Optifast: Starting in 1 week

I start my Optifast next Friday. Wondering what to expect so anyone who has gone through it/presently in Opti phase any feedback is appreciated

My surgeon's office only had chocolate, I did buy some sugarfree flavor (as suggested by the nurse) at Starbucks and it smells amazing! So if I need to improve the flavor hopefully this will help :)

I really like it.  Today is day 4 and I have quite a headache and was not feeling well during the night but that is getting better.  I am drinking a ton of water and hot decaf tea in between.  At Guelph they said to put Metamucil or restoralax in the shakes a few times a day.  I have only done that this morning though.  Good luck ...

Chocolate is my favorite!!

• Opti is pretty good with ice, 3-4 cubes.
• I also bought flavorings but found after the first week I didn't really need them. Some people really like instant decaf coffee in their Opti.
• You will probably have headaches, be tired/cranky, the first 3-4 days. It will pass.
• You might want to get a little blender (like Magicbullet) if you want to blend Opti 'shakes' or 'icecream'.
• Make sure you get your other fluids in.
• Broth can be a lifesaver... Delicious for dinner when you want something 'meaty' and not sweet.
• Sugar free Jell-O is great! In Canada, the packages say 'No Sugar Added' instead of 'Sugar Free' but they are sugar free. Jell-O is awesome when you want to chew something.
• Get some Metamucil or other sugar-free fiber... I REALLY need at least 1 tablespoon in every shake. I bought Benefibre because it has no taste.

I enjoyed the Optifast shakes. I purhased all Vanilla which I loved but then a friend gave me 6 chocolate.  OmG they were good but oddly enough the first one I tried made me hungry. I used the remaining 5 as a treat every odd day.

I did not have any side effects. You Learn about your mental readiness for this journey because I had some days where the urge to cheat are strong.  Don't give in..it gets easier after day 3, not that days 1 to 3 were bad..just the temptations. I do admit i may have dipped my finger into humous one or three times in week 3 to satisfy the urge and yet have a different flavor in my mourh but I am only talking about dipped , not scooped on my finger. Lol not enough to feel like cheating. 

By the time i hit day 14, I was very content on the program and the broth/jello was great to have.

I lost 30 lbs over 21 days.  Surgery was 2 days ago and I find my sipping the optifast and broth slowly anlong with trying to make a half cup of Jello last 30 min really set me up well for the liquid recovery after surgery. 

You can do this.

I'm 11 days post-op now, so not far from my opti days.  I loved opti.  Chocolate is good and most people prefer it to the vanilla but I preferred the vanilla, but only by a tiny bit.  A lot of people chose to get only chocolate, so I'm weird in liking the vanilla, lol.

I mixed it in my shaker cup, along with ice cold water and 4 or 5 ice cubes and really enjoyed it.  My first time trying it though, i hated it as my friend didn't have any ice or cold water so I mixed it with Toronto tap water, and ewwww!  LOL.  I was so grateful when I tried it with cold water and ice and liked it.

Good luck!  The time will fly.