Alli - New Britain, CT

I was actually part of the origional test group for Alli. I received it free of charge to use for several months in return for feedback every week of my issues. Alli is the same as the rx stuff but just half the dosage.

Overall I found it disappointing. Meals had to be planned to be low fat and if I went over the fat content for a single meal I had problems for days after. I found it to be useful but constrictive and once I found out how much there were charging for it I decided not to continue.

I agree with the previous posts; no matter how hard it is, it is best to do it without drugs. I have been tempted to use something like Alli. I have lost about 30 pounds and have 10 more to go and I have done it by eating a lot less and a lot healthier. That is what is comes down to, you just have to find the willpower within yourself, which I know is not always there, and do it yourself. Good luck!

I tried alli and the side effects were terrible for me. You need to eat very low fat items or you will have oily bowels. You can also leak the oils from your rectum (sorry to be graphic)through out the day. I stopped taking it after I had spoken with my doctor about it. I should have talked to my doctor first and would have avoided all of this. My advise is to ask your doctor before you try it. If you chose not to talk with your doctor please keep in mind that every one's body will act differently to the pills. Some people will not have any side effects and others can have extreme side effects. Mine were difficult and I felt I needed to talk with my doctor. Once off of these I began to really pay attention to my meal sizes and ate four small meals a day and I bumped up my activity level and lost 70 pounds with out the aid of diet pills. I found that with diet pills I may lose the weight but I dont keep it off unless I continue with the pills. I needed to change my way of life. Eating healthy and keeping my metabolism going was the way for me. I rarely eat cookies or junk food any longer. I just don't crave them and me eating a candy bar it just does not happen any more. My body now crave fruit and veggies when I have a craving. And I boosted my vitamin B for that time of the month when you crave chocolate. If I really want something sweet I will have a granola bar with chocolate chips in it. Other wise I am not craving those things any longer and I feel a whole lot better as well. I wish you all the best in your quest for losing weight. It is not easy and it is a slow and frustrating battle.

Alli has been shown to cause pre-cancerous lesions in the colon. Google it. Is this really something you want to fool with?

I can tell you, after years of being overweight and now 40 lbs. lighter, that the secret to losing weight permanently and in good health is to eliminate processed foods from your diet. I thought I was eating healthy because my processed food was labeled "organic". Once I dropped the processed food, the weight came off. I am more active also. The weight came off slowly, about half a pound to a pound a week. I used Weight Watchers online to track my food intake and exercise. I feel great and my blood work improved dramatically. I am nearly 60, so you can probably lose faster. What a service you will be doing for your whole family!

C.,

I have not used Alli myself, but a "friend of a friend" did and I heard the side effects were not pretty at all. I know you're probably not looking for this kind of advice, but the thing that worked for me was Weight Watchers. They started a program at work so I decided to try it. I went to the meetings once a week during lunch. I lost 30 lbs and now weigh less than I did before I had my 1 year old. You can either go to meetings or do it online, I ended up doing a combo of both because I liked some of the tools they provide for tracking and finding points values online. WW is a plan that you can use for life.

I've heard nothing but bad things - it causes a lot of bowel problems which are both inconvenient and potentially dangerous. Every time one of these diet pills is pushed onto the market, a lot of people get sick and then eventually it is recalled. If a product isn't stimulating the central nervous system, it's causing intestinal issues.

There are other safe ways to lose weight but there's no magic in a pill form, that's for sure.

I use something for blood sugar management (I'm not diabetic but I do have metabolic syndrome), but it went through clinical trials and the company is not spending its money on an expensive celebrity spokesperson and a whole bunch of commercials.

A lot of supplements have been debunked in the press lately - most don't work, or they contain harmful ingredients, or both. It's best to look at a total program of exercise, portion control, increased fiber, and, if you use a supplement, use something patented and from a company that is part or, or recommended by, the Council for Responsible Nutrition. That rules out most companies.