Fear of Failing at Optifast

Hi.  I am likely going to be having my surgery referral in the spring and I'm now starting to lose confidence in my ability to survive on a liquid diet for 3 weeks.  If you asked me now to have just liquid all day, i would curl up in a ball and cry.  It KILLS me to think of having NO food for 3 weeks.  Am I the only one who is afraid of not being able to do the Optifast?  I feel like I might be that one odd freak who has an unusually large stomach (and appetite) and I am so worried about how I will get through it. I am not so worried about  having just liquid AFTER the surgery.  (My stomach will be a lot smaller and from what I've heard the hunger isn't there for most people) Did anyone have a hard time with hunger during Optifast?

I've just finished day 5 of opti and I will tell you, yes it is hard, but it is doable and worth it. I drink gallons of water and broth as well as the 4 packs of opti ( how anyone has any left over is beyond me lol). I feel hungry still but not starving. I don'****ch TV because of the food ads, and people around me have been kind enough not to eat my trigger foods (chocolate and bread). I even went to the pub over the weekend and sat while friends ate fish and chips and I nursed a tea lol. My point is you will know what you can and cannot handle during your pre op diet. Remove yourself from temptation whenever possible. If this means hibernate for 3 weeks then so be it. Heck if I was married with children I'd be teaching him how to make 3 weeks of meals now so I wouldn't have to do it then. Almost all of us have huge stomachs from years of overeating. Almost all of us have food addictions. Almost all of us have huge appetites. There is nothing about you that will make opti harder for you than anyone else. That means you will get through those 3weeks and you will do awesome. You will shrink your liver and your surgery will go smoothly because of it. Drop the worry, embrace the positivity. 

It sounds a lot worse than it actually is!

I'm on Day 3 of Opti. The first few days is rough because your stomach is still expecting its usual volume of food (my stomach is expecting an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet), but every time I feel it grumble it reminds me that it's getting smaller, which will make the next day that much easier.

In addition to the shakes you're allowed 2 cups of broccoli, cucumber, celery, or green pepper a day. It doesn't sound like much but it helps to fill the gaps between shakes. I'm also drinking a lot of water.

It's not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it's doable. It sounds pretty daunting right now, but you're also not into the thick of things yet... once you start the Opti phase you realize how much is on the line and know that there's a end date in sight... your surgery!!! The motivation of getting to your surgery date as prepared and ready as you can be provides a huge psychological advantage that will help you get through.

I only had to do two weeks, but it was not as bad as i anticipated. I continued to cook for my husband with no problem. Most days i only had 3 shakes, broth and lots of water. You can do this.  

You can do it! Without sounding like a commercial, people do it everyday. You'll be amazed what your body can do when you're ready. I too had enormous fear, even regret during optifast, but by the end of day two was on my way. Still cooked for my family, still helped little kids with containers at work, without stealing their cookies! Lol! Your body will feel so good, you won't miss food! Best of luck!

Don't let this fear stop or derail you! I was on Opti for 4 weeks and I was a terror the whole time, but eventually you just stop thinking about it. It's hard, but the rewards are worth so much that the effort it takes seems small in comparison :)

You can do this. So many others have, before you. So many will, after you.

It is hard. I think that this "fear of failure" stems from having failed at so many weight loss attempts in the past.
 

You are not a freak. (well, maybe you are, but that's beside the point). Your stomach is likely as big as ours were, your hunger is as horrible as ours was.

It will be difficult. You will tear your hair out, and look at everything like its a piece of food, but (hopefully) that feeling will go away. You will have a headache, and feel like a ***** But you will survive. And THAT will make you feel like wonderwoman.

After surgery, you WILL NOT BE HUNGRY. During the surgery, the nerves to the stomach are cut (not on purpose, they just are, becuase of what happens during the surgery). It takes time for them to regenerate.

After surgery, you will need to remind yourself to eat. (a weird thought, i know.. but true).

 

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! We have faith in you! You can do hard things! You are worth it.

I am going to be as honest as possible and let you know thatI am on my last 2 days of opti and to be honest im actually use to it....but had you ask me this question 1 week ago i would have been telling you stay way...i was doing opti for 3 weeks and the first week was hard for me also due to the fact that it was the holidays and i wasent able to eat my usual christmas dinner but I got throught it...as some people have said it isnt easy but it really is doable...just put ur mind to it and anything is possible...i just kept focusing on how i good will feel after all of the opti and when i have my surgery the weight i will lose and how i will feel makes doing the opti easier everyday...so good luck and hopefully you make the right decision for you..

You'll be able to do the optifast, and you'll actually miss it when you are done.  Maybe not the flavor, but the lack of needing to plan what you eat.  That's what I miss the most about Opti.  The trick is to schedule your opti during the day.  Take a look at your normal day's activities and divide it into 5.  For me it was to have a shake at 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm and have a jello later on.  In between all of this, I'd be drinking crystal light iced tea.  I did mine for almost 3 weeks.  It wasn't so bad.  I had all chocolate, and didn't know about adding flavors at the time.  My first weekend of shakes, I had 3 family parties to go to, all of them with meals including tempting treats and dips.  I was able to give all that up and have a shake.  If I was able to do it, you will too.

Cathy

I am 7 weeks postop.  I was terrified of 3 weeks optifast. I went thru it with flying colors    2 things I needed   Number 1 I was committed it was time. Number 2 a special dispensation of grace I received both. This is a difficult program. I lost 20 lbs on opti. My point it is worth it