Days 1 & 2

The first day is always the hardest and to be honest, I was expecting it to be much harder! I started the day by waking up at 3am in a panic. What did I get myself into???!!! But then I fell back to sleep and woke up again in a better frame of mind. 3am is not really the best time for rational thinking anyway, right? So, I knew that the shakes would taste bad, and that I had to suffer through one every 3 hours. So I made a plan. 6am, 9am, noon, 3pm and 6pm. I got to work, mixed my first shake (chocolate), and as it turns out, it's not so bad. I actually kind of like it. Not in the same way I like french fries, but I was pretty tasty. Later in the day I tried the vanilla and orange flavors, unfortunately they were not as tasty. I can drink them but I will probably order only chocolate from now on.
So far the only time that is really hard is at night. C hasn't started yet, so he's been going out to eat dinner. I appreciate it, but I hate him at the same time. Just kidding, but it's hard to know that he's eating and that I'm left at home to fight temptation. I don't hold it against him. He's being really nice about it. He keeps coming up with other reasons why he's going out so that he doesn't have to say that he's getting dinner.
The biggest motivator I had was the fact that I felt better. I was weak and a little light headed, but besides that I felt better than I had in a long time. No stomach aches, not bloated blah feelings, it was a huge difference.
Day 2 was even easier than day 1. Night was still the hardest, but I fought through the desire to eat (it really is a desire more than anything. I don't have any cravings, and when I have my shakes, I not hungry.), and I feel really good for having done so. I have never really stuck to a diet before. I have started diets, but I always "cheat". This time I am determined not to, and I am proud of myself for sticking to it so far. The first few days are the hardest, so if I can do it now, then I can keep it up.
The thing that I have notices most is what hunger really feels like. Someone in class last week said that he stopped thinking of hunger as "pain". I have really taken that to heart, and it is motivating. When I feel hungry and my stomach growls, I remind myself that it doesn't hurt, it's uncomfortable, but not painful. I have also noticed that hunger is not always necessarily hunger. Many times in the last couple days I have felt hungry, my stomach might make a complaint or two, and I have a few sips of water and it goes away. This morning (day 3) I had a breath mint and I was fine without a shake until 8am, which since I get up at 5 is a pretty good stretch. I am learning that just because I feel physically hungry, it doesn't mean that I need to eat a ton of food to feel better.
My counselor told us to expect to feel a bunch of feelings that we have been repressing with food. So far I have had none of that. I miss food, but as far as bad thought that make me want to eat, I can't say that I have had any. I mentioned before that I suspect that I don't eat to suppress feelings, and I am feel like my theory is being validated.
Overall, the shakes aren't bad, the cravings aren't too bad, and it's a lot easier than I thought. I know that we aren't supposed to be looking at the scale, but I did get on the one at home last night...I didn't weigh myself on it prior to starting, so I'm sure it's not the same as the one at the clinic, but assuming that it's close, I have lost 8 pounds so far! How's that for motivation!!!

Tomorrow's the BIG Day

So I am thinking of today as my last day as a fat person. Granted, I'm going to be fat for several more months...but I will be working on not being fat. It's a state of mind thing, right?
I get my shakes tonight. I am expecting them to taste bad. I am thinking of them as medicine, so that I am less disappointed in the taste. I have tried medi-fast and that was DISGUSTING, but I have heard that this is better.
I started to get nervous for the first time yesterday. Can I really give up food? My head automatically tells me yes. Am I strong enough to give up food? This is where my hesitation comes in. I think that I am. C thinks that I am. Lots of people are excited for me. But can I do it. I keep saying yes, and deep down I believe that if I try I can. But will I try? These questions just keep playing over and over in my head.
I'm going to do my best, that's all I can do. I am feeling determined not to fail. I am sick of being fat. And more importantly, being fat is making me sick.
Wish me luck!

Week 1

I had my first Opitfast class last night. It is a mix of new people, people who have done Opitfast before and did not stick with their maintenance, and people who are continuing from another group (if you do not reach your goal in 20 weeks, you can join a new group and keep going until you feel ready for maintenance). I don't really feel that it is my place to share their stories, so I will try to stay away from talking too much about other people. I will say that having some people in the class that are 20+ weeks into the plan is really inspiring. It's nice to see that it can be done.
The class is set up in the round, and the first part of the class we introduced ourselves and talked about why we were there. The second half we went around and finished statements that the counselor had on the board. "One way I overeat because___" This was hard for me because I don't really consider myself an overeater. I'm sure that my portion sizes are way too big, but I don't feel like I binge eat, and I don't feel like I am an emotional eater...for the most part...I know I tend to snack when I am bored, but I don't really feel like I eat when I'm sad or angry or stressed. at lease not any more than I eat any other time. I am open to learning more about myself and maybe as I do I will see that I eat for these reasons, but for now, I feel like I just make really bad food choices. Those bad choices have lead to habits and certainly addictions. I like the fact that they are going to work on our emotional issues but mostly I am interested in breaking the addiction to sugar and high fat fast food.
So, I have one more week to eat. I'm trying not to make a big deal out of it. It's not like I will never eat my favorite foods again. I am going to hit a buffet before next Wednesday, mostly because I love mashed potatoes, and buffets have the BEST mashed potatoes and gravy. But besides that I am going to cook a couple things and then I am done. No looking back and no regrets. Like my counselor said, why am I going to spend $105 a week to fail?