TAN: Watermelon has natural sugars in it and more importantly it contains calories that will be detrimental to your diet. If you are craving something other than Optifast, ask your medical provider if there are any ‘free foods.’ On our diets, we allow celery and a few other veggies to help with cravings.

Linda: You should also ask your medical provider if tea w/o sugar is okay. On our program we tell patients to drink 64oz of ONLY water each day.

Lisa: I’m sorry to hear you don’t get counselling with the program, I think thats a very important part of many patients success. As for your eyesight, if you are having any changes in eyesight you should be alarmed. However, a common side effect of being on full Optifast is dizziness which some people think is a change in their vision. You can never be too careful with your eyes though. If you were our patient I would want you to call so we could test your vision.

Phreddie: many people find that once they start eating some table foods after doing full Optifast, they start to plateau or regain weight. However, during the course of the program, most patients come to monitor their weight changes much better in their daily lives and have the tools to change their eating habits as they make the transition back to normal food. Some of our patients who have met their goals continue to use the Optifast products for a couple meals a day and eat table food for the others. This serves to keep their weight down and remind them that they need to remain conscience of their weight.

Kirsty: Diarrhea and moodiness are very common side effects of Optifast during your first week, I’m sorry to hear you are experiencing them. The first week is typically the most difficult for people as their bodies adjust to the chemistry of the food products. If it continues to be an issue, you may need to change your diet to include some table food but definatly keep your medical provider aware of the problem.

I wish everyone longevity and great success! Be Well!

After the first week I had no hunger. However, due to the ketosis I almost always felt cold. Ironic, since normally I feel warm.

The social situations are indeed very troublesome. Basically, part of the deal is to greatly cut back, or be prepared to stand out in the crowd. Then there are always the “helpful” people who try to convince you that just one slice of German Chocolate cake couldn’t possible do any harm. Some of these people are actually trying to make you fail, because they did. Gotta just avoid them.