Deigh

Thursday will be three weeks on Optifast with another to go. Wow, I guess that means three weeks today which I totally didn't think about until just now. You aren't expected to be completely perfect. We were talking in workshop and all of us have had to do little modifications to make it work. I'm allowed 1/2 cup of either cucumber or celery a day. I have been "cheating" by having a whole cucumber some days as I sometimes just need to CHEW something. It's seriously bad when I'm thinking of gnawing on the people who walk into my office. I am not a big sweet eater and all the optifast stuff is sweet. My weakness is crunchy salty foods and there's none of that on Optifast. Bleh. I also added a cup of low sodium broth with one of the shakes so it feels more like a meal. Are you allowed sugarfree popsicles or Jello? Those are helpful. The tropical pops are MUCH more flavorful than the "red, orange, grape" package which taste like the "Bug Juice" they used to serve at summer camp. I've started tracking it on myfitnesspal.com thanks to a recommendation here and the extra half cup of cucumber still has me under my nutritionist's goals. I took thanksgiving as a "cheat meal" and told my doctor I would be doing so. I guess my stomach was just not ready as I had to go running to the bathroom because it did not stay down. The only thing that would stay down was the berries. I don't recommend this, btw, as it was hard to go back on the liquids after the cheat. If you want to complain rant talk about the Optifast, feel free to pm me. Oh, and when they say get the Fiber pills, do it. That or buy stock in Immodium because holy batman, it's bad.

You look amazing. That is really inspiring!

Are you in my head? I have had to take something for sleep the last two nights or I stay up for hours obsessing over how I am going to die in surgery or without it. I can't decide if this is right or wrong. I am terrified to go through with this and equally terrified not to do it. I wish it were just over so I couldn't obsess anymore. Is it December 8th yet?

I found them at world market and they are also on Amazon. http://www.torani.com/home/products They have great sugarfree syrups that you can add to the shakes to make them taste better. I especially like the Peanut Butter one in the chocolate shake. It's like a peanut butter cup. Da Vinci also has some http://www.davincigourmet.com/products/sugar_free_flavored_syrups/

I'm on a four week Optifast diet. It's not easy and I'm glad someone told me about the Torani (sp?) syrups because they make it much better. Also, the Opti chocolate bar is a full INCH smaller than the other two Opti bars so unless you love chocolate, skip it. I am not a big chocolate fan but I tried it and it's....almost too dense for me. Also, since i rarely get to chew anything with the Opti shakes, I was pissed it was smaller. They said it would constipate me but I am having the opposite problem. Which is more weight lost, I guess. The chicken Soup, by the way, is good but hard to dissolve in Water. I am almost a week in and I've stuck to it the entire time. If you want to commiserate once you start, let me know and I'll send you my email. I have other health problems (PAH, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes), so he wanted me to do the maximum liquid if possible. I agreed but now I think I regret it! I keep focusing on how it'll help me recover faster.

I haven't cheated and everyone I've seen today has told me how much thinner I look so I think it will be good news. I think I'll be brave and go weigh.

I have to either go pick up another week of my liquid diet by this coming Wednesday or have my sister pick it up for me. I'm really depressed on this liquid diet. I'm trying to stick to it around people who are eating and it's hard. On top of that, it's causing spikes and valleys in my blood sugar so I feel crappy. In addition, I've done the Optifast diet in the past and failed at it because it's so extreme. I live/work 30 minutes from the hospital where they keep the food. My sister lives around the corner from them and works where I work. So it's easy for her to pick up my food and bring it to me. This would be the simplest option. But, I think I need to hear the positive reinforcement of "You've lost weight on this! You're on track for surgery!" If I go pick it up, they weigh me and I will get that. The other side of this is what if I'm NOT losing and I go down there and I haven't lost or I haven't lost enough. I'm trying to make this surgery about me getting healthy and not about a number. I had bulimia as a teen and the focus on numbers is hard for me. I don't look at the scale when I weigh down there so there's no way I could weigh myself and know if I've lost or not. I'm at a size where it's all elastic so nothing really fits differently. I can ask if they can weigh me before the support group that's this Wednesday. That way I will have a safe place to go talk about it if I haven't lost and it throws me into a bad place. Any opinions? I'm trying to stay motivated for these four weeks. I feel like the surgery is so far away I can't even see it yet. Thanks in advance.

My surgeon requires optifast unless I really can't tolerate it. However I took some of the syrup suggestions on here and it is getting better. Thanks!

I really want to make it but I'm also struggling on day 2. I hate the shakes and my place doesn't give you an option. I guess it's good - I'd rather just be hungry than eat that vile stuff and I'm nauseated for about an hour after I force it down. By the time surgery comes, maybe I won't want to eat at all. Maybe this is their master plan? :confused5: I keep hoping it'll get better. I am trying to skip things that are triggers for me like meetings where they serve food at work. I asked my sister if I can babysit either or both of her kids this weekend because that will keep me too busy to eat.

Started the liquid diet today and I have absolutely NO energy. On top of that, I'm a diabetic and totally overshot the insulin and dropped to 68 for a blood sugar. I had my one allowed Protein bar to bring it up and now I don't get to chew anything else today. I just want to bite something. I'm sending my mom to the store for me to get some gum. The Jello is good but NOT crunchy enough.

So glad to see this topic. I started this process telling NO ONE. I had a huge fight with my mom when she told a family friend who asked her about my health. I felt very ashamed and as if it were a sign I failed. Like everyone around me could lose weight without surgery and something must be wrong with me if I can't. Clearly, I just don't have enough willpower, determination, drive, or desire to be thin. Or maybe I'm lazy. I spent a long time beating myself up about it and crying. I told the therapist how much I hated being at this point. The therapist at the clinic was really helpful. She pointed out that we don't judge people for other things they do to get healthy. No one says to you, "Boy, you'd better stop wearing those glasses! If you'd just squint more, you could totally see the paper!" If we accept the premise that obesity is a disease, then a medical cure isn't something you judge. It just is what it is. Glasses help you see. Surgery can help you lose weight. It took a while but I think it finally sank in. I have had people try to give me horror stories but I try to head them off by saying, "Oh please don't tell me anything bad. It took me so long to make this decision and I've met with my doctor, therapist, and surgeon. I want to head into this process with only positive vibes so I get the best outcome." Now I'm about a month from surgery. I'm still not talking about it with many people. I'm not hiding it but honestly, it's none of their business. I don't feel like it's a failure - I feel like it's private. I am telling people if it's something that impacts them...for example, I have a standing Wed night dinner and knitting group with some friends. Some I know well and some I barely know. I'm not going to dinner for the next few weeks due to my liquid diet and then I'll miss knitting due to the surgery and recovery time. I told them a few weeks ago and last night (which was my last pre Optifast meal), they went to my favorite restaurant and we had a last meal together. Not one of them has been anything but supportive. In fact, one lady who I barely know came up and told me how she called her daughter in law to apologize. A year ago the DIL had a lapband put in and this woman commented to her that if she would just work harder, she would lose the weight without surgery. Seeing what I've been doing to get ready has really affected my coknitter and she called her DIL and said how wrong she was. I'm selective about it but anyone who knows me knows that I've tried everything under the sun. I didn't wake up this morning a hundred pounds overweight. I even did kickboxing at one point - I was a size 24 and it hurt like crazy but I thought it would work so I did it. Everyone who has found out or I've told has said some variation of "You've tried so much. I hope this is the thing that works for you." Then they have a ton of questions because most of them haven't heard about the sleeve before.