HELP! Alli-Orlistat??? Experience needed

Hi guys,

So I bought ALLI pills containing orlistat, because I HAVE to have a chocolate bar a day and supposedly it can reduce the fat absorpsion, has anyone had any experience on these and did they help anyone, any help would be so much appritiated :) let me know your experience! Or even experiences of a friend or someone you know ect :)

xoxox

Replies

  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    I have chocolate almost every day (I also eat pizza, chips, pasta, etc). I don't take pills and I've lost almost 40lbs.

    You can still eat what you want using MFP - as long as it fits in your calorie goals.

    Also, fat doesn't make you fat. Excess calories make you fat. So, you can take a pill that blocks fat, but all it's really doing is making so you eat/digest less calories. And you need fat to help your body function.

    The reason Alli works is because you pass all the fat in your stool. You can have some major "accidents" if you aren't careful. So, eating chocolate or other treats might not be advisable.

    Good luck with that.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    If you take Alli you likely won't be able to eat that chocolate at all. Alli blocks absorption of fat and passes it through your digestive system. The result of too much fat when taking Alli is an "oily discharge". They even recommend wearing dark clothing and carrying a change of clothes when you first start taking it. Do you really want to deal with that?!

    The potential side effects vs. any potential fat blocking is not worth the risk and cost. Fat is not bad for you! Eat your chocolate, but eat a little less of it every day and you'll be fine. I eat chocolate, ice cream, pizza, and all sorts of other so-called "bad" foods. As long as I can fit them into my daily calorie allowance, it's all good.
  • Catherinekaycorner
    Catherinekaycorner Posts: 23 Member
    Thanks guys, I know the side effects are HORRID hahaha, I don't want to poo myself just because I fancied a chocolate bar, I never really hear any positive things about alli, so I guess these are going in the bin! :) Ive managed too loose 21 lbs so far eating a chocolate bar a day so I'l just continue, Ive read some terrible things! xoxo
  • Discoveri
    Discoveri Posts: 435 Member
    I've always thought of Alli as "dieting through fear". If you need to worry about carrying a change of clothes, you will probably be too worried about eating that chocolate bar. Just practice portion control and moderation.
  • lizblizz28
    lizblizz28 Posts: 166
    I tried Alli once, and the side effects are actually manageable, but I didn't notice any significant results. It wasn't worth it to me. Plus, because fats are necessarily for vitamin absorption, there's a chance you won't get adequate nutrition while taking it.

    So, all in all, I think your idea to toss it was a smart one :)
    Good luck!
  • FitBunnyEm
    FitBunnyEm Posts: 320
    I tried Alli once, and the side effects are actually manageable, but I didn't notice any significant results. It wasn't worth it to me. Plus, because fats are necessarily for vitamin absorption, there's a chance you won't get adequate nutrition while taking it.

    So, all in all, I think your idea to toss it was a smart one :)
    Good luck!
    ive tried it and i thought the same as the above...good luck. x
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Will you die without a chocolate bar every day? And entire bar? Your doctor prescribed that?

    1. Yes, Alli prevents absorption of fat, but read the side effects. If there's much fat in that chocolate bar (though I think chocolate in general is pretty low in fat), it will come out of you in an unpleasant way.

    2. if you just can't live without chocolate, why not just figure out a way to fit it in without needing pills?

    I eat six squares of Green & Black's 85% dark chocolate every day. I don't normally care for dark chocolate, but this stuff is different from anything else I've had and is AMAZING. It's rich enough that those six squares are enough, plus it has health benefits. Now I don't like milk chocolate.
  • cestlafete
    cestlafete Posts: 71 Member
    Someone tossed me some remnants after they stopped taking it and initially I didn't have much trouble with it. In fact, I didn't have any sort of reaction, and stopped taking them.

    Then I made the mistake of thinking they could counteract a lapse of judgement at a burger place and boy was I wrong! Quite without warning, I was suddenly running to the bathroom and let's just say 'oily discharge' doesn't even BEGIN to cut it. A shower was definitely needed. I'm so glad that I was off that day, because I spent a good portion of it hovering near the bathroom and terrified that I was going to mess everywhere without warning. It definitely (along with how terrible I felt just eating all that rubbish) made me re-think another grease-binge. I talked to my mother and she said that she uses them as motivation not to eat a bunch of grease as well, since it's essentially damage control plus punishment.
  • BOLO4Hagtha
    BOLO4Hagtha Posts: 396 Member
    I have used Alli and have had good results with it. The main thing is that you need to stick with your fat intake with every meal. For me that was 17g of fat for each meal. You can't save your fat allowance and transfer it onto other meals (this is a very valuable advice I got from a co-worker that recommended me the Alli). I did not have the nasty side effects most people report because I stuck with 17g limit. If your chocolate bar is within that limit at either meal, your are ok. For snacks I would recommend veggies and fruit. Also don't forget to take your multivitamin.

    Also, using Alli does not mean its a magic pill and you can eat all the junk food and not gain any weight from it. I think this is why people have these side effects because they think they can eat an entire pie of pizza and that as long as they take Alli its ok. It's not. Good luck with it. Get yourself and account on their website where it will tell you, based on the form you fill out, what your fat intake should be.
  • MaraBunny
    MaraBunny Posts: 6
    My doctor prescribed them to me. And when he did I knew up front what the consequences were and took them intentionally. He did not call them diet pills and I dont think of them that way. They are behaviour modification.

    It did nothing for weight loss if I did not control my calories. What it did do was help me avoid foods that are high fat content. Once I stopped taking them, for cost, I still stayed away from those high concentration fatty foods.

    No pill is a miracle drug, none of them will help you lose weight. You have to do it yourself with lifestyle changes.
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    oily farts...

    Do you want oily farts?

    Alli gives you oily farts!
  • terrappyn
    terrappyn Posts: 324 Member
    Alli was taken off the market as least as of last time I checked. I highly suggest you be care on those. I believe they were causing some liver issues!
  • SmallMimi
    SmallMimi Posts: 541 Member
    The only thing Alli-Orlistat is good for is making you poo. Tried it when it first came out, appreciated the regularity, but did not appreciate the other restrictions and side effects.
  • Lize11e
    Lize11e Posts: 419
    I used Alli for probably 8 months once. It worked but I think it mainly worked because I really had to watch what I ate. You will get a certain amount of fat allowed per meal and you best not go over it. Also, you need to cut fat for the week (or maybe it was two?) before you start or you will have "side effects" immediately. I did really good on it, I lost something like 50 pounds but again, it was because I had to watch what I ate. The one post that said "dieting through fear" is pretty much dead on accurate.
  • AmeChops
    AmeChops Posts: 744 Member
    My doctor prescribed me Orlistat as I was having a ridiculously hard time losing weight (I found out a little after that that I had PCOS and that answered that question). They worked and helped me shed about 20lbs. I couldn't eat anything over 10/12g of fat per meal or the side-effects kicked in...that was not fun! I stopped losing weight on them after that and so stopped taking them.

    I have no desire to take them again but I don't regret taking them, it's really what I needed at the time.
  • love2nicks
    love2nicks Posts: 21
    I know this isn't really an answer to your question, but have you tried giving up chocolate ? I am the worlds biggest Chocoholic but I realized it is a trigger food for me, causing me to crave other foods after I have eaten it. What I had to do was go "cold tukey" Let me tell you that was one of the hardest things I've done in my life, I won't lie, but it helped so much! The first 3 days were absolutely horrific. Cranky miserable angry shaky etc. But after I got through those 3 days it was so much easier. Now I don't crave it like I used to. I can have some and be ok and not spiral out of control. I do still find that if i have some I will crave other foods all day long, so because it's easier now I just avoid it alltogether, and I don't find that I miss it.
  • Catherinekaycorner
    Catherinekaycorner Posts: 23 Member
    I know this isn't really an answer to your question, but have you tried giving up chocolate ? I am the worlds biggest Chocoholic but I realized it is a trigger food for me, causing me to crave other foods after I have eaten it. What I had to do was go "cold tukey" Let me tell you that was one of the hardest things I've done in my life, I won't lie, but it helped so much! The first 3 days were absolutely horrific. Cranky miserable angry shaky etc. But after I got through those 3 days it was so much easier. Now I don't crave it like I used to. I can have some and be ok and not spiral out of control. I do still find that if i have some I will crave other foods all day long, so because it's easier now I just avoid it alltogether, and I don't find that I miss it.

    I've tried giving up chocolate, and the binge actually happens because I'm not allowing myself that little treat I look forward to at the end of the day; so for me not eating chocolate is actually a trigger, i Know its phycological but Ilike that little treat

    Thanks for all the advice guys!! This is brilliant it's really helping me, I don't usually go over 15gms of fat per meal anyways, and I know to DEFINITELY avoid them if I do! :) thanks for all the advice xoxoxox
  • I used Alli for about a week, and by the end of the week my skin was so dry that I decided that I decided the little weight I did lose was not worth it. I'm convinced the weight I did lose that week was just from clearing out my colon from the laxative-like effect I experienced after caving and eating something high fat.

    I find eating clean, lots of water, and regular exercise help me lose weight fast enough without gross side-effects.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    If you "have" to have chocolate, get it from a protein bar. Don't use those crap pills.
  • suzieqcookie
    suzieqcookie Posts: 314 Member
    I have looked at Alli several times over the years and at this point i wouldn't get it because how good could it possibly be when it's been on the market THIS LONG and not have one single commercial with a success story??? They have had several with people starting to use it, but there is never a success story. That tells me all i need to know.
  • shebaw79
    shebaw79 Posts: 15 Member
    I too like chocolate but what I've found to be a great alternative is dark chocolate and instead of having a whole bar one time I eat 2 squares at a time so one dark chocolate bar last me 4 days and it satisfies my craving and it sure beats any accidents Alli can cause. I've never taken it but I have a friend and sister who have and both of them complained abou the oily discharge and not being able to control their stools so they end up having an accident. Hope this helps