optifast and hunger

I'm at the tail end of my 5th day of optifast and I'm still soooo hungry, trying to decide if it's real hunger or head hunger and can't quite decide.  For those who have done the optifast did u continue to be hungry this long or am i letting my head get the best of me?  The numbers are great though, something is going right as i'm already lost 11.5 lbs just in 5 days.

For me by day 5, I had no real hunger.  I actually stopped feeling real hunger before the end of day 3.  What I felt after that was more a need to chew, I really missed chewing.  I ended up chewing on ice cubes and pen caps as we weren't allowed anything else.  My guess would be that by now it's mostly head hunger that you are dealing with.  When you feel hungry, go drink a big glass of water and it might make that feeling go away.

I'm with Tracey on this one. After day three it was smooth sailing. I would suggest drinking more water or having decaff tea or decaff teas.

 I was good by the 2nd day. 

Broth was a lifesaver for me! Drink loads of water, crystal light, plain decaf tea/coffee and whatever else your clinic allows.

I was hungry pretty much all the way throught to about day 8 or 9 of 14.  After that I just didn't care anymore.  I was allowed broth and 2 cups of raw broccoli, cucumbers, celery, green peppers and lettuce.   Was great the first few days but after day 6 or 7 I didn't want them anymore.  And I only lost 9 lbs.

You are so close! You can do it!

Julie

Hi Surgery Twin!

I just finished day 5 yesterday too, and I only feel true (stomach) hunger about half an hour before my next shake  is due.

However, there were about 10 times yesterday evening, while I was watching my son play Skyrim, that I kept having fleeting thoughts like "maybe I'll go get some toast" or "an apple would be nice", before I realize that I'm not allowed.  There's a lot of food gathering in this video game!

I also noticed urges for food when I'm at work and someone in the office was eating something fragrant, like fries or pasta. Yet I have to say, when I thought about it, it was not true hunger, just desire.

I've been practicing determining what triggers make me eat for a year now, but this 5 days of Optifast has made it so much clearer to me!

Good luck with your remaining Opti days!

Sharon

Well, I don't know if you want to hear this, but I was going insane (crying jags and some paranoid thoughts) with hunger for the first two weeks of my of opti diet.

I cheated in little ways now and then - a spoonful of hummus or peanut butter now and then.

And then I cheated in a big way - chinese anyone? - was horrendously sick, and only then was I able to stick to the diet without cheating. 

And honestly, even then it wasn't that the hunger was completely gone, just that I was afraid that any "real" food in my system would endanger my surgery.

Surgery went fine, doctors had no complaints. Two week post surgery and I'm loving that I don't feel that gnawing hunger anymore.

In my one month follow up with the dietitian I'm planning to be honest about my pre-op cheating and talking to her about how I wish there had been some advice for those who have trouble with more then just the first few days of the optifast diet.

Donna

thanks for the replies everyone, was great to hear that lots weren't hungry and some still were.  I sat and thought long and hard about it today and it's more of a discomfort in my stomach, at the top so i started to wonder if perhaps all the sweetners are getting to me.  It feels like your stomach the day after you have the flu, achy and overworked for whatever reason.  I hadn't been drinking much broth so am trying more broth as the warmth is great.

 

Good luck to u surgery twin!!!!