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7/22/12 3:47 P

PHINBIN -( by the way, whata does that stand for)
Hello, tomorrow we start four weeks of transition. We trade two optifast products for 3.5 ounces of protein and 1/2 cup of vegetables (cooked only). It actually ends up being slightly less calories. It actually also lowers the carbs. I will keep you posted if you like.

Yes, I also agree that moderate carbs in the long run will be best. My problem is always the crummy carbs, not good vegetables, etc. I still need to lose more weight and hope that if I can switch to low carb and continue on thru maintenance I will still weigh in weekly and have some control.

I too have gained and lost the same pounds, but unfortunately always added even more. I realize I need to get a grip this time.

About the National Weight Loss Registry,do you mean that Optifast has the greatest number of people on it compared to other diets?

Thanks for your comments, I have read them over a few times and they are very helpful!

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7/10/12 6:04 P

Marsha, before today I might have agreed with you 100% that a very low carb diet is the way to proceed, but our group leader has done a good job challenging this. The science is suggesting that a moderate carb approach is probably best for the long term. My other leaning, however, has been toward a more plant-based approach, if for no other reason than because of sheer volume of food. Portion control has always been my biggest problem, and mabe I just don't have the confidence that I can actually change this about myself. OTOH, I am open to all possibilities, since whatever I've done in the past has not succeeded. I've gained and lost the same 50 lbs over and over again, and I just don't want to do it again.

It was reinforced in our meeting today that the #1 factor in body weight is genetics. Then comes environment. And then comes lifestyle and behavioral patterns around food. I liked hearing this because it does and doesn't let me off the hook. It tells me that I will have to choose a much more vigilant lifestyle here on in. As a psychologist, I've always been wary of such suggestions, since food hypervigilance is a feature of eating disorders. But the truth of the matter is, obesity is just as much a disorder of eating, bringing with it a whole slew of comorbidities, no less serious than anorexia or bulimia related comorbidities, physical AND psychological.

The program I'm in has the geatest number of people on the National Weight Loss Registry. They must be doing something right, and it feels really really good to be able to put my trust in them. I take comfort in this, if for no other reason, than because what I am learning in this program is resonating very loudly and clearly with what I've suspected in my gut for a really long time now.

BTW, I just had my fourth optifast shake of the day. It was a pre-made chocolate shake that I put in the freezer for a couple hours, and then ate it with a spoon. It was pretty good. Highly recommend.

Posts: 151
7/10/12 3:41 P

Hello all -

This is day 1 for me with Optifast. I started it as a last resort and truly wanted to get the excess weight off in a somewhat healthy fashion. I am doing the program at a Kaiser in Northern California. I like that I'm checking in weekly at a medical facility. I am particularly excited that I am already taking less meds and am looking forward to being med free and healthy.

Pounds lost: 25.8

0 34.5 69 103.5

138

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7/8/12 2:45 P

Hello Phinbin,
Yes I agree with you on your comments re the Paleo diet. the dietician also repeated the same thing to us about plenty of carbs, etc. During transition I plan to switch to low carb as I have only lost 16 lbs so far and have only 2 more full weeks left. I am 66 yrs old and still have at least 20 more I would like to get rid of. This has been an extremely slow process for me so I don't want to switch to maintenance soon.

Any comments anyone? I would appreciate any thoughts on this.
Marsha271

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7/8/12 11:21 A

Your story sounds very similar to mine. And I, too, am ready to put an end to the chronic dieting. It's like I know how to outsmart almost any system. But you can't outsmart five shakes a day and zero calorie liiquids and gum in between. And this is hard for me because it is so black and white. And also, part of the problem is that I basically don't believe that the diet prescribed by the ADA and AHA are the best in that I think saturated fat has been unduly villainized. So, it is going to be interesting going through the post-fast phase with the optifast dietician advising us to eat a diet high in fiber, fruits and complex carbs, low in saturated fats, high in lean meats, when that goes counter to everything I believe about proper human nutrition. I'm very convinced that the paleo approaches are ideal, and it will be interesting to see how that will fly.

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7/8/12 11:10 A

Another interesting addition to my arsenal during the liquid fast: leek broth.

I too the recipe from the "French women don't get fat" website. I added some things to it to make it a little more interesting, a bay leaf, 4 garlic cloves, some peppercorns.

Basically, you get 2-3 lbs of leeks, chop off most of the green segment, cut the white portion in half lengthwise and wash well. I soaked them in salt water the rinsed them, opening up the individual flaps to let the water run through. Then I chopped them up and rinsed them one more time. Put them in a big soup pot with the rest of the ingredients and a scan teaspoon of sea salt. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Pour off the liquid and reserve the leeks. You can make a quick salad of the cooked leeks for the rest of the family by tossing it with a title lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. You drink a cup of the broth between shakes for something warm and soothing. Also, it is mildly diuretic, so it will help in reducing water weight.

Posts: 7
7/6/12 7:05 P

The pavlovian theory sounds interesting definitely going to read that pdf today :o)

I started optifast because I'm a binge eater. With every other diet I can essentially still binge. With WW on fruit with atkins on meat, etc. At no point do I need to stop eating and of course at some point it turns into a real binge where I start adding back on a kg a week again.

This has to end. I'm tired of being the honorary fat person. Part of the big girl team. I'm also tired of my family kindly supporting me through 8 different diets a year to only have me get larger every year.

I want to be "normal". With Optifast there isn't room for a binge and I'm one step closer to getting my relationship with food under control.

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7/6/12 8:02 A

Things that help me (in no particular order):

1) Gulping water (as Marsha suggested)

2) Keeping it simple. I do 4 pre-mixed boxes and 1 powder a day, all chocolate. The powder I make into a "frappucino" with whatever coffee (black and strong) I have left over from my morning cup. I do this in the afternoon, at around 3, which for me is "slump time".

3) Letting family and friends know that I need to avoid food orgy situations for the next good while, and asking them to support me.

4) Hint Fizz unsweetened sodas. It's amazing how they will hit the spot when I need something other than plain water.

5) Trident sugar free gum. Cinnamon.

6) Leaving the house between feedings.

7) Needlepoint. Keeps my hands and mind busy. It's creative but not to stimulating, something to focus on. I love teaching myself new Bargello techniques.

8) Green veggies broth. When I cook broccoli or broccoli rabe for the family, I boil it in extra water. It makes a nice, warm broth. I add a little lemon juice. No calories and something a little different. Hasn't disturbed weight loss at all.

9) Taking one product each day with my nose clipped. Look up "Shangrila Diet" if you're interested in learning why I do this. The idea is to disconnect the flavor-calorie association in the brain. This, apparently, will help reset the body's set point, and will help break stalls. Here's a link to a paper written by Seth Roberts, who is a research psychologist, and who developed the Shangri La approach. http://media.sethroberts.net/about/whatmakesfoodfattening.pdf

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7/4/12 11:50 P

Hello Bittersweet,
At one of my weekly meetings they told us that if we felt hungry to GULP down a regular bottle of water (16.9oz). Sometimes that helps. Also after a week the hunger will go away. So hang in there and don't cheat! Cheating in the beginning set up a very bad habit.

Good luck, you can make it.

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7/4/12 5:48 P

I started Optifast because I need to keep it simple. I have done so many diets in the past and felt so overwhelmed. With Optifast I just have to make sure I have put my boxes in the fridge and when the time comes shake it up and put the straw in and drink. I did try the powdered Optifast you have to mix but I don't like the taste of them so even though it is more expensive I am going with the ready to drink boxes. In my opinion they taste way better. I am only on day 4 and right now my tummy is growling very severely but I am not tempted to cheat. I have a thing I have started doing with the webcam on my laptop. When I am hungry and drinking water does not help I get on my laptop webcam and look at my fat face and that is a great appetite killer. Why I did not think to do that before is beyond me lol.

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7/2/12 11:15 P

Congratulations on starting Optifast and on your first loss! This is an exciting time for you. The longer you are on it the easier it gets. I too have tried every diet and chose Optifast because it was so restrictive. That way I didn't have to make any decisions and my family eventually got the picture.

I learned in my meetings that it is extremely important to get off to a good start and not have anything other than optifast products. It is difficult, but so worth it! It gets you started with a good foundation and not deviating from the program.

Good luck!

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6/27/12 8:10 A

Hello. I'm new to Optifast. I started a week ago at 83.4 kg and weighed in today at 80.0. I decided on Optifast because it's time for me to get serious about my health. I need to lose another 20 kg in total. I have tried everything else, and other than very spartan portions of lean meats and greens nothing has helped. I need a break from thinking about food, planning, cooking separately for myself. Also, I need those around me to understand that this is serious and they will have to support me. If it has the label of "medical" then friends and family will understand why I don't show up at holiday food orgies, or if I do, why I don't partake. There is no discussion.

Also, it has become a medical matter. My recent blood work showed the beginnings of metabolic syndrome. I'm at the exact age where most of the women in my family begin to devolve into obesity and poor health. I want to nip it at the bud. I have two small children and a lot to do still before throwing in the towel.

I went to my first meeting yesterday. It was interesting because in many ways, the leader wasn't saying anything that I hadn't read or researched myself. But a few things that I had always thought were finally hit home.

1) The environment is working against weight loss, but you can do some things to control your personal environment.

2) Trigger foods are trigger foods. Everyone has different ones. If a food is a trigger, it is not likely that one will be able ever to eat it in moderation. There are certain things I just can't keep in the house.

3) Mindless eating is a behavior that isn't really food-dependent. Even mindlessly eating carrots and celery reinforces the behavior of mindless eating.

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1/2/12 4:43 P

Congratulations to everyone's success with Optifast. If you're on the Optifast recipe's page you'll see that I'm in the sixth week of the twelve week fast and am down almost 30 lbs.
To answer that initial question about why going on Optifast was because I needed a break from things like counting calories or "points". I'm on the 6 servings per day plan at the moment and wish I'd done this sooner. Just the idea that I can finally have smaller servings without being robbed of vitanutrients is simply exhilarating.

Happy New Year.

Namaste

current weight: 275.5

287 261.5 236 210.5

185

Posts: 1,274
12/8/11 8:34 A

I am just finishing 16 weeks on 6 products a day and nothing else. Now we start exchanging one product for a 250 calorie meal. In two weeks we will exchange another meal, etc.

current weight: 158.9

288 249.75 211.5 173.25

135

Posts: 1,274
12/8/11 8:33 A

I am just finishing 16 weeks on 6 products a day and nothing else. Now we start exchanging one product for a 250 calorie meal. In two weeks we will exchange another meal, etc.

current weight: 158.9

288 249.75 211.5 173.25

135

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12/8/11 2:16 A

I am on a combination diet of Optifast 3 times a day and eating only a total of 1200 calories. Just started this and was wondering if anyone else has does this?

Pounds lost: 1.0

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Posts: 1,274
11/5/11 1:03 A

Frankly, I felt like I was dying bit by bit with every pound I added. When I found out that my medical coverage offered a comprehensive, supervised and supportive plan, I went for it. I knew nothing about Optifast but took a leap of faith. Now I am off insulin injections, off oral diabetes meds, off two of my three blood pressure meds!

current weight: 158.9

288 249.75 211.5 173.25

135

Posts: 1,070
10/10/11 7:01 P

I'm deciding to give Optifast a 100% because every other diet I've tried, I have failed.

Time to get serious, very serious.

Posts: 216
5/12/11 12:25 A

One of my family members was on this diet, and a friend of hers before that.
I was attracted to Optifast for several reasons;
1) I see a doctor every week
2) there are goals set out for long-term maintenance
3) the doctor I'm with was the instigator of Optifast diets, started them in 1992 at the hospital he still works and so has the greatest experience with this program
4) I've seen the results first-hand

I'm inspired by your stories here, even the ones of struggle. Keep up the good work!

Pounds lost: 26.0

0 16.5 33 49.5

66

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3/19/11 10:03 P

Hey...I picked Optifast after Googling diet,doctor surgery etc. I saw this is what doctors put patients on to loose weight before surgery. I saw that is highly successful and cases studies show most keep the weight off. Alot more than other diets. Also more people stick to it due to the huge numbers lost in a fast time. Motivation in its self. I had surgery on my Uterus in Jan 2010. I was 95kg(210lb). I weighted at the end of 2010 at 104kg(229). Since Xmas Ive put on more. I weight 112.3kg(249) on Monday! My heaviest ever!!! I had gained 17kg(38lb) since my surgery in 14months! 19lbs of that in just the last 3months! The numbers stagger me still. I was out of control and have a problem with food and drink. I cant deny that any longer. I want to remove food from my life and start learning how to deal with it from scratch and see good motivating progress along the way. That's why its Optifast for me :)

current weight: 192.0

246 222 198 174

150

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2/19/11 9:46 P

Great for you!!!! Congratulations on losing 50 pounds!!! I'm only day 2 but I picked Optifast because a friend of mine did it and lost 70 pounds. I needed something that would work! I am just hoping and praying I can keep it up. I have to to become healthy.

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2/11/11 10:40 A

I am curious why did everyone start using Optifast, I mean there are a million diets out there, what made you guys jump on board the Optifast train?

For me I was researching it for years, then all of a sudden I could feel my body telling me that I couldn't wait any longer to do something. So I found a clinic closest to me, which was hard since I live in the Bahamas and we don't have an Optifast Clinic. I decided to go back to West Palm Beach, where I went to college and my sister still lives and the rest is history. Some how I knew Optifast would work for me.

Please share your reasons....