Orlistat/alli

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I have been put on this due to medication causing a weight gain, to try and counteract this. I would like to hear from others with a similar situation. There is so little guidance I am not sure I am doing it right. Have people lost weight using these??
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Replies

  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    The 'right' way to use Alli involves throwing and a trash can.
  • Adarsta
    Adarsta Posts: 11 Member
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    That is not helpful when I am on it for medical reasons. I lost 4 stone on weight watchers and kept it off for years by continuing. When I was put on some tablets I gained 3.5 stone and have continued the diet. With the pills and continuing the diet I am expected to lose weight at a healthy rate similar to last time.

    Pills are a last resort for me and I need help and support.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    It was helpful, you just don't like hearing it. Many people gain weight as a side affect to medication, and a decent doctor will recomend a diet and excersize program to 'counteract' the gains. Throw that **** in the trash and ask your doc for real help.
  • Adarsta
    Adarsta Posts: 11 Member
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    As I have just said, that is what I have been doing. I have dieted and exercised for a year (as I did when I lost 4 stone) and it has not worked as I have gained 3.5 stones, which has caused my health problems to get worse. This is a last resort. Telling me to throw it away is not helpful. I think my doctor who knows me and my health problems knows better than you.
  • netsirk12
    netsirk12 Posts: 220 Member
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    do a topic search. I have replied to many. helped me but it all came right back on. the side effects only happen if you dont follow the diet requirments. I wouldnt recomend it to anyone though. distoryed my gallbladar, had it removed and I am still not right!
  • jahnlaw
    jahnlaw Posts: 95 Member
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    As I understand it, Alli works by making a person nauseous whenever they consume unhealthy foods. If I could not stop eating frid donuts, for example, then this might be good for me. However, the better approach is to choose a healthy diet. If you make the right eating choices Alli and similar drugs would be ineffective. Treat the cure not the symptom.
  • amesie425
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    I use it, I have been on it a couple weeks. I don't have any side effects because I don't eat over the fat grams in a meal. I think its helping, just remember to stay within the fat grams allowed and you will be fine. Good luck!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Sorry, are you saying that a Doctor prescribed Alli for you?
  • Adarsta
    Adarsta Posts: 11 Member
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    It doesn't make you nauseous. It blocks the enzymes therefore reducing the fat that the body absorbs. It has side effects if you eat too much fat.

    I am going to do a topic search- thank you for a helpful response. Do you mind me asking how long you took the tablets and how it damages the gall bladder.
  • netsirk12
    netsirk12 Posts: 220 Member
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    As I understand it, Alli works by making a person nauseous whenever they consume unhealthy foods. If I could not stop eating frid donuts, for example, then this might be good for me. However, the better approach is to choose a healthy diet. If you make the right eating choices Alli and similar drugs would be ineffective. Treat the cure not the symptom.

    exactly! and even after over a year of not taking it and after what it has done to my body I cant eat anything without this feeling. Toast with an apple gives me the same reaction that this drug did. I eat and 20-30 mins latter I am in tears on the toilet or puking. It has ruined my intestines for the rest of my life. It dosnt matter what I eat. May be tmi but the oily stools they describe I STILL get and I dont even take that crap anymore. Stay away from it. I agree with everyone else with throwing it in the trash!!!!!!!!
  • Adarsta
    Adarsta Posts: 11 Member
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    My doctor prescribed me Orlistat and the pharmacy has given me the alli starter pack (no tabs) as it is the same drug only twice the strength.
  • amesie425
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    The point of Alli is to help you lose weight when you are eating healthy, for every 2 pounds that I lose - Alli helps me lose 1 more by blocking the fat that I ate. If you don't eat over the fat grams, you won't have any problems.
  • floridagirl7264
    floridagirl7264 Posts: 318 Member
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    I haven't tried them myself and really don't know much other than from the commercials. They advertise that for every 2 lbs you lose, you'll lose another due to alli. I think it works by blocking fats in food through the digestive system. Instead it passing through so it doesn't end up as fat on your body. The side effects can be a bit rough. I hope this answers some of your questions. You can also google alli and see if there are any message boards discussing it in length. Good luck. :smile:
  • netsirk12
    netsirk12 Posts: 220 Member
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    Only 6 months and I lost 10-15 lbs with it. So it really didnt help. The drugs basically caused my gallbladdar to shut down but not compleatly. I wasnt digesting any foods. It would work a little and then spazzam causing pains.

    Give it a try it may work for you but be very careful and know that there are risks to taking it!
  • Sqeekyjojo
    Sqeekyjojo Posts: 704 Member
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    I think it's almost an aversion therapy, as once you take it, you know you can't have fatty food. Useful if your natural choice would be to eat high fat stuff, rubbish if your problems stem from overeating carbs and double rubbish if you swap to eating carbs because you know you can't eat fatty stuff.

    Tried it before, but family life wasn't good at the time, so the ex actively sabotaged any attempts to eat more healthily (fancy butter melted into baked beans in secret, anyone? :huh: ) and I thought I was getting things wrong myself, so stopped using it.

    I am going to make an appointment at the GP this week and talk to them about a fitness referral and whether they think it would be a worthwhile thing to reconsider.
  • ItsJustK
    ItsJustK Posts: 159 Member
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    If you eat something like a Big Mac and take an Alli - you will poop out orange oil. Or yellow oil. Oil. And it's the worst smelling poop you've ever smelled. And if you get gassy, and you let a little toot loose, you'll likely also let some oils loose. Basically, eat very healthy while you're on it - and then you won't have to change your pants every time you've got the booty toots.

    I hope that this helps you. Good luck on your weight loss journey.
  • jahnlaw
    jahnlaw Posts: 95 Member
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    I don't want to beat this to death but even if it works as claimed and gets you to avoid more than a certain amount of fat, is not the real culprit too many CALORIES (and water retention)? Lets not forget that many cases fats are good for us.
  • monalissanne
    monalissanne Posts: 159 Member
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    I took it when it first came out. I don't remember losing any more weight than normal taking it, but you can see it working, i.e. not to be too graphic, but see the fat it blocked floating in the toilet. I really believe that years of taking pills like Alli, Hydroxycut, Metabolife, etc. and my weight going up and down helped lead to my hypothyroidism. In fact, people with thyroid disease aren't supposed to take Alli, so do you really want to take something that interferes with your thyroid, and subsequently, your metabolism. The whole point of it is to block fat, but you might do better to eliminate some of that fat from your diet in the first place. So maybe instead of the Alli being your last resort, you could try something like eating greens when you would have had a starch, eating white meat or fish instead of red meat or dark meat.
    I gained 90 pounds when I became hypothyroid. NINETY. The only thing that worked for me was logging everything on this app/website and reducing my calorie intake. When I hit my first plateau last week what worked for me was zig-zagging my calorie intake (e.g. 300 over one day, 300 under the next, breaking even and so on). I also switched from synthetic thyroid (Levothyroxin) to natural thyroid (Armour) and finally got my dosage right last month. When you know you can't take a "diet" pill to help, you're forced to take a real look at your habits and change them.
  • traceyjj
    traceyjj Posts: 406 Member
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    My doctor put me on Orlistat as I wasnt losing weight, even with daily exercise and managing my food properly. As I had cut out fat almost completely since I had gallbladder problems a few years before, the medication did not work. On the 3 months I was taking the tablets the doctor told me I needed to lose 1st (14lb) for him to be allowed to carry on prescribing them. I lost a total of 8lb so he stopped prescribing them. He thought it was the fact I dont eat fat that was the reason I wasnt losing weight on the tablets. I have now increased my workout, and although I havent lost weight I FEEL much better.

    I hope they do more for you than they did for me.
  • Adarsta
    Adarsta Posts: 11 Member
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    Thank you! I already eat a healthy diet, which is under 1600 calories a day so I am hoping this will help me lose weight. I am a bit confused by the saying that i can only eat 1 snack a day of less then 3g of fat, however can I eat more snacks of 0g fat, e.g mullerlight yoghurt, sf jelly, fruit etc??