Hi Sassy, I never had a problem with Opti either.....didn't try the soup, was advised against it

Hello everyone
I am surprised to find that Optifast is not a prob for me - in fact, apart from the soup, its quite palatable - love the coffee shake. Bit more expensive but hey, you gotta do what ya gotta do. Have lost 5.3kg already - realise first week gives better results but I find that loss somewhat fantastic.
Cheers

awesome awesome! i shall wonder around tomorrow!
I got mine from the wizard pharmacy in belmont

I just checked there is a Guardian Pharmacy in Cloverdale.......aren't the prices the same at all of them? Unfortunately the web site didn't have a list of products
377a Belgravia Street
CLOVERDALE
WA 6105

Our local Chemist Guardian, is very cheap with optifast prices the bars are 17.49 and coffee shakes 19.49, I cant remember how much the large box of vanilla was but cheaper than the on-line pharmacy's
and the chicken soup is horrid even when its filled with chilli, repeats on me for hours but I payed all that money for the box so I'm gunna drink it!!!

Our local chemist which is Guardian is really cheap prices for Opti fast ....the bars are $17.49, coffee shake 19.49. Cheaper than on line pharmacys

It's funny, I'm on Day 3 and just not hungry at all. Struggling to even have the 3 shakes a day. The Optislim Cafe Latte flavour is feral... ugh. Might stick to the TF shakes and optislim berry crunch bars!

I am back to trying to be an optifast angel. I'm a bridesmaid on Friday night so it's going to be tough!

flightlessbird1985,
don't stress, if we didn't do stuff like this, we would not need sleeving!!
have a glass or two for me someone... liver is stuffed so no more whine...... i mean wine.....


off OPTIYUCK!!!!
as i am changing sugreons, the new one does not need more than 2 weeks opti!!!

Sorry to hear about your breakup but think how you can rub your fabulous new healthy body in his face in 12 months time. Get back on the bandwagon, it's soooo worth it.

Hi Penelope,

I'm sorry to hear about your break up. You're right, it is cr@p timing.

Yes, the wine & chips were naughty, but it's done now. So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and be a perfect little Opti angel for your last week. It's going to be hard, but it is so worth it. Don't let this one week ruin this opportunity for you.

Come on here as often as you need, think about starting a thread in the diary section. There's always someone here to try and help you through.

Hugs - Carrie xx

I cheated on my optifast diet today! And now I feel like such a loser. My surgery is on Monday 19th July, and 2 weeks of optifast so far had gone pretty well. And then today my boyfriend and I called it quits and I drank a bottle of wine and ate chips. Stupid and self defeating I know.
However, I'm depressed enough as it is, so I'm trying not to beat myself up too much. I will start fresh tomorrow (well today actually), and be a strong super woman pre and post op. Thats the plan anyway.
I'm just the queen of crap timing!

hi.
found a way to make the coffee ones hot.....

using optifast, in a shaker, add 100ml hot tap water, and SHAKE.
pour into a coffee mug...
add equal to taste, and another teaspoon or 2 of coffee.
now. back to the shaker, add about 50 ml boiling water... and shake.
pour into mug and repeat till mug is full.

this will not turn gluggy or yuck, but will kill all heat soluble vitamins.... so, have a multi with it!!!

i like this for breakfast.
have done 8 weeks opti, but only sort of did it this week, tomorrow.... well Tuesday...

lost 8kg in 4 weeks, feel like i have put it all back on, but am full of fluid, will deal with that tonight...... love lasix!!![/size]

Hey mrs gwt love your veggie ideas!!!

Most surgeons do not allow milk in tea or coffee whilst on optifast, you need to check with your surgeon and follow his instrucions. You cant follow what other people say is okay it doesnt work like that I am afraid. A few allow a tiny and I do mean TINY splash of skim milk in one or two cups a day. You can try pepermint tea which is drunk without milk and quiet a few people dont mind that like it is :)

applesauce

Have been to see the dietician and forgot to ask at the time whether or not you can have milk in your coffee or tea whilst on optifast?? There is no way I could drink it black.. so I may have to start cutting back now. Hmm my family may move away and I pity the poor people I work with LOL

WSU

Hi Carrie,
i do not doubt that the protien changes with the heat, and that would affect the taste and texture, but the heat would also affect the vitamins.... so, i guess a better way for me to have worded my response would have been that another reason for..... sorry!!!

Hi Mrsgwt,
I am surprised at that. I have been told a couple of times that it is the protein that causes the problems when Optifast is over heated. I would tend to believe that too as I have had it happen with 3 different protein powders I have tried also, none of which are vitamin enriched.

Here's some info from an earlier thread:
http://www.gastricsleevesupport.com/the-post-op-page-f4/protein-powder-t3407.htm

kxy1983 wrote:

There is a reason it can be difficult to add protein powder to cooking, such as a boiling soup, protein denatures when it cooks, (the strands of the molecules change form) and some of the completeness of the protein is lost (it is still mostly usable by your body). when cooked it clumps horribly, its like when egg white or the blood from a piece of meat hits a hot pan and it immediately congeals, thats the proteins denaturing. I tried adding WPI to porridge before i cooked it, to increase its protein content, but all it did was make these horrible protein lumps in the porridge, i found it was better to cook the porridge first and let it cool a little and then stir in the protein. If you are still having trouble, it can help to mix the protein with some milk or other cold liquid you are using for a dish and dissolve it before adding it to the dish, that way it will form less lumps as it denatures. Mixing with water is also fine.

Cheers - Carrie

Thanks for getting back to me Carrie. I definately don't want it to curdle...YUCK LOL

Hi Smiley Kiley,

The protein changes when it gets too hot. I can't remember the exact temperature, but I think it's at about 70deg. It goes all curdley and horrible. I tried adding it to porridge before microwaving and it's not pleasant, LOL.

Cheers - Carrie

I started my Opti today. Strawberry shake for Breakfast, Chocolate bar for lunch and Chocolate pudding for dinner. God its going to be a hard slog. I've got my mind playing silly tricks on me... I will survive!!!!! LOL

Question... Why can't you use boiling water to make the soup? Can you use warm water then heat in the microwave to the desired temperature???

thanks Applesauce

yeah i have access to a dietician who im gonna see soon but i had a curious look in my chemist but couldn't see anything really approirate.

thanks for the help by the way...i was just curious and getting a little anxious waiting for a date and things to move on i guess...lol

nuttybbw try asking the chemist for modifast, that is what it use to be called. Talk to your dietcian, I asume your hospital set you up with one ? She should be able to recomend one for you. If you do not have a ditcian or access to one or see you surgeon again before the start of your liquid diet, and cant find the modifast then........ Isheeeeeesh take a breath girl hehehe) Then think total meal replacement shakes, diet shakes that are meal replacements. There has to be masses of brands over there like there are in Australia. 3 of those a day 2 cups of veggies from the list that is availiable on the optifast web site should see you fine if you can not get answers from any body. Dont forget your 2 litres of water per day.

Just remember meal replacement NOT protien shake .

applesauce

hi guys.

i was hoping someone on here knows of a decent meal replacement in the UK. as I cant find this optifast here...and Im due to start my pre op liquid stage fairly soon.

Thanks, applesauce.
Wendy

oh please mad is when you love the chicken soup. I loved that stuff, 99% of people would rather lick a rubbish bin than eat that hehehe

So glad it is getting easier , good for you :)

applesauce

Got through day 5, now on day 6. No problems today. I have just realised that if I am bored, I eat. If frustrated, I eat.- I'm looking after my grandson today, and normally I head for the kitchen to eat, now I head there for water.
I must be odd, I love the opti bars, the chocolate shake, as well as the strawberry shake. Vanilla - now that's a different story. Think I will add a few drops of essence to change the flavour.
Oh well, 22-23 days to go.
Wendy

Wendy if you just hang in there with a bit of luck this should be the last day of real hunger for you most people are past it by day 5 and things do get easier. Lots of water helps, well if drinking it doesnt distract you the endless runs to the bathroom do hehehe

best of luck :)

applesauce

I am soo hungry today, day 5. But I must hang on. Knowing others can do it, helps.
Wendy

Hi applesauce,

Im not on any medication, so I know that is not it. I tried the bar yesterday and the shake today with the same results. i'll give it a couple more days and see if it gets better and if not, i'll ask if I can switch to another brand.

Thanks for the help.
Vicki

are you taking meteformin ? I ask this because I was and I use to throw up that morning shake,, this lasted a couple of weeks for me I did optifast for 14 weeks. my answer to this was having one of the soups for breakfast. i suggest you try a bar or a optifast soup. if this still doesnt work try asking your dietcian if you can subsitute a tony ferguson or other brand shake or bar for breakfast.

applesauce

Hi All,

Not sure if this question has been asked before, But has anyone experience really bad nausea on the optifast diet? I'm on day 2 of the diet so I am guessing (and hoping) that it will pass in a couple of days, but I noticed about 30 mins to an hour of having an optifast meal, especially the breakfast one, I have an extreme urge to throw up.

Thanks for your help
Vicki

Good luck Wendy....the 28 days will go fast....

S

I have started the optifast 28 day diet today. I used some or my shake to mix with my coffee, as cold turkey from food is enough to deal with, coffee will come later.
Operation date is 26th May. Can't come soon enough.
Wendy

Thanks Wendy :)

In answer to Sandra, my dietician said that the new formula for optifast has roughage added, and so is 54g. The 40g is without the roughage.
Wendy

Hi I new my name is Flo I see Dr Costa on 7th may hopefully he will give me a date then.Yeh I wouldnt mind knowing either about the grams in the shakes thankyou.

I saw online that Optifast comes in 2 sizes 54g and 40g. What's the difference?

Last night I kind of chucked a few things together to make a bit of a relish to have with salad and allowed veggies, this is what was in it.

2 small tomato's diced
1 small onion
1/4 of a capsicum
about a table spoon of tomato paste
and a dash of woshtirshire sauce

I just sauteed the tomato, onion and capsicum for a couple of minutes then added a little of the sauces, let it simmer for a while and then had it with some green beans.

It was really nice, I know we probably shouldn't be having the sauces, so you could do it without them, but it was only a tiny bit for a touch of flavour, and I have stored what was left to have over the next few days.

I hope you like this as much as I do.

Teresa

Good planning, my hubby and I were trying to organise our surgery for the Easter break. That's why we started the optifast yesterday. I'm going to take your advice and wait to see the surgeon before continuing with the diet.
We don't want anyone at work to know either.
My hubby's BMI is 55 so he will be OK I'm sure.
I have re ad that after the surgery you get quite weak from not being able to eat, was that a problem?
PS. I tried to put a smilie face on here but couldn't. Can you help with that too, please?
Thankyou.

Normal time off work is 2 weeks, but I work in a school and had the whole Christmas holidays off (6 weeks), before I had to go back to work. I planned it that way, as no one at work knows and I wanted to be on a normal diet when I went back to work.

Good luck with your journey.

Hi Janette
Thankyou. I will take your advice. I'll let you know what happens on Thursday.
How long did it take you to feel well enough to return to work or normal activities?

Don't start Opti then until after you have seen the surgeon.
Once he agrees to surgery, it doesn't matter if you lose some in the pre-op stage.
Nothing like getting a head start, but see the surgeon first.

Hi Guys,

I'm the newest apparently, I have a query. I havent seen the doctor yet (my appointment is Thursday), I started the Optislim diet today, I want to shrink my liver without losing weight. My BMI 34 so if I lose much weight I'm worried that the doctor will say that I don't qualify for the sleeve.
If I stop having alcohol and caffeine and fatty food should my liver still shrink or is it related to actual weight loss??
Any thoughts would be appreciated
Roxy