Optifast And Cheating....am I The Only One?

[Sleeved 0]

I am scheduled for my sleeve next week. My Dr requires an all liquid 1000 calorie diet for 2 weeks. Please don.t judge me. It's been terribly hard for me. I am on day 8 and have lost 8 pounds. I have also cheated 4 of the days. By cheating one day I had 2 celery sticks. One day I had 3 tsp of Tomato sauce. Not crazy out of control but I talk w/ folks who say they NEVER CHEATED. Would walk on coals ifif doctor said to, so it has me questioning if I am dedicated enough for this permanent process. In my defense I question how many morbidly obese women who r also used to a 3 to 4000 calorie diet ( that's how I got here folks) never take a bite....I am starving! It has gotten better, but this truly sucks!

So I am asking myself @ the last minute, 'can I handle this journey? Do I have the commitment? Am I going to be like your hairdresser's sister who gained all her weight back and more?' God forbid!

If I am just freaking out, or you see some handwriting on the wall...because everyone else gave it 100% please let me know.

Sad and hungry....

[mamamckinzie 92]

You can handle this journey! It is so much more manageable once you have been sleeved!! You will not feel like you need to chew your arm off. Is it easy? Nope...but as you learn to embrace your "new normal" for how little you will need to eat it will become easier. Plus give yourself time to heal after your surgery. Just remember that the sleeve is a tool. If your follow your Dr.'s diet plan you will loose weight once and for all. Just hang there and remember we are here for you!

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Okay, i will say it - I am not sure why some docs make people go on these torture diets! Liver shrinking is done by going really low carb for 2-3 weeks before. I think some surgeons want you to lose a bunch of weight too so that is why they put you on these super restrictive diets. What is crazy is that i am eating real food and eating lower carb then some of thise "all liquid" diets are! Now, it isn't easy either because having 20-40G of carbs a day, including carbs in Vitamins and all sorts of things you would never think about having carbs is also rugged. I take this preop diet very seriously and you should of course follow your surgeons instructions, just bear in mind low carb is what shrinks the liver.

[Lissa 2,631]

I doubt many of us have NEVER cheated on our liquid diets. And, it doesn't sound like you aren't capable of handling the after surgery requirements. You are hungry now, and you are losing even with the cheats.

You need to buckle down and follow the diet from now until surgery so that you get the maximum benefit from the liquid diet. After surgery you won't be hungry and following the diet will be much easier.

Good luck on your journey!!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

Okay, i will say it - I am not sure why some docs make people go on these torture diets! Liver shrinking is done by going really low carb for 2-3 weeks before. I think some surgeons want you to lose a bunch of weight too so that is why they put you on these super restrictive diets. What is crazy is that i am eating real food and eating lower carb then some of thise "all liquid" diets are! Now, it isn't easy either because having 20-40G of carbs a day, including carbs in Vitamins and all sorts of things you would never think about having carbs is also rugged. I take this preop diet very seriously and you should of course follow your surgeons instructions, just bear in mind low carb is what shrinks the liver.

^^^ Yep, what she said. It's all low carbs that exits the fat out of our liver, making our surgery more safe. I seriously doubt you harmed your progress at all. That said, do your best to stay on track from here though. Keep in mind too that if you are in the norm, you won't even have any type of appetite post sleeve. So try to look forward to that.

[longer-life 139]

I was a volume eater and I prayed I wasn't put on a liquid diet. I was hovering around 40 BMI and luckily for me wasn't. Torture is the right word. That is exactly what it would have been. Fast forward 8 days after my surgery and it was Thanksgiving. I was (and still am) on full liquids. I had a house full of family and I did great while sipping my Protein Shakes. I would have NEVER been able to do that before surgery. By your post I can tell you will do great! :hug:

[guzel 11]

Wow, you're beating yourself up over cheating and munching on celery sticks? I wish my cheats were celery sticks. Unfortunately they tend to be more like hersey bars. At least celery is low carb! You're doing great, just keep moving forward.

[Deigh 15]

Thursday will be three weeks on Optifast with another to go. Wow, I guess that means three weeks today which I totally didn't think about until just now.

You aren't expected to be completely perfect. We were talking in workshop and all of us have had to do little modifications to make it work.

I'm allowed 1/2 cup of either cucumber or celery a day. I have been "cheating" by having a whole cucumber some days as I sometimes just need to CHEW something. It's seriously bad when I'm thinking of gnawing on the people who walk into my office. I am not a big sweet eater and all the Optifast stuff is sweet. My weakness is crunchy salty foods and there's none of that on Optifast. Bleh. I also added a cup of low sodium broth with one of the shakes so it feels more like a meal.

Are you allowed sugarfree popsicles or Jello? Those are helpful. The tropical pops are MUCH more flavorful than the "red, orange, grape" package which taste like the "Bug Juice" they used to serve at summer camp.

I've started tracking it on myfitnesspal.com thanks to a recommendation here and the extra half cup of cucumber still has me under my nutritionist's goals.

I took thanksgiving as a "cheat meal" and told my doctor I would be doing so. I guess my stomach was just not ready as I had to go running to the bathroom because it did not stay down. The only thing that would stay down was the berries. I don't recommend this, btw, as it was hard to go back on the liquids after the cheat.

If you want to complain rant talk about the Optifast, feel free to pm me. Oh, and when they say get the Fiber pills, do it. That or buy stock in Immodium because holy batman, it's bad.

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

Years ago, I did the Modifast program and lost significant amount of weight with it - using 5 packets of the powdered Protein spread throughout the day mixed into shakes. I drank the shakes, broth and no cal liquids for 9 months and lost 100 pounds. By the end of that time I was SICK of the Protein Shakes.

This is what I would do. I would get a packet of Protein and shake the powder into a bowl. I would mix two packages of Fiber with the Protein Powder with one to two tablespoons of salsa and Water (I don't remember the exact proportions) and make the mix into a dough consistency. I would pat the dough into a tortilla type patty and cook it in the micro. I would eat the tortilla to get my protein.

You might play around with this for variety.

Good Luck.

Sharon