Problems With OPTIFAST
Losing a lot of weight is hard work over a significant amount of time. There are hundreds of companies claiming they can guarantee fast, reliable weight loss but how many of them actually deliver? OptiFast is one such company, though what makes them different is their approach. OptiFast practitioners believe that weight loss is a medical issue, and they treat it as one.
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What Is OptiFast?
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OptiFast is a medically supervised weight-loss regimen introduced by Nestle in 1974. According to the official OptiFast website: "It combines support and counseling, comprehensive lifestyle education and medical monitoring with a great-tasting meal replacement to help people lose weight and significantly reduce weight-related health risks."
What that means is that for however long it takes to attain your weight goal loss, you eat and drink only OptiFast products, and make weekly visits to an OptiFast clinic so that they can monitor your health and your progress. Some people also take prescription weight-loss medications.
Ingredients
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There are no ingredient lists available for OptiFast foods or drinks, but Diet Spotlight.com states that "The ingredients listed for the Optifast Vitamin and Mineral List are, Vitamins, A, C, D, E, K, B6, and B12, Folic Acid, Acid Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin,Calcium,Iron, Phosphorous, Iodine, Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Chronium, Sodium."
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Financial Downside of OptiFast
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According to an August 24, 2004 article on Epinions.com, the initial start up cost of OptiFast was $250.00 US. Weekly office visits were $39.00 US and the food and drinks were another $100.00 US per week. There are also intermittent doctor visits to re-evaluate your progress and monitor your overall health. All in all, you should expect to pay between $200.00 and $300.00 US per week, over the course of six months.
Emotional/Behavioral Problems of OptiFast
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According to the Mayo Clinic, many people carry extra weight for emotional reasons, and if the weight comes off too quickly it simply adds to their stress. This is why so many people repeatedly lose and regain weight. However, according to studies of 600 OptiFast users over 5 years done by Novartis, the manufacturer of OptiFast, the majority of people who complete the program have kept from regaining "a significant" amount of the weight they lost.
Lifestyle Problems of OptiFast
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While you are on OptiFast, you are discouraged from consuming any other foods. The OptiFast products are easily portable, but if your job involves a lot of entertaining or work-related meals in restaurants, this could be a problem for you.
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References
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