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Optifast Diet



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Has anyone been on the Optifast diet prior to the lapband procedure? My boyfriend is having the lapband procedure, but has to be on optifast for a month prior to it. He's having a hard time with this diet, as it is all liquid. Any suggestions on how to curb the appetite through this period???

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this isn't the best section for this post, you should post it in the general section and you would get more responses.

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I had to be on Optifast for 2 weeks prior to surgery. It is tough, but my doctor also let us have the Optifast bars twice a day. That helped a little. Wish him our best and just remember what he is doing it for. A happier and healthier him.

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My doc doesn't require Optifast, just a reasonable, mostly Protein diet for 3 weeks. It wasn't all that difficult.

However quite a few years ago I saw a Endocrinologist and he put me on a 9 week Optifast diet. I lasted about 6 weeks. It was the hardest and most unpleasant thing I've ever tried to do. If you're having to go through something similar now, even for just 3 weeks, my heart goes out to you!

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I had two do it for 2 weeks prior to surgery. Yuck! What made it easier was that we were allowed any of the Optifast products, plus 2 cups of non-starch vegetables and 1 pc fruit per day. We also were given an extensive Condiments list to add for flavour. The bars were good, and the choc mousse dessert made a reasonable change.

As for the vegetables, think "filling" veg like eggplant, mushrooms and sprouted mung Beans.

A favourite Optifast phase meal of mine was a "stirfry" mix of chopped mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, capsicum, onion, mung bean sprouts, seasoned with a little herbs ad a dash of olive oil, cooked on the BBQ hotplate (to pick up the meaty flavours from the BBQ). mmm! yummy!

HOWEVER - If I never eat Optifast or mung Beans again in my life, I can honestly say that I will die happy! LOL!!!

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We didn't have all those other foods to choose from. Optifast at that time was just the foul tasting liquid shake drink. And I know what you mean - if I never have to drink that stuff again I can die a happy woman too!

My doc has a Protein shake mix that is really good. I can only get it from him unless I go to the source online. It's called Peak Performance. It is a whey based Protein source. That made the liquid diet phase easy for me.

Mung Beans? Sure sounds lucious...

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I did Optifast when it was first offered in 1988. It was hard. I fasted for 13 weeks. The shakes were HORRIBLE. My gallbladder atrophied and I had tohave it removed. But, I did loose weight. Hot liquids helped curb my appetite. Brushing my teeth helped. You can do it.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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