OPTIFAST 800

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  • Hornbrewer
    Hornbrewer Posts: 1 Member
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    I found this thread while search for others who might be having the same experience as me on the OptiFast 800 program. I don't think it will be appropriate to post my question in this thread, but I did feel compelled to comment after reading all the posts.

    I joined myfitnesspal to track my progress and have access to a community of others who were embarked on the same journey. A journey with goals of improved fitness and health, and an improved quality of life overall. Weight loss for those who sought it would be an added bonus. I liked the fact that the site did not cater to a specific product or program, and that it let each person track the progress of the plan that they decided to follow.

    I've been overweight most of my adult life from puberty on. The only exception was a period of time when I was working a very physically demanding job and was under a great deal of stress. Even so, that period only lasted about two years. Other than that my life has been marked by constant weight gain with some short term losses when I applied whatever fad diet was around at the time.

    A month ago I was told by my Doctor that I'd developed Type II Diabetes. My bad cholesterol is very bad, my good cholesterol is hardly countable. My liver function is off and I'm headed for serious medical problems. I'm 55 and hope to have a life post retirement at age 67. I needed to find a program that would address the real problem. Despite the fact that I've learned a lot about physiology and the science of food and diet, I still couldn't loose weight.

    For me... this is a psychological issue. It's not a matter of will power. It's not a matter of lack of knowledge. I have an inappropriate relationship with food and it needs to change. There is very little different here than you'd find with an alcoholic or addict who is stuck in some other type of cycle that involves a pleasure inducing habit.

    I will choose to ignore those of you who will criticize what I say. I've heard from you all my life. You called me weak for not having the will to just loose. You criticize what you don't understand and never attempt to find understanding.

    So what's my point?

    My point is that some of us need a complete and total break from food in order to rebuild our relationship with food and eating. The weight loss is a bonus. My goal is to get this monkey of an addiction off my back.

    If you're in the same boat and you're here - your loosing - no matter how - I applaud you. If you need help with the psychological aspects of your situation seek a medically managed program like those that use OptiFast. They address the real problem.
  • nix12618
    nix12618 Posts: 3
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    I have been on Optifast twice in the last fifteen years and have lost a total of over 100 lbs. I don't know who wrote the item about Optifast being better than anything you can find in a store but that is BS. If you look at the ingredients in Optifast and in Slim Fast they are nearly identical. Slim Fast was not designed as a "only" solution. It was designed for those still eating solid foods of some sort. However, Optifast was designed as a "replacement" for food. Even tho there is a program with Optifast that includes solid food it can be used instead of food. The only thing I found, for me, that I didn't care for was I am not a big sugar person and the Opti bars and shakes were too much sweet things for me. Even tho they have broth soups, there were disgusting tasting and there was nothing you could chew or crunch that didn't have sugary sweetness. That was difficult for me as I am not a big sugar person but a salt and carb person. Good luck everyone.
  • lenasoon
    lenasoon Posts: 4 Member
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    I have just started using Optifast for the second time. The first time I didn't keep it up and didn't do maintenance. I had the wrong attitude. This time I have a more realistic outlook.

    There are times when only something like Optifast will work. I need to lose fast because I need surgery for a hip replacement and going into surgery weighing 204lbs is not a good idea.

    Using Optifast helps because it gives a controlled portion for each meal and so I know that I am getting a safe level of vital nutrients and the calories are measured for me too. No guessing, no estimating calories or trying to convert my recipes, no totting up calories each time I eat. I have done that before and it can make one obsessed with food. Of course I am not going to drink shakes for ever but I can think of the Optifast programme as a medicine I need to take for now because obesity is a dangerous condition.

    I know that I have to keep the weight loss off for good and that means completing the Optifast program and then graduating into maintenance. To make a go of a weight loss programme I have to keep going, watching my weight and doing something about it right away as soon as I find I have gained 5lbs or my clothes are getting tighter. I am thinking about maintenance now and not thinking about this diet being over when I reach my goal weight.

    Just wanted to say this because of the posters who say that doing this type of diet is nonsense. It isn't.
  • sharrelise
    sharrelise Posts: 1
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    I too found this thread while searching for OF support. I will try to write more soon. In the mean time, I agree: OF gives me a psychological break from food & comfort eating. I was successful with my 1st OF experience. Lost 110 pounds and kept it off for about 2.5 years. I started gaining in 2012 after both my brothers died within 3 months of each other. My DR is very good supplementing the excellent OF patient educational materials. I learned the "right" stuff the 1st time. I just gave up on life as a whole after my brothers died.

    I'm back on OF now because in the Spring of this year (2014) I decided to live, which means getting my weight back under control.

    To the gentleman whose contribution I am quoting, I thought your comments were right on and thank you.
    I found this thread while search for others who might be having the same experience as me on the OptiFast 800 program. I don't think it will be appropriate to post my question in this thread, but I did feel compelled to comment after reading all the posts.

    I joined myfitnesspal to track my progress and have access to a community of others who were embarked on the same journey. A journey with goals of improved fitness and health, and an improved quality of life overall. Weight loss for those who sought it would be an added bonus. I liked the fact that the site did not cater to a specific product or program, and that it let each person track the progress of the plan that they decided to follow.

    I've been overweight most of my adult life from puberty on. The only exception was a period of time when I was working a very physically demanding job and was under a great deal of stress. Even so, that period only lasted about two years. Other than that my life has been marked by constant weight gain with some short term losses when I applied whatever fad diet was around at the time.

    A month ago I was told by my Doctor that I'd developed Type II Diabetes. My bad cholesterol is very bad, my good cholesterol is hardly countable. My liver function is off and I'm headed for serious medical problems. I'm 55 and hope to have a life post retirement at age 67. I needed to find a program that would address the real problem. Despite the fact that I've learned a lot about physiology and the science of food and diet, I still couldn't loose weight.

    For me... this is a psychological issue. It's not a matter of will power. It's not a matter of lack of knowledge. I have an inappropriate relationship with food and it needs to change. There is very little different here than you'd find with an alcoholic or addict who is stuck in some other type of cycle that involves a pleasure inducing habit.

    I will choose to ignore those of you who will criticize what I say. I've heard from you all my life. You called me weak for not having the will to just loose. You criticize what you don't understand and never attempt to find understanding.

    So what's my point?

    My point is that some of us need a complete and total break from food in order to rebuild our relationship with food and eating. The weight loss is a bonus. My goal is to get this monkey of an addiction off my back.

    If you're in the same boat and you're here - your loosing - no matter how - I applaud you. If you need help with the psychological aspects of your situation seek a medically managed program like those that use OptiFast. They address the real problem.
  • LawyerDad42
    LawyerDad42 Posts: 1 Member
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    I've also recently decided to get my life in order. I have a stressful job and I've struggled throughout my adult life to balance the stress created by that job against healthy eating. (I have an unfortunate relationship with food: for too long, I've relied on it as a crutch when I'm either depressed or overly stressed out.) OptiFast has given me a greater structure than any of the self-imposed diet plans that I've tried in the last 3-5 years, and I'm encouraged by the immediate results. My plan is to use the complete OptiFast program -- including the regular group meetings with other OF users and a dietitian, and regular meetings with my Dr. -- as a means of "jump starting" a healthier lifestyle.

    I should mention that I'm very fortunate, in that I have a very, very supportive spouse. She even has my son cheering for me and giving me moral support!
  • slim2wannabe2014
    slim2wannabe2014 Posts: 1
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    slim2wannabe2014
    Does anyone have a list of the complete Optifast. 800 plan from the classes? Just starting out and wanted to make sure I follow the plan accurately. Thanks for any replies in advance.
    Like · Comment · 4 minutes ago
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
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    If you want to give up chewing you can save a lot of money by googling DIY Soylent recipes. Grab whatever recipe suits your needs (there are vegan ones, vegetarian ones, weight loss ones, weight gain ones, ones for people who work out a lot, and hundreds more).

    Print your free recipe. Now go buy the ingredients.

    Now make your own liquid meal replacement shake.


    But you're probably better off spending your money on cookbooks and a food scale and learning to make healthy meals for weight control.

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