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Thanks Mrs M. It's tomorrow for me now and I am really excited. With only 2 more opti meals to go....yeee haa. I am sure it will all go well. Hugs

Hmmm... sounds nice labec. Let me know. I actually looked forward to my opti this morning for breaky. I think I may have gone mad! My big day is tomorrow and I am very excited. Keep us updated.

Hear Hear Janice. Wise words indeed. Actually now that I am getting closer, the opti is not that bad. I haven't added as much Water, added a little decaf coffee and voila...a really nice shake! Rubenesque, keep it up. I think I will be similar on the liquids stage, but I can have anything that you can suck through a straw. Sustagen and Up and Go liquid breakfasts are going to be my friend! And Thursday is now tomorrow..not long for you either.

Great to hear from you labec. I am glad you are doing well, nice to know two days out from my surgery. Do share your recipes!

I am on day 8 of Optifast and it's all downhill from here. This past weekend I thought I was in big trouble - I was so tired, so weak and felt ill with headaches. I just wanted to vomit every time I made up a shake, or a destert. I tried to eat a bar on Saturday but had real trouble getting it near my lips. The high levels of soy or Protein in them was getting to me! The key is to not give up. Every day is another one to tick off and if you survive this day you can tomorrow too. I do believe it gets easier, as yesterday and today I have had great days. I just hope tomorrow and thursday are just as good also. I still feel hungry all the time, but I am trying not to focus on that. I have dropped 5kg (for our American friends - that's 11lbs) in 8 days and am stoked. If I can drop another kilogram before Friday I will feel even better. These are kilos I will never see again....that's gotta be a good thing.

Phew! I was beginning to think that people didn't eat much fruit. I love my fruit particularly during the summer and would find it hard if I had to do without. Thanks everyone.

Hi Keri Welcome and hugs. Sorry to hear of your first week but I am sure you will be back on your feet and feeling more like yourself each day. How are you going on the Clear liquids diet? I too am on the smaller side but I started with a higher weight than you (98.9) with a BMI of 35. I must be a little taller than you! I have lost 5kgs on opti with a few more days to go before surgery. Keep up the good work.

I am very pleased to report that as of this morning I have lost exactly 5kg! Those 5kg are off forever and I haven't missed them at all yet! 3 more days of Opti and then surgery. Bring it on!:wub:

Hi guys There's many yummy recipes on the main forum, but there's not much talk about fruit. How much fruit would you include in your daily intake (post-band) and what are the best fruits to eat? I would miss my fruit if I had to give them up particuarly bananas... Thanks

Mrs M. How's the progress to mushies going? I know how you feel about clothes. It's a nice feeling when you no longer have to squeeze yourself into something you used to wear so easily! I have only been on opti for a week and I have lost 4kg and my clothes are already looser. Funnily enough, my tummy (which is small anyway) hasn't reduced, but my legs and midrif have. Things are a little more comfortable now. Keep up the good work everyone.

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I need it as I am struggling at the moment. Never have I felt so hungry or sick and weak in my life. I have 4 days to go and although I will survive it, I don't look forward to any opti meals. I wish I could source the cuppachino flavour because it sounds nice. I have tried everything in my drinks, and it does make it easier to get down. Last thursday I was having a berry crunch bar, and every time I held it close to my mouth, I just wanted to vomit! And they are nice too. I think I am over it...but only 4 days to go.

Good luck everyone. You will be fine. I too have been suffering the anxieties this past weekend. I miss eating at this point; I am sick of this optifast! It's making me quite weak and very very tired and personally I am over it. If I could get through this week drinking green tea without the opti, I would! I look forward to a decent meal Striver and Labec hugs to both of you. I will be thinking of you and hoping that your recovery will be fast. I will be looking out for your updates.

Can someone describe sliming for me please. :biggrin: Thankyou

I have added mine! So happy to be here too!

Thanks guys. I am coping well with opti, breaking out into the bars and the deserts today. I put a little too much peppermint essence in the mouse tonight, my lips are still tingling and I can feel the burn in my throat still :biggrin: That will teach me! I know I can do this easily, but I too am feeling a little headachy and a little blue, and I do have conjunctivitis in one eye so that might be contributing to how I feel Cherry_blue your weight loss is sensational. 12kg in under one month is just awesome. I hope that I can kick start this whole process by losing beteen 8-10 kg during the 10 day opti but I won't be disappointed if I dont. I know that it will come off later anyway. :wink2: Sunwyse yes I can smell it, but I don't want to bask in the aroma just yet. I don't want to get overexcited! :Dancing_chief: Striver good luck with yours. It will be interesting to compare our recoveries since we are having our bands so close together.. I know we will all be fine, it's getting over this pre-op phase where we have to be very vigilant with what we eat. Green tea is my best friend right now!

Hi all Thank god for this BB. I have been reading vigilantly the Optifast recipes and thank goodness I did. I had a vanilla and choc milkshake on day 1 yesterday and just managed to get them down without gagging too much :biggrin2:. Last night I put some melted diet jelly crystals in the vanilla which made it more palatable. Today I put some peppermint essence in the choc...and yummy! That horrible watery choc taste is gone. I also whip up the shake then put it in the freezer for an hour and then whip it up again, and it's a bit like having a slurpee.. I am on day 2 and although I felt hungry last night after netball (I had a small salad prior to playing) I am doing quite well. I will try a dessert tonight and probably a bar for breaky in the morning. Thanks to all those who have contributed to the recipes for opti. 9 days and counting! Oh and I have already lost 1.8kg from 2 weeks ago when I was weighed..That's gotta make a girl happy. :smile2:

Bronnie (do you have before and after pics on here somewhere?) Your post filled me with joy. I want to lose 30kg before Christmas and I was hoping I would be able to do it. Even if I lost 20kg I would be happy! So there is hope for me yet. I believe I am emotionally ready for the changes it will make to my life, not just the physical, but I wonder if I will ever get out of the habit of always thinking of myself as the fat one, or go to the sizes at the back of the rack first! I am looking forward to being able to wear the clothes in my wardrobe again. I love my old denim skirt, I have some slimming black work pants and a beautiful suit jacket that I used to wear all the time. I can't wait to be able to wear them again, but not only that but update to a smaller size. I am really ready for this and looking forward to making the changes. I am on day one of Optifast today. 9 days to go!

My nurse called last night. Because she knew how keen I was to have the surgery ASAP, she has offered me 22 Feb (instead of 7 April!) at Essendon Private. Of course I jumped at the chance! I live in Eltham and was planning on having the surgery at Warringal Private in Heidelberg, but the extra distance is not a worry in the world! I start opti on Monday. Wahooooo

How similar are we all?? :tt1: I too avoid all social events because usually I have nothing to wear. I am sure people look me up and down and judge me before I even open my mouth. I have booked a holiday for the christmas/new year period where there will be swimming involved. My only hope is that by then, I won't feel so 'whale like' in my bathers. It is an incentive at lease. Do you think 20kg is too much to ask to lose between the start of April and end of Dec? Thats about 9 months worth.... Of course I would like to lose the 30kg by then, but maybe the smaller goals will be better to aim for :regular_smile:

My out of pocket expenses total $3500 for everything including fills and all follow up visits. I pay that directly to the doctor before the surgery. All otehr expenses I will not see, they get directly billed to either Medicare or Medibank. I was pleased with that!

Thanks Mrs M and Sunwyse. I just can't wait it is all very exciting stuff. I am watching what I eat now and conciously chewing as much as I can when I remember. I think that will be the hardest part, altering our chewing habits that we have had for so long. I am scared that I will hurt myself! As for it being Feb already - I know! Where did the last few months go? We have had a lot going on already in the last few months. We signed for an upper storey extension to our house, my work moved, the kids were on holidays, we went on holidays for the first time in over 18 months, and today I got work I got a promotion at work. I will be starting my new job shortly. I just want to stay busy so that the time does fly by!

Mrs. M. I am glad you are recovering well and now out of pain. I think the first week after surgery will be a real test for me as I will be at home around food! It seems like you are doing well though. I will look forward to hearing more updates from you.

Thanks for your opinions guys. Getting differing opinions always helps. I figured since I play netball on Monday and Tuesday (and sometimes Wednesday) nights, that those nights I will do the shake either before I play or after. Last night was an early game, so I had one when I got home (it was lemon wafer flavoured) and it was pretty good. I think it did the trick. I have also bought some Up-and-go liquid breakfasts (yummy banana and honey!) and will try them for breaky with some yoghurt. The essential Vitamins and minerals I will get from dinner when I don't play netball and my lunches. I am keen to drop a few kilos to get into my favourite pants that were tight just before chrissy but are now unfortuantely too small. So I think I will give this a go and see how I go. It may prepare me for the 10 days purely Opti before surgery. Hugs

Hi all Just after a bit of advice since I am relatively new here. This subject has probably been done to death, but I am going to jump in and ask anyway. :eek: I was wondering if anyone had done a pre-Optifast diet before their banding? For example, I have 8 weeks until I get banded, which means I have 6 weeks until I start the Opti. I am considering starting the Opti now and having one meal Opti and the rest normal food. Then with 4 weeks to go I will change to 2 Opti's per day and one normal, with the two weeks (or 10 days for me) prior to surgery having 3 Opti per day. Does this make sense? Is this a good/bad/indifferent idea that will assist me prior to surgery, or would I be beating myself silly doing this? The other question would be which one of the meals would be best replaced first? dinner, Breaky or lunch. Too much to think about! All opinions greatly sought as you guys have all the experience. Thanks all

That is truly heartbreaking. Hugs