Gateway Olives

I'm down 6 pounds in 5 days! Go ahead, tell me it's just water weight. Tell me that you can fluctuate that much in a day. I don't care cuz I am down 6 pounds!
I promised to be honest about my experience and the truth is that it has been hard. I think it has helped a lot that I have been working everyday since starting the Optifast program. I am sure if I had been at home with down time (and around easily accessible food), it would have been really hard. I talked to another nurse that is on it and she said she found herself cheating with silly foods that she didn't even like that much. I can see how that would be possible too. I was making my free food salad the other day and found myself trying to justify an olive. Yes folks, one black olive. You might say one olive is no big deal, but I assure you that for me it is. That could have been my gateway olive. That one little justification could easily have lead to a slice of cheese, "Hey it's protein", then to a 300+ calorie chai from the Coffee cart (I've missed those the most), and the next thing you know I would be telling myself how this Optifast program doesn't work because I'm not losing weight as fast as I thought I would. That is how my mind works. Maybe yours is different but that is how I can easily let one olive spoil my whole plan and get me totally off track.
I have found that I miss hot food so having the Optifast tomato soup with some frozen chopped spinach in it at the end of the day has been a godsend. I know it may sound pathetic to look forward each day to diet tomato soup but I do. It's actually pretty good and the spinach makes it creamier. I steamed some broccoli in the microwave last night and it was Divine. I don't recall the last time I ate broccoli naked. (not me the broccoli silly) I had forgotten just how good the flavor of some of these greens and veggies can be without any butter or salad dressing (I am allowed Balsamic Vinegar). Its not like I was a drown your salad in dressing type of girl but I do love my Greek and Italian dressings.
My sense of smell has become really sensitive again. I make sure that I don't go to the cafeteria unless I have recently had a shake because the one time I did go hungry, I almost dove into the tray of cooked bacon and sausage. I think this would have been easier if I had been able to get some bars but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to chew them. I have been doing pretty good with some of these veggies so I think I will get some of the bars next appointment. I found that I can chew Ice Breakers Ice Cubes gum on the non affected side of my mouth and that has really helped. I miss chewing. Sounds strange doesn't it but you take for granted the texture and feel of different foods. I have been cooking the heck out of my veggies so I could chew them otherwise this might not have even occurred to me. Granted, I wouldn't be chewing even if I wasn't on Optifast because of my ongoing dental nightmare but I miss it just the same. Again, I don't think this would be such an issue if I were eating the Optifast bars.
I have had the hot and slim chicken soup (its really like chicken bullion) a few times at night but I haven't really needed it. I've been eating it mostly because I want something hot (Like those calorie laden Chais I mentioned earlier). It has been pretty easy to eat 5 shakes a day with one to two green salads (or steamed veggies). I was pretty irritable the first 2 days but I think my pouch has shrunk a little now because I actually was really full after eating the steamed broccoli last night.
Over all I am very pleased with my progress. I have another appointment on September 2ND and I am pretty excited to see what my weight loss will be by then.
If you are in Anchorage and are interested in trying the Optifast program with me, you can set up an appointment for a free consultation by calling Alaska Premier Health at (907)561-3488 and if you tell them that I referred you (Anna Muhovich), I will get a small discount off of my next shake order. I will continue to keep you posted!