christygb Member

Hi, first off I hope that your daughter feels better soon! I think of this much like I think about traveling and staying on track. You can be easy on yourself and pack a small cooler (there is an abundant supply of ice on each floor). Some easy items included store-bought, pre-cut celery sticks, cheeses, pepperoni slices,…

I read this wonderful blog post today on this very subject. It might be worth a read. I came away with a more positive way of approaching these crossroads: http://zenhabits.net/mmm-ouch/

Thank you for sharing your story! You look wonderful and your dedication shows!

Recently, something changed in my thinking about how to respond to my unhealthy choices. I decided to not rush to self-loathing, but to ask myself, what is this behavior teaching me? What positive reward am I getting from this behavior? I find that if I view my challenges with humility, and take a long-term approach to…

Hi Sasha, Congratulations on your decision to give Optifast a try. I like to chuckle with my friends and say that giving up alcohol was more difficult than giving up food! Sounds crazy, but during the time of my complete fast, which lasted 36 weeks, I learned how to not eat or drink in social situations. The best advice I…

That is so exciting! You'll do great! We are rooting for you. Christy

Congratulations KeepTheFaith! You've had a fantastic weight loss in just a few shorts weeks! Thanks for checking in!

Hi Erubs and Metamorph, So happy that you ladies are feeling good and getting results. I was very quiet about my diet (apart from a somewhat anonymous blog that I started writing about my Optifast experience) because of the negativity out there. You don't owe anyone an explanation about the way you choose to nourish your…

Way to go Metamorph, and I wish you a good run with the Vega One. I've never heard of it and will have to Google :-) I was able to go to a aqua aerobics class once a week and do some walking. It felt fine with some nice walking. Now that I'm doing it daily, I completely understand the wonderful affects on my outlook. Maybe…

Hi Metamorph, I've tried lots of diet programs. Sometimes I've quit programs due to the amount of plastic and wrapping involved. I felt bad about filling the landfills with processed food rubbish. In hindsight, my 9 months on Optifast has been worth the short term exposure to artificial nutrition. After the first week I…

Hi Rockhound, That was exactly my experience with Optifast. I saw and read about many people who jumped on the exercise bandwagon too soon and with too much intensity, and sadly, many of them plateaued, got discouraged and some dropped out. It was sad to see but I took it as a cautionary tale. I approached the program with…

Good luck to you twish7! Let me know if I can be of support to you. Christy

Thanks so much everyone for writing your thoughts and suggestions. And also for the nice encouraging words. It has been a great thread and really helpful to hear how others are managing this part of weight loss. I really do think that it will just take time for people to adjust to the way I look. As soon as I learn more…

Hi KeepTheFaith9 and Debivan13! Congratulations on all your successes so far on Optifast. That is wonderful to hear and I'm so happy that you both are feeling good during the fast! I agree that the non-scale measurements of health are almost more powerful and life-changing :-) For myself, I notice so much more energy and…

Hi Marla Jean, Thanks so much for adding your thoughts on this thread. I'm really excited, and now that I'm close to my goal, I'm not mentioning continued loss (even though I may lose a few more pounds). I totally see where you are coming from about the BMI. I feel really healthy and good, and I'm going to choose my…

Hi there! I've been doing the full fast for 32 weeks now. I'm in my second 20 week class, but hoping to start my PFE's (Progressive Food Encounters) at the end of the month, when I'm 10 pounds from my goal. I have been slow and steady with the exercise, doing it at least once a week. I took a break from exercise for the…

I love "zoodles" and even my picky kids love them. I bought a julienne peeler and just peel zucchini into strips. I saute in butter and garlic for a few minutes (keep al dente), and then add whatever sauce. Sometimes it's just butter and herbs. Very, very tasty and satisfying, with just the right texture.

Thank you all so much for your kind words, support and thoughts on the issue. It's an interesting experience, but looks to be fairly common, especially with close family members. I'm going to hang tough until I reach my goal, and their eyes will adjust eventually :laugh: :laugh: Dr. Thwart is brilliant (probably went to…

I also started out with swimming. It is a great workout. Water aerobics classes got my muscles working again and vastly improved my flexibility. My gym offers high intensity interval training in its classes, so they are a great cardio workout. As I've lost weight, now I'm loving walking. I downloaded the FitRadio app on my…

Thanks so much Sarah, you have been a wonderful support to me as well :happy: . When you "meet" people on MFP who are support-focused and open-minded, it is such a great tool. I'm been blessed to have found so many nice people. Of course, it is an open forum, and free-speech enables people to comment and share their…

Just checking back in. Still doing very well and feeling great. I'll be slowly transitioning back to food soon, and look forward to this next part of the experience. I'm blessed that my Optifast program offers/requires several phases of the program so that we not only lose the weight and accompanying medical conditions,…

I wish you all the best Chiquita!! I haven't regretted it for one minute. It has been an incredible experience of personal growth. Feel free to add me for support. You can do it! The first week is the most challenging, but totally do-able!

Congratulations on your new healthy life! I wish you all the best with your surgery. Sounds like you are setting yourself up with great success!

Congratulations Carolyn! Well said!

Thanks Judi! I'm totally with you on the Forks Over Knives movie and the beauty of eating whole, healthy foods. I'm headed in that direction myself when I reach maintenance. Now that I'm starting fresh, free of the cravings brought on by processed foods/carbs, I don't want to go back there. I know what they did to my body…

That is a wonderful milestone to be celebrated!!! Congratulations and thanks for sharing.

Visited family in Salt Lake City last weekend and the elevation didn't phase me a bit, and I was able to go on several beautiful hikes without blinking an eye. This was the first time in over 20 years! I'm finally living my life the way I have always wanted to live it.

My weight loss rate varied tremendously. Ironically, when I exercised a great deal, the weight came off more slowly. Make sure the you're getting lots of fluids, taking fiber powder and not exercising too much in the first few weeks. Walking and swimming seem to be adequate exercise for me while I'm on this program. I wish…

Hi, thanks for letting me know how your program works. It's more of a choice for us, so that's why I asked. Congratulations on your continued weight loss! That is wonderful! It was also the experience of the people in my class who transitioned back to food. They continued to lose. We're advised to start PFE's (Progressive…

I am in San Diego. At my clinic our Optifast groups run for 20 weeks. After 20 weeks, if we still have weight to lose, we are able to continue the fast, with weekly medical monitoring and joining a new 20 week group. I feel great, and when I get to be 15 lbs from my goal, I'll start Progressive Food Encounters (PFE's) and…