The DIY Spud Fit Challenge: A how-to guide to tackling food addiction with the humble spud.
Andrew Taylor - 2016
In this Spud Fit Challenge DIY guide, featuring twelve super simple (and cheap!) recipes and a variety of mindfulness techniques to help you reset your body and mind, he shows you the how's, what's and why's of his unusual regime - the tale of which went viral and captivated people across the globe. It's a scenario that will be depressingly familiar to all 'experienced dieters': towards the end of 2015, the former elite junior kayaker found himself more than 120 pounds (55kgs) overweight and feeling helpless, frustrated and in despair after yet another failed attempt at losing weight. With a lifetime of fad diets that only ever aimed to treat symptoms behind him, and armed only with the advice of 'the experts' whose discussion always began and ended with the message 'simply' to practise moderation, he had reached an impasse. Why couldn't he do moderation, like 'normal' people seemed to be able to? Sitting on the couch that day having reached his lowest point and not knowing the way out of the black hole that was swallowing his ability to enjoy life, he had that lightbulb moment: he was addicted to food. His mind raced - no other addict would ever be told to practise moderation, they would be told to quit their vice entirely. In that moment he realised that quitting food - or coming as close to it as possible - was the answer. Weeks of research told him that the humble potato, the food that has allowed vast populations to not only survive but to thrive over generations, was the perfect vehicle for his experiment: The Spud Fit Challenge was born! Good health is way more simple than we've been led to believe. There is a food that you can eat in abundance and that food provides you with all the nutrition your body needs to thrive for a long time. A good diet should not involve obsessing over every detail about what you put in your mouth - this does nothing to treat the underlying cause of your troubled relationship with food. This is the Spud Fit Challenge in a nutshell: let simplicity set you free. This guide will provide you with both the mental techniques that have helped Andrew to power through cravings without looking back as well as some ‘Spud Fit approved’ recipes to pique your interest - everything you need to successfully complete your own Spud Fit Challenge.