Opti Positives

I have been on opti for 12 days now and I wanted to give everyone a little insight about opti, and that its not all bad! Going into opti I was nervous and doubted myself thinking I wouldn't be able to only drink shakes for 21 days, i thought this because of all the scary things I heard about opti. So for you pre-op people who are on your way to surgery and wondering about opti heres a list of the POSITIVES that I have encountered while on it.

1. Vanilla opti is NOT horrendous - as most people tell you vanilla is not that bad IF you mix it with something. For me, I bought crystal light's mango passion and absolutely love it

2. You aren't THAT hungry - for me it was all mind over matter. I knew that I was getting the nutrients I needed and the calories I needed. The protein content is high in each shake so it really does keep you full! 

3. No Cooking! - I loved that my kitchen was always clean! No dirty dishes, just a dirty blender :) 

4. No Side Effects - now I know some people have side effects to Opti (dizziness, headaches, etc.) - I, luckily, have not had any side effects - so know that it doesn't affect everyone negatively

5. Fiber is your best friend - I have been adding fiber powder to my shakes to maintain healthy bowel movements. No constipation and no diarrhea 

6. Water is also your best friend - In between shakes if you are feeling hungry, just drinking water has really helped me curb the cravings! Remember its all mindfulness. 

7. Weight loss! - Now thats the best part ;) Some people don't lose weight, some people lose more than others. But when you see that scale move even the slightest you know that this is the first step to WLS :) 

Hope this has eased all of your anxieties about opti, for those of you that haven't started it yet :) 

-Michelle

I believe we started Opti at the same time.  I definitely agree there are both positives and negatives.  For me, the biggest positive has been the scale - 15 lbs so far in 11 days.  My diahrrea has subsided.  Really agree with the fiber comment, use it to maintain consistency.  I have found that the hunger is still there for me, but keep in mind the end goal. 

I really don't like the vanilla, so I just mix it with the chocolate and mix two servings at once.  No additives for me, haven't had anything that I seem to like, and didn't want to experiment too much since this is short term pain for long term gain. 

Glad to hear things are going well for you, Michelle!

I actually preferred the vanilla for the first few days. Then I had a bad one, and I couldn't stomach it after that.

I did 2 weeks and purchased 2 boxes of each flavour and there was no way I could drink the second box of vanilla. The pharmacy wouldn't let me exchange it, but they did allow me to buy a box of chocolate without having to get another prescription for it ;)

I was on the optifast for four weeks, up until my surgery on May 6th.  I couldn't stand the vanilla, and actually drank all of them first, so to get rid of them.  Once I switched to the chocolate, I really enjoyed it and was glad I was done with the vanilla.  The only problem I had was the first week, I had a fair amount of cramps but they went away.  Once I was done, I had dropped about 35lbs there alone...

Dave

What fiber powder do you buy Michelle and from where?

here is the link for the one i buy :) 

http://www1.shoppersdrugmart.ca/en/Health-And-Pharmacy/Everyday-Medicines-And-First-Aid/Antacids-And-Laxatives/products/68/057800233817

lol I work at SDM, so I should be able to find this when my time comes......Thanks!

Good points and tips here! I found the best thing about Opti was no preparation or shopping involved. It's not really like you have to cook to have such an unsatisfying "meal"

You are doing great so far, keep it up!!

You missed my favorite.  No trying to figure out what you're going to have for your next meal.  I miss that part of it.  I knew what my meals were for the almost 3 weeks.  It was nice.

I just thought of it as a milkshake treat (I have a hard time with milk) that I could drink.  As long as it was really cold and well mixed it was nice.

Cathy

Thank you so much for posting something positive about Opti.  I start Opti on June 12 and really needed to read your post.  I was getting terrified after reading other posts.  But with your words of encouragement I know I can do this - thanks again!