First day of Opti,
I'm in Saskatchewan and here we use a protein powder called Isoflex. Like a previous poster stated, I can only drink it super cold and I always add stuff to it. I buy the flavourings for water that you squirt into your water. I have added the sugar free country time lemonade to the vanilla as well as a tangerine orange (that tastes like a creamsicle). I have also add the orange to the chocolate powder to make a kind of chocolate orange. The other thing I've tried is freezing it. I put it in the freezer and then stir it about every 20 minutes for an hour or more and it turns into a kind of ice cream. The vanilla lemon is really good this way. Good luck - my surgery is June 17 so I have a ways to go as well.
Hey, we have the same surgery date!!!
I am going to try your ice cream method, sounds good! Today I added ice and it has been much more tolerable.
I will also pick up some mint extract on the way home, hopefully that will give it a little kick.
I will be thinking of you on surgery date! Good luck and update me on how you are doing!
Melissa
Jannie7- good tip about the Crystal Lite granules - picked up the Tangerine Grapefruit package, added one package to the vanilla SlimTime and a VERY small drip of LorAnne's Orange Flavour (found in Bulk Barn, tiny little bottles, but VERY powerful so be SPARING when you use them- usually found near the registers) - and added ice and cold water and blended - was actually able to get it down (and keep it down!) - Thanks! I also did what you suggested and left in freezer for half an hour so it was a "frosty" consistency and while still achingly sweet was palatable!
Optifast is ghastly. 
I thought I saw somewhere that they had reformulated it, but it sounds like they haven't (maybe in the States). I find with any of these shakes (and there will be whey protein shakes after surgery) that if you add some unsweetened cocoa powder and/or instant coffee granules, it cuts the sweetness and makes them a bit more palatable, whether you're starting with vanilla or with chocolate. If you can't find the decaf coffee granules, you can brew some decaf coffee, refrigerate it, and use it as the fluid in your shake.
But I'm going to be a troublemaker 
and give you some information I gleaned from a dietitian with a long list of credentials who has specialized in bariatric surgery for a decade. 
The point of the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver, and to do that you need a very low calorie diet (about 1000 cals/day) that's also very low in carbs (less than 50 grams/day) and high in protein. Optifast is a simple (not easy!) way to do that, but it isn't the only way. Any program that still requires Optifast despite new developments in bariatric surgery is simply sadistic.
In this dietitian's program they prescribe a pre-op diet as follows: 2 to 3 protein shakes (they use Orgain), 1 meal with less than 20 grams of carbs (e.g., chicken avocado salad), and a couple of low-carb snacks such as a cup of non-starchy veg, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, or a boiled egg.
In other words, if you stray from the Optifast but keep your calories and carbs down, you will be fine. Now, without a solid knowledge of nutrition, you might not be able to put together such a diet without a dietitian's help, but you really can't go wrong snacking on celery and cucumber if you're desperate for some crunch and some relief from the sweetness of your "meals." 
That sounds like a much more palatable way of dealing with this! My sister just told me about the Orgain protein powder (in the context for after my surgery)- not entirely sure if it is just available in the States or also here in Canada .... will be looking for it as she highly recommends it. I am unable to tolerate the vanilla no matter what I try (and there were some excellent suggestions to help with it)- it literally comes up as soon as it goes down. So I'm sticking to two chocolate Slimtime a day and supplementing that with the allowed broth and sugarless jello as well as sugarless gum. It's less than 600 calories a day but I'm doing ok on it - especially when I had a cup of instant decaf coffee to the mix with ice and water.
Yes, I wondered if Orgain is available in Canada. I also expect it's mega $$$. I've never tried (or heard of, for that matter) Slimline, but I did attempt an Optifast program a couple of times, and I sure felt the same about vanilla Optifast as you do about the vanilla Slimline! How can they make vanilla taste so awful???
I'm still pre-orientation and really dreading that part of the process. I've already done very low calorie diets (which just don't work outside of the context of bariatric surgery), and I'm not sure how I'll be able to face one again when the time comes for surgery. But I guess I'll do what I have to do. At least my program (Richmond, BC) has joined the 21st century and allows real food in its pre-op diet.
Sounds like you're doing well, given the cir****tances. Hang in there, and best of luck on your surgery! You're at least going to enjoy the weigh-in when you get there. 
[The deleted message below was a duplicate -- had trouble sending and ended up with two.]
Metamorphy1959 - good tips and you're lucky you have a chance to use real food! But I'm on Day 2 of the second week so will put my head down and keep at it! The only thing about a liquid diet is there is no real chance of "overdoing" the actual food - you're on all liquids - except jello (which is debatably "liquidy") so in that sense you aren't tempted to stray into things you shouldn't. If you can't drink it, you can't have it LOL - I also wonder (although if your hospital is using food, this is probably moot)- if they want your intestines as empty of anything as possible? As they're doing a pretty radical rerouting.... interesting though -
You're wise to stick with things. It's definitely the safest route to go. And if you've survived the first week, I'm sure you can do the second week. 
You're also getting practice for the first few weeks post-surgery, when you really do have to be on a liquid diet in order for your stomach to begin healing -- except you aren't as hungry! And yes, Jell-O is universally considered to be fluids and is allowed even on a clear fluids diet! I'm dreading that part of the process, too, mainly because I don't like sweet stuff and it's an awful lot of protein shakes. I plan to experiment with adding plain protein powder to broths and to see how that goes, although it won't be a good plan if my surgery's in the height of the summer...
As for clearing out one's guts, I expect that there will be some fasting (or maybe even purging) immediately before my procedure, but I don't have any information as yet about what or for how long. I just know that it doesn't have to be 2 weeks!
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