opti struggle

Hello friends. I'm having a very rough day. I started opti again yesterday and yesterday was okay today not so much. I've done a lot of therapy to deal with emotional eating and head hunger. I thought I had them under control. Today scares the crap out of me that they are not under control. I feel if I can't do this opti and be successful how can I be successful after surgery. I cheated tonight and had half of my son's leftover hotdog. Feeling hopeless .

I'm sorry this happened and it's not okay..... But having said that it's what you do now that matters.... Do you hold off your surgery until you have things in order? Do you for give yourself and move on? Do you book some time with a therapist to work on these issues.  You have cheated yourself and for that I feel badly for you, I hope your next decision  is a better one for you and your health,  opti is truly the easy part of this journey... In my opinion 

Hi Dawn optifast is a really big challenge and without a doubt one of the hardest thing I ever had to do but this is something that worked for me....Everyone was telling me to mix the optifast with lots more water..make it thiner and I did for a couple of days..I was really hungry so I went back to mixing it like the package said and just added a little ice.. It was so heavy on my belly I was never hungry, matter of fact I would have to force myself to drink another at 2.30 because I hadn't felt hungry at lunch time and I need to at least fit 3 a day in..Maybe this will work for you also...good luck and hope  your feel better soon

Hello
Thank you I will try to use less water and make it thicker.

I too second making the shakes thicker I used less water and more ice. I found when I made them thinner I was hungry but also had a weird sensation in my stomach like I just drank 2L of water or something. As for cheating in my opinion you are human and we all make mistakes you just have to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and move forward. I only did Opti for a week because of an allergic reaction or intolerance to the aspartame and was placed on a low fat low carb high protein diet for the last week and I found it harder then the optifast because I was handling food and had to weigh everything and make sure I didn't taste anything I shouldn't etc.

i wish you luck and hopefully everything works out for you and you have success on your journey. 😀

Thank you DeeMishka I appreciate your kind words

The whole process is tough.  No one is perfect and we all have issues.  They may not all be the same issues but no one is perfect.  You have to decide if you are really ready to move forward.  Do so knowing that this likely won't be the first time you screw up.  I can remember one of the nurses saying at the RNY info session that part of the success of the surgery is that for those who dump it creates a negative feedback loop.  I don't seem to dump but wish I did for the added incentive to keep on track.  No one is perfect after surgery, for some the consequences are more severe than others.  If the worst you do post surgery is an occasional half of a hot dog you'll probably be fine.  Keep your eye on the prize and before anything passes through your lips ask yourself of it is allowed and if not if the guilt and possible negative consequences are worth it.

Hello Soon_to_Shrink Very good point. Dumping sucks I've always dumped and still do but it never stopped me.

Hi Dawn, although I have yet to have surgery, (Oct 7)  I have to be on Opti for 3wks... and I am looking at the long term rather than short term.  I am out of Humber and when on Opti, I will alllowed 2 cups of green veggies a day, and clear broth, so you could make a soup out of them using broccoli, kale, etc.  munch of thin sliced cucumbers.  I know its not going to be easy, but its only short term!  Good luck to you!!

Hello EllenMW I was suppose to be on two weeks, got done 8 days and they called and changed my surgery date. So then I had 2 weeks of eating and back to opti again. Your right I keep thinking this is just temporary.