Please visit my post What I Think Worked
| Week | Date | Weight | Change(+/-) |
| 10/2/2012 | 267.5 | started product on 10/6 | |
| 1 | 10/11/2012 | 258 | -9.50 |
| 2 | 10/18/2012 | 253.5 | -4.50 |
| 3 | 10/25/2012 | 248.5 | -5.00 |
| 4 | 11/1/2012 | 245.5 | -3.00 |
| 5 | 11/9/2012 | 240.5 | -5.00 |
| 6 | 11/15/2012 | 238 | -2.50 |
| 7 | Thanksgiving | n/a | 0.00 |
| 8 | 11/29/2012 | 231.5 | -6.50 |
| 9 | 12/7/2012 | 228 | -3.50 |
| 10 | 12/13/2012 | 224 | -4.00 |
| 11 | 12/20/2012 | 220 | -4.00 |
| 12 | 12/26/2012 | 219.5 | -0.50 |
| 13 | 1/3/2013 | 214 | -5.50 |
| 14 | 1/9/2013 | 211 | -3.00 |
| 15 | 1/18/2013 | n/a – appt. canceled due to illness | 0.00 |
| 16 | 1/24/2013 | 206 | -5.00 |
| 17 | 2/1/2013 | 202 | -4.00 |
| 18 | 2/7/2013 | 197 | -5.00 |
| 19 | 2/15/2013 | 196.5 | -0.50 |
| 20 | 2/20/2013 | 193 | -3.50 |
| *** switching to weigh-ins every other week (or more)** | |||
| 22 | 3/7/2013 | 187.5 | -5.50 |
| 24 | 3/21/2013 | 182 | -5.50 |
| 26 | 4/4/2013 | 179.5 | -2.50 |
| 29 | 4/25/2013 | 169 | -10.50 |
| !!!! GOAL !!!! | |||
| Total Weight Loss | -98.50 | ||
| Average Per Week | -3.40 | ||
| Measurements | |||
| Waist (inches) | Hips (inches) | ||
| 10/6/2012 | 44.4 | 53 | |
| 2/20/2013 | 36 | 43.5 | |
| 4/25/2013 | 32 | 40 | |
| Total Change | 12.4 | 13 |
optifastmom 
I am starting Optifast on Monday, September 9th. I will buy my shake packets then and begin program on Tuesday. I am hoping that I will do as well as you have. We are similar in Wt, Measurements. I am only 5’5″ though. I signed up for the Modified Fast for 20 week program but I know, I will extend more weeks. I have about 120lbs to lose. Congratulations on your weight loss. YOu look amazing.
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Hi Debbie and thanks for your comment! Best of luck with your weight loss journey! It takes a strong commitment but the effort is well worth it. You should see great results with the modified program and eating “real food” will probably make things easier in the long run. The results might not be as fast but they should be great!! Please check back some time and keep me updated!
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Hello there! I started Optifast on Sunday at 284 and some change lbs. Your blog has really been helpful to me these last 3 days…just reading through etc. I have a history of working out intermittently…at least 2-3 times some weeks and I was really looking for advice on the types of workouts that would be good to do. My body also requires 2000 plus cals/day to maintain so my doctor told me last Saturday. I know that you have done a lot of running, are there any other forms of exercise you would suggest while OP? This week I have focused on walking a 30 min mile at lunch. Thanks for the advice and the great blog!
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Hi…and thanks for your comments.
I am not an exercise expert but I do think that finding something you like (or at least tolerate) is a great start. Everyone is different but I learned that while being on Optifast, exercise was important but over-doing it was not going to get me anywhere faster – and, in some cases, it might even slow your weight loss down a little. I think consistency is the key factor – walking every day at lunch is perfect. I truly believe that the mile-a-day “streak” I’m doing was one of the most important factors in my success so far because it made exercise a habit – a HAVE TO, instead of a SHOULD. Exercise plays a bigger role in maintenance than in weight loss so if you can develop the habits now, you could potentially be more successful at keeping your weight off. I lifted weights 2-3 times per week but found as I lost more and more weight, I was losing a ton of strength. This is a trade-off I was willing to make, but just be aware that you could feel weaker and weaker since you’ll most likely have less muscle mass. If you do exercise a lot, talk to your doctor about adding in the Optifast HP products to help preserve some muscle. I wish I had done more of that. As you may know, lean muscle mass determines your metabolic rate so weight training can help keep the furnace burning and allow you to eat a few more calories. Also, I also found that on days when I was sore from weight training, I was holding onto a lot of water weight with that so if the scale numbers aren’t moving, that might be why. Having a fitness goal to focus on helped me keep thinking about food as a secondary – or minimized it. Running has been great but just training for an event, etc. really is motivating. Always helpful to have a “next goal” in mind. Sometimes after you lose enough of the weight that was making you miserable, you need a new “goal” to focus on to get you through to the rest of your goal. Best wishes and please keep me posted!
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I think your blog is terrific and I just had my week 3 weigh in and my stats are 5’9″ SW 275/CW256/GW165. My body type is very similar to yours and I was always athletic even playing tennis at my highest weight. I have followed your advice and do the mile-a-day “streak” M-F walking to work which is approx 1.2 miles and then more walking on the weekend. I am also doing crunches to build my core up and even do light free weights for my arms and shoulders. My Dr. has said that I should not be “over doing it” for the time I will be in full shake mode (6 weeks / 800 cals) and can most likely add more once I incorporate more calories the next phase (960 cals and 1 low glycemic meal). I check in every week now once I have been weighed to see how my progress compares to you. Not that it should be the same, but I do find your stats to be realistic and I’m too a spreadsheet guru.
My question to you is with such an awesome job you have done, how did you manage (if any) loose skin you might have had? This is a slight concern of mine and I’m not sure who to ask other than those who have been through the Optifast program and succeeded.
Thank you!
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Hi Tina! Thanks for your comments on my blog. I love to hear about other people on the same journey.
I was just thinking yesterday that I should do a post about the “skin”. From reading other blogs, etc., I think I have been really lucky in this regard. I’m 43 years old and have had 3 (9+ pound!) kids and I don’t think I look much worse than I would have if I never had gained the weight. My stomach is fairly stretched out but I don’t have any “hanging” skin, per se. I think my arms look pretty good too – maybe because I had been weight training for over 1.5 years before losing weight. Who knows. I have gone to a dermatologist and my regular primary care doc since losing 100 pounds and both of them commented that my body sure doesn’t look like I had that much extra weight on me before. So, there is hope – especially since we are tall.
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Really glad to have found your blog as it’s a HUGE motivational tool. Thank you for your quick reply and I have to say I gain momentum every week that I have been doing this and actually excited about moving ahead. I too, had much weight training in my arms and elsewhere so it’s a huge relief to hear from someone who’s done the same. Appreciate your honest and candid reply to the “hanging” skin issue. Not a concern of mine just yet, but I do read EVERYTHING since being on Optifast (and boy is there a lot of views, opinions and feedback).
Keep doing awesome things and sharing it for the rest of us. You rock!
Tina.
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I’ve enjoyed reading through your blog. I’m on my 5th week of Optifast 70 and it’s helpful to read about the experiences of people who’ve been through it before. They just told me that I can do some “light” weight lifting. What type of weights did you do?
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Hi Ray. I was already lifting weights when I started Optifast so they told me I could continue doing what I was doing, as long as I felt OK. The weight training I do is at Koko Fit Club which is sort of like circuit training but it is programmed to work all muscle areas based on my current weight/strength/goals, etc. Each workout is different. I will say, in the beginning, I had no problem keeping up with it. However, as I dropped more and more weight, I lost quite a bit of muscle mass and strength along with that…it was discouraging to feel weaker and weaker. I took some time off almost entirely for a while and concentrated on the cardio/running. Now, in maintenance, I am building my strength back up and I’m about where I was pre-weight loss. On Optifast 70, you are going to lose very quickly and may have some decreased energy. I’m sure you know how important lean muscle mass is overall though so I guess I would say, do what you can and plan on continuing with weight training throughout maintenance. I had very few “loose skin” issues either and I wonder if that anything to do with my weight training. All I know is I am very happy with what I have “leftover” now that I’m at goal 🙂 Best wishes, please keep me posted! Oh, and one more thing, if you do eventually transition off of Optifast 70 to the more calorie Optifast 800 program, you might want to consider using Optifast HP which is High Protein – particularly if weight training. It could help to protect some of the muscle mass and possibly offset some of the hunger issues that come with working out.
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I have noticed that I get hungry quicker when I’ve worked out in the morning! thanks for the advice- now hopefully I won’t be too dismayed if my bench press weight drops dramatically (though it would be embarrassing if it came down to benching just a broom or something..) I think they will probably keep me on 70 until I get to about twenty pounds away from my target weight, but I’ll look into the Optifast HP if I get the choice. I’m really loving the program- I look forward to the day when I can hopefully post my own before and after pic on my blog.
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Your blog has been great to read, and very helpful to see how you have progressed. Our lives seem similar with busy schedules, and it feels wonderful knowing it is possible even as a busy mom. I am on a slightly different Optifast program than what you have done, but overall it is similar. In september I start to reintroduce food back into my diet, but I should still be in weight loss mode I hope. I hope to loose 30 more lbs over the next 5 months or so, but already feel so much better then before. Any advice on the running? I am starting the couch to 5K running program to get myself going, but running for a long distance of time is still very intimidating to me.
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Hi,
Thanks for your comments. If you transition according to the plan and stick with it, you’ll definitely lose those extra 30 pounds.
As for the running, I had a really really hard time getting the first mile or so under my belt – I was fighting asthma and, for some reason, I have always had a hard time cardio-wise – even when I was a high-school athlete. The good news was after I broke the one mile mark, adding subsequent miles was relatively easy. The worst thing you can do (and hardest NOT to do) is to worry about the long distance in front of you. It is easy to think – wow, I can barely run 1/2 mile…how on earth will I ever run 3+ miles. Trust me…baby steps will get you there. The couch to 5K program is great but for some, myself included, after the first several weeks it might step up in distance too fast. It is common for many people to have to repeat a week or so to get more comfortable. Just move on when you are ready. Register for a race in the future, that will keep you motivated and give you a goal.
Please keep me posted…and good luck!
Martha
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I actually have a few 5K’s I am already registered for. I usually do a few a year, but always walk 75% of each run. Well next friday I am doing my first 5K again, and hopefully my first 5K running the whole time. What I mean by my first 5K is, when I was about 7 years old this was my first 5K so I thought it would be a great one to try and make my first fully ran 5K. I made it through 1.8 mile (20 minutes) of running last week, and this week will be on week 6 day 3 of the C25K. I was surprised how well my body handled the 20 minute run. I hope I can run the whole 5K next friday, but if I don’t then I have another one schedule on september 27th to try again at.
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Hello! Congratulations on your success with Optimist and keeping the weight off!! How are you maintaining? I completed the program this past November 2015 and I was super excited for my results! I lost a total of 54 pounds! I maintained for about 2-3 months but I have noticed I have allowed myself to fall back into not so great habits. I have noticed I am feeling back pain again and not feeling as lite as I did when I lost the weight; I have picked about 20-25 pounds and not thrilled about this. I am here today to start my self-discipline and control along with my workouts. May I ask you how have you being maintaining?
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Hi, thanks for your post on my blog. In about 2 weeks (4/25) I’ll be at the 2 year anniversary of reaching my goal weight. As of today, I am up a few pounds (maybe 5?) but I seem to fluctuate within a 5-10 pound window of my original goal weight of 170lbs. I see my dr. in about 1-2 weeks and I’ll really crack down to get as close to my goal weight as I can before then. I guess my “recipe” for success would be:
1) adhering to regularly scheduled weigh-ins with my doctor (and keeping those appointments!)
2) continuing with an exercise plan that includes running. I am usually training for a half marathon so that keeps me on a pretty regular running schedule. I also include regularly weight/strength training sessions.
3) eating somewhat the same foods during the week – lots of Greek yogurt, meal replacements/protein bars/protein shakes (not necessarily Optifast brand, but something somewhat comparable), berries, cottage cheese, chicken breast, low-fat protein, eggs/egg-whites…and pretty low carbs. I hardly eat bread or pasta any more. I will eat brown rice and oatmeal once in a while. Fruit/vegetable based carbs are OK for me in moderation. I have to maintain about a 1300 calorie/day diet – including my running – to maintain my weight. This does allow me to have a few “extras” on the weekends or after a long run though.
4) weigh fairly reguarly during the week and jump on top of any weight gain over 5 pounds over my goal – this usually means incorporating Optifast / meal replacements back into my weekly diet.
I hope you can jump back in and stop any future weight gain. You might need to go back on some meal replacements. Keep me posted!
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Thank you so much! I have recently started working out again which is a great thing. My eating is what I need to monitor and keep under discipline again. I was trying not to get dependent on the meal replacements; however, I think I may need to incorporate them again until I get my weight under control again. I am looking forward to this journey. My goal this month is to lose 10 pounds by the 30th. I need to keep track of my food diary; my goal is has been 1200 calories a day. Thank you again and I will keep you posted on my progress. Continued blessings on your successful journey!!
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