Optifast - giving it a try
 

I'm so tired of being fat. It seems I hit 50 and the weight really started to pile on so I met with my Dr and told him I needed help. Years ago I did well on WW but I feel right now I need restriction and a very tight plan to jump start my weight loss.. then I'll work in healthy foods down the road.

My Dr. encouraged me to try Optifast so I'm going to give it a go. I actually begin next Wednesday with my first weigh-in and receive all my products. I went to an introductory meeting last week and they gave me samples of each choice I can have (shakes, bars, soup) so I'll know what to order for my first week.

I'll be on the program for 16 weeks. Each day I get 3 Optifast products (shakes, bars, soup) and 2 snacks and 1 meal. No more than 1250 calories per day. I'm excited to give this a go and my Dr is very encouraging.

I love FitDay and have been using it off and on for the past 3 years. I will track my foods on here to be sure I stay in line and will post my weight loss successes.

Over this past week I've cut down on my food and used some of the sample products to semi begin the program. Just doing that I already lost 2 lbs. :D I'm going to list my starting weight today where my weight is now (after the 2lb loss). I bet when I get weighed in at my weekly Optifast meeting their scales will weigh me differently so I will change my SW to what ever they show then track weekly by their scales. My first GW will be when the 16 weeks are up. Thats when I hope to reach 210 (just under 3 lbs/week). Once I hit that I'll set another GW as I incorporate more food.

I'm nervous and excited! :)

Female 5'7"
SW: 259.2 BMI 40.6 8/4/12
GW: 210.0 BMI 35.0 12/4/12

Optifast - giving it a try
 

Oh Geez... I typed a long update and Fitday didn't take my reply and lost it so now I'm starting over .. much more rushed so I'm not late for work.

I will be "officially" beginning the Optifast program through Kaiser this Wednesday. In prepping for it I've cut down my food intake and have begun using the sample Optifast products they gave me so I could determine what I like to make ordering easier. I've thrown out the bad food in my cupboards (chips, cookies, cake mixes, salty crackers, etc) and replaced them with healthier choices.

I'm on the Low Calorie Optifast (not the Very Low Calorie which is all products and max 800 calories / day). I get 1200 calories a day and one real meal which is low fat and max 300 calories (I save that for dinner) plus 3 Optifast servings. Plus I need to drink at least 1/2 gal of water a day (no biggie - I'm a water drinker).

So far, just by cutting back my food intake, making healthier choices, drinking my water, using 2 Optifast products per day I've lost 3.4 lbs in two days. I'm pleased. I know it's probably water weight but I'll take it. :)

I'll post again after my official weigh in and first meeting with Kaiser.

Female 5'7"
SW: 259.2 BMI 40.60 8/4/12
CW: 255.8 BMI 40.06 8/6/12
GW: 210.0 BMI 35.0 12/4/12

WL: 3.4 lbs

Good luck! From what I've seen on their website, the Optifast plan offers you lots of support. You can do it.

You can do it LizBurch, I know how u are feeling. I too am sick and tired of being overweight and started a supervised weight loss journey today...Let's kick butt!

Thanks Kathy and krms for your support! :)

Last night was my first official meeting and weigh in with the Optifast program through Kaiser. I'm going to update my numbers with Kaiser's weigh in weight and begin from there. I noticed I weigh differently on the various scales (with significant differences). My doctor's office, my home scale, and now at Kaiser's meeting last night weigh me with at least a 5 lb weight difference... frustrating.. but I guess if I stick to one I'll be able to accurately track my weight loss.

There are about 10 members in my group, all at various stages of the program. Before the meeting actually begins everyone gets weighed in privately then waits in the waiting room. When that's all done we convene for the group meeting. There are topics each meeting and I received a weight loss / healthy eating bound book that the group just began reading last week. We also receive a handout each week which they ask we keep in a notebook for reference. Last night all, except the newbies, talked about what worked for them to help them stay on the plan. It was very helpful. The support is nice and reminds you it can be done.

At the end of the meeting I received a bag of my food for the week plus a gift of a shaker and a pedometer. Let the fun begin! lol :D

Starting today I will be having 3 Optifast meal replacements (shakes or bars) and then a regular dinner with no more than 300 calories. I find that I'm most hungry as my day winds down so my plan is to have:
Breakfast- a Shake
Morning snack - carrots and a 1/2 apple
Lunch - Shake
Afternoon Snack - 1/2 apple + carrots
When I get home from work - a Choc Peanut Butter Bar
Dinner - 300 cal dinner (protein + vegies).

I'll see how that works for today.

I will keep posting in here and share how it's going.

Female 5'7"
SW: 262.1 BMI 41.0 8/8/12
GW: 210.0 BMI 35.0 12/4/12

Keep up with the posts to let us know your progress...Today is day 4 of my medically supervised diet. I'm very motivated. It really helps to see posts by other people struggling to take weight off. Keep up the great work everyone!!!

krm.. what medically supervised diet are you on?

Female 5'7"
SW: 262.1 BMI 41.0 8/8/12
GW: 210.0 BMI 35.0 12/4/12

This evening I had my weigh-in and meeting after my first full week on the Optifast program.
My first week wasn't that bad. The shakes and bars are good and I feel full.

My meal plan for the day is generally;

Bfast: Optifast Vanilla Shake
Snack: 2.5 oz of Tuna, 1/2 Apple (sprinkled with cinnamon)
Lunch: Optifast Chocolate Shake
Snack: 2.5 oz of Tuna, 1/2 Apple (sprinkled with cinnamon)
Dinner: Regular low fat home cooked dinner under 1200 calories
Snack: Optifast Bar
Plus: 64 oz of water throughout the day

On the program they want you to eat something every 3-4 hours so you don't ever feel hungry. And you must have 3 Optifast products so you get all your nutrients. I have to say it works for me. I haven't felt hungry yet which is a blessing.

My weight loss for my first week was 5.4 lbs. Yay! :)

Lost this week: 5.4 lbs
Total weight loss: 5.4lbs

I am going to a Dr. Powell he is a weight loss physician. For the first two weeks I have a pre-packaged meal every 2-3 hours. They are either bars, shakes, or soups. They are pretty good! Last Friday was my first weigh-in and I lost 4 pounds, yeah me!! This Friday I will weigh-in again, so wish me luck! After my first two weeks then I will add in my own dinner (a low calorie meal for dinner with veggies). Our programs sound around the same. I finally feel like I'm in control and my tummy is feeling soo much better at night before bed. And I'm not saying to myself, " I going to do something about my weight on Monday!" I'm already doing something, yeah!!!!
Great job on your weight loss...Keep it up!!! Doesn't it feel great to wake up in the morning and be in control of our health!!

krms - your program does sound very similar to mine. Congrats on the weight loss! It feels so good when something works.

Keep up the good work! Keep posting how you are doing.. .I'd love to hear about your successes :)

Optifast - giving it a try
 

Tonight was my second meeting and second weigh in. I lost 1 lb. I was hoping for more but I'll take the pound.

One thing I did different was to cut a few more calories thinking I would lose more weight. Instead of 1250 calories per day (which they recommend) I was consuming about 900 caleries per day. It appears that didn't work. What I was told tonight was that because my calories were so low my metabolism slowed down. The Leader encouraged me to consume 1250 calories per day (3 Optifast products per day plus a regular low fat meal with a total of 1250 cal per day).

This week I'll go back to consuming 1250 calories a day and see if the loss picks up. I'm not hungry on this diet and I think the shakes and bars taste good.

So far so good :)

I did the same thing my second week, I cut my calories thinking i would loose more weight. I anoly lost 1 pound also. My third week weigh-in was last Friday(Today is Monday) I lost 4 pounds. I consumed all my calories last week and lost more weight!!!
It's weird to try to change our thinking that if we eat more (small meals throughout the day) we loose more. It is hard for me to get my mind around!!!! Keep up the great work and let me know how week 3 goes!!!

Feeling good today....The holiday weekend was difficult with a huge family BBQ at our house. The good thing was that I was so busy waiting on people and talking to people that I was not able to get in all my calories for the day. But I did have 10 tortilla chips with about 2 TBS yummy guacamole ( did I spell that right?). But now it's Tuesday and all is back to so called "normal" My son is back to school and my hubby is out of town till Thurs p.m.. I am going to try to get to the gym today (yuck). The weird part is I hate to go but after I feel great, go figure!
Liz are you still out there?? How are you doing? We started this diet pretty much at the same time and are kind of doing the same thing. Would love to see a post from ya!!

Weighed-in on Friday I only lost 2 pounds but I will keep chugging along!

Hey .. I'm back. Nice to see posts from you krms. Congrats on the continual weight loss!

I've been crazy busy and haven't gotten to post anything. But I'm over a month in the program and finally cracked losing 10 lbs. I guess I was expecting it to come off faster as it seems I've drastically cut down on my food intake and moved to a low fat diet. But I'll be happy with the 10 lbs. I keep going to my Optifast meetings and the support is fantastic! They tell me I'm on target with losing about 1 lb / week. So like you said, krms, I'll keep plugging along too.

I have noticed that my clothes are a Lot loser! So that's great! I think I'm losing inches quicker than pounds.

I am more tired at the end of the day and they told me it's because I'm not getting in enough food. (I do have a habit of trying to cut back, which they told me not to do). My goal for this next week is to be sure I eat at least 5 times a day... 3 Optifast products and 1 snacks and 1 meal under 300 calories. My Goal: Banana/Fruit(when I wake) - Optifast (bfast) - Snack - Optifast(lunch) - Snack - Under 300 cal Meal (dinner) - Optifast Bar (evening snack) and they said I have to space them out more evenly. They want me to eat something as soon as I wake up (hard for me as I'm not a morning eater). I'm starting my day with a Banana and Coffee. Then 2 hrs later have my first Optifast shake. (not sure if thats what they had in mind - the banana - but its working)

Keep up the good work krms... I'll try to keep up my posts better. Hearing from you is VERY encouraging as I feel like I'm not doing this alone.

Keep losing!

Glad to see your back! I missed ya! Happy to see you're still keeping with it too!!
Congrats on loosing 10 pounds!! I know what you mean how you thought it would come off (the weight) so much quicker because you are eating way less calories. I feel the same way! My eating was so out of control but now it is very structured and I am eating a lot less calories.

I had my weigh-in today and lost another 2 pounds. I felt like I had lost more, so it was discouraging that I hadn't. My total weight loss is 14 pounds!! Yeah me!! Talk to you soon...

Great Job on the 14 lb loss!!! I bet that feels so good. Keep up the good work! If we keep losing 1-2 lbs a weeks we will be feeling so much better by the holidays and Look better too :)

My nexy weigh in is Wednesday. I'll check back in after that to report how I did this week. ttys

hi Liz / Krms

Its really awesome to see your posts.
i find it encouraging.

i just signed up to FitDay.com today (18th September 2012).

i started my "diet" 3 weeks ago (28th August 2012)
i lost 5 pounds in my first week

Unfortunately i too thought that i could lose more weight by consuming less calories.
The last 2 weeks (weighed myself today) i have not lost any pounds at all :-(!!!

My husband encourages me (makes / packs all my food) and says i should not worry but just keep on doing what i am doing.

I am not on any specific diet however my doctor has asked me to stop eating carbs (bread / rice / pasta, etc) entirely. effetcively quitting all "bad carbs".

To experdite my weightloss my husband suggests i start exercising.
Going to start today. excited :-)

anyways i would really like to hear your stories too, so please update me

Thanks

Marienita

Hi Marienita- Liz (I don't know if that is her name or not, I'll have to ask her) and I have been typing back and forth for a little bit now. Sounds like you came to the right place to share common weight loss experiences!!! Please keep us updated on your weight loss journey...Oh, & welcome!!!!

hey krms

Thanks, being on fitday has really put things in perspective for me.

And its great having you guys too.

Weightloss has always been an issue for many so its nice to have support and to know you are on the right track.


its also great learning from each other.

cant "weight" for the next weigh in.

thought you may want to read this:
Sleep boosts weight loss
Created: Tuesday, September 18, 2012 Print

Adequate sleep is an important part of a weight loss plan and should be added to the recommended mix of diet and exercise, states a commentary in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Although kilojoule restriction and increased physical activity are recommended for weight loss, there is significant evidence that inadequate sleep is contributing to obesity. Lack of sleep increases the stimulus to consume more food and increases appetite-regulating hormones.

Sleep should be part of weight-loss plan
"The solution [to weight loss] is not as simple as 'eat less, move more, sleep more,'" write Drs. Jean-Phillippe Chaput, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario and Angelo Tremblay, Laval University, Québec, Quebec.

"However, an accumulating body of evidence suggests that sleeping habits should not be overlooked when prescribing a weight-reduction program to a patient with obesity. Sleep should be included as part of the lifestyle package that traditionally has focused on diet and physical activity."
The authors' recently published research found that total sleep time and quality of sleep predicted the loss of fat in people enrolled in a weight loss program.
The Canadian Obesity Network has included adequate sleep in its new set of obesity management tools for physicians.

How many hours a night do you sleep? E-mail us [email protected]

(EurekAlert, September 2012)

Read more:
Sleep yourself thin

I think I will take a nap & not feel guilty!!!

Kelly (krms)

You do that Kelly!!!

I'm going to weigh in tomorrow, I didn't cheat so I hope I do well!!! How is it going Marienita & LizBurch??? Good night out there...


Kelly

Good luck Kelly

Let us now how it goes

I will weigh in on Tuesday next week.
Haven't cheated either, so im hoping for the best [fingers crossed].

M

Hi KS and Marieneta ~

I keep plugging along here. Down 1 more pound. Oh my I thought it would come off faster. I feel like I've totally changed my diet... eating a lot less food, avoiding saturated fats in the foods I do eat, drinking the water, etc and it's coming off so slow. I'm probably getting about 1200 cal a day. I know if I exercise more it will probably come off faster but I have arthritis so bad in my knees its very painful. I have noticed the pain has decreased a bit since I've lost the weight that I have. I get in the pool about twice a week, and mow the lawn (gas mower) once a week so I'm not totally sedatary. When I finish going in the pool or mow the lawn my knees are killing me but I deal with it to get my body moving. I can't get discouraged here and I should enjoy the 1 pound that I lost. :)

I will be out of town for a bit. Leaving tomorrow for Boston and returning in a week. I have a conference so not sure if I'll get on here. I will miss my weigh in meeting but they supplied me with enough Optifast for the week I'm gone so hopefully I won't go off too bad. I think Bfast and Lunch will be easy to stay on it ... I'll just have to be careful with dinner and order wisely.

Keep up the good work... drink your water, take naps :) , and exercise when you can.

a bit thinner Liz :)

It's Monday!!! On Friday I had my weigh-in & I lost another 2 pounds, yeah!! That's the good part...Now let me tell you the bad. I blew it this weekend & had a big yummy sandwich from a great sandwich shop. I also had a tostada. I know I was really bad and I feel like I just blew my whole weight loss journey again ( if I only knew how to post those sad or smiley faces I would post a sad one!). I am back on track though. Not to be a total downer but will be that time of the month too, yuck!
Liz, congrats on the pound! It's way better than gaining a pound!!! It sounds like you exercise a lot more than me, so keep up the great work! I'll talk to you when you get back into town.

Kelly

Had my weigh-in today to my surprise I'm down another 2 pounds!!! I'm really pleasantly surprised because I did not feel like I had lost anything this week!!! Two more pounds to meet my 20 pounds gone 1st goal!!!!
Liz are you back in town yet, if so how did it go being out of town??
Marienita did you have your weigh-in on Tuesday & how did you do???

Kelly

hey ladies..

hpe u guys are well.

i am still keeping to my diet but im not seeming to lose any more weight it either stays the same or i put on. its annpying more than discouraging!!! maybe i just want it to come of faster than i stress too much.

but i will keep on. maybe i will refine a bit. need to start gyming!!! and drinking more water as well. that should work.

KR you must be so proud that yu are losing so much. good luck and keep it up.
Liz how di the conference go. were u able to keep with the diet? good to hear you increasing you activities, its a huge motivator.

definitely gyming tonight. :-)

XXX
M

Hi guys!

I'm back in town. I was in Boston for a week with lots of tempting foods. I had my shake every morning for breakfast ... ate a light lunch ... dinner on most nights had a shake but a few nights enjoyed a nice dinner. I had no idea how I was doing regarding my weight. I watched what I ate but didn't make myself miserable.

When I came home I went to my meeting and I was down 1/2 pound. Well .. at least I didn't gain.

It's been a week and I went to my meeting again tonight and I was up 1/2 pound .. so I'm back to where I was before I left for my trip. Ugh! This has really been a slow process but I'm going to keep it going.

It sounds like you both are doing great! :)

Glad you're back in town, sounds like you did pretty good considering you were out of town with all the temptations of seminar lunches & dinners!!! So you are at the same weight you were at before leaving town? Wow that impressive, I would have totally gone "off" my plan!
I just found out we are going to Cabo Nov. 9, 2012. I hope I will be able to stay the same weight before and after our trip, and don't blow it!!!
I only lost 1 pound last week and I have to admit I have been weighing myself alot this week and it looks like I have stayed the same. I hope I have not hit a "plateau". I'm am trying to get into the 180's but not have much luck the past two weeks. I go tomorrow to weigh-in.
It's so hard when my husband comes home on Thursday night, he always wants to go out and eat or go to his mom's and eat and she is a great cook. I know, I know, excuses!!!
Talk to you soon...Kelly

Hi Kelly and Marienita -

Another week has past and I dropped another 2 lbs. I've noticed I'm not drinking my water like I should so I'm kicking it up and really going to down it. I've also been sneaking in some cheats - which I need to stop! So today is Monday and with a new week I'm going to get back on track. I want to lose some serious weight by the holidays. If I do then I would have reached my first goal. So for now I'm just focusing on the next 2 months - 8 weeks. Let's see how much I can lose if I really put my mind to it.

It sounds like you both are doing well and congratulations! Keep up the good work. Kelly, a trip to the Cabo sounds so wonderful. I'm sure you'll do fine. Bottom line, enjoy the trip and you can get back on track when you get home. Marienita.. keep up the good work and don't get discouraged. The three of us will get through this and we will look and feel better for it.

I'll check back soon,

Liz

Had my weigh-in today...I'vs been pretty good. I've been on this weight loss journey( this time) since August 3, 2012, so it's been 3 months. I am down a total of 28 pounds!!! I feel great but I still need to loose another 20. So I am proud of myself but I still have way more to loose and then keeo it off.
Liz, I've noticed I have not been drinking emough water either. It seems like when it was hot out it was a lot easier to drink water and now since it's not so hot I don't want to drink it. Maybe I will start drinking more tea and more water.
Hope all is well with you Liz....And Marienita are you still out there too? Ihave to go but talk to you soon!!!

Kelly

It

Kaiser member
 

Hi Liz! first of all, congratulations on your success. i can imagine how amazing you must feel. I just have a quick question if you dont mind. Today i went to my dr. at Kaiser, Also in california, and she recommended to me the optifast program and said it would work best for me. I am so excited about it, and would love to start right away, but i see how pricey it can be. My question is, Does our insurance cover any of it? and how much out of pocket should i be expecting? this is the scary part for me. If you can please email me any info you can offer on this program through kaiser, mostly cost information. since im never on this sight im worried i wont get your response. Keep up the great work!!! and thanks in advance for your helpful information. :)
[email protected]

Just starting Opti Fast...
 

I just started OptiFast, I appreciated reading your experiences here so I thought I would add my own in case anyone is interested.

I started Optifast 800 on 11/14 so today is my day 7 and I am really excited that I have been able to stick with the plan. My only cheat was 4oz of wine. So I am only eating shakes, bars, and soup. Tomorrow I will have my first weigh-in and I really hope it is motivating. I have never really dieted before so I am really trying to do this right.

Age: 32
Height:5'5
Starting Weight: 204
Goal Weight:160

I'm not in CA but I can give you a reference for the cost where I am. Insurance does pick up my weekly appointments and I only pay a $20 co-pay, insurance doesnt typically pay for food. Where I am on the OptiFast 800 food is $15.00 a day so $3.00 per supplement. I buy all my supplies a week at a time. Its not cheap, but I'm also saving money by not eating out or drinking.

Beginning optifast
 

Hi there I starting optifast 1200calories including one meal a day tomorrow. I wanted straight optifast but that doesn't start until the end of Feb. I'm so excited any helpful tips

Started today
 

on modified optifast.. one sensible meal a day.. I think this is going to work for me. I am sick of being fat.. sick of being tired, sick of having my body hurt from all the weight.. I look forward to summer with a new me.. a better healthier me.. Im so excited today.. I love the shakes.. yummy.:)

Im on kaiser in So Cal as well, they don't cover the food only the lab work.. The kaiser in woodland hills has a modified ( one meal a day) optifast which I started and it is 90 a week..

Hey I'm finally back and it has been since my vacation since I've posted. O.k. so I pretty much went off my new way of eating but I have my appointment back with my dr. on Thursday. I know I have gained in the last 1 month (YES THAT IS HOW LONG IT HAS BEEN!) but I have to get back on the horse so to speak!!!
Liz where are you I hope you post soon!!!!

TTYL
Kelly

Hey all ... I'm back!!! I've been very busy with work and haven't gotten on here to post. Regarding Optifast ... I did the 12 weeks and I was doing well when I attended the meetings but when the meetings ended it was much harder for me.

I ended up losing 19 lbs. I have more to go so will do the best I can to get back on track. I can't afford another run on the program so I'll have to do it on my own. I found as long as I stuck to close to 1200 calories per day I lost weight.

Good luck to all those joining in. I'm sure you'll lose weight and feel better.

Kelly .. thanks for your encouraging emails to get me back in here. That was very sweet of you. :)

Best to all of you!!
Liz