please tell me about optifast???

I HAVE A FRIEND AT WORK THAT STARTED OPTIFAST IN DEC.   SHE GOES TO HER DOCTOR TWICE A WEEK.  SHE GETS HER FOOD FROM HIM.  SHE EATS HIS FOOD FOR BREAK/LUNCH/SNACK THAN HER OWN DINNER,  BUT MUCH LESS THAN SHE USE TO EAT. WELL SHE HAS LOSS OVER 75LBS SINCE DEC.  YESTERDAY A FRIEND OF OURS TOLD US SHE IS STILL LOOSING.   DOES ANYONE KNOW ANYONE ON THIS.  I FEEL LIKE I WENT THE DRASTIC ROUTE BUT DON'T HAVE THE RESULTS.  I'M NOT SORRY I GOT MY BAND.  BUT IT DOES MAKE ONE WONDER.   WHAT IS THE WHOLE OUTCOME OF THESE PEOPLE THAT TRY THIS?  DOES ANYONE KNOW? THANKS YOU ALL!! BRIDGET K.

I was supposed to be on optifast for my two week pre op diet and I hated it.  It was loaded with sugar and just made me hungrier.  I swiched to low carb sugar free protien drinks and ate a dinner of steamed fish and veggies.  I lost 10 lbs on my pre op diet and I could have lost more but I got crazy with real food a couple of times. I think a lot would depend on how much you like drinking your meals and how sugar effects you.  I don't do well witheither. Do you have restriciton yet?

HI!  PHYLLIS THANK YOU FOR POSTING.   I LOOK AT THE LITTLE ENVELOPES SHE BRINGS IN AND I THINK YOU CAN'T EAT LIKE THAT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.  THE MONEY SHE WAS SPENDING, I THINK IT WAS $200 EVERY TWO WEEKS.   "NOT SURE", BUT THAN I THOUGHT,  I DON'T WANT A PAYMENT LIKE THAT THE REST OF MY LIFE.   IT IS HARD TO SEE SOMEONE LOOSE SO FAST.   I GO THROUGH THE SAME THING AT "SUPPORT GROUP"   ALL THOSE GASTRIC BYPASSERS.  THEY ALL LOOSE QUICK,  AND YOU SIT THERE SOMETIMES AND THINK YOU DON'T BELONG. I MUST ME PATIENT,   I DON'T WANT TO PUT OUT THAT KIND OF MONEY, AND I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO EAT THE REST OF MY LIFE. THANKS PHIL BRIDGET

Hi NBW, I did Optifast not once, but twice!!! (Slow learner)  I lost a huge amount of weight.  As could be expected, it all came back BOTH times plus 20 pounds.  Oprah is also a good example of the results of Optifast....she got to her goal weight very fast, and stayed that way...for at least a month, then she started gaining and when higher than she'd ever been before. I also controlled my weight with Phenfen for several years.  I was pretty successful at this attempt but now have heart valve problems for the rest of my life.  The big class action settlement was some comfort but will never restore my health.

Don'd doubt yourself, Bridget.  Slow and easy wins the race.

THANKS FOR YOUR POST.    WE WERE BANDED VERY CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER. I WAS FEB. 12TH.    BUT I HAD TO WAIT FOR THREE MONTHS FOR A FILL DUE TO INFECTION. I AM SCHED/FOR MY 3RD FILL ON JULY 19TH. IT LOOKS TO ME THAT YOU ARE DOING VERY WELL WITH THE BAND.   I'M VERY SORRY TO HEAR OF THE ""HEART PROBLEM"  .  LOOSING THE WEIGHT HAD TO BE HELPING THAT. I SEE THE CARDIO/ DOC ONCE A YEAR DUE TO "INFLAMATION"  AROUND THE HEART. I KNOW WHERE MY STRESS GOES, SO I SEE HIM ONCE A YEAR TO BE REMINDED AND HAVE AN ECHO DONE.   THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR POST. I THINK SLOW AND EASY IS BETTER FOR OUR HEALTH.   BEST OF LUCK MY FRIEND. BRIDGET K.

Hi Bridget,

I was required to do Optifast for my 2 week pre-op diet.  I drank 5-6 shakes a day (choc., strawberry, and vanilla).  I was able to lose 8 pounds before surgery, and it could have been more but I cheated a few days.  It really wasn't that bad after the first week (this is the week I cheated).  I still drink them after fills or if I need a low-calorie snack between meals.  I have a friend that has been on it for about 2 months and she has lost almost 30 pounds.

WELL I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR POST. I ALSO THINK YOUR QUOTE AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POST SAYS IT ALL. LIFE IS NOT A RACE. THANKS SO MUCH MY FRIEND. BRIDGET K.

I did Optifast in 1989 and lost 105 pounds in 6 months.  I did Medifast in 1991 and lost 50 pounds in 3 months.  I drank several shakes a day and after the first week, felt great.  However  . . . both times the weight came back on with a vengence.  By January of 2004, I weighed 175 pounds more than my low point after the 1989 loss.  When I started back on food in 1989, I gained 1 pound a week, while eating approximately 1200 calories a day.  It's a great program to lose weight on -- it's a tough program to maintain the weight loss after.  That's why I'm getting a band -- I can lose weight -- keeping it off is the rub.

WELL,  I'M SO GRATEFUL  FOR ALL THIS INFO:    YOU REALLY HAD THE TEST OF ALL TIME. I WANT TO TELL YOU,  EVEN THOUGH I'M WATCHING ALL THIS WEIGHT BEING LOSS I WAS STILL ALWAYS GLAD THAT I HAVE MY BAND,  AND SUCH GOOD SUPPORT ON HERE,  AND THE SUPPORT GROUP THAT I GO TO.   YOU DON'T FEEL ALONE, AND WHEN YOU DO WONDER ABOUT STUFF YOU JUST GET ON HERE AND POST,  AND ALL THESE PEOPLE SET YOU STRAIGHT.   THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME. I DON'T DOUBT MY BAND AT ALL.   I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO EAT FOR LIFE, NOT TILL THE END OF A PROGRAM.    THANKS AGAIN, BY THE WAY,  I SEE YOU ARE IN CONN.    MY SISTER LIVES IN "MADISON CT." DO YOU KNOW WHERE THAT IS?? THANKS MY FRIEND,'    AND GOOD LUCK,  YOU BANDING IS COMING UP. BRIDGET K.MAKE SURE YOU ARE A GOOD PATIENT!!

Hi Bridget.  I was on Optifast in 2005  for six months thru Emory 's Bariatric program.  I had been denied WLS for the second time and thought this was a last option.  My out of pocket was over $5000.00.  Not counting my weekly drive to Atlanta, etc.  I attended weekly  pyschological, nutritional and medical counseling.  The Emory program did not allow solid food.  Basically I was on  liquid supplements for  six months.  I lost 40 pounds during that time and an additional 10 shortly thereafter.   Unfortuntately I gained all of it back including 15 more pounds within a year after completing the program.  Fortunately, I was finally approved for WLS in early 2007 after my third attempt in six years.  Optifast consist on consuming approximately 800 calories drinking the shakes.  I feel like I wasted a lot of money but it also helped me to finally get approved for WLS.  Hope this helps.