Week One

The first week was not easy.  I already purchased big bottles of water to make it easier for me to get all my water in (yes, the dreaded 8 glasses a day is required on the program) and there was little to no planning involved (except putting my shakes in the fridge for the next day) but obviously it was very difficult to switch from eating out everyday to drinking and eating the same things everyday for 12 weeks!

Wait, before I get too ahead of myself, maybe I should explain a little more about the program for those of you who are not familiar with it.  I'm doing the OPTIFAST program.  It's a medically montiored weight loss program that involves the use of supplements for rapid weight loss.  The typical plan consists of 12 weeks on the supplements only, followed by a 6-week transition period where each week one of the supplements is replaced with real food that you plan out with a registered dietician.  You also attend class once per week, meet with the doctor every other week and have blood work done every month.  Right now my diet consists of 3 shakes and 2 meal bar replacements plus a snack bar; one eaten every three hours.  The purpose is to lose the weight, rid your body of the sugars and salt, shrink your stomach, and re-teach you how to eat the right foods in the right porportions.  The real work comes in the final stage, maintenance.  You must put what you have learned into action and make it a lifestyle change or you will gain all the weight back.   

So, I went about each day with my shakes and meal bars set out.  I would eat every 3 hours and was able to get all of my water in each day as required.  I even treated myself at the end of each day with a Tangerine Diet Rite (which is allowed on the program).  Everything was going fine until the cravings came on.  Even stranger was what I was craving..... A baked potato with cottage cheese and black pepper on top, a turkey burger with no bun and a big slice of tomato on top, hummus, olives, steamed broccoli & cauliflower, and chicken broth.  All things I like, but nothing I thought I would ever crave. 

However, I worked thru the cravings each day and was already feeling better.  My next hurdle was the supplements themselves.  EVERYTHING is sweet.  Now, I love sweets, but not when that is all you are consuming.  Maybe that is the reason for some of my salty cravings above (and I'm never one to add salt to anything).  So much of the product is chocolate, and I never thought I'd say this, but just the thought of chocolate made me want to gag!  I think my Mom was right... maybe they wanted you so sick of sweets and chocolate by the end of the program that you would NEVER eat it again!  Haha.  Thankfully I was given samples of other flavors, so the second week I knew I could pick less chocolate and hopefully get thru it a little easier. 

All in all I made it through without cheating and was very proud to find out that I had lost 12 POUNDS my first week on the program!!!  This gave me new motivation for week 2 as I picked up my supplements from the office.  I also attended class that night and learned a little more about myself.... and that I wasn't the only one struggling with these issues.