Optifast Question-Need some info

Hey everyone I had a couple of questions about optifast. As some of you know by now that I actually have to loose some weight before I get the WLS. Well during my informational meeting about the surgery they mentioned briefyly about using Optifast to loose weight quickly. So I was wondering has anyone here every used Optifast? If so, did it work for you? And was it extremely difficult to stick to the diet? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks so much, DeeDee

DeeDee, My husband just completed the opti-fast program at Mercy Capitol in Des Moines. He lost exactly 60 pounds in that time. He is now off of much of his medication, including BP meds. Optifast is a lot like WLS because it does produce a very sizeable weight loss in a short amount of time. I think it is meant to be like that because for some people, if they can just get the huge chunck of weight off quickly, then they can turn their situation around because they have better mobility, etc. And by going off real foods for the time you are on full formula, you are doing like WLS, and completely interrupting those damaging patterns of eating, eating, eating. Was it hard? YES, he sufferred a lot in the beginning. Not just hunger, but emotionally. Just like you will in those early post op weeks. Your patterns of eating have been completely interrupted and old habits are hard to break. I think this will be good practice for when you have your WLS. Now the rub is, that I continue to have the "tool" that my surgery provides me with. My husband has to rely on his common sense and what he has learned through the program meetings to maintain his weight. Exercise is not an option for him, he MUST do it. If I had known about the optifast and optitrim programs before my WLS, I think I might have tried them. WLS is drastic measures, and I thought I had tried eveyrthing there was to try. But after seeing how optifast works, I wish I'd had that chance to try just one more thing first, before re-routing my entire digestive system forever. jean