I was wondering if anyone here has tried the Liquid diet called Optifast? I was wondering if anyone has any exprience with it. Since it is a medically monitored diet and few places do it here in Ontario, Canada.
It consists of 4 meal replacement shakes a day until you reach your target weight, then they slowly incorparate healthy meal choices into your life. It seems doable, but I am alittle leary of being on a liquid diet for 3 or 4 months.
Yes, I have tried it. I lost 70 lbs in 4 months back in the early 1990s. The fast is accompanied by medical monitoring and by intensive nutritional counseling. I was able to maintain almost the entire weight loss for probably 5 years until other medical problems began to catch up with me. I would say that the most difficult part about Optifast is the not having anything to CHEW for months on end. You’d be surprised how much one misses that! The first meal I was able to have after months of not eating was a baked potato, and obviously I still remember it, it was like the best meal I ever had.
I know someone who was on a diet very much like that (if not the actual Optifast) She lost a ton of weight and I think she has kept most of it off. I could try and find out more. It would be difficult for me to stay on the liquid only.
This is a protein sparing fasting diet that is “extreme” and should only be done under medical supervision. Because it involves extreme levels of calorie restriction, it may cause potentially serious health consequences and other things (like your hair falling out). I have never tried it, and would never recommend it, but my endo suggested I use a similar diet (medifast) to lose 10 lbs. The sheer stupidity of the recommendation has led me to totally ignore further diet and weight stuff that comes out of his mouth. Many doctors suggest these diets, cause the medical profession can retain some income, but that does make it appropriate.
Personally, I would rate this diet as one notch below the HCG diet (which I also consider inadvisable).
Yes, she was closely watched by her Doctor, not safe to do otherwise.