Okay I am a cheater!

2nd day into the Optifast challenge and I broke....I bought a tin of canned tomatoes...plain no spices....cut one up and put a little vinegar on it and ate it The tin said 2 carbs....I just gotta have something to chew...I know it is psychological but I get kinda shaky...and my blood sugars are low..not dangerously low but low... Do you think an occasional tomato like this will hurt me? I am drinking lots of clear fluids....I don't really even feel guilty cause it tasted so good, and i could actually chew it... HELPPPPPPPPPPPPP Sue

Your doctor will probably hate me, but personally I find those Optifast diets absolutely barbaric. I honestly don't blame you for cheating one bit - I know that I couldn't have done it before surgery without going You *can* shrink your liver eating regular foods and that's why I find it a crazy requirement before surgery. If you are going to "cheat" then vegetables are a good choice because they really don't have any fats in them anyway. The point is to reduce intake of fats in order to shrink your liver before surgery. I really wish Ontario doctors would 'get with the program' and get rid of that Optifast garbage! Sorry to spew, but I think it's so difficult for most people and needless. Dawn http://home.cogeco.ca/~diminishingdawn 288/161/140

I agree with Dawn!

Susannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!! YOUR BAD, BAD GIRL!!!!!!! You need to chew gum and walk away from the kitchen, no kitchen or cupboard or fridge for you missy.LOL, LOL Luv ya Samm Normal blood sugars are between 5 & 7, just to let you know. 12 pounds gone for good for me cause I don't cheat!!!!!!!!!LOL

Hi Sue, I know it is hard to stick to the optifast but part of the reason it's important not to cheat is that your body goes into a state of ketosis and it takes 3 - 4 days before that happens. Once it does it makes your hunger go away. Also I have heard of the odd person who didn't stick to whatever pre-op diet their surgeon stipulated and when they opened them up they were not able to be banded. I'm sure you will be fine but why take a chance especially when we are paying the big bucks? Just for your info, I was told due to my past stomach stapling that I probably wouldn't be able to be done lap and in that case my doc was performing mine in the hospital and prepared to do it open. Probably because of that I was not motivated enough to stick to the optifast and stopped taking it after the second day and only went on a low calorie diet. Luckily I woke up from surgery and my doc had been successfull in doing me lap despite the previous stapling but in hindsight I was foolish not trying to adhere to the optifast and it was a silly gamble. Take care! Donna Stomach Stapling/87 Revised To Lapband/06 251/173.2/125goal

I would say don't fuss about what has already been done. Feeling guilty only perpetuates the old "I'm not a good person". Just try for tommorrow. As they say, one day at a time. As others have stated, it will become easier the more you can stick to it. SherryB

Hey Sue..don't sweat it...Denise had told me though if you really needed something to have a piece of lean chicken breast...you can chew and it will fill you up and is all protein....good luck...klee

Cheating on optifast is doing yourself a disservice. After a few days on it you go into ketosis and you just stop being hungry and wanting to cheat ( unless you're having head hunger) The more you cheat, the hungrier you'll be, trust me on this one, I did it for 15 weeks straight and cheating is just torturing yourself and makes it harder to stay on track. Sorry if you were looking for approval on this ( even if they were only tomatoes) but I can't offer it. I know it's hard but hang in there, this is the last crash diet you'll have to endure. Cheers Jen

Thanks for all the feedback......it only amounted to about 3 tbsp. of tomato anyway so it really wasn't worth the effort My blood sugars are right now in the low 4's so I have to be careful but I know I can stick to it....I do remember Denise mentioning a chicken breast but I think if I do that I am sunk......I think I am going to cut back my schedule at work a bit....I do alot of running to client's homes and meetings and tend not to think about meals....with only having the liquid that could cause a problem....scales say i have lost 6 lbs....I figure it is mostly water...I take a diretic anyhow, got all 4 in tonight, off for my PATS tomorrow so that might be a bit tricky but I have got my powder water etc store in a cooler for the road....thanks for the kick in the butt, i need it.... Sue

Sue I can totally feel you here. I think EVERYONE here regardless of what they said in their responses have had weak moment @ some point in their journey. Maybe it was not right before surgery but I am sure everyone has had one. It wasnt like you went out and ate a bag of chips - you chose tomatoes. To me thats awesome because you are thinking in the right direction - towards weight loss and healthy eating. Not all WLS patients have to do the Optifast thing..so I am sure you did not hurt yourself in anyway or do yourself a disservice. I say give yourself a pat on the back for making a decent choice, and for asking support when you needed it. hugssss and keep your chin up !