Thursday afternoon I had a quick appointment at the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center and I was down 4.5 pounds – for a total of 14 pounds since starting less than 2 weeks ago. Kinda wish it was a little more but I was happy with that. The scale actually showed a 5 pound loss of fat – so I guess I picked up a little water weight since my last weigh-in. This appointment was also later in the afternoon so I’m sure that didn’t help.
Still struggling with the idea of consuming the same thing over and over again but I just try to take it one shake/bar/soup at a time.
Last night was a little tough. It is amazing how many fun things to do all revolve around going out to a bar, restaurant…food! Had an opportunity to go to a sports bar last night (one of my favorite things to do) but I knew that would be a little tough. At some point I am going to have to go out and deal with it – just drinking water or a Diet Coke. Not sure if I’m strong enough yet.
The clinic had a suggestion of putting the Optifast chocolate bar in the microwave for 12 seconds for a different twist – it was actually pretty good that way. I also starting putting the peanut butter bars in the refrigerator and chopping them into little squares. Anything to break up the monotony!
I attended another class today at SWL about “Eliminating the Negativity in Your Life”. I have always considered myself a pretty positive person so I wasn’t sure what I would get out of the class but there was some discussion about all the negative “self-talk” that we all have running through our head and how a lot of it isn’t even true. I think this especially comes into play when you are on this type of diet. I guess having some tools to step back and realize that the thoughts need to be worked through differently is important – especially during those times when you wonder how on earth you are going to be able to keep not-eating like this.
optifastmom 
Congrats on your loss so far! It is so amazing how the weight just peels off, isn’t it? On the issue of the montony with the shake, I completely get what you’re going through. When I first started the program, I was on the Optifast 70 product through Kaiser. It came in just chocolate and vanilla. Just the shakes, no bars. We’re allowed to put sugar-free sweeteners in our shakes, like Torani sugar-free syrups, extracts, diet soda, Crystal Light, etc. You may want to check with your doc to see if you’re allow to do that. It made me actually look forward to having my shakes. I’ve recently switched to the 800 product line, so I have bars now as well. Hang in there, though … it’s completely worth it and gets easier as you keep going.
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Thanks Kathy! It is fun seeing the weight fall off pretty fast – especially in my face. I have seen your blog too and you are an inspiration! I have been using the Torani sugar-free coconut syrup and like it – I think I’ll go pick up a few more flavors. I also am going to be allowed to have more than 2 bars a day since I got a potassium (KCl) prescription last week. I like the bars a little better than the shakes – and they are more convenient. Now I can have 3 or more per day. It definitely is getting easier.
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Hi there, I recently came across your blog as I’m researching Optifast. I have an appointment in a few weeks to begin my assessments and I’m quite anxious. I used to be a competitive soccer play and was extremely fit. Through life experiences, I’ve put on a great deal of weight. I’m at a point where I know I have to try to take back control of my body and I’m hoping this will kickstart me in the right direction. I noticed that you’re a runner; when did you begin running? Did you start slowly when you began Optifast? Your results are amazing and I’m wondering when you first began and how long it has taken the weight to come off and how diligent you have been in sticking with the program.
Thank you so much!
Christine
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Hi,
Thanks for your comment. I was also a pretty active person up until I had kids and, like you, stuff happens. I did run a 5K (very slowly) about 4 years ago but never ran again after that – until this latest re-entry into it. I started Optifast in October of 2012 and started running around mid-January – maybe a bit earlier – but I worked into it extremely slowly. It seemed like it took forever to get my cardiovascular system to the point where it could keep up (I found this to be the case the first time I tried that 5K too). So, I worked up, little by little. I think I documented most of this through my blog if you keep reading (except that I over-share about everything else in my life so it gets buried – haha) My weight loss doctors have this “mile a day” streak challenge that I participated in and I feel that really helped me stick with the running because I had to get a mile done every single day one way or another and if I ran it I got done faster. It was great for habit building. Next week I’ll be on day 400 of my streak! So, anyway, yes – about 6.5 months to lose around 95-100 pounds. I don’t know if many people have those kinds of results from weight loss surgery even. I did everything pretty much by-the-book and stuck very closely to my doctor’s advice – he is also a runner and has really encouraged me. I attended all the classes. I still hate vegetables though 🙂 I have maintained the weight loss for about 10 months now and completed a half marathon about 3 weeks ago. My life has completely changed. I still eat crap but in much smaller portions and I balance it pretty well with exercise. I am also strength training – I was doing that before starting this program and I did lose quite a bit of muscle mass with the rapid weight loss but it was a worthy trade-off for me. I am working to regain some of that strength now. It will be a lifelong battle but if I do the things to keep my weight in check (weigh myself often, go back on Optifast or another plan if I gain more than 2 pounds, etc), I am confident that I’ll be OK. I would not recommend doing this on your own – with such low calorie intake it can be dangerous and expensive without monitoring…just my opinion. Good luck and keep me updated if you go this route!
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