Day One - Completed

Beginning Weight:  239.5  Nov - 20th
Current Weight:  235.7 - Nov - 19th 
Change of -3.8lbs
Height:  5'7"

What you want to know is how much this program costs.  It is $1300 down and then $89 a week.  It includes all of my tests, Doctor visits, nutritionist visits and food.  It is 16 weeks long.  Twelve weeks is just the shakes/soups and bars.  Then it is a four week transition back to food.  They tell me I should lose at least 50 lbs in the first 12 weeks.   HOLY CRAP!  That is amazing. 

You are also curious how the food tastes.  The chocolate shake is creamy and tastes just like a chocolate milk.  The vanilla is what you would imagine a vanilla milk to taste like and the strawberry tastes like low-fat milk with a little strawberry flavor.   The fudge brownie bar is dense, thick and tastes like a fudgy thick brownie.  I really liked that one.  The berry bar tastes like a pop-tart.  The peanut butter bar tastes like horse food.  The tomato soup is surprisingly good - if you like tomato soup and the chicken soup was salty to me.  However, it was awesome to have nice warm tomato soup in front of a roaring fire tonight.  I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

You are curious how I feel after my first day and if it was hard.  I felt empowered all day.  I didn't find it hard to stay on the diet at all.  I didn't crave and I didn't feel hungry.  Too many endorphins firing off to have many problems on day one.  I did get to the gym and walked 2 miles on the treadmill.  Took me 35 minutes.  I did work up a sweat.

You are curious how I feel starting day 2:  I'm not hungry this morning.  I have a slight headache.  I slept like a log and got up at 5:30am.  I pounded water when I first got up and my breath was so bad that I could have easily killed a small child or set someone on fire. 

You are curious who I meet with and when:  I meet with the nutritionist one a week, and I meet with the Doctor every other week.  I am the only person in this program right now, so I get one on one with both people.  This is good, and this is bad.  I kinda like the group competition and I will miss hearing feedback from other people, but I do get the direct attention with the people and will be able to make this as custom as possible - tailored just to me.

The Fluff:    (This is just my personal journey notes and such!)

Talk about anxiety.  The night before (November 19th) I started the Optifast program I thought I was going to have a panic attack.  I am NOT prone to mood swings, or anxiety.  Although I was certain that this was the right plan for me, I had this awful feeling that something somewhere was wrong.  I texted my ex-husband, who is also my business partner and children's Dad, if everything was ok with the businesss.  I asked him if he thought we were raising our kids right.  I can't explain the feeling I had.  Pure dread and doom.  It lasted throughout the night and I didn't sleep well.

I woke up around 5am excited and nervous.  The anxiety was less obvious and was replaced with determination.  I made my first vanilla shake and sipped on it.  The flavor of the vanilla is good.  It is easily tolerable.  Would I pay for one if they had it as an option at Dunks?  Probably not, but it is what it is and it is not forever.

I got a surprise call around 9 am from the Nutritionist at the Weight loss Institute.  She and I hadn't met yet and she wanted to go over the program with me and try some shakes.  She didn't know that I had actually started the program that day.   I am doing the program through the Lakes Region General Hospital's Weight Loss Institute.  Apparently, I am the second person to take part in the program.  For many that might seem terrifying!  I'm excited and ready to pave the way for other people that want to take part in the program. 

I met with Elizabeth at 11.  She put me on this super scale that sends electricity through your body and can measure how much your bones weigh, your fat, your muscles how much water your have.  It was really cool.  I don't get to do that every single week.  Only once in the beginning, and once at the end.  We tried all the different types of food offered in the first 12 weeks.  We also went over wether I will do the 800 calorie plan or 900 calorie plan.  I'm going to try the 800 (5 shakes a day) and see how I feel on it. 

I met with Dr. Warner at 1pm and she went over my test results.  My EKG was fine.  All my blood work came back great.  I don't even have high cholesterol.  I was surprised.  My sugar was great, I'm in good shape.  My thyroid was normal, kidneys, liver everything was good.  I officially have no excuses.  So, let's do this thing.