Looks like no more Opti for me...

I'm sorry to hear you're having such struggles with Opti. It's never an easy transition to something new.

This process is not an easy one for sure. I'm 5 days post op and clinging to the "it gets better" philosophy.

It will get better and easier. It will be all worth it. *hugs*

Thanks Oneatatime! I can imagine the hardest parts are yet to come and let's just say I haven't impressed myself today with how I'm handling this.

I thought I might be having a bad reaction to the Benefiber I've been adding to each Opti shake so cut that out and am finishing my Opti for the day. If I still have the breathing restrictions after that then I will have to throw in the towel and switch to the protein fast.

Keep a positive attitude and truly take it one day at a time! We will get through it. One foot in front of the other.

That's so interesting. It sounds similar to what I experience when I eat/drink aspartame, acesulfame-k, or sucralose. It feels like it takes my breath away for a few moments whenever I have a sip/bite of something with sweetener. In my case I have no idea if it is an allergy, a sensitivity or even psychosomatic, but it is interesting to know that others also have similar issues.

It sucks that you had kind of gotten into the groove with the Opti and now you need to switch it up, but I am sure that after you've had a chance to digest (pardon the pun) the information, you will rock the new eating plan just as well as you were rocking Opti.

You got this.

It's a total bummer! Ugh. I'm getting used to the idea but it is a pain. Opti is so easy to follow. This is going to take some real discipline, creativity and focus to get through. Mind over matter I guess.

Its strange about the sweeteners because I e never had issues in the past. It could just be the volume of sweetener. There's A LOT in these shakes, plus I was eating sugar free jello. Maybe just too much for me. I personally think sweeteners are garbage for our bodies (no offence to anyone who likes them!!) and try not to have them anyway. I had just resigned that they were part of the process but clearly my body had other ideas!

I totally get it, but don't make this about yourself. This is not a time for self recrimination. Honestly, the next few weeks are tough. This is a time to be kind to yourself. And yes, evaluate and reset...

While I really enjoyed the Opti, I had to seek advice and go in Benefibre; a lifetime first for me. I had a moment of panic (I'll tell the story openly one day!).

Now, post op, I thought it would be smooth sailing. I know it's going to get better... but it's sure difficult to figure out how to navigate these unknown waters.

I know it's worth it. I know it's going to all get better. This is going to be a distant memory and so will your pre-surgery stage.

Today was harder than yesterday, so I relied more on my family, I took a nap, I called the TWH hotline for advice, I cried a bit... but I still don't regret it. I am just feeling the emotion of the day, moving forward, being patient with the process and myself.

((hugs)) You got this

Awww HUGS to you!!! That sounds rough but you have such a great attitude and kudos for looking for help when you need it. It certainly is uncharted waters isn't it? I'm coming around to the idea of the protein fast. I was super against aspartame before and had to let that go to accept the Opti phase so maybe it's a blessing in disguise.

Keep up the good work! Cry when you need to and keep reaching out for help too.

PS - I may be familiar with your Opti struggle. I took your post seriously when I saw you addded Benefiber to your shakes and wished you did it from day one. When I got pregnant and had the initial hormone shift my body responded with such wicked constipation that I needed a fleet enima. It was a terrifying experience and seriously unpleasant before I got relief. So I took your warning to heart!! Lol

Thanks girl. The protein fast will be great. I found once I was in ketosis for a few days, my hunger was pretty much gone. So the little bit of food won't be like it was before... it shouldn't be a struggle.

My Opti struggle and benefibre. Ok, oversharing. Lol. I was blocked, then I had the "other" problem (the big D), but was also still blocked... so ended up with leakage. (The D started seeping around the block.). Uhhh, I was panicking!!! The benefibre totally fixed both problems. Lol

This journey!!! It's crazy!!!

Hang in there!

Haha. Poo panick of any kind is the worst!!! I'm glad you found something that worked.

Im actually starting to wonder if I'm allergic to the Benefiber. I feel like I'm being Dr. House here but it's made from Chickory Root which is in the ragweed family so it's possible that's what's causing my breathing problems and not the Opti at all. Im going to try Opti without Benefiber tomorrow and see how I do. If I'm still getting the tightness in the chest I'll know it's the sweetners in the Opti. Wish me luck!

Good luck!

Lol @ Dr House. Yes, all those hidden allergens are really something to be quite vigilant about.

No one had more Diet Coke's than me or with rum in them- lol .. only a few ;) haha.. anyways... all of the sudden I couldn't have anything with aspartame and then I found out recently that it's also Sucralose. I think it happens maybe your body is full of aspartame in it reacts but I can't go near the stuff no fake sugars! Stevia is ok but man is it sweet!!