Optifast: Look at the Facts, and explore your options
Written: Aug 21 '04
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Pros: fast weight loss, medical supervision, simple, excellent track record.
Cons: No Food, variety or choices; cost; some initial discomfort (but consider medication for appetite)
The Bottom Line: If you are medically obese (BMI over 39), then I highly recommend considering OptiFast with an FDA approved appetite suppresent.
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| tlevine's Full Review: Optifast Program |
Here are some facts that I used to evaluate my decision to choose Optifast. You can find this study at the Optifast website. My review/experience will follow:
1. The average BMI entry into the diet is 39. Do you know what your BMI is? OptiFast is not for everyone. If you are obese, or need to lose more than 50 pounds, OptiFast may be the right choice for you.
2. The average weight loss from all participants was 52 pounds in 6 months. (this is an excellent statistic. A similar study of patients on an Atkin style diet lost 12.8 pounds, and the average on low-fat diets lost 4.2 pounds in 6 months).
2a. The average weight loss in the first week is 7 to 14 pounds. Granted, the majority of this is water.
3. The average program drop-out rate is 20%. In other words, 4 out of 5 of the 20,000 participants in the study stuck with Optifast through to the end. (whereas, a similar study of the Atkins diet produced a 40% drop-out rate).
4. Highly significant improvements in blood sugar level, blood pressure and blood cholesterol level have been repeatedly documented with OPTIFAST.
5. Novartis (Optifast Manufacturer) has conducted follow-up studies 5 years later (600 patients documented), and the majority of them have kept a significant amount of their weight off.
6. Philosophy: Optifast program sees obesity as a medical problem, that warrants a medical solution. That's the part that I am most attracted to. no tricks. no gimmicks. No Blame. Just simply a medical condition. This is a low calorie, high nutrition diet, medically monitored by doctors, designed to simply take the weight off fast, and then move you into a transitional phase where you relearn how to eat and relate to food and fitness.
7. No options, no variety: Some people may argue this is a negative, but I have a contrary opinion. What exactly is your goal here? It's to lose weight and keep it off, right? Well, the strategy behind Optifast is to eliminate your ability to make food choices, and to limit the variety of food in your diet. While this doesn't sound like much fun, let's face it, that's your main problem (alongside heredity). For me, I've proven to myself that I make terrible choices, with lame excuses, and I have a distorted sense of portions and nutrition. I eat emotionally, and I eat often. So, removing options and variety from my diet, while it may sound unpleasant at first, is in fact the answer to my problems. Furthermore, it has an impact on me as a dieter, both physiologically and psychologically. Food becomes (after about 1 to 2 weeks) a rather insignificant part of your life. It is a "vacation" from food, and once you get beyond the initial behavior modification (the first 1 to 2 weeks), the diet becomes easy. This is a key reason for the OptiFast success. Granted, you need to be goal oriented.
8. Cost: Costs vary from clinic to clinic, but I'll disclose my expenses. The start-up is about $250, which includes the doctors visit, blood work, etc. The weekly office visit is $39/week, and the food is about $100/week. There are some other intermittent medical costs throughout the diet. For example, you should have a doctors' visit the first 2 weeks, then every 4 weeks thereafter, then another complete medical check-up at 12 weeks out. For me, I don't really count the food expense in my diet budget, because I'm not spending that money on food. Some of the other costs can very well be covered by your HMO or PPO, but even still, the clinic needs to make a profit, right? And for me, the $200-$300/month is well worth it.
9. Options: Does your weight loss clinic only offer OptiFast? Consider looking around for clinics that offer a multiple array of weight loss choices. Like I said, Opti-Fast is not for everyone. So, if you are extremely overweight, perhaps Bariatric surgery is an appropriate choice. Or, are you open to exploring prescriptions for FDA-approved appetite control? Clinics that offer choices are more likely to work with you and provide the best option that fits your needs and personality.
10. I am currently in the Opti-Fast program, and I'm pleased to report that it is working just fine and I am steadily losing weight. I chose to be given an FDA approved appetite suppressent, alongside OptiFast. the drug blocks neuro-transmitters in your brain, and my particular choice, Phendimetrazine, is taken 3 times a day, with each dosage lasting about 3 to 4 hours. That way, I can choose not to take it if I'm not experiencing a problem with appetite. Not everyone is comfortable with using drugs to lose weight, and Phendimetrizine is in fact a stimulant and must be used with caution. However, from my point of view, the risk of remaining obese is far more dangerous than utilizing medication to ensure successful weight loss with minimal discomfort. But that's just me. In any event, Optifast in conjunction with medication has proved to be moderately easy. The first week or two has it's moments, but after that, I find myself almost forgetting to eat all my food each day.
Recommended:
Yes
Approximate Monthly Cost (US$) 500
Food Variety Restrictions You eat the same thing for months
Restrictiveness of Portions Few small portions
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tlevine
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