Orlistat
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SD0907
Posts: 15 Member
Has anyone been on this? Dr just put me on this as I await bloods
Anyone any success stories? Foods to avoid? I've just read some horrid side effects and it's putting me off even starting
Anyone any success stories? Foods to avoid? I've just read some horrid side effects and it's putting me off even starting
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Replies
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Happy that you've read up on the side effects instead of experiencing them!
Orlistat prevents some of the fat you eat, from being absorbed.
To not have the horrid side effects, you should eat low fat.
To lose weight, you have to eat less (fewer calories) than you burn, consistently and for a long time.
To not regain, you have to eat in a calorie balance, over time, forever.
Eating low fat can be an effective strategy tor eating less. It can also be a terrible strategy. Whether it's one or the other, will be personal.
Your body, including your skin, brain, hormones, needs dietary fat.
Fat soluble vitamins need fat in order to be absorbed.
Fat free and low fat foods (except naturally fat free/low fat foods) tend to taste not great.
We need great tasting food in order to eat less consistently and for a long time.
Orlistat is like fat antabus. If you eat food high in fat while on it, you'll *kitten* yourself. If you can eat low fat without it, you don't need it. If you eat more sugary/carby foods instead of the fatty food, you won't lose weight.
If you want success stories, we have some: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/success-stories6 -
I'm been using the OTC version. I think it's helping. I haven't eaten wings or ribs or even a whole slice of regular pizza (half a slice though!) but I've certainly eaten foods with fat in them and I haven't had Any of side effects they warn you about. I think it helps me be more conscious of what I'm putting in my mouth which is part of what I need to re-set my relationship with food. Good luck on your journey!1
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I've already changed all carbs to wholemeal, cut out dairy and use low fat meats etc. Most cooking is in the oven or cooked with low cal spray. I've been calorie counting for 6 weeks, 2 weeks incorporating fasting too and I've only lost 3lb. That's with low fat eating and I don't know where I'm going wrong.
So I can do low fat, my body just doesn't want to lose weight3 -
I've already changed all carbs to wholemeal, cut out dairy and use low fat meats etc. Most cooking is in the oven or cooked with low cal spray. I've been calorie counting for 6 weeks, 2 weeks incorporating fasting too and I've only lost 3lb. That's with low fat eating and I don't know where I'm going wrong.
So I can do low fat, my body just doesn't want to lose weight
Fat is good for your body and brain health, I wouldn't try to drop it too low. I'd ditch the Orlistat too.
It sounds like you're just a bit impatient. Losing about a pound per week is the perfect pace for most people. Sure, you've only been losing .5lbs a week but a loss is a loss.
There's no need to overcomplicate things by eliminating macros or foods from your diet. A calorie deficit is all you need. Focus on tracking your intake as accurately as possible with a food scale and see how you're doing after a month of maintaining a good deficit.1 -
I read that the theory behind it is that it prevents fat in your diet being absorbed and therefore reduces calorie intake.
I also read, and have personal experience of, the fat in your diet is not absorbed, it passes through, so you get greasy fatty stools, anal leakage, soiled underwear. The stools are difficult to flush and leave a greasy coating on the toilet bowl. So what happens is that people on Orlistat get so worried about being embarrassed by this that they stop eating fatty foods, and that is how it really works.5 -
All those changes are fine and dandy (personally I think they're horrible, except maybe for the fasting, is that IF? - which protocol? - but it's your choice and completely up to you - I bet I eat lots of things that others find outright gross, lol), but if you aren't losing weight as expected,I've already changed all carbs to wholemeal, cut out dairy and use low fat meats etc. Most cooking is in the oven or cooked with low cal spray. I've been calorie counting for 6 weeks, 2 weeks incorporating fasting too and I've only lost 3lb. That's with low fat eating and I don't know where I'm going wrong.
something went wrong in setup (have you entered your stats correctly, picked weight loss as a goal?),
your expectations are too big (losing more than 1% of your bodyweight per week),
you're not tracking correctly (using a food scale, for everything, logging the amounts you're actually eating of each item, using the rcipe builder, correctly),
not hitting your calorie target consistently, either consciously, or by forgetting something, cheating, guesstimating.
Your body has no will of its own. It stores fat in a calorie surplus, uses up fat stores in a calorie deficit.So I can do low fat, my body just doesn't want to lose weight2 -
Sorry if i sound impatient i dont mean to be. The 3lb weight loss may sound 0.5 a week but I didn't clarify, that only came from a combination of 16:8/18:6 fasting with 12-1400 calories in the last 2 weeks. So I suppose saying my body won't is an exaggeration however it only will with low cal, daily fasting, low dairy and low fat.
As im overweight I expected to lose more in the beginning (fully aware this would slow down) but with cal counting etc I didn't lose a thing over 4 weeks. It was actually longer but I only started cal counting at the start of that time frame. Before was healthier eating and cutting out snacks etc. In total i stuck at the same weight for 2 months or so.
I will say I have my cheat day a week and I do add it on, I'll never live a life I can't enjoy food, I'm just happy to control when and what I'll enjoy at my own pace.
I'll try to continue this current combination and see how I get on. Maybe I'll continue to lose this way. I'll hold off on the tablets until I get my bloods back really. The above description if the toilet bowl is enough to put me off0 -
Everybody gets impatient and frustrated at some point, no worrySorry if i sound impatient i dont mean to be.
So you did lose 3 pounds in 2 weeks? Taking in 12-1400 calories and losing 1.5 pounds per week means that your maintenance calories are somewhere around 1950-2150. This means that you can lose 1 pound per week by eating 1450-1650 calories per day (which sounds a lot less stressful).The 3lb weight loss may sound 0.5 a week but I didn't clarify, that only came from a combination of 16:8/18:6 fasting with 12-1400 calories in the last 2 weeks. So I suppose saying my body won't is an exaggeration however it only will with low cal, daily fasting, low dairy and low fat.
Intermittent fasting would only have an effect on adherence to calorie deficit, but it looks like that worked for you.
That's because healthy eating and cutting out snacks makes no difference, it's a calorie deficit that makes you lose weight.As im overweight I expected to lose more in the beginning (fully aware this would slow down) but with cal counting etc I didn't lose a thing over 4 weeks. It was actually longer but I only started cal counting at the start of that time frame. Before was healthier eating and cutting out snacks etc. In total i stuck at the same weight for 2 months or so.
But then I hope you realize that the cheat day can easily wipe out all your effort. And that's particularly the case if you feel deprived through the rest of the week.I will say I have my cheat day a week and I do add it on, I'll never live a life I can't enjoy food, I'm just happy to control when and what I'll enjoy at my own pace.
People who truly and trustingly enjoy food, usually don't "cheat", because they know that they can't cheat on their bodies; instead they allow themselves freely to eat what, when and how much they want. This just happens to be more in line with what they need, and then just a small amount of willpower is enough to not go overboard - as opposed to people who struggle with weight and relationship with food, who tend to keep "wanting what they can't have", and then blowing it, which is the result of random, self-imposed restrictions.
I want to encourage you to not "try", but also to not undereat, or cut out foods randomly. There is no "maybe" in losing at a true calorie deficit.I'll try to continue this current combination and see how I get on. Maybe I'll continue to lose this way.
That's good. You can actually throw the tablets/prescription in the garbage, they won't do anything (good) for you, no matter what the blood tests say. You'll still lose with a consistent calorie deficit, you'll still not lose if you don't have a consistent calorie deficit.I'll hold off on the tablets until I get my bloods back really. The above description if the toilet bowl is enough to put me off
How I know these things? I struggled with my weight for over 20 years, lost and regained several times with random food restrictions - until I hit "obese" in 2013 - which made my relationship with food and my body horrible. Converting to trusting the process of calorie deficit, and just eat the food I like, allowed me to not only lose all the weight I wanted (I had done that several times before), but to keep it off, and heal my relationship with food. I've been in maintenance for three years now, and I eat, move, think and feel like a normal weight person.4 -
I was about to ask how you know so much, but your experience and knowledge is so clear. Thank you for sharing.
Yes when I calculated my calories it said 2000 to maintain so you'd be about right. On my cheat days I normally try and stay below 1700 calories anyways.
Can you explain why 1 day would wipe it all out? I only ask as I use to have 4/5 takeaways a week and my diet has largely changed for the better, thankfully I have learned I can cook healthy foods but in a tasty way (praise to my spice rack!) And with this it allows me to still enjoy the foods I eat alongside having the odd packet of crisps or bar of chocolate if it still falls within my calories. I don't crave bad foods as much because I think I am working out a balance to help me long-term than getting tired of it? I hope that makes sense!
Also, huge congrats to you that your relationship with food has been so successful. It's great to hear about success ☺☺2 -
Maths can lower stress levels - who'd believe that! Yes, understanding the process really makes an enormous difference.
One day of normally trying to stay below 1700 calories does not mean that you really, never, go over 1700 calories. Unless you're weighing and logging everything, you can't know for sure. If you feel "entitled" to a "cheat day", you'll be prone to not pay attention/forget/guesstimate. 1700 non-accounted for calories can easily be the double.
For balance, I believe it's important to not label foods good and bad. The "bad" label doesn't make us not want it, it just makes us read it as "forbidden fruit" in huge bold neon types. And those fruits really taste the sweetest.
When it comes to taste, in my experience, fat is an important part of the equation. A little goes a long way; and a really tasty and satisfying meal makes me more willing to wait for it, and to not eat too much, at the meal, and between meals. Feeling like I'm missing out on something, that I just can't put my finger on, and at the same time thinking about what I should/shouldn't eat, always made me want to rebel, and I did, hard - even though I'm a patient and obedient nature. Now there's nothing to rebel against, because I make all my decisions myself - for real.2 -
Can i ask how much you weigh OP?
There are plenty of people saying that you may be impatient, and you seem to think you're "eating better as a whole" now, but losing 3 pounds may be an indicator that you're not currently optimizing your results.
It's been my experience that most individuals who come on MFP and are unsatisfied with their weight loss despite "eating healthier" is because they're still unintentionally overeating calories.3 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Your body has no will of its own. It stores fat in a calorie surplus, uses up fat stores in a calorie deficit.
Truth ^^^^
[ETA - And the math proves it. Once you get your mind around the process, how to do it, and what to expect there is zero chance that the process won't work.]2 -
Yes my weight is down to 12'5 and I'm 5'3 in height, I'm not sure if that helps. Do you think I calculated my deficit wrong or is solely down to my calorie intake, I'm not weighing foods correctly or adding it up right?
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Realize that Orlistat doesn't discriminate what kind of fat gets absorbed. There are ESSENTIAL fats the body needs daily for optimal health, and unless supplemented in the body, that can be absorbed and discarded by the Orlistat.
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You're 5'3 and 125 pounds is this correct?[/quote]
No sorry I'm 12 st 5lb ☺0 -
OP, when I enter those stats and female born 1985 and lightly active, I get 1350 calories for 1.5 pounds weekly loss, and 1500 calories for a 1 pound weekly loss. I would suggest you set your target somewhere beteween those two numbers. Then it's up to correct logging and patience.2
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Thank you!!0
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Lesscookies12 wrote: »
no, that's 175 pounds. OP should be losing about 1.5 pounds per week. so they're right on track. 0
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