So... I finally bit the bullet and decided to try out this new diet, or as many would call it, “lifestyle change,” that’s been making the rounds in my community lately. It’s by a company called Medifast, and apparently they’ve been doing the bars and shakes thing for a while, but their new version called Optavia has been getting some serious press lately.
I’ve tried a million different diets, seen nutritionists, but no matter what, I haven’t yet been cured of my binge eating. I can’t seem to stop myself from my “treat yo self” mentality, and I since I am a super picky eater, I “treat myself” to some very unhealthy foods. But now, at a very high weight for someone of my size, I’ve been dealing with some health problems, and I’m sick of looking in the mirror and hating the reflection.
First things first: Optavia is NOT CHEAP. The cost for one month of meals is approximately $400-$500, which is a reaaaaal con in my book. If it’s as much of a miracle worker as it claims to be, it might be worth the money. But if not, I’ll be out half a grand, and I won’t be happy.
I started today, and there are some ground rules to this diet. Firstly, you eat six times a day, once every 2-3 hours. They give you five of the six meals, and call them Fuelings. They range from bars, to shakes, to pastas, to brownies, and there is a decent variety, especially for someone as picky an eater as I am.
Your sixth meal is called a Lean and Green. Simply put, it means that you have a serving of lean protein and some greens. You’re also supposed to drink plenty of water, but aside from that, that’s it.
Here is what I thought about the Fuelings I’ve tried so far:
1. Chocolate Mint Crisp Bar - 5 stars! I thought it was going to taste super powdery and gross, but it tasted like a rice krispy treat.
2. Red Berry Cereal - negative 5 stars. I don’t know whether I got a bad one or not, but this stuff was gross. It tasted like super sweet medicine, and I had to choke it down, which was very unpleasant.
3. Ready-To-Drink Dutch Chocolate Shake - not bad at all - tasted kind of like YooHoo, and came with a disposable straw, so it was convenient.
4. Smoky BBQ Crunchers - pretty good! They taste smoky and have a spicy flavor, and there are plenty of them in the bag, so you can eat them for a while before the bag is empty.
5. Chocolate Brownie - easy to make, especially as they give you a little tray to make it in. Tasted pretty good, and was a nice little treat to end the day.
My lean and green consisted of grilled chicken breast and cucumbers on the side, and I managed to drink about 50 ounces of water. Not the 64 ounces that they recommend, but I never drink water, so I was pretty proud of myself.
Over the course of the day, I had a coffee with skim milk and splenda in the morning, and an iced coffee with almondmilk and stevia in the evening hanging out with friends. I felt hungry in the hour before dinner, but otherwise, I wasn’t DYING to eat, nor did I feel the urge to take advantage of the one optional snack that I’m allowed each day.
Overall, I don’t know if this plan will be worth the money I spent on it, but here’s to hoping that I see a change in my weight. Considering that all I had to eat was a couple of beverages, bars, and small snacks, aside from my dinner, I didn’t feel insanely hungry, so that’s a plus.
Supposedly, days two and three are harder, but it gets easier from there. Here goes nothing!
