on YouTube, decided to take this year. She first created her channel in September 2013 in honor of her new vegan HCLF (High Carb Low Fat Diet) lifestyle, thanks to which she lost 30 kg in only one year.

First of all, I want to be clear that no diet can replace a healthy lifestyle and that you should exercise regularly and eat clean without restricting yourself rather than following crazy diet programs to get slimmer!

Let’s get back to Hannah. Her usual diet is a non-restrictive one that involves eating only vegan whole foods: rice, potatoes, pasta, quinoa, fruits and veggies in abundance, but in early 2016, after repeated suggestions from her thousands of followers, she decided to try 30 days of the Potato Diet.

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So, what is this potato cleanse, exactly?

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The potato may be one of the most rejected foods when talking about dieting, but it’s actually one of the only food items that provide the body with all the nutrients it needs just by itself. Yes, you read it right: if you started eating potatoes only, you would be in incredible health!

Where does the trend come from?

It’s not Hannah who invented this diet, but famous Dr. Mc Dougal, who wrote The Starch Solution. The potato diet has since been talked about a lot, with testimonies from bloggers and YouTubers who tried it and lost a lot of weight in small amounts of time.

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There are 3 different ways to follow the Potato Diet:

• The one that lasts only 3 days: Buy 3 pounds of potatoes (of any type). Bake them without adding any oil or fat, and divide everything in six equal portions that you’ll eat for lunch and dinner during 3 days. You could lose up to 3 kg, but the problem with this quick diet is that it restricts your calorie intake quite a lot.

• The one that lasts one week: This diet is similar to the previous one. 500 g of potatoes for lunch and 500 g for dinner. The one and only difference is that you may add oil, tomato paste and condiments if you wish. You should lose a bit more weight than with the 3-day diet, but it’s a longer process and you still have to restrict your calorie intake.

• Hannah’s diet: this one lasts 30 days (or more !) and consists of eating only potatoes, fruits and vegetables, but without restriction. Make sure never to add any fat ingredients to your meals, but eat as many veggies as you wish. The main objective of this diet is to detoxify the body, lose weight and develop healthy eating habits.

It’s pretty simple, after all: by eating only one type of food that contains all the nutrients you need, it’s going to be easier for your body to process it. However, be careful not to binge on fast food after your detox period: try gradually adding other starches and well-chosen processed foods to your diet.

Follow Hannah on YouTube for updates on her potato cleanse journey. She posts daily videos to talk about her progress and occasional struggles.

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In my own opinion, the Potato Diet seems perfect before spring break, but I’m just not ready to give up my crunchy peanut butter! Moreover, I’ll never say it enough, but you are beautiful and probably don’t need to go through that kind of diet: what matters most is being healthy and self-confident.

By : Vanille Trantoul

French and Brazilian, she’s vegan and extremely passionate about cooking and traveling. She’ll take you and your taste buds, around the world… Always respecting the planet and the animals. Her secret weapon? Her vegan blog, that she runs with the help of Rex, her lovely baby bunny.