Really struggling with sticking to the Optifast

Hi everybody,

This is my first post on the site.........and I'm looking for help!!! I am to be on the Optifast for 4 weeks. I made it through 4 days without cheating (but really feeling weak) but have really messed up since then. Its now  Sunday and I haven't had a pure Optifast day since Thursday. And this is only the first week!!

I feel so deprived. And I know that's related to my binge eating disorder. I've lost 10lbs this first week but I reached that on day 5 and have been stuck there b/c I"ve cheated. Ugggggghhhh. I have been so committed to this whole process. I quit smoking almost 6 months ago after 22 years of smoking. I've started doing counselling, am in a group learning about Mindful Eating, etc etc.  And now I'm going insane with the cravings for real food, not just junk food but that too.

I hate the Optifast.....how it tastes. I have the chocolate. It tastes like chalk. The smell of it now makes me nauseous. I make it with icecubes, so that helped a bit. But I still hate it. I used peppermint extract a few times and that made it somewhat more bearable but I"ve run out now, so need to go get some more.

I'm so frstrated with myself.

One day at the time. You cannot give up now. If your liver is not the way it should be they will not do the surgery. This is important. Go for a walk. Have some water. Phone a friend. Look at options. This is not easy but you have no choice.

Hello Ovalspice. Good for you for reaching out for help. So I think you want us to tell you to get back at it and not cheat again. You can do this. Look at all the thinks you have accomplished to get this far. YOU CAN DO THIS!

 

I'm on day 13 but unlike you, I only have one more day to go. Surgery at Guelph Tues am. I must say, the 1st 4-5 days were the worst but once I got past that, it's not been bad. I could only get 3/day in the 1st week. Try it with cold coffee, almond extract, crystal light. A friend of mine had to hold her nose to get it down. Hopefully you don't have to resort to that. Good luck.

I hope your surgery goes well and your recovery is smooth.

Jenn.  :)

Hi Alice,

Sorry I didn't get you added to the list before your surgery. I found your posts when looking through threads.

did you end up with a RNY or a VSG hun?

I did add you to the list but only found a little info. If there is anything that needs to be updated please post in the thread or feel free to PM me.

Shell

You know I was like you in that I hated opti... I felt personal hatred for every envelope I drank.i made it so I could chug it down in less than two minutes every time. I knew however that the time could be measured in days and envelopes left. I had a goal and that was to have the surgery and be a happier healthier me. Once I realized in some sense I was grieving the lose of food without my one coping mechanism...food, I gave myself permission for everything I was feeling and savoured my one cup of broth per day. Crossed off each day as a triumph , had a birthday on opti and New Years... I chose to stay out of social settings... Be grumpy when I needed to be.

so stop the cheating now, because the only one you hurt is you and realize you've got plenty of time to make it right.

come on here and rant about how it sucks.... Because we know, we've been there... We all made it through... Some slipped some didn't, but in the end do it for you.

best of luck finding the path strong under foot

Kat

Welcome Ovalspice,

First of all you have made a commitment to yourself and this is part of it.  There is lots you can do to improve the taste and you can get through this. If you go onto the recipes group page there are lots of recipes to "fix up" the Opti.

How about mixing in a spoonful of Decaf instant coffee. Makes Lovely Ice Mocha, I got through the whole Opti phase using this.  

You can do this. It is all about commitment. Big Huge Hugs..........

Hi Ovalspice,

You didn't realize what a great role food played in your life until now.  You probably thought you did - I thought I knew that until I started Optifast.  I'm on day 7, and have 14 more days to go.  You missed out on three days,  but you have to get back on the wagon tonight.  No matter what.  If your liver isn't shrunk, the surgeons will have a much, much harder time and God forbid they might need to make more incisions and/or longer ones to do the operation.

You need some encouragement too - I'm sending hugs ((( ))) your way.  You quit smoking to do this!!!!!!!!!!!!  You can DO THIS!!!!  Opti can't be as hard as quiting smoking.  Talk to your therapist tomorrow and see them asap.

You need to talk to people who have done the Opti and are doing the Opti too.  We all struggle on Opti.  For me the headache is worse than the hunger, although I have woken up dreaming about eating half the time.  I handled the hunger by drinking a lot of peppermint tea, decaf, eating SF Jello, and making 'soup' out of PC Blue Menu Chicken Broth.  I add bay leaves, and fresh parsley, garlic, and thyme and simmer for a while.  Then, I strain out the herbs, and pretend I've got a meal.  Another really important thing I have to do is space out my Opti shakes properly so that I'm not ravenous and have to wait for an hour or more before it's 'time' for the next one.  I want real food too, but I know I if I can't hack the Opti, I won't do well with a RNY.

Another thing you need to do is get some SF flavour syrups for your Opti.  I use Da Vinci's hazelnut, orange, peppermint, caramel, and pumpkin pie.  There is a store in Markham called the Low Carb Grocery Store which sells 50 different flavours for $12.99/750ml bottle.  They use Splenda and you can flavour your post-op shakes with them.  Honestly, if you think Opti is awful, you will have some trouble drinking protein shakes post op too.  Whey protein isolate is an acquired taste, but you need to get used to the chalkiness.  

When you start to feel crappy on the Opti, don't try to 'fight it' like I did.  At first, I kept walking even though I was dizzy and had wobbly knees after 10 minutes.  Take it easy and have a nap if possible, it really helps pass the time!  Do what you can and try to get outside for at least 5-10 minutes a day so you aren't so depressed.  It helps to see that the world is still there and the sky hasn't fallen (well, it does for me, anyway).

Don't consider yourself deprived - just think of all the people in the world who don't have the wonderful opportunity to have surgery (and for free) that we have in Ontario.  Think of yourself as lucky. 

Jenn.  :)

use a straw

 

Laurie