Alli / Xenical, Does It Work? (Please Only Answer If You Have Actually Taken It)

CleanUpWhatIMessedUp

Please only reply to this if you have actually taken the product. I know everybody has opinions, but I want to hear about real life experiences with the product. I have read some reviews online. I have read about possible side effects.

I know the generally held opinion on MFP is just eat fewer calories. I don't need that restated a million times in this thread. I know Alli costs money and eating low calorie is free. I don't need that restated a million times.

I am only looking to hear from people that have actually taken Alli. Did it work? What were the results. Did you actually stick with the low fat recommendations? Did you experience side effects?

Again, please only answer if you have actually used Alli.

A related question: Has anyone ever been prescribed Xenical by their doctor? Did it work for you? Were there any side effects? I know that I would most probably meet the qualifications for it, but I want to hear real world experiences first?

queenliz99

I was at an art exhibit once and I sharted. I left in a hurry and decided I did not want to have that happen to me ever again. I found I have lost weight and am in maintenance just by counting calories.

StaciMarie1974

A few years ago I did buy one round of Alli. But then I ran thru the #s and realized it was a waste of money and that the claims made about the product were misleading.

About the #s... Alli works by blocking some of the fat you eat, at the rate of about 25%. So if you eat 60 grams of fat in a day, 15 of them are not absorbed by your body. So that's 15 grams x 9 calories per gram = 135 calories saved per day. It takes 3500 cals to equal a pound, so you'd lose an extra pound about every 25 days by taking Alli compared to not taking Alli. I use the 60 grams total because while on Alli, you need to limit meals to no more than ~15 grams of fat or face severe and messy consequences. (So this assumes a max of 15 per meal and another 15 for snacks thru the day.)

The claims the product made back when I tried it were that people on Alli lose X more per week or month than people on their own. Alli also recommends daily food logging, using their online community for support, etc. The other group (not using Alli) in my opinion did worse because they were not logging and didn't have support. That's my opinion, of course. The daily logging and finding a community type support system are the important details.

I did not experience side effects by the way, because I kept my fat low as recommended. It is worth mentioning that you would need to take a multivitamin and time it with fat consumption, because otherwise your body would not be able to absorb certain nutrients that it needs from the food you eat. I did not keep buying the product, and can't really say if I lost weight using it as the difference in one month would be impossible to ascertain.

usmcmp

I tried it. Even with low fat intake I had some leakage (might as well wear depends) and the one day I went out to eat with a friend I had to rush home to clean up (never trust a fart while taking it). On top of that my skin dried out, my joints started hurting and my love life suffered greatly. I had far better success with less side effects when I logged accurately and learned about what my body really needs.

Lucille4444

I tried it for a while. Distressing side effects. I've actually found that higher fats and lower carbs keep me less hungry and work better.

Therealobi1

i havent used alli before but a good friend of mine has
she was put in the most embarrasing situation at work. the ones where you wish you took spare clothes to work.
she hasnt taken it again.

jgnatca

I am only looking to hear from people that have actually taken Alli. Did it work? What were the results. Did you actually stick with the low fat recommendations? Did you experience side effects?

I took it for about a year. I did not gain weight while taking it. There are unpleasant side effects and I experienced the mildest of them, which was leaky drippy fatty BM's, bright orange. I was pretty good at controlling my fat consumption, which has to be strictly controlled; enough for the Xenical to work on, and not so much to experience the mildest of the side-effects described above. I suggest stocking in a supply of Depends.

A co-worker who also took Xenical ended up requiring gall bladder surgery.

The theory is that by controlling your consumption of fats, which carries twice the calorie load of protein and carbs, you as a consequence reduce your overall calories. It can work.

kshama2001

queenliz99 wrote: »

I was at an art exhibit once and I sharted. I left in a hurry and decided I did not want to have that happen to me ever again. I found I have lost weight and am in maintenance just by counting calories.

I had to google "sharted" and wanted to pass this along to @CleanUpWhatIMessedUp

http://www.poopingproblems.com/survive-shart-attack/

MKEgal

Here's where you can read studies (scientific studies, looking at what happened to people who really took the drug)
published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=xenical+weight+loss

I didn't get further than the second result.

Weight loss at a high cost: Orlistat-induced late-onset severe kidney disease.
Buysschaert B, Aydin S, Morelle J, Hermans MP, Jadoul M, Demoulin N.
Diabetes Metab. 2015 Oct 7. pii: S1262-3636(15)00117-2. doi: 10.1016/j.diabet.2015.08.006.

Ninkyou

I've never taken Alli, BUT, I do have a real world story to share.

I used to work at a furniture store... about 3 years ago. We once had a a female customer come into the store. Well, she had to make a break for the bathroom quite suddenly. After some time the salesperson who had been working with her complained (I was in customer service) that the lady never came back and that he'd wasted time with her. A handful of minutes passed and I went to the bathroom. What I saw I can never ever unsee.

Without going into too much gruesome detail, there was orange poo everywhere. The lady's clothes were in the trash, soiled. The lady was in one of the stalls hysterically crying. I left and told the manager about it. She went to help out the lady and basically gave her a sheet from one of the floor model beds to cover herself so she could leave the bathroom. The manager later told us the lady said she was taking Alli and she'd basically exploded everywhere. She apologized over and over. I felt bad for the lady. How embarassing and humiliating for her that must have been. Then the other customer service girl I worked with volunteered to clean the bathroom (we didn't have a cleaning service at the time, it was a brand new store). I didn't envy her position. It was the single most grossest thing I've ever seen (and I have 2 kids...so...).

So yeah... word of caution there....

Sued0nim

Oh my good God

kissedbythesunshine

Alli gave me leaky gas (gross I know). I took it for about 5 months and didn't notice any additional weight loss. I've gotten better results and lasting results this time without it. Based off my personal experience I'd say save your money.

janejellyroll

Well, I am sufficiently traumatized now.

queenliz99

kshama2001 wrote: »

queenliz99 wrote: »

I was at an art exhibit once and I sharted. I left in a hurry and decided I did not want to have that happen to me ever again. I found I have lost weight and am in maintenance just by counting calories.

I had to google "sharted" and wanted to pass this along to @CleanUpWhatIMessedUp

http://www.poopingproblems.com/survive-shart-attack/

Thank you. I appreciate it. The link has lots of info for covering many scenarios but I hope I don't ever have to use it.

MKEgal

Then I looked over the rest of the first page...

Orlistat-induced fulminant hepatic failure.
Sall D, Wang J, Rashkin M, Welch M, Droege C, Schauer D.
Clin Obes. 2014 Dec;4(6):342-7. doi: 10.1111/cob.12075. Epub 2014 Sep 29.

That means the liver isn't working.
Serious, serious problem.
Like, deadly.

Sued0nim

Why are you so desperate that you would consider something like this @CleanUpWhatIMessedUp

snickerscharlie

OP, your username may end up being oddly appropriate if you take this stuff.

blankiefinder

My cousin took it, and it did not go well. She has used many of the various diets and diet programs out there, except MFP, and still hasn't lost the weight, and if anything has slowly gained during the yoyo cycles.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

snickerscharlie wrote: »

OP, your username may end up being oddly appropriate if you take this stuff.

I am so glad that somebody posted what I thought

jgnatca

I just wanted to point out that repeated "failures" is what makes people desperate to try anything.

magtart

I tried it and gave it up after I messed up all my underwear. That orange stuff does not wash out very well. Anyway, I don't think eating fat causes fat. I am all over crispy chicken skin, butter, full fat mayo and am still down almost 60 lbs.