Optifast 800 struggles

I am one week out from my surgery and am Optifast to shrink my liver.  I've been on this for about a week and I'm really struggling.  Anyone else have issues with this? Any suggestions on what might help?  I'm on 4 packets, one bar and minimum 64 oz water.

Everyone one does, you are definitely not alone. There are a lot of different programs. Mine was four shakes a day +1 cup of broth +1 serving of sugar free jello for three weeks. I spaced the shakes out 8am, noon, 4pm, and 8pm.

id use the broth and jello to get me through in between shakes. So maybe you can break the bar in two to spread it out a bit?

The other thing you'll have to do, is just white knuckle it until the next shake. You have to distract yourself. For me, that meant : logging on here, making a list of reasons i was having surgery and referring to it, and looking at wls accounts on instagram. You'll have to find what works for you.

I'm not quite three months post op, and the pre op diet is already a distant memory. By far it was the most challenging part. Stick to it, and you'll be on the other side before you know it!

Hello MsKitty

I'm on Optifast 900, 4 shakes a day, 1 cup of broth or 1 sugar free popcycle per day. I am on day 21 with only 7 more days including today, our surgeries our on the same day. I won't even try to sugar coat it, the first few days were rough and then I struggled again on day 12, I questioned what I was doing and why. How easy it would be to just have a bite of something and not tell anyone, at the end of the day, that's how I got to where I am. It does get easier. I never thought 21 days ago I'd make it this far but I have and I'm so close to the finish line now, as are you. I've mentioned in another post but I find crushed ice with Crystal light poured over it and eaten with a spoon helps me through the hardest of times. 

Good luck 

Thanks for this. I'm just so crazy hungry at night- I think I will try and space my shakes/drinks out more. I cheated and ate two tic tacs and one extra bar yesterday and immediately felt guilty!  I called the nurse this morning and she laughed- made me feel a little better!

Is the issue you're running into hunger, how you feel or not liking the shakes? I can offer a suggestion for the last. I used a Nutribullet to blend my shakes super frothy and then froze them like ice cream or put them in the fridge to make a mousse-like texture. Changing the texture helped a lot. I also used calorie-free/no-carb flavorings to change the flavors of them. 

For not feeling well, I had to make Tylenol my best friend for both weeks of my pre-op diet to kill the headaches and body pain but by mid-second week it was a lot better. For hunger, I made sure to space and schedule my shakes and water so that I always was drinking something when awake, and I started my post-op vitamins ahead of schedule because it gave me something to chew on when I was sick of drinking.

It's hard to get through but it REALLY helps with the post-op lifestyle when you're on liquids and then full liquids for weeks after. 

Hello, I just had my surgery Nov 16.  My optifast experience wasn't bad.  Although I wasn't drinking enough water, that's for sure.   I did the jello once in awhile and a few broths.  Some days i only had 3 shakes instead of 4 because i was out and forgot.  What bar are you having?  They never told me about any bar?  I hope things get better for you!

Julie