Alternative to Optifast

Happy Friday!! The weekend is here!!

OKAY, the Program Coordinator told me yesterday at my consultation that my surgeon would like for me to do the Optifast diet two weeks prior to my surgery date. Well, I do not have a surgery date yet. I do not even have approval yet. But I already know I need to be looking at alternatives because the price is $150 per week or $300 for the two weeks he wants me on the Optifast diet. WHAT?!! I want to follow his every instruction and be a good patient but I have already spent thousands of dollars on weight loss plans. I would prefer a less expensive option, especially because doing the Optifast diet is only a recommendation and not required. I was thinking about Slim Fast Low Carb because I did that before and lost weight quickly. What did you do as a pre-operative diet and how much weight did you lose because of it?

I drank 6 shakes a day made from the Whey Proteien sold at Walmart for $13 for a large bottle.I needed about 3 bottles in total

Happy Friday

I too had to do the two weeks optifast but the surgeons office was able to allow me to purchase 1 week at a time. I did run out 3 days before so then I just started the liquid diet sooner all toll I lost 22 lbs by the time of the surgery.

Best Wishes

Yeah, I got suckered into that BS 2 week Optifast. You would be just as well off as having Low Carb Slimfasts for 2 meals a day and then a protein / veggie dinner. There are WAY better choices and think it is cruel and unusual punishment to have a person do this. Please also beware that it may just stop you up too! BIG time for me.

Better to do a high protein/low carb diet to shrink the liver. That is the "reasoning" behind this.When they tell you it is to prepare you for surgery life after......well you have a tiny pouch after.....BIG freakin' difference eh? THEN just 2 weeks after they start you on soft foods......that is a month of liquids and then wonder why peoples bodies are all chemically out of wack and weak.

That is MY opinion, YMMV.

Hopefully you can get a cheaper alternative because I on the other hand was told there wasn't any option besides the Optifast...that's what the surgeon required. I had to do it for 2 months which was torture on myself AND my wallet...LOL    But, I did lose 48 lbs before surgery which helped a great deal so it was worth it in the end.   Good luck finding something...

This is a really sore subject for me as my doctor required me to be on Optifast for 4 weeks pre-op.  I think that doctors may actually get a kick-back on this.  I would really like to know "why" so many doctors differ on their requirements for pre-op diets.  Some people don't have to go on any at all and do just fine, some have to do 7, 10, 14 days, and some, like me, make their patients do 30 days or more.  It just didn't seem fair, and I was considered a "lightweight" to boot.  For the money I spent on Optifast, it was hardly worth the time, effort, or money as I lost only about 14 lbs.  Thank God that I've had much better results with my RNY in the past 3 weeks.  Being so weight loss resistant on the Optifast really made me question if I could be successful with the surgery, but let me tell you, that has not been the case at all - it's truly amazing.  For what it's worth, I also knew several months in advance that I had to do the Optifast for 4 weeks, so I just stashed away money here and there so that I would have it when I needed it.

Don't be sore.

I was required to be on it for 4 weeks prior also, and so was my sister. Research shows it dramatically reduced the fat around our heart and liver pre surgery and increases our survival rate of surgery dramatically. I also only lost 16 pounds in that 4 weeks, and with only three shakes a day and only 1 cup of steamed veggies at night for 30 days, it was no easy feat.

Post surgery, I lost a further 24 pound and then halted after 2 weeks for the last 19 days.

Research over the last 5 years indicated a difference in the year, two year and five year weight loss progress and maintenance and for each additional week you are on it pre surgery, the outcome is proven to be greater.

I'm sure our surgeons only have success in mind. Our success is their fat wallets as we do their work in promoting them with our great new looks (wink).

Thing is, it's over now. Yay...bring on our new lives.

I am so very happy that this part of the process is optional because between now and my surgery date I am going to have to pay $615 for nutrition classes. The $300 it would cost to do Optifast for two weeks is financially impossible. So I have decided to do Slim Fast Low Carbohydrate Meal Replacement Shakes for breakfast and lunch with a low carbohydrate dinner. At amazon.com you can order 24 shakes for $40. I am going to order 48 shakes and follow the plan for three weeks. I figure doing the plan for one extra week would only be a help. So I am definitely going with that option.