Opti question...

Day 1 of Opti.... 

I'm going to have my 1st vanilla shake at lunch today - but I want to put some extracts in it.

How much do you put in?  (I'm sure it's "to taste", but what's a good starting point)?

Thanks ya'll!

I didn't like the vanilla opti, I always added some cocoa to it .....I also found if I mixed with a little less water and ice to bring it up to amount I never wanted to eat  or felt hungry... If I mixed with more water I would feel hungry..

I started by using 1 drop at a time. I liked the Almond extract for the vanilla opti.  I used peppermint for the chocolate Opti..  I just kept thinking I was eating cake or the Girl Guide peppermint cookies LOL.

I know that TWH gave us a list of recipes for Opti, I don't know if you have that? I know some people have used SF butterscotch pudding in their vanilla OPTI.. or Crystal Lite. 

I preferred the vanilla to the chocolate personally... As I could mix more with it.  My two go-to "recipes":

water, ice, couple squirts of the orange koolaid sugar free mix (in the little bottles similiar to mio). Give it a whirl in the blender. Then add the Opti and blend for 60 seconds.  I did not like it thick at all, always thinned it out more than what the package called for.

instead of using the orange flavouring, I would use a couple teaspoons of cocoa powder with the vanilla.

I also would get a medium decaf from Tim's, add that to blender. Use the Tim's cup and fill it half full. Add a handful of ice and blend. Then add either flavor of Opti and you have a iced latte type drink.  

I'm on my fourth day of Opti I didn't get Vanilla though as they didn't have it. I actually really like the chocolate, I add two or three drops of vanilla to it and some ice and blend in my magic bullet. TWH gave us a sheet of recipes.  on my sheet they say:

-sprinkle cinnamon or nutmeg into vanilla opti (i put nutmeg in my chocolate one too)

- boost the chocolate opti with 1-2 drops of almond, orange or peppermint extract.

- create a smoothie effect with a sprinkle of orange or raspberry crystal light into the vanilla opti.

- Enhance the chocolate with a splash of cold decaffeinated coffee for a mocha sensation.

- go for pudding effect by adding less water and eat opti with a spoon

hope that helps.

but one to three drops should help, doing by what taste you like.

I wasn't able to get the chocolate so all I had was 20 days of vanilla.  I tried EVERYTHING in it! My go to fav's were banana extract, coconut extract. decaf instant coffee, cocoa powder and raspberry extract.  I bought a lot of my extracts at the bulk zone, they seemed to have the best selection.  The crystal lights, Mio's etc were just too sweet for me. I would put in 1/4 tsp or so of the extract to start. 

I have to admit, today went a lot smoother than I thought it would. I was only slightly hungry a few times during the day, but I got busy and forgot about it...  Even when the wife was bbqing for some friends who were over it wasn't an issue. I did have a few minutes when I would have killed to eat some munchies on the couch but I press's through it with jus****er :)

i hope the next 20 days are this doable. :)

j

Not much help but I hated the vanilla.  The ones I did drink I had to add coco to so I could tolerate it.  The chocolate on the other hand I actually loved.  Being a week post op now I miss my opti, so much better then trying to choke these protein shakes down!