Adding flavour to Optifast

Hey all! 

I know that some of you have been posting about Vanilla Optifast being the spawn of satan.. so I ask.. what are you tricks of drinking the vanilla optifast? I know some of you add flavours, blend with ice, etc! 

Just would like to get some ideas! 

YIKES  I just starting my journey and not going to be drinking , eating, mixing this Optifast for awhile...BUT from all the posts I see on here about it I am NOT looking forward to it...it sounds horrid....especially the VANILLA...I am taking notes and compiling a recipe binder for when I get to have these special meals LOL...

Good luck

I did a lot to make the vanilla palatable. The chocolate wasn't too bad but I still added extra water.

First, I dumped the packet into a HUGE shaker (2+ cups in size). I added about 7-8 ice cubes, and then filled to the top with water. Essentially, by doing this, I doubled the amount of water (either in the form of ice or water itself) 'required'... it was too thick and gross with the prescribed amount of water. Ick! I wouldn't have ever gotten it down! Blend until you have ice chips in the mix and you're good to go.

Into mine, I added a splash of SF syrups or extract. I had three I loved: Raspberry (syrup), Caramel (syrup), and Coconut (extract). The caramel was my 'breakfast' shake. The Raspberry or Coconut was my lunch; I was in Florida at the time and I'd sit out by the pool sipping the frothy mixture, and pretending it was a sinful coconut beach treat! And I'd have another one later in the evening, whichever flavour I hadn't yet used that day. I know somewhere on these forums there's a list of recipes for the Opti. I don't have the link on me at the moment though. Maybe someone else does?

Wishing you luck!

I am on my last week of Opti and I actually like the vanilla better than the chocolate.  After day 1 and I tried both of them plain, that was the last.  Coffee is ok but every shake I have had since has a 1/2 sleeve of crystal light in it.

Check out the Ontario Recipes board (http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/ontario_recipes/discussion/)  it has a topic on there for surviving Optifast.

I just had chocolate (didn't trust the vanila flavoring as I hadn't tried it) and mixed it with really cold water in a shaker.  Basically, I had my shake, washed the shaker filled it up with water and put it in the fridge until it was time for the next shake.  I don't have access to ice at work, and I was able to do it this way.  It actually wasn't too bad.  I didn't know about adding flavors until after WLS.  Some days I miss Opti, well, the not thinking or planning of meals part was the best.

Cathy

I actually liked the chocolate flavour, it reminded me of frozen hot chocolate. I say frozen because I *never* had an Optifast that wasn't blended with ice. I don't think I could have done it. I wasn't working so it was okay for me to do that, and I'm thankful.

I found Crystal Light made it too sweet. My favourite way of dealing with the vanilla was adding the ice, of course and a heaping teaspoon of decaf coffee crystals, then blending. The last few days I only had my vanilla this way. I did have some extracts - orange, lemon and maple - but I found none of them disguised the cake batter taste like the coffee did.

I also bought myself a sort of adult sippy cup to drink them from, from Winners. I kept it in the fridge between shakes and that helped keep them frozen, and having the straw meant I didn't have to smell them. Some say that is the worst part for them.

It'll be done before you know it!

this may be a silly question..but what are decaf coffee crystals?? is it like the coffee grinds??

Oh wow, no, it's not something people use much these days, but stuff like Nescafe? Generally called "Instant". It's literally dehydrated coffee.

AHHH okay!!! lol! 

I would check with your centre before adding the SF syrups to the optifast.  When I bought mine I asked the nurse who was explaining what I can and can't have while on the optifast if I could use the SF syrups she told  me to stay way from them we can't use them...... I know each centre is different I am out of Guelph.  I don't start my opti until June 12, I have tasted both favors before, my brother has also had this surgery and had some left over and he gave them to me.......I was not a fan of the chocolate  but liked the vanilla.