TL;DR EDITION

The Spud Fit Program

Make healthy a core part of who you are, not just something you’re trying to do

Welcome!

This is a short-term mono-diet of potatoes only, followed by the Mega Foods Plan.

Videos: why a monodiet, why are potatoes so great?

This is the abridged, easily accessible version of our program. You can access our full library of courses, as well as Hotseat Coaching replays, the Triggers Library, and all the Deep-dive Workshops, and support from us and our incredible community, by joining our network website. Instructions for signing up will be in your inbox. See you there!

Key

Denotes main roadmap waypoint

Please read/watch all of this content.

Denotes a 'side quest'

This is extra info if you’re someone who must know exactly “why?” (we hear you!).

See your doctor

Don’t just do something because a bloke on the internet told you to. Make sure it’s safe for you.

What to eat

  • Potatoes and sweet potatoes
  • Use sparingly: herbs, spices, fat free sauces – just for a little flavour.

Eat as much as you feel like, as often as you feel like it

  • The word ‘hunger’ is not mentioned on purpose. Stop waiting to be hungry enough or to feel ‘the right type of hunger’ – if you feel like eating, EAT!
  • There is no bad reason to eat.
  • There is no bad time to eat.
  • There is no bad amount to eat.
  • If you’re stressed or bored or tired at 3am and you feel like eating, EAT!
  • The only thing you have to concern yourself with is that when you eat, make choices that you’ll be proud of having made.
  • If you feel like eating chocolate (or other junk), that means you feel like eating. So EAT! (Just not chocolate).

 

SIDE QUEST

This works because...

Fewer calories per bite means a natural reduction in calorie intake, while being able to eat as much as you feel like, as often as you feel like it.

Richer (more calorie dense) foods trigger an exaggerated dopamine response in your brain. This feels nice and prompts you to eat more per meal and more often.

Eating the same foods on repeat gets boring, no matter how much you like the food to start with. When the flavour isn’t exciting, you’re more likely to notice other feelings, like fullness.

WHY DO ALL DIETS START “NEXT MONDAY”?

HOW TO GET STARTED

The Scientist Mindset

You are a scientist who wants to test a hypothesis. You want to find out if 30 days of a certain diet plan will improve your health, help you lose weight, etc.

Every day (week, month, whatever) you take some measurements and record the data.

Sometimes the numbers move in the right direction and sometimes they don’t.

Sometimes they even go the other way.

No matter what happens with the numbers, you just write them down and move on. You don’t get excited or upset, you just keep running the experiment. Because as a scientist, you aren’t attached to any results, you simply want to find out what happens.

As a scientist, you can’t draw any conclusions until the 30 days are over.

So you don’t celebrate or commiserate any numbers, you add them to your chart and move on.

The ideal healthy eater is not emotionally attached to one food choice or another. They choose based on what’s genuinely right for them in the moment.

The ideal scientist is not emotionally attached to a result, they just follow their plan so they can find out what happens. No matter what, the data will teach them something that they can use to move closer to their goal.

Fear of the unknown

  • Can I stick with this? For how long?
  • What if I don’t have what it takes?
  • What if it doesn’t work?
  • What if it’s too hard?
  • What will happen at x, y, z event?

We ruminate over questions that can’t be answered until until we get the chance to do it and find out.

Not having all the answers is scary and uncomfortable. We avoid these feelings by not starting.

Stop asking unanswerable questions – they’re a waste of time and energy! Instead, ask questions with easy answers:

Q: Can I eat a healthy breakfast tomorrow?

A: Yes, easy! You’ve done that many times. So do that, and only that. Then declare victory over breakfast, and move on to the next choice.

How long do I do this for?

Whatever works for you! Big changes in your understanding and self-awareness can happen in as little as a single day.

For maximum impact I recommend two weeks to a month for most people. This gives you a chance to go through a rough patch and have a struggle. We learn more and gain more confidence when we can keep going through hard times.

THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS IS TO

Make the healthy choice the easy choice

Be prepared

  • Have a guess at how much food you need for a day, then double it! Prepare that much ahead for your first day. If you don’t end up eating it all, you can simply eat it the following day.
  • Always have food with you and ready to eat, everywhere you go. Take it in your backpack, briefcase, hand bag, glove box, desk draw…you get the idea.
  • If you have to wait to get back home, or wait an hour for your spuds to cook, well, let’s be honest – you’re probably not going to wait! Be prepared and get a step ahead of the issues that have stood in your way until now.

Talk yourself through cravings

  • Cravings do not have to be followed.
  • Tell yourself “I can eat whatever I like, after I have filled up on all the food I’ve got with me”. Then eat until you are properly full before checking back in with your craving. You’ll be amazed at how different you feel about cravings, food and life, when you’re full of good, healthy, satisfying food. 

You've been down that road before

  • You’ve given yourself many different justifications for breaking diets, mamy times before. They all seemed like good reasons at the time…and they all led you here, where you’re reading this.
  • When you feel like you want to go off plan, remind yourself “You’ve been down this road before. You know exactly where it leads, and you know that’s not where you want to be”.
  • It’s time to find out where a new road leads. You can only find out by following it to the end.

MOVING ON FROM THE MONO-DIET

What happens next?

When you’re feeling confident in your choices and emotions aren’t making decisions for you anymore, you might like to move on from the Spud Fit Challenge.

You can always come back to spuds if you feel the need. No decision is final. Stay open about it and relax.

INTRODUCING MEGA FOODS

MEGA FOODS ARE COMFORTING, SATISFYING WEIGHT LOSS FOODS

Starchy, comfort foods are the core, the foundation of our whole program. They give you energy and nourishment, and they keep you feeling satisfied and happy in brain and body. Mega Foods include:

  • Grains: rice, oats, wheat, corn etc.
  • Legumes: beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas etc.
  • Starchy vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams, pumpkin etc.

There is no percentage or volume of these foods that you have to eat. You don’t have to waste your time measuring or tracking anything! Just keep in mind that, because these foods are the backbone of the whole plan, you should emphasise them in most of your meals.

 

COMPLEMENTARY WEIGHT LOSS FOODS

FRUITS AND NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES

Fruits and non-starchy vegetables are great for energy, flavour, colour, texture, variety, enjoyment and nutrition.

  • They are great for on-the-go; enjoy them as a snack or as an entire meal
  • Eat as much of them as you like! There are no limits – just keep in mind that overall you should emphasise starchy comfort foods, as these fill you up, which helps you to avoid hunger, which is why it becomes easier and easier to stick to the plan.

WEIGHT MAINTENANCE FOODS

MINIMALLY PROCESSED AND HIGHER FAT WHOLE FOODS

These include:

  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Avocado
  • Coconut
  • Wholemeal breads and pastas (flour products)

These are all healthy, nutritious foods that can be great in small amounts in a healthy diet.

However, they are higher in calorie density, which makes them hard for some of us to stop eating them.

It’s up to you to decide which ones, and how much of them you can eat without “falling off the wagon”. If you’re trying to lose weight, you’ll speed things up by avoiding them completely for now.

Weight Gain Foods

These foods are high in calorie density, so they give you more calories per bite – and they make you want to take more bites, more often! They include:

  • All oils – yes even olive oil!
  • Dairy from any animal (milk, cheese, yoghurt etc.)
  • Eggs
  • Meat
  • Cake, doughnuts, chocolate, chips/crisps – anything high in fat or sugar (or both)
  • Basically any animal products or highly processed foods

Reacting to success and failure

Success and failure are equally likely to be followed by cake! You either “deserve it” or “need it”. Both are untrue.

Getting lost in either success or failure should be avoided:

  • After a poor choice: learn how you can do better next time, then focus on the next right choice
  • Great weigh-in result?: note what you did well so you can repeat it. Then focus on the next right choice.

Whatever happens, it’s already happened! Leave the past where it belongs – your next choice is waiting!

Want more support?

Join our amazing, vibrant community! Get help directly from us and others on the same path. 

Join Now
Processing...