I cheated on the Opti, how will I manage after surgery?

i am on day 4 of Opti.

day 1 and 2 - I only managed 1 pouch

day 3 - i made it through two pouches but I warmed it in tea and am now told that could denature the proteins and is not the right way to use it.

day 4 - the smell has me wretching, and although it sounds like a crutch a good friend died after a medical procedure yesterday and I am reeling. I ate some hummus and low fat cheese with cucumber for breakfast and a handful of almonds - it has stopped the headache I have had for the last three days - but feeling defeated by Opti

how will I do post surgery, what do you do when challenged?

I'm sorry to hear about your friend. You cannot survive on anything less than 3 pouches a day. Use a straw blend with ice and add whatever flavours you need to get it down. It gets easier trust me. DO NOT cheat again. It's done and over. Move on. Drink your shakes. You haven't come this far just to throw it all away now. Good luck.

Hello!

Optifast is not fun... We all have difficulty with our pre op Opti. You have to persevere and make it work. It is very important and prepares you for the hard work and perseverance following your surgery.

I measured 300 ml of water and added the powder to the shaker, added crushed ice and gave it a good slake. I didn't find it bad... A little cold in December...

Took it at 8 am, 12 noon 4 pm & 8 pm. I drank warm tea or broth in between.

It is very important that you do this every day.

I did not find that I was hungry but it definitely got easier by the 5th day... I did it for 21 days!

You can do this!

If you want to be successful, you have to. Conquering head hunger will always be a challenge, even after surgery.

I don't regret this decision ever... There will be much hard work ahead of you!

Losing weight is amazing !

Good luck

Sandra

Mahalo

I am in for 21 days too, or 17 after my slip today.

I can do this one pouch at a time!

"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."

Thanks for the responses - I have got this!

Hi there - I admire your honesty and coming here for help. I'm also sorry to hear about your friend - that's got to be playing on your mind. Be strong, you got this.

Have you tried mixing the Opti with water and lots of ice in a blender? I couldn't (no matter what) drink the opti any other way. I would try and I'd gag - to the point of almost throwing up and that was only a few sips.

Some use sugar free syrups to help with the taste. This didn't work for me. No matter what I didn't like the taste.

I would mix one pouch of opti with water and lots of ice in a magic bullet and blend well. Then I would plug my nose and chug it as quickly as I could and chase with water before I unplugged my nose. It wasn't something I enjoyed but it really did help with the hunger.

If your head gets to you and you are thinking of cheating try some things to distract you until it passes because it will pass. I've done these things: give myself a mani or pedi, have a bubble bath, adult colouring book, go for a walk, organize some drawers, etc. I stay away from the triggers that made me eat such as watching a movie, being on my laptop etc.

Hope this helps and hang in there - you really do have this! And trust me it's so worth it - I'm 10 months out, down 120lbs and went from a size 24/4x to a size 10/Large. It's incredible!!

Hugs

Thanks for your response, I am glad to know I am not alone.

willing to try every strategy, congrats on your success!

Great attitude to have. I am so sorry about your friend.

My first opti almost made me cry because it tasted so awful. I used tap water and didn't have any ice.

Once I was able to use bottled water and ice in a shaker cup, it tasted so much better. I used almost an entire 500 ml bottle of water, 3 or 4 large ice cubes (or 10 or more small ones), shook the heck out of it, and it tasted so much better that I came to like it. It had to be ice cold in order to go down or I couldn't do it.

It will get better, and you've got this.

I'm 7 weeks post op and down 58 Lbs since Opti. I could never have done that without Opti, and surgery. I needed 3 weeks of Opti and at first it seemed like I"d be on Opti forever, but before I knew it, it was the day before surgery and I was on my last opti. Time passes no matter what, so may as well make it count :-).

Good luck,

Kathy

Thank you, I too have three weeks of Opti - I think the extra fluids really help - maybe the consistency and smell were so off putting.

congratulations and continued success!

Thank you, and good luck! You're going to be amazed by the changes you'll see in yourself. Opti is the first step to a whole new you.