Hey Everyone, I think I am back!! LOL I have had a hard time lately getting everything around.

Anyways, I have a friend who is interested in taking this pill which is going to be released over the counter today or tomorrow. It is half as strong as the pill Xenical which is a perscription. I wanted to get everyone's opinion of it.

Before joining WW, I tried everything and my doctor gave me Xenical (the Alli pill's big brother). I did not like it, and only lost a pound or two in a month. I decided it wasn't worth paying the $250 a month for the Xenical.

Thanks
Brandie

Just my own thoughts Brandie on taking anything,

Over the years I messed with it all,(even down to hard core drugs) it was a quick fix, but I always went back to WW, to eat properly and get in the right nutrients, learn portion control.

Just for me and me only, I wouldn't mess with anything, WW has worked just fine, remember there is no Quicky way to lose weight, except the old way, proper foods, no junk exercise and lots of water..

A pill is a fast solution, but it isn't a life time way to do it......... besides I don't want to put any man made chemicals into my body again, I have an allergy to all substances.

Even with taking the pill which they say will be between,$1.50-2.00 a day, you still have to do a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet, regular walking and toning exercises plus behavioral changes.

The new drug is not an appetite suppressant. Instead, Alli works by blocking the absorption of fat in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. But the blocked fat has to go somewhere, which is why many a candid commentator has said not to take Alli on a first date or wear white pants while taking it.

Alli is not a good combination with a high-fat, low-carb diet. In addition, if your diet is too low in fat, there's no fat to be blocked.

I personally don't think diet pills are the answer, but that's just my opinion.

There was something on the local news (Atlanta, Ga.) about the Alli pill last night that didn't sound positive but I didn't see all of it. Try going to wsbtv.com under the health section. Maybe that will have some information that will be helpful to you. Glad to hear your back on track!

I just saw a book about this in Walmart, it's called the Alli Diet. I didn't know what it was, thought is was just another person writing a diet book to make money. I didn't realize there was a pill coming out called Alli. I've never taken another diet pill after messing with Phen-fen and that whole exploding heart scare. I am too leary of any of that stuff now.

My opinion on all diet pills is they dont teach you to eat properly. So after you lose the weight, you go right back to the old habits. I wish there were a magic pill though!!

I blogged about Alli today if anyone would like to read what I had to say about it. I've been getting emails from people asking about it, so I thought I'd better address it to the public. :) Here's the link...

Aimee's Blog about the new Alli pill

I agree with this. I told her but she went out and bought it anyways. I think that people lose weight because they are following the diet plan associated with the medicine. The low fat diet and the workout is the thing that is making the people lose weight not the magic pill.

When I took Zenical it was horrible, I woould have to open my days and be able to run for the bathroom at the drop of a hat ! Not for me! LOL

I've had a couple of people reply to my blog since yesterday. One said "it's great" and the other said she takes Xenical. I looked at both, and they appear to be from outside the US. I wrote the one girl and told her "hey if it's working for you, then great. It's just not something for me". From reading her blog though, looks like she works out a lot and she also stated that she has to watch what she eats so that she doesn't have to experience any of the horrible side effects. Makes me wonder just how much of it is from Diet and exercise and how much is actually from the Xenical making her lose weight. She says she takes it to help her when she binges eats. ??? Why not just try to control your binge eating a little better? But... that's just my opinion of course. I don't take these things, so what do I know? :)

From one who teaches Pharmacology:

Back in l997/98 I had one of my students do a complete report on the upcoming Xenical. We all had a good laugh with his report regarding loose stools.
Since Alli ("your friend") isnot as storng the amount of loose stool would be less, but none the less a potential side effect, especially if a low fat diet is not maintained.

But seriously, the worse part of taking this drug is that it can prevent the absorption of fat soluable vitamins, which help in everyday body enzymatic and other biological processes. We all need small amounts of oils to absorb nutrients from foliage or greeen leafy vegetables which is why our salad dressing should have some amount of fat in it, even if we are overweight.

So other problems can develop if one does not get proper nutrition such as monounsaturated (olive Oil, canola) and polyunsaturated fats (other vegetable oils).

However SHORT term of the use of this drug is not detrimental. Most likely most people who use this drug in the OTC strength will QUIT using the drug with in a few short weeks since:

a. They will come to realize it is the low fat diet alone doing the wt loss work....because there is little to block if you take little fat in.

OR

b. They may not be able to follow a low fat diet and therefore not like the side effects of loose stool .


I am not concerened about the use of this OTC drug short term, but I am concerned with the use of this drug long term or at Rx Strength if not monitored for other diseases or conditions that may arise due to little absorption of fat soluable vitamins.


I also agree with those who astutely stated that once you go off of the drug, assuming it worked for you while NOT on a low fat diet, you will not have learned how to eatm and therefore be back where you started, much like eating prepared foods from an organization that sells boxed foods, bur does not teach you what to do if you are in a situation without your boxed foods....aka "Life after boxed food organization".

HOWEVER all being said: The bottom line is this: IF one can reduce fat intake while on this drug for a short period of time and LEARN from this change in eating and produce a NEW HEALTHIER LIFE STYLE then then go off the drug and Continue this life style then this drug is WORTH it! In this way the drug works as a deterrant to fat much like Antabuse/disulfirmim works as a deterant to alcohol. There is medical puprpose to this drug,but most people will not reduce their fat intake and stay on the drug long enough tolearn how to change their food intake.

The above is a professional OPINION based upon my knowledge of pharmacology and my own research.
Below is my personal opinion based upon my experience as a life time dieter and 30 yr span retread WW'er.

In addition to the above, there is NO SUPPORT mechanism in place to help one stay on their eating program and to just say no to urges and temptations,such as the:

Tools that WW has
Philosophy of OA
Sponsorship in OA
Meetings and Networking as in WW or OA or any other similar group
Internet networking such as on this site

Overall I think it will be a waste of money for most people and like most fad diet pills loose its drawing power. A few people will benefit by learning how to eat less fat in the diet. None of which can hurt anyone except the wallet and only help the company $$$wise.

Respectfully to all,

JeanCat
Jeanetta
If you would like to ask me any questions privately feel free.

Dear All,

I purchased the book for the Alli and the proceeds go to fight obesity in children.
It appears that the drug Alli is mainly used as a deterrant to eat fats. The book and similar is a how to lose wt increase activity and has MANY of the BECK's, OA and WW ideas on low fat eating, all in one location. It includes lowfat recipes, shopping/pantry stocking, group and support mechanism including a forum and message board plus one year of technical healthcare support, once you register your product and exercises.
http://www.myalli.com
The support is free.
I am assuming all that is in the book is also on the site once you register.

There is NOT one thing that I found wrong or inconsistent with WW in that book. It is interesting to note that the side effects are called treatment effects. It is also interesting to note the drug company does not want anyone to try this drug if they are not willing to follow a low fat eating plan to avoice'treatment effects'. It is stated that aone can loose wt without the drug, but one can lose 1.5 times the amount if they use the drug and a low fat diet. They actually gave a 10 lb vs 15 lb example.

Other than emotional and mental dependance on a drug to stay on an eating plan, I do not find anything wrong with the philosophy of the makers interms of a low fat, high activity lifestyle as discussed in the book. There are also examples of things to do when bored and not to eat.

Hope this helps shed betterligth on the new drug.

JeanCat

My days of pill popping are over

My thought on this, why put a chemical in your body when you can get the same results through good food.

WW is such a scientific way to lose and lose slow and healthy,.
I was a WW'er when the orginal founder was alive, Jean Nietich, which she frequented my meetings, and told the group she had dieticians and psychologists working along with her to get this program to where it is today.
Behind the scenes theres a huge staff, that works on and for WW every day, updating, adding new products and coming up with ways to keep the loser interested and not to quit.........

My opinion and just mine, "THE PILL" is just another quick fix...........

I have to agree, I don't use pills and I fortunately never have for dieting. I'm addicted to enough stuff: sugar, alcohol, eating, etc.

But I picked up this book because of the name when shopping for sugar free foods in the diet section of a Ralphs supermarket. I was curious because of the title and did not know it had anything to do with 'alli' until I got it home.
I am at work and will have to get the title for you all later. Something like 'Losing your mind about losing weight' ??? i'll get it for you tonight.
Any way the philosophy was almost exactly like WW.

Any way I could not agree with you more that a pill is not the way to go. Funny think is the book keeps telling you the same thing!

What it says is it is to keep you form eating fat. It uses a different phrase but means the same thing as the that and the phrase that I used as a 'deterrant'. Again I think we are going to se a lot of hype and ads and talk and then nothing as people have bad experiences.

JeanCat

JeanCat,
I'm curious... how much fat do they suggest these people eat each day to keep from having the bad side affects? Do they have a set number of grams to follow? Or are they just supposed to cut back as much as possible?

Brandie it surprises me that your friend see's that you have lost weight in a healthy way( weight watchers) yet she still wants to take a pill to lose it.

At least "alli" recommends healthy eating habits combined with exercise. Unlike some of the "diets" i seen out and about.

I was suprised too. I asked her to join WW when I did and she said no. Each week I call her and tell her the results of the scales to try to motivate her into joining. When she suggested this I told her it wasn't a good idea, but she has to learn for herself!

LOL

Thanks for the great advice.

Dear Aimee and All,

Here is what I found out from the site and the book. It appears that much of what is in the book is also on the site. Short answer: 15 grams per meal MAX = 45 grams per day as I see it. That is VERY little compared tow hat I eat since I eat non-fat foods(ff)and I HAVE to because I have hypercholesteremia: high blood fat/cholesterol and high triglycerides). I think the AMA said 30 grams or less for healthy living but I could be wrong.



http://myalli.com/whatstheplan/managingtreatmenteffects.aspx
“Find a balance you can’t obsess over every choice you make, but you can’t ignore your choices, either.”

"Managing treatment effects

Unlike most weight loss products, alli™ has very few side effects because your body minimally absorbs the active ingredient. The main side effects, known as treatment effects, happen when you eat a meal with too much fat while taking alli.

Don't splurge on fatty foods

Treatment effects are especially likely if you eat a meal with more than 15 grams of fat. On other weight loss programs, you may "save up" your fat allowances for the day and then splurge on a high-fat meal or dessert. alli is different.

If you don't stay within your fat-gram target when you take alli capsules, you may experience treatment effects. So make sure to distribute your fat grams evenly across your meals for the day. That means you'll limit yourself to an average of 15 grams of fat for each meal, depending on your own fat intake goal.

If you do have treatment effects, you may see them up to 48 hours after taking an alli capsule and eating a meal with too much high-fat food. You can help prevent future treatment effects by finding the cause and avoiding that food. Write it down in your journal, located in the alli starter pack.

The first few weeks with alli

In the first week or two of the alli program, be prepared for possible treatment effects.
Although many users will experience these effects, in most cases, the effects are mild and typically subside within a week or two, as you adjust to your new diet. Most users who experience some initial treatment effects find them manageable and stay with the program.

Reducing the likelihood of treatment effects
For best results, take alli capsules exactly as directed, and stick with a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet. You may have treatment effects again if you slip and allow your meal to include more than 15 grams of fat.

If you don't experience any effects, don't be concerned and think that the alli program is not working for you. It's likely you're doing a great job following the plan.

And remember, if you cannot commit to following a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet, you may experience treatment effects. So be sure you are ready for alli. Remember, you'll get help planning meals, reading food labels, shopping for the right foods, and more. When you are ready, alli will help you every step of the way."



NOW I browsed through the site because I TEACH Pharmacology and I MUST know about the drug to add it to the curriculum. Here is one that I found VERY interesting:

"I'm experiencing more frequent bowel movements, yet am consuming less than 15 grams of fat DAILY, why? I am keeping a detailed journal,counting everything, still I have treatment effects. They are minor, and won't stop me from using alli, but would like to know what's going on?
bev"

There was no answer yet as this was posted only to day. Also the site is monitored by "weight loss experts" such as doctors, nutritionists etc.
Their site is bombarded with soooooooooooooooo many posts just since Friday!


Hope this helps someone and you find it as interesting as I do. I like to stay informed and want to know all I can as a pharm teacher but also to be on my best game when asked a question about this drug. We all know we will be asked some time in the future due to newbie always goining.

I have to say this company really is going all out to give professonal and prompt support to the dieter.

Next post will be on the additional 'benefits' as an alli usuer.


JeanCat

Dear ALL,

I posted that the daily 45 grams of fat was 'little ' when compared tow hat I intake. I MEANT that it was a LOT and I eat very little fat by comparison. My usual day is 15 to 25 grams of fat.


Below is the error, above is the correction!
"Short answer: 15 grams per meal MAX = 45 grams per day as I see it. That is VERY little compared tow hat I eat since I eat non-fat foods(ff)and I HAVE to because I have hypercholesteremia: high blood fat/cholesterol and high triglycerides). "

Thanks for accepting my error correction,

JeanCat

Dear All,

I have to make it my business tolearn about all new drugs because I teach. I do not plan on using this drug. In addition perhaps someone on this site may be or know someone who may be considering it.

Here are the POSITIVE Things I found that the literature states:

Title of the Book that I stated earlier that I forgot:
"Losing weight without losing your mind
Or are you losing it?, weight loss experts provide expert advice in this book.
http://areyoulosingit.myalli.com/#



http://www.myalli.com/alliOverview.aspx "When you’re not online, you can still partner with alli when you use the portable reference guides inside the alli starter pack. They include the
“Read Me First” Guide,
Welcome Guide,
Companion Guide,
Calorie & Fat Counter,
Healthy Eating Guide,
Daily Journal, and
Quick Facts Cards — the TOOLS you need to be successful with alli.

So what’s myalliplan™?
Losing weight is easier with support. That’s why the alli program includes an individually tailored action plan called myalliplan. When you purchase alli and register online, you’ll get a free customized action plan.

"Be honest, if you’re ready to change how you eat,
you may be ready for alli. "
What's my role in the process of weight loss?
If you're overweight and ready to make a long-term commitment to eating right while also becoming better educated about food, nutrition, and healthy eating habits, then try alli. If you're not ready to make these kinds of changes right now, then alli is not for you. When the timing is right, come back to myalli.com to learn more."

"Think you've got what it takes to change with alli?
Working with the alli program means:
· committing to a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet before you take alli capsules
· limiting your daily fat intake
· planning meals
· taking a daily multivitamin at bedtime
· using myalliplan for customized guidance
· getting more physical activity"

That being SAID: The following did NOT excite me, taken from the lable : http://www.myalli.com/whatisalli/commonquestions/importantsafetyinformation.aspx “For every 5 pounds you lose from diet alone, alli can help you lose 2-3 pounds more. In studies, most people lost 5-10 pounds over 6 months”.

Got more time? Wait till you see the NEXT post about the contraindications for this drug.

JeanCat

Okay here is what you should know if you are going to taking this drug:

"When using this product(alli)
· take a multivitamin once a day, at bedtime. alli can reduce the absorption of some vitamins
· follow a well-balanced, reduced-calorie, low-fat diet. Try starting this diet before taking alli capsules.
· alli capsules work by preventing the absorption of some of the fat you eat. The fat passes out of your body so you may have bowel changes.
You may get:
· gas with oily spotting
· loose stools
· more frequent stools that may be hard to control
· eating a low-fat diet lowers the chance of having these bowel changes
Schedule – How to take:
· for overweight adults 18 years and older:
· take 1 capsule with each meal containing fat
· do not exceed 3 capsules daily
· use with a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet until you reach your weight loss goal. Most weight loss occurs within the first 6 months
· if you stop using alli, continue with a diet and exercise program
· if you start to regain weight after you stop taking alli, you may need to start taking alli again along with your diet and exercise program · take a multivitamin once a day, at bedtime, when using alli capsules

Do not take if:
· You have ever had an organ transplant
· if you are taking cyclosporine (used for organ transplant pts)
· if you have been diagnosed with problems absorbing food
· if you are not overweight
Ask a doctor before use if you have ever
· had gallbladder problems
· had kidney stones
· had pancreatitis
· taken warfarin/Coumadin (blood thinning medicine), or taking medicine for diabetes or thyroid disease. Your medication dose may need to be adjusted.
· are currently taking other weight loss products


Stop taking alli if you develop: Severe or continuous abdominal pain occurs. This may be a sign of a serious medical condition

Well I hope I have deterred someone who should not be thinking about this drug if they have had a transplant or will not go on a low fat diet.


All in all I think the company is being MOST responsible in its actions.


Respectfully to all,
Still on my WW program no fat blockers here!

JeanCat

This pill cannot help you follow and stick to your healthy eating plan, so if you are already struggling to do that on your own, you may as well not waste your money on the this pill.

Well said Sarah!

JeanCat