Tips and Tricks for the Optifast Program...

Okay, so my friends and I have been on the program long enough to provide you with some tricks for being on a super strict diet..here they go!

Optifast tricks for weeks 1-15 (General Tips are below!)

--- You can use the vanilla powder in diet root beer and it tastes like a root beer float. Same with diet orange soda, mmmm creamsicle.

--- Warm up the Double Berry bars in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. It softens them and makes them taste better.

--- When faced with free food, look at the offerings and think about what you could eat to maintain your weight loss after you are "off product." I do this all the time and it really helps. That's how I got through the last few weeks. When you think, "Wow, I really shouldn't eat that stuff at all at any time!" you feel less deprived. It also helps you train your brain for when you are no longer on the Optifast.

--- A few dashes of hot sauce in the soups makes them taste so much better--even if you are not a hot sauce person.

--- Safeway sells zero calorie flavoring for water next to the Crystal Light. It's tart--but Optifast is so sweet that it is a nice break.

--- After a few weeks, try varying your program. Instead of shake, bar, shake, bar, soup, bar--try two liquid things then two solid things. It breaks the monotony.

--- Try a new flavor once a week. I hate artificial Vanilla and Strawberry, but I took a chance and found some products that ease the monotony of Chocolate. What's the worse thing that could happen? You eat something that is slightly grosser than normal?

General wisdom from my Wednesday class:

1. Plan, Plan, Plan: Example: I went away for the State Speech and Debate Finals thinking I would be leaving Sunday morning. I was sooooo wrong! It turns out I had to stay all day! Thankfully, I took a full days supply of meals. Taking extra meals along in my purse has saved my butt more than a few times, since my schedule can be so erratic!

2. Live your life. Don't get on a routine that is too dissimilar from your regular life--meaning don't live like a monk or something. While on Optifast, I have thrown dinner parties, gone out to eat, and gone to several events with mounds of free, delicious food. Don't get me wrong, it was hard, but when I am off this diet--I will be faced with the challenge of eating in new ways. I may as well learn how to assert myself now.

3. Change what isn't working for you. You need to live your life normally, but you need to exercise and plan more. Write down what you do, what you eat, and what you feel for one or two days. Is there something that is preventing you from staying on your diet? Change it. You don't need to change your whole life, but changing small things everyday really adds up. I did this and I literally added 3000 steps a day to my pedometer.

4. Enlist allies. I have a joke that everyone in world knows about my diet. In a way, it's true. I have gotten support from friends, servers at restaurants, advice from colleagues, and kudos from students. These allies are especially supportive if you have a unsupportive partner or family (which is the case for some of the people in my Wednesday night class--but my family is 100% behind me!). Sometimes, the people closest to us are anxious about our lifestyle changes. I have heard of husbands buying sweets and unhealthy food for their wives to sabotage their efforts. Actually they are mad, mad that you are changing something important to them--even if that change is positive. Change is threatening. Having a network of support is important.

5. Dig deep. This time in your life is a great time to reflect on yourself and your needs. You have control over what you put in your body; every successful dieter owns this fact. It's also a time to get rid of excuses. There are so many excuses we give ourselves for not doing the right thing. Being honest with ourselves will improve our well-being. By being mindful of our decisions (like: "I am watching Biggest Loser instead of working out.") helps us understand how we allow ourselves to wallow in our pain. However, don't beat yourself up. Just acknowledge and plan for a different decision next time. For example, I am going to wear my sneakers to work everyday this week to remind me to exercise.

I really want you to post your tips for our readers! So please comment!