Alli: Dumb Question

Ibycus

From what I read it blocks some of the fat you eat. So if you eat a meal that is 15g of fat, the pill will only allow your body to absorb a certain amount of that, not the whole 15g.

kewlgirl

The purpose is to encourage you to eat low-fat foods and block what fat is eaten to help you lose weight.

You will lose weight by eating low-fat foods, but you will lose 50% more weight (as they say) by taking it with your meals because it will block fat versus not taking it at all.

If you cheat and eat high fat foods, the side effect is diahrreah.

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KG

StenoLady1

I don't think it's a dumb question at all. And the answer, IMO, is painfully clear: Eat less fat, you'll lose weight.

The ONLY thing, IMO, that GlaxoSmithKline has been effective in with this pill is the deterrent of eating high-fat meals. If "cheating" simply meant an extra half-hour on the treadmill or taking extra special care in the following days over fat and calories with meal planning, I don't think this pill would last five minutes. Look at the deterrent, tho, to eating in a non-diet-friendly manner. Loose stools; greasy stools (evidently you can see the grease); oily fecal discharge that stains not only your underwear, but your pants, too; putrid smell that no amount of "holding in" can hide.

Ick. You can bet most people would adhere to a low-fat diet with these types of punishments if you cheat.

Whatever works!

AmandaH

Well said, StenoLady1! I think I'll take my extra 30 minutes on the treadmill over greasy BM's or stained undies .

hyperchicky

How about just skip the pill when you're about to eat some fatty foods so you don't have to suffer the side effects? Pretty soon, people will just stop taking the pill altogether and then it's bye bye Alli. However, it'll make a fortune during its inception, simply because it's the latest fad and it's endorsed by the FDA.

rubato

Hyperchicky,
That's exactly right!

My hubby got a prescription for Xenical which is the stronger version of Alli.
He decided he'd just not take it if he was going to have a high fat meal. Then, he realized "Why take it if I'm not going to have a high fat meal? I'll just eat low fat!" Well, needless to say, I still have a full bottle of very expensive Xenical that's going to waste. People just need to realize this stuff is a gimmick.

NineLives

I'm taking it and I have no diarrhea, no greasy leaky stains. I eat low fat and have been eating that way a long time, but even with exercising 40 minutes a day my body was at a plateau that I couldn't seem to get over. Eating the same as I did before and exercising the same as I did before and taking alli has allowed me to get over that plateau. I'm hoping that there may be a heart benefit to it as well. If I'm taking in as much fat as I did before and taking the alli won't my my body use fat stores? It's working for me. I will see how much on Wednesday because I weigh myself on the same scale each week at work.

hyperchicky

Good luck NineLives! Let us know how you're doing. I had my first greasy icky occurrence yesterday, it was awful and I was at the grocery store wearing light blue jeans.

Lenin

Alli,

I was curious and read up on it a bit.

It is orlistat and each pill provides 60 mg. Apparently it was/is available by Rx at 120 mg.
The claims of the maufacturer are that it works in the context of a LOW fat/low calorie diet...15 grams fat per meal. And it then prevents the absorption of 25%of this fat by blocking appropriate enzymes. (So 15 grams fat x 9 calories/gram x .25 = 33.75 grams of fat not absorbed with each of 3 meals or 135 caories of unabsorbed fat per day.)

They stress the importance of diet and exercise to lose weight and it would seem that while Alli will HELP to lower the effective calories, it will help only to the extent of 135 calories. That's not a whole lot for what it costs, $2 a day.
Skipping ONE can of soda per day will yield higher calorie savings.

AND of course, the low fat, low calorie diet with plently of exercise will work all by itself with no help from the pricey pills.

I judge Alli to be too little for too $$much$$. Maybe the 120 mg. Rx version worked better.

And the thought of leaking grease is a tad on the repulsive side.

NineLives

135x7=945 fewer calories per week
945x4=3,788 fewer calories per month
3500 fewer calories accounts for 1 lb of fat
3788/3500=
That equals to 1 fewer pound in one month.
Hopefully my calculations are correct. Math was never my best subject and I wasn't wearing my glasses when I did the calculations

When I lost 44 pounds on weight watchers I did it by setting small goals. If I had set my sights on losing the entire amount I don't think I could have ever done it.
Lenin when I saw your post I believe you made a very good point and considered that it was a waste of money, but I am seeing results because I am eating very low fat and had been before I started taking the alli. I'm sure I will see much more that 1 lb of weight loss in a month so for me it probably will have been worth it.

I know you post on the heart disease section of the board. Do you think there could be some heart benefit to the drug? If our colon is unable to absorb as much fat it seems that it would be heart healthy. What do you think?

kwj001

I've been taking alli just two days now and haven't had any of the side effects. I wonder if it's bumping it up by taking two that causes the side effects. Also, it's made me focus more on the meals I eat - I was already doing pretty good on breakfast and lunch, but dinner kills me. I also didn't want my afternoon snack yesterday and don't know if that is the alli or just a fluke! I'm on meds for Bipolar II that are renowned for causing you to gain weight so I'm hoping this will balance that out. Good luck to all and I'll keep checking this thread as I would like to hear how others do.

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"It is never too late to be what you might have been."

deinee

HI,
I have been on Alli for just over 2 weeks and doing fine. I weighed this am and I have lost about 3 1/2 pounds. I would like it come off faster, but I know I am lucky I lost what I did. I am getting pretty hungry after supper, but I need to stop snacking in the evening. I am still doing fine with no bad side effects. My husband is on Alli too and losing more weight than me. Men seem to lose it easier than women. Kw, glad to hear you are doing well. I read that some people have doubled up with no problems as long as you are still staying under 30% fat for the day. How was your weigh in Ninelives? Hope you were encouraged by the outcome. This week will be tough with the 4th of July BBQ we are going to, but I will try to stay strong. I have to work the day after and don't want to spend my work time in the bathroom! Have a good weekend, Ann

tinytoes

hey everyone!

i have been on alli for a week now. i have taken 3 pills a day faithfully and stayed way under the 15 fat grams for each meal until friday......... i didn't take a lunch or dinner pill and ate a big tenderloin sandwich friday night. lets just say saturday wasn't a pleasant day...... i had chills friday night and felt fine saturday until late afternoon. i have had diarrhea since 3pm saturday but it's not oily or anything like what i have read on the treatment effects. today i just feel drained physically. so i am wondering if this is a treatment effect for one bad meal or maybe i just came down with a bug? any ideas? so not fun being sick on the weekends!

deinee

Hi Tinytoes,
Sorry you are feeling so bad. I would guess that maybe you picked up a flu bug. I don't think Alli would cause chills. I wonder too if you could have gotten a case of food poisoning. I have had it once in my lifetime and it was miserable. Chills, vomiting and terrible diarrhea. I have ate steak several times since starting Alli, always very lean and about 4-6 ounces with no problems. The next day I do notice alittle "oil" with a normal bm, but thats all. I would stop Alli while you are feeling bad, you are probably not taking in much fat anyway. Maybe start back with only 1 or 2 pills a day when you feel better. Good luck, Ann