Alli users?

ValeriePlz

I never took Alli but a friend of mine did. She had to quit after a few weeks because of the side effects, saying (and I quote), "This is no life."

This is also, like, six years ago. I didn't even know Alli was still a thing.

tashat1976

I used it for about 6 months and Loved It! I wish I had the money to go back on it. It helped with my weight loss and self esteem. I did not have any of the horrible side effects that people who haven't tried it talk about. I was very mindful of the amount of fat I ate at each meal and followed the directions to the tee. I can not say enough great things about this product. I am hoping that my insurance will help offset the cost, I will be talking to my doctor about this at my next appointment.

As long as you follow the program it works!

Therealobi1

I used it for about 6 months and Loved It! I wish I had the money to go back on it. It helped with my weight loss and self esteem. I did not have any of the horrible side effects that people who haven't tried it talk about. I was very mindful of the amount of fat I ate at each meal and followed the directions to the tee. I can not say enough great things about this product. I am hoping that my insurance will help offset the cost, I will be talking to my doctor about this at my next appointment.

As long as you follow the program it works!

I just checked the price and its cost £149.85 for a 3 months supply. Thats a lot of money. I would use that money to buy food.
So whats the difference between sticking to the ALLi plan and the eating to a slight deficit plan (other than money spent?)

candacet36

This is just MY OPINION......if it is not something you can do forever you should not do it.

There are NO quick fixes but there is something out there that will work. It is eating right and exercising and you have to find what works for you.

Best of luck!

Jestinia

Since I did post something obnoxious and unhelpful, I'll try to make amends:

Alli might have cancer fighting properties:

http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/8/1253.short

Background:: Orlistat (Xenical™), a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug for bodyweight loss, has recently been demonstrated to exhibit antitumor properties towards prostate cancer cells by virtue of its ability to block the lipogenic activity of fatty acid synthase (FAS). FAS (oncogenic antigen-519) is up-regulated in about 50% of breast cancers, is an indicator of poor prognosis, and has recently been functionally associated with the Her2/neu (erbB-2) oncogene.

But alas, it might be implicated in other cancers:

http://www.cancerletters.info/article/S0304-3835(05)00860-8/abstract

Orlistat is an anti-obesity agent that increases the fecal fat excretion, which promotes colon carcinogenesis. Therefore, the present study was designed to verify the effects of Orlistat on the formation of rat colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and cell proliferation evaluated by the PCNA method. Male Wistar rats received either a standard diet or a high fat diet (HFD), supplemented or not with Orlistat (200mg/kg chow) and two doses of the carcinogen dimethyl-hydrazine (25mg/Kg). After 30 days, Orlistat was associated to a significant increase in the number of colonic ACFs and cell proliferation in DMH-treated animals, independently of the HFD.

Rubie81

if it is not something you can do forever you should not do it.

Best answer :drinker:

StaciMarie1974

I used it for one month before, without doing any research. Ultimately figured out that all the studies that showed Alli users more successful than non-Alli users were based on Alli-users also using a support forum, logging/tracking their meals. The non-users did not.

Do the math. You need to restrict yourself to 15 grams of fat per meal. Let's assume that is 15 x 3, plus another 15 for snacks. (Though if the snacks are too close to the meal, and you consume too much fat - you could have messy consequences. Keep clean underwear in your purse.)

So you consume 60 grams of fat per day, Alli blocks 25% of it, so its voiding 15 grams. At 9 calories each, that is 135 calories saved per day. Or almost a month to make a 1 pound difference.

On the other hand, you could burn an extra 135 calories easily by taking a 30 minute walk. (Depending on your stats, you could burn well over 135 in 30 minutes.) And to be successful on Alli you must track your food, control your macros. But you can do that here, for free. With no messy side effects.

StaciMarie1974

Ps- I didn't have any negative effects. I found that when I put the thought into what I was eating, it wasn't hard to eat in a reduced calorie range. It was the math of it all that made me drop the product. It didn't make sense to me to pay $60 a month (not sure what the price is now) for 1 pound a month when I could do the other parts (logging, community effect) for free.

On the bright side - the Alli forums was my first venture into the social aspect of weight loss, and I found that to be useful. So good came of it. But bottom line: I'm cheap and very logical when it comes to simple fact. 3500 calories = 1 pound, learning that was like clicking an 'on switch' in my brain that made the idea of weight loss seem like a realistic goal. The math behind Alli made me feel foolish for buying before researching. Good for you for researching first!

StaciMarie1974

When you do the Alli-math, the difference is about 1 pound a month. Its the other things you do, logging your food/finding a weight loss support group or website or accountability partner/eating in a reduced range & increasing your activity that does the real work.

I just checked the price and its cost £149.85 for a 3 months supply. Thats a lot of money. I would use that money to buy food.
So whats the difference between sticking to the ALLi plan and the eating to a slight deficit plan (other than money spent?)

Elsie_Brownraisin

For sharts and giggles...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/214732-stop-taking-alli-immediatly?hl=alli

I really enjoyed that, thanks.

They sell it in the pharmacists and supermarkets here, people really would rather take a chance of soiling themselves than eat less food or move their limbs about.

Even if it's only a possibility, it would terrify me. I'm socially awkward enough as it is.

beachgod

Have some diapers ready.

Jestinia

For sharts and giggles...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/214732-stop-taking-alli-immediatly?hl=alli

I really enjoyed that, thanks.

They sell it in the pharmacists and supermarkets here, people really would rather take a chance of soiling themselves than eat less food or move their limbs about.

Even if it's only a possibility, it would terrify me. I'm socially awkward enough as it is.

That's a very unfair characterization. Many Alli users move their limbs about...running for the bathroom!

RuthRW

Have some diapers ready.

LOL - love this!

A woman I worked with used Alli several years ago - she followed the food guides and still had stomach cramps and oily farts. She quit after a month because she was so tired of dealing with the side effects. The upside was she continued to log her food and added in exercise and ended up losing more weight AFTER quitting the drug than she did while on it.

To be accurate she lost two lbs in the month she took Alli. The month after she stopped she lost three lbs and when she started exercising she averaged a 1 lb a week loss. We were both bank tellers and she was in the window next to me so believe me I heard all about it!

Edited to be clearer about weight loss before and after Alli

smantha32

I used it for a while. A long time ago. But, you will not poop your pants...unless you eat too much fat. Then you will get greasy, oily, poop leakage. Or if you fart...oil. My friend called them "squirty pills" and rightly so. When you do poop, expect to see oil coming out.

I tried it for a couple days. This was my experience.

Plus I read there are some studies now linking it to kidney failure.

smantha32

\
That's a very unfair characterization. Many Alli users move their limbs about...running for the bathroom!

LOL! :laugh:

pobalita

I used it for a while. A long time ago. But, you will not poop your pants...unless you eat too much fat. Then you will get greasy, oily, poop leakage. Or if you fart...oil. My friend called them "squirty pills" and rightly so. When you do poop, expect to see oil coming out.

I tried it for a couple days. This was my experience.

Plus I read there are some studies now linking it to kidney failure.

Yep. Nothing like finding a big orange skid on your work clothes half way through the day.