plans intended for adolescent patients and patients
undergoing gastric bypass surgery.Description
The Optifast diet generally consists of four phases:
screening, active weight loss, transition, and mainte-
nance. Novartis provides training for physicians and
other healthcare professionals who are going to be
involved in monitoring and providing support to
patients on the Optifast diet. Novartis provides gen-
eral guidelines for administering the diet, but each
clinic or physician may offer whatever specific pro-
gram they chose. Therefore, no two experiences with
Optifast will necessarily be the same. The following is a
general overview of what many clinics offer.
The first phase of the Optifast diet is screening.
Optifast is only appropriate for massively obese people,
generally those who have at least 50 pounds to lose or
are experiencing obesity-related complications. In most
cases the diet is only recommended for patients between
the ages of 20 and 50. The physician will do a general
health screening and variouslab tests to determine if
Optifast is likely to pose any special risks to the patient.
During this time the patient may be able to meet the
various support staff that he or she will be working with
while on the diet, including the physician, nurses, lab
technicians, psychologists, counselors, nutritionists, and
anyone else who is going to be on the medical team.
After screening has been completed and it has
been determined that the patient is a good match for
the Optifast diet, the diet itself begins. This is the active
weight loss phase and generally lasts from 4 to 6 weeks.
During this phase the patient is on a fluid-only diet
using Optifast products. These are nutritional drinks
that come in a variety of flavors, and generally provide
a total of fewer than 800 calories per day. This means
that the Optifast diet is considered a very-low calorie
diet (a diet providing fewer than 800 calories a day).
Generally 5 Optifast drinks are consumed throughoutthe course of a day, and doing so provides the recom-
mended daily allowance ofvitamins, nutrients, pro-
teins, and other substances necessary for good health.
During the active weight loss phase the patient
meets with a physician once or more weekly to mon-
itor progress and health. Lab tests may be repeated to
check various levels such as cholesterol or blood glu-
cose. As weight loss increases medication dosages may
be altered, and the amount of Optifast consumed each
day may be altered to fit changing caloric needs. Also
during this time the patient will meet, usually in a
group, with a trained psychologist or therapist to dis-
cuss any problems or obstacles he or she is facing.
During these group meetings patients will begin to
learn new behaviors and eating patterns to help them
maintain their weight when they begin eating self-pre-
pared foods again.
After the active weight loss phase is finished the
transition phase begins. During this time the patient
begins to replace the Optifast drinks with solid foods.
Patients work with a nutritionist to help them learn to
choose meals high in fruits, vegetables, and whole
grains and low infatsand simplecarbohydrates. Dur-
ing this period the patient continues to meet with the
physician regularly and attend group classes. This
phase usually lasts 4 to 6 weeks.
Once the transition to solid foods is complete the
maintenance phase begins. During this phase the
patient begins to practice the good eating and healthy
living habits learned during the program. Exercise is
emphasized as a way to help prevent the re-gaining of
weight lost. Many clinics offer classes and meetings
that patients can attend to help them as they try to
keep the weight off.
Although the very-low calorie diet was the origi-
nal Optifast product, the line has begun to branch out
and now offers a variety of diets. One diet is used for
patients who are going to undergobariatric surgery,
and can be administered both before and after theOptifast®Optifast® Calories per Protein Carbohydrates Fat Sodium Potassium Fiber % of DV vitamins
product serving (g) (g) (g) (mg) (mg) (g) and minerals
800 ready to drink 160 14 20 3 220 460 0 20–30
800 powder 160 14 20 3 230 470 0 20–30
HP powder 200 26 10 6 480 800 0 35
Nutrition bars 160–70 8 23 4–5 150 230 4 40
Amounts vary with product flavors(Illustration by GGS Information Services/Thomson Gale.)Optifast