Any Optifast users out there?

lolacan

Can anyone tell me how to use optifast? I ordered it but not sure if I do the shakes only or how many. I need to lose 50lbs.

Notsobigfella

Just have three of the shakes per day plus at least 2 cups of low starch veges and at least 2 litres of water a day. If you can exercise too the weight will fall off. The first 3-5 days are tough but stick with it, it's worth it. Good luck!

KrazyKlown75

Hardest thing I ever done (especially the first week). But most rewarding thing I have ever done.

I am on the tail end of week 3 (started 12/12). First week weigh in was -11 lbs. Due to my Doc being out for the holiday I have to go 2 weeks without and "official" weigh in (official is at the doctors office, unofficial is with our bathroom scale). Unofficially I have lost another 18 lbs in the last 11 days.

I only do the Optifast shakes and bars. 3 shakes 2 bars a day. 6 am shake, 10 am bar, 1 pm shake, 4 pm bar, 7 pm shake. 820 calories a day. Not cheated once.

Water was hard too. I drink a gallon a day. Every 2 hours (from 5 am to 7 pm) my alarm on my phone goes off and I drink a bottle of water (16.9 oz). That has become easier now.

Another hard part was exercise. Getting this 341 lbs moving was a chore. I do have an elliptical, and the doc said to start with 15 minutes a day. After that first day I renamed it ElliptiHell. My thighs where killing me. But I stuck with it, everyday. After a week my thighs stopped hurting. Then I went 15 minutes + 1 song, then +2 songs. Then 20 minutes and everyday pushing a little bit further. I am up to 30 mins in the morning and another 30 in the evening. One of these days I'll be brave enough to get some batteries and turn the damn thing on. Yep still at 0 resistance but I'm still sweating like a pig after 30 minutes.

tawpilot

Just started Optifast. (Day after Christmas)... Trying to lose 50lbs

First week has been rough. Looking forward to first official wiegh in in a couple of days.

I'm on 5 shakes a day. Haven't started incorporating any additional excercise into my routine yet.

Dani_elle81

I started the day after Christmas and I am happy to report that today is Day 5 and I am down 6lbs. I feel great too, no more cravings at all!

Happy New Year to all! So glad to have found this group chat!

septembergrrl

I would bet a nickle half the people in this thread either work for Optifast or got some kind of incentive from them to post here. Please cut it out.

KrazyKlown75

I would bet a nickle half the people in this thread either work for Optifast or got some kind of incentive from them to post here. Please cut it out.

That would really suck if that where true. I for one do not work for nor get anything for posting here other than to keep my motivation going and maybe let others who are on the same journey they are not alone. Though I wouldn't mind a little kick back, since I spend $120 a week on this (food + Dr visit co-pay).

Dani_elle81

Agreed, that would stink if people were doing that here. I certainly am shelling out plenty of money for this. Although, my insurance is picking up the fees for the doctor visits/tests. I think I would be more upset by the fact that people come here for support, as do I. If people are "fake" here it will not benefit anyone. I like to think positive thoughts though and I hope that no one in this group is lying. Negative thoughts wont help anyone!

christygb

It is wonderful to find people who are currently participating in an Optifast program! I just went to my first group meeting last Thursday and then start Optifast 70 in a few days. Currently I'm journaling my food and exercise. I'm scared and excited at the same time about the fast, but I'm very impressed with the level of group and individual support I'll receive over the next year and a half through my program. And I'm absolutely not getting paid (LOL). I am very happy to have found this thread and would love to be able to participate in a supportive environment for people who are walking the same path. Happy New Year to everyone!:flowerforyou:

SW: 257 lbs.
CW: 249 lbs.
GW: 140 lbs
Blog: Optifast Adventurer: http://optifastadventurer.blogspot.com/

christygb

I'm still learning how to reply to posts, sorry for the duplicate.:blushing:

C

JosiBella

Hey guys, I've just started the Optifast VLCD again after my 4 week stint was ruined by the dreaded xmas dinner Whenever I log my food and exercise on here it always tells me the calories are too low and my body might go into starvation mode. Is it reason for concern? Anyway, feel free to add me -I could certainly do with some extra motivation Stay classy!

lolacan

Im just starting Optifast. Tell me how you handle making your family meals and not eating any of it. Any suggestions? I usually taste everything either out of habit or hunger or whatever. I think that is going to be a challenge while on Optifast.

KrazyKlown75

As far as cooking for the family I time it so it is time for me to have my shake or bar, not as tempted to try some if I am having my food. Sunday is bacon for breakfast for the rest of the family so she cooks it and I go exercise. I noticed the smell of food has changed for me, tho the bacon still smells good but it just smells really salty now.

When you are logging your Optifast for the day it will say you are eating to little but that is ok, for the program that we are on.

I'm in it for the long haul and I know this is just a start to my lifestyle change. This is really helping me look at food in a different way. It is challenging but it has gotten much better now that I can have select veggies (I'm on week 4). I come here all the time and look at peoples success stories and thinking this will be me one day. It helps me to keep grounded and to think one day at a time, not the 150+ lbs I want to lose, it will come in time.

mariondkruger

Hey everyone!

I started Optifast 4 weeks ago and have lost about 5kg so far. Struggling a little bit with the lack of food variety (though that's probably caused by my laziness with cooking). I also do a lot better with short term goals so I've tweaked the program to suit my needs.

Early on in the program I had to start having some protein with my evening meal because my medication was giving me nausea and vomiting (my stomach wasn't lined enough). So I think this is why my weight loss has been a bit slower - that and Christmas.

I've also decided to take a rest day once a month, which seems to have upset a lot of Optifasters. For me though, without short-term goals I'm going to end up off the diet completely after a few more weeks. If I can look forward and say "I can have a nice meal on X date" it's easier to stick to it. I'm certainly not planning a carb binge. And yes, I understand how the diet and ketosis works.

Anyway it'd be really great to make some friends so we can support each other through this. I'm in Canberra, Australia for those wondering, check out my profile.

Cheers,

Marion

annegraceucc

Hi everyone, today is day one of my second go at Optifast - I know this program works! I am on the Canadian program, four 225 calorie shakes a day for a total of 900 calories. We have no soups or bars up here just the choice of chocolate or vanilla shakes. But that's ok - I plan to come up with all kinds of flavour additions - cold/just warm coffee for a latte, cooled down chai tea, sugar free flavour drops, etc. Anyone have any other great ideas for flavour additions? Thought I might try to make an eggnog shake by adding !/4 tsp rum extract and nutmeg to a vanilla shake. We are only allowed 10 additional calories/day here so I will be careful of what I add.

Take care everyone and good luck!

christygb

In my quest to hear about others' experiences with Optifast, it has been really interesting to hear about the different versions of the program. I've read posts from people in Oz, UK, Canada, and the US. The calorie levels vary significantly as does the allowance for food. But it has been neat to see that all versions seem to show great results if followed. I think the added group and medical support must be key. What do you Optifasters think? My experience with Weight Watchers groups wasn't necessarily positive, so I'm hoping that the guided group discussions in the Optifast group will feel more meaningful to me. I appreciated the feedback of some veteran OF users who continued in our group. To a person, they encouraged us not to take even one bite. I think this will be a challenge for me. I cook for a family and can appreciate the recent posts on that. But I'm hoping to keep to this advice and muster the strength. I start the product on Thursday and can't wait! Received some SF syrups in the mail and am getting a little blender this weekend. Super excited to get started!

SW: 257 CW: 249 GW: 140 ish - who knows?

By the way, how do you add that ticker thing? By the way, thanks annegraceucc for the mixing tips!

Cheers,
Christy
http://optifastadventurer.blogspot.com/

lori796

Started optifast 70 7 weeks ago down 45 lbs
Feel so great.

christygb

That's wonderful Lori! Let us know if you have any suggestions.

melaniealbert1978

Hello Everyone,

I just started Optifast today and could use some encouragement. I am doing it on my own and I am not sure if you drink just the shakes or do you also have snacks? Let me know how everyone is doing it? Feel free to also add me!

annegraceucc

Hi Melanie, I am glad you found us here. You will find among us alot of people with positive experiences. Good Luck!

Anne

lisarrogers

I am on week 16 and have lost 53 pounds. I do mostly modified rather than a full fast as I wanted to incorporate solid foods and practice portion control and good choices. What the optifast has helped was training me to continuously fuel my body throughout the day to keep my metabolism up. I now eat breakfast and have regular snacks throughout the day. I also have joined the gym and hired a personal trainer so I have noticed great changes! I encourage everyone to stick with it.

jennegan1

Started optifast 70 7 weeks ago down 45 lbs
Feel so great.

Have you ate in the past 70 weeks?

rebeccaemz

So glad I found support boards! I'm on day 5 and struggling. I only do the shakes and bars and am in mourning for food. Not kidding! I broke into tears in the grocery store the other day. Eating like this is beginning to uncover some weird emotions I'm not sure how to deal with. I hope it gets easier

KrazyKlown75

So glad I found support boards! I'm on day 5 and struggling. I only do the shakes and bars and am in mourning for food. Not kidding! I broke into tears in the grocery store the other day. Eating like this is beginning to uncover some weird emotions I'm not sure how to deal with. I hope it gets easier

It will get easier. One thing I had to do was not go shopping with my girlfriend. It would have been hard for me to go and smell the deli food and see all that yummy food. I am at the point where I can go now and not have it bother me (I'm on my 4th week). This might not be the case for you and you are the one who has to do the shopping. If you are faced with that situation, if you can, try going to a different store. We are creatures of habit, so take yourself out of your comfort zone and go somewhere different.

It's funny (or so not funny) how emotionally attached to food we are (or at least I was). I realized I had an unhealthy relationship with food. So we broke up and now I am with Optifast :laugh:. So for now I am learning how to have a healthy relationship, and in this relationship I'm going to be in charged. I know it's a warped way of looking at it but it works for me.

christygb

Hi Rebecca, I haven't started the fast yet, but I wish you the best and I know you'll get through it! I'll be looking towards your experience when I get started on Friday. Are you doing this as part of a program and group? :flowerforyou: Thanks for posting!

Christy

christygb

So glad I found support boards! I'm on day 5 and struggling. I only do the shakes and bars and am in mourning for food. Not kidding! I broke into tears in the grocery store the other day. Eating like this is beginning to uncover some weird emotions I'm not sure how to deal with. I hope it gets easier

It will get easier. One thing I had to do was not go shopping with my girlfriend. It would have been hard for me to go and smell the deli food and see all that yummy food. I am at the point where I can go now and not have it bother me (I'm on my 4th week). This might not be the case for you and you are the one who has to do the shopping. If you are faced with that situation, if you can, try going to a different store. We are creatures of habit, so take yourself out of your comfort zone and go somewhere different.

It's funny (or so not funny) how emotionally attached to food we are (or at least I was). I realized I had an unhealthy relationship with food. So we broke up and now I am with Optifast :laugh:. So for now I am learning how to have a healthy relationship, and in this relationship I'm going to be in charged. I know it's a warped way of looking at it but it works for me.

Thanks KrazyKlown! You are super encouraging.

SherryTeach

wow just saw there were a few rather negative comments to my post. not sure what attracted the nay-sayers here, but what i am actually looking for are positive and happy people who are on this same journey. like minded people if you will. support and encouragement are vital and if there are any optifast users out there who would like to be pals on here send me a request, i would love to share support with you

It should not be a surprise that most of the users of a calorie counting website program would be of the opinion that eating real food and logging the calories is the way to go.

trogalicious

Eating like this is beginning to uncover some weird emotions I'm not sure how to deal with. I hope it gets easier

that should cause... well..


alarms to go off.

CaitlinR85

So nice to see so many other people starting up on Optifast and so many still going and going strong!

I am in my 10th Week now on the Australian version. Ours is a little different (as I think people have said previously). We have 3 Optifast products a day + 2 cups veg + 1 tsp of oil. I'm finding it's working really well.

If any of you are interested in connecting with me and supporting each other, please feel free to add me!

I've also started a blog on my Optifast journey:
http://wilandwig.blogspot.com.au/

rebeccaemz

I'm doing this under medical supervision with support groups offered through my program. It seems to be getting better as time goes on but those first three days were awful. It doesn't help that I'm shuttered in my home because of the cold weather. Thanks for your words and good luck when you start!