[Bohobabe]

I am only halfway into Day 2 and already feeling way better than yesterday!! Yesterday was awful - headache like crazy. I am not very hungry today either but I think it helps to be home and not at work. I also slept alot after I got home and through the night.

I have read a previous Opti Fast blog during her process (can't remember the name). It was worth reading as it showed how too much working out slowed her process and slowing it down to a two mile walk increased her loss. She had alot of success and never cheated. She got pregnant (that was her goal) just short of her 100 pound goal and then it just stopped.

I am an emptynester so I live alone and this can be good and bad . . lol! At least I don't have to worry about cooking for someone else but leaves me by myself alot.

I also got out my scale and I can't deny it anymore. It will be a daily routine for me for the rest of my life to be accountable. This way when I reach m goal, I will always know how I am doing. No more excuses. I also downloaded Quicken to be accountable for my finances . . . at 54, I just might be growing up!

Hope everyone is having a good day!

[rabidstoat]

How's it going, Bohobabe? I guess you're... four days in? Five? I've almost done five weeks! It seems crazy.

I think I was down 17-18 pounds after week 4. I can't quite remember what I started at. They did another body composition study and I had lost about 17 pounds of fat and 1 pound of muscle. I have a lot of muscle, so that seems reasonable to me, I see the doctor on Thursday so I'll see what he thinks. I've been walking about 1.5-2 miles a day, 6 days a week, and then weight training 3 days a week.

I didn't have headaches the first week luckily, but some people did. What I did have -- and continue to have -- is 'loose bowels'. Kind of annoying, but now it's just sporadic. I think it might be the 'shakes' that cause it for me. (Edited to clarify: not like problematically so, just when I go to the bathroom sometime my stomach's seemingly upset and showing it.)

[Bohobabe]

Hi Rabidostat - You have done amazing, a full 17 pounds of fat!! Have you seen those things that are models of fat?

Headaches are gone thank goodness. The first two days were not fun. I have incorporated mild exercise for now. One day I did more and I was starving at night so 30 minutes on the elliptical is all for now.

I am getting on the scale like I posted earlier and I am down 9.1 pounds so far and it hasn't even been a week! Very motivating to keep it up.

I am trying to figure out the best times to eat for me. I get up early and my day starts early. I found yesterday that if I wait to have the first serving as late as possible and then eat more closer together that it keep me satisfied until bed time. I have to say that I felt absolutely amazing yesterday.

I am watching a new exercise video that I bought from Kathy Smith that are ten minute workouts - might be an option for when I am bored during the weekend! In my head, I want to get 30 lbs off as fast as I can . . . not sure why.

[rabidstoat]

Bohobabe, sounds like things are going great! I lost 6 pounds the first week and it was pretty awesome. Though, I have to say your 'mild exercise' of 30 minutes on the elliptical is equivalent to my 'normal exercise'.

Do you get regular bloodwork done with your program? My glucose has been steadily dropping, it was 80-something before I started the program. Then it was 75 the first test at week 2. And now it's 63 at week 4, which is a tad below the normal end of the range. I can only assume that it's low because I'm not eating much, but I'll see what the doctor says.

The headaches were probably just from the abrupt change in diet, and now your body's acclimated to it.

[Bohobabe]

Hi rabidostat - I showed a seven pound loss at night and a 9.1 on my scale at home, so there is the difference between weighing right when I get up and at 6 pm at night.

Yes we do get regular blood work and the first test is coming soon. I don't have any medical issues but my LDL was a bit high so it will nice to see this come down. I love how my skin is clearing up!! But, my sugar was a bit high too, so it will be interesting to see the changes. I love the way my skin is clearing up though.

The weird thing is last night when I got home from the meeting is that I cheated! I was so hungry and looking through the cupboards (thank goodness I had cleared them out). I munched on some stupid things and probably added 200 calories, maybe 250 to my day. Sometimes I think all this talking about food . . . who knows. But then I realized that at the same time last week after the meeting I had run through Jack in the Box and purchased a hamburger combo so comparatively it is great progress! But, I won't do this again. I will just be hungry and go to bed.

Today, I am going to Disneyland on a mild "date." I am bringing my products, so this will be interesting. I have an annual pass and we are going for a couple of hours only thank goodness.

[rabidstoat]

I'm having an issue with low glucose levels these days. I think it's because I'm not eating much. The dietitian said if I get shaky or faint I should eat something. (Er, okay, thanks!)

I went to Disney over the weekend, one day with products, one day... not so much. But it went well. Haven't hit a scale since, just got back into work.

Saturday was mostly just my six products plus a 'small meal', which was the chicken off an Asian chicken salad plus a little bit of the dressing soaked lettuce and veggies. Probably should've asked for dressing on the side. So that was probably 250-300 calories instead of my normal 150-200 calorie 'small meal'. Plus I had a snack of (very overpriced!) carrot sticks and celery with a light ranch dressing, so maybe another 120 calories.

Sunday... well, Sunday. I started with the shake. Then for lunch I had a piece of salmon and some green beans. And then... ICE CREAM. Mickey bars have 330 calories. Yum! And then dinner was some grilled tilapia and steamed veggies, no oil or butter. So calorie-wise I was only one or two hundred calories over, but nutrition-wise probably wasn't so great.

This is also balanced out by the fact that I walked about 9 miles on Saturday, and about 7 miles on Sunday, according to my pedometer! I normally get about 3-3.5 miles in a day. So that should burn some calories.

[Bohobabe]

So, we were both at Disneyland!!! LOL!!!

I didn't want to tell my date about Opti Fast yet and I thought we would be done by the time lunch came around . . . but he kept on wanting to feed me, so I had a greek type salad with chicken. Afterwards, I went back on plan. Not sure about dating during this time anymore though . . . but I got on the scale the next day and was up .8 and then the next day on plan I was then down that .8 and another pound.

I did Optifast many moons ago and already know that I am a slow loser. AFter the initial loss, I will be down 2 to 3 a pounds the rest of the time.

But, on my home scale, I am down my first ten from the initial weigh in with the weight doctor, actually 11.8 now. I do not like relying on a scale at 6pm at night!

So, get back on plan . . . that is all we can do . . .

[rabidstoat]

Just had my week 6 check-in. Very busy, I met with the doctor, the dietitian, and had blood work, then the group meeting.

The good news is I lost 4.5 pounds.

The bad news is that I have been super sleepy the past week (sleeping 9-10 hours a night instead of my normal 7-7.5), and my glucose levels are dangerously low. The doctor's bumped me up to 1200 calories minimum to try to combat that. Luckily it's not ALL products and involves some real food (yay!). But anyway, given that I exercise a fair amount and my BMR is so high, he wants me eating more so that I don't, like, pass out or anything.

[Bohobabe]

Yeah for the weight loss and yeah for more food!! We had a woman at our class this week that was fighting low blood sugar too.

I am having the opposite problem of not sleeping (except for last night). It is 12:34 am right now!! I lost 4.3 pounds at the clinic this week too . . . 14.1 pounds in two weeks so I know my body is going a bit crazy. I also decided to move . . . I need to relax about it but I am so excited about my new place! I actually ate a bar to maybe help with my restlessness . . . but not working.

I do love all this energy but oh man it is a pain too!! LOL!! I am going to have to exercise more to get more tired! lol!

[cyndyjlo]

Hello! I am considering Optifast after reading about it tonight, and I am wondering if you can answer this question for me... What type of protein is in the food they make? Is there soy in it?
I ask because the greatest diet success I've had was on Medifast, but I cannot go on it again because I am now hypothyroid, and soy based products are a bad idea for me. It seems like Optifast is similar.

Thank you for any information you can offer

[Bohobabe]

I don't know - I know the powder shakes are different than the ready made. The powders have lactose and the ready made do not.

[rabidstoat]

It's been suggested I shift over to the box drinks because of the lactose issue with the powder, in fact, just this week.

You can see the ingredients for the different products on this page: https://www.optifast.com/Pages/produ...0-powders.aspx

(Then just click different products to the side for their ingredients.)

[Bohobabe]

I have to say that the ready to drink shakes have magnesium which helps the elimination issue . . .lol!! Every time I drink the powder, I get all mucous-y so I know my body doesn't like it all that much. But, I am really good at rotating stuff.

I am tossing the idea around of trying a whole week of the liquids . . .

My weight on my home scale is not going down as fast but I feel like I am shrinking. My bras are getting more loose in the cups, when I sit down my stomach isnt near as big. So, I am so happy with my progress. I have to admit that though that I miss eating - just a salad. But, can you believe that it is almost three weeks already?? I can't!! I just cant wait to see how great I feel after these twelve weeks of full fast!!

How is your energy level?? Mine is great . . .

[rabidstoat]

I'm not convinced the boxed drinks are any better for me, but I'm going to try to shift to them more. Right now, though, I have 3 full boxes of extra shakes, and another 3 full boxes of extra soup. It's because I only manage to eat 5 products a day, not 6, and it keeps piling up. I need to talk to them about ordering less stuff, I think.

My energy levels are mostly back to normal, as opposed to last week when all I wanted to do was sleep. I don't know what was up with that. This week I'm sleeping about 7 hours a night and feeling fine. Last week, it was 9-11 hours a night and still wanting more sleep!

I'm not sure what caused it. I'm eating about 100 calories more a day on doctor's advice, which might be helping my glucose. It might've just been that my body was tired after two days of marathon Disney World touring. Or maybe my body just decided it wanted more sleep for no discernible reason whatsoever. I'm glad I'm back to normal, as it was very time-consuming sleeping so much!

[Bohobabe]

To be honest, I think there are going to be ebbs and tides through this process . . . I have been feeling great then yesterday I didn't feel so good. Come to find out my blood pressure is really low and I lost my appetite. Good news is that I found out that you are supposed to eat all of them or you could stop losing weight. It is easy to choke down a shake. Then this morning, a headache like crazy like in the beginning of this process. . . not sure why either. I am moving so I did some packing and light activity. Other than that trying to relax . . . just like you have experienced, just like BAM! But, I am down 17 pounds in three weeks and that is ALOT! I know that when you are dumping fat that it is kind of toxic to your system . . . so it could be the "weight loss" flu . . . I honestly think we just have to go with what our body is saying during this process.