HE ATE NOTHING BUT POTATOES

The Fuel System, Part 3 of 4

Read time: 7 minutes

Under the Hood is a weekly look at what's really driving your health, fixed 1% at a time.

Today: the man who ate nothing but potatoes for a year, my smart carbs list, what sugar really does, when to eat carbs, and how many you need.

I recently read a story about a dad and schoolteacher from Melbourne, Australia, named Andrew Taylor. In 2016, he made a decision most people thought was crazy.

For one full year, he ate nothing but potatoes.

He called himself a food addict. He started the year at 151.7 kg. That's about 334 pounds.

He ate white potatoes and sweet potatoes. Mashed, boiled, baked. No butter, no oil. Some herbs and a little fat-free sauce. And he didn't count anything. He ate until he was full.

By the end of the year, he weighed about 220 pounds.

He lost over 110 pounds eating mostly potatoes.

Now, I'm not telling you to go eat only potatoes. Andrew was one guy, not a study, and he came up short on protein and healthy fats. You've read the last two issues. You know why that matters.

But his story raises a question worth asking.

If carbs make you fat, how did he lose 110 pounds eating mostly carbs?

THE DEEP DIVE

What carbs actually do.

Carbs are 4 calories per gram, same as protein. (Need the full calorie math? It's in Part 1.)

Carbs are your body's go-to fuel when you work hard. Sprinting, lifting, chasing your kids across the yard. What you don't use right away gets stored as glycogen, in your muscles and your liver. Think of it as your fuel tank.

Here's the catch: once your tank is full and you're eating more than you burn, the extra gets stored as fat. That's not a carb problem. That's an amount problem.

When Stanford researchers put a healthy low-carb diet and a healthy low-fat diet head to head for a full year, both groups lost about the same weight. Nobody was given a calorie target. You don't have to cut out carbs to lose weight.

My carb story.

I've always enjoyed carbs. But I've always felt better when my carbs were lower. For a long time, I ate keto-ish, paleo-ish, and Mediterranean-ish. (lol) Basically a combo of all three, with lower carbs. That worked for me because I was a regular faster.

I still love fasting. But my approach has changed over the last couple of years. More on fasting in a later issue. 😉

My carbs changed too. I started adding more, mostly on training days. Bananas, potatoes, fruit. And every time, I saw it carry over into the gym. I was stronger, and I got more out of my training.

I still feel better on lower carbs most days. That's my preference. But I can't argue with what carbs do for my performance.

Carbs aren't the enemy. You just have to be intentional about which ones you eat and when you eat them.

Why the potato wins.

In 1995, researchers fed people the same 240 calories of 38 different foods and tracked how full each one kept them. Boiled potatoes came in first. By a lot. About three times as filling as white bread, and seven times as filling as a croissant.

That's how Andrew could eat until he was full and still lose weight.

Here's the twist. Boiled potatoes scored 323 on that fullness scale. French fries scored 116. Same potato. It's all in how you cook it.

Bonus tip: cook your potatoes or rice the night before, get them in the fridge within an hour, and reheat. Cooling turns some of the starch into resistant starch, which works like fiber.

My smart carbs list:

What sugar really does.

Last week I told you how the sugar industry paid researchers to blame fat. So is sugar the real villain?

Here's the simple version. The carbs on my list come with fiber, water, and nutrients that fill you up. Added sugar in soda, candy, and packaged snacks doesn't. It's easy to drink a lot of calories and still be hungry for dinner.

Most guys don't have a potato problem. They have a soda and snack problem.

When to eat them.

Around your training, and earlier in the day. One workout can make your muscles better at pulling in carbs for at least 16 hours. And the same meal raises your blood sugar more at night than in the morning. So I eat most of my carbs before and after I train, and earlier in the day.

At night, go back to the Downshift. Remember my rule from the sleep issue: no food 3 hours before bed, no liquids 2 hours before, no screens 1 hour before. If you do eat later, keep the carbs low. Protein, veggies, and a little fat.

Train in the evening? Try to wrap up about 3 hours before bed. Eat your protein and carbs right after, and make that your last meal.

Know your numbers. The CDC now estimates about 115 million American adults have prediabetes, and most don't know it. Before you load up on carbs, ask your doctor to check your A1C and fasting glucose.

Want to see how carbs hit you? Try a glucose monitor. You can get one without a prescription now. Just know it can't diagnose anything, and a spike after a meal is normal.

How many carbs you need.

Here's the easy rule I give my clients:

Want to lose weight? Lean on protein. Want to gain weight? Lean on carbs.

Protein stays high no matter what. Carbs are the dial you turn up or down. For fat loss, I match carbs to your training:

Training day: goal body weight in pounds × 1 = grams of carbs.

Off day: goal body weight in pounds × 0.5.

For a 180-pound goal, that's about 180 grams on training days and 90 on off days. On off days, swap some of those carbs for the good fats from last week's issue. Swap, don't stack. Total calories still matter.

Eat two meals a day? Same daily number. Just split it between your meals, and make the bigger carb meal the one around your training, before or after.

This isn't from one study. It's my rule of thumb for guys trying to lean out.

Don't want to count? Use your hand instead. It's a starting point, not an exact match for the numbers above. One cupped hand of carbs is about 20 to 30 grams. If you eat 3 to 4 meals a day:

Your hand won't be perfect, and neither is counting calories. Use it the same way every day, watch the scale and the mirror for two to three weeks, and adjust.

Everything is an experiment. Figure out what works for your body.

Or just hit reply with your answer. I read every one.

Tap here to save the Carb Cheat Sheet to your phone.

QUICK HITS

FUEL — Eat your carbs last. Veggies and protein first, then the potato or rice. In a small 2024 study of 18 healthy adults, eating the same meal in that order led to a much smaller blood sugar and insulin rise over the next two hours. Same food. Different order.

TRAINING — Going heavy in the morning? A banana and a protein shake an hour before is an easy start.

FAMILY — It’s not so easy to get my 2-year-old daughter, Adelyna, to eat protein. But boy, is it easy to get her to eat pancakes. I guess what they say about toddlers is true. 😆 So we make protein pancakes, and smoothies with protein and veggies blended in. With kids, it’s all about making it taste great.

MIND — Ever wonder why the scale jumps the day after a big carb weekend? Most of the time, it’s not fat. It’s water. For every 100 grams of carbs your body stores, it holds about 300 grams of water. So next time the scale goes up, don’t lose your cool. But don’t make it a habit. Real fat gain comes from eating more than you burn, week after week.

Next week, Part 4: the supplements every man should consider, and the ones you can skip.

Know a guy who's scared of carbs? Forward this to him. When he signs up here, he'll get my free Lean in 90 guide.

Your body is worth stewarding.

1% BETTER

— Coach Joshua

Educational content, not medical advice. Partner with your physician, ideally one who believes in proactive care. If you have prediabetes or diabetes, talk to your doctor before changing your diet.

New here? Every issue lives in the archive. Start with Part 1 on protein.