Alli Weight-Loss Aid, Orlistat 60mg Capsules, 120-Count Refill Pack Review.
"Two years on Orlistat" 2007-06-29
By calyx (bklyn)
I've been taking this product for two years now. It was prescribed by my doctor after I stopped smoking and gained quite a bit of weight. I lost 60 pounds but also dieted vigorously and exercised regularly at the gym on the treadmill for 35 minutes. Oily discharge sometimes? you bet, but only when I ate meals with a high fat content. Couple bits of advice: if you feel like you need to fart, don't. You can't be sure of what will come out. Restrain yourself until you get to a toilet, just in case. Also, not only fried chicken and fried food have fat. Any kind of red meat has fat content. Rule of thumb for me is if calories from fat are high, I take a pill with the meal. This product is a lifesaver but it only works with diet and exercise.
"Works as promised, and keeps you honest" 2008-01-25
By AmazonComWoman (Dayton OH)
I've been using Alli now since the middle of November, and I've lost 12 pounds, on schedule with the promised 1-2 pounds of safe weight loss per week. They have a very robust online support site for people who purchase the pills and it provides useful tracking of weight loss and encouragement in more ways than I can use. The treatment effects that you read about are what keeps people honest with Alli and essentially make it work -- if you eat too much fat at one sitting, you'll be visiting the bathroom quite frequently. You learn quick. I made it through the holidays with continued weight loss, which I view as an amazing feat. I have 13 more pounds to lose on my plan and I'll weigh what I did before I had my two kids. Easy to use, promotes healthy eating habits and lifestyle changes, and self-critiquing when you stray from the plan. I would recommend Alli to others -- it's a little pricy but I'm getting my money's worth out of it.
"Alli Weight Loss Pills" 2007-12-03
By Bruce D. Meyer (Columbia, SC United States)
This is a product that requires some planning, and make sure you are prepared to begin. It isn't a fad diet item, this is the real deal. It also has some real side effects that you need to be aware of, and prepared to endure. By itself, this product probably won't do much. Combined with a change of diet, and adding in a decent exercise regime, it does work.
I had become a 244 pound fat boy, and decided to do something about it.
I began working out 35-60 minutes 3 - 4 times a week, changed my eating, snacking, and beer drinking habits. Now, 4 months later, I am at 214 pounds. For the first time ever, my cholesterol level was at normal levels. My Doctor said that the Alli (Orlistat) likely contributed to the drop in my Cholesterol due to its serious fat blocking.
If your truly serious about losing weight, and will change your diet and exercise habits, I recommend Alli 100%. It will work. Though it requires a commitment.
Bruce D. Meyer
"An honest testimonial." 2008-03-05
By psue-psue-psuedonym (Leawood, KS United States)
This is not going to make you look like Paris Hilton by tomorrow. If that's what you're looking for, see a psychiatrist rather than an endochrinologist!
This is not going to keep you from being hungry. There's plenty of junk on the pharmacy & "herbal supplement" store shelves for that.
What it will do, is mitigate some of the fat you eat. If you have an extremely low-fat diet, it will do nothing for you. If you have an extremely high-fat diet (i.e. an American) it will do lots.
My credentials: I've been taking doctor-prescribed Xenical for a several years now. I've recently switched to Alli, because it is the exact same chemical ingredient (Orlistat) at exactly half the dose, and is significantly cheaper.
My results: When I started, I weighed 320 lbs. I now weigh 240. Now, I can't give all that credit to Alli, because in the two years it took me to lose the 80 pounds, there were numerous other factors to consider. Mostly, changes in my medication for type 2 diabetes. But the important point is, there was no change in diet or exercise over that period. Makes it a pretty good success story in my book.
Point 1) All of the other diet drugs fall into a couple of categories. One of which is the "appetite suppressant" group. Means nothing to me, because I'm never fighting my appetite. I eat well (and, according to two diabetic dieticians, appropriately) so I seldom get so hungry I have to binge. I understand the phenomenon, (on the rare occasion I miss two meals in a row, I'm ready to main-line Sugar Pops) and feel truly sorry for those who experience constant hunger, but Alli won't help that.
The second group are the "Metabolism Stimulants". You want to take "uppers" to lose weight? You deserve everything that happens to you. It's not for me. And Alli won't help you with that, either.
The point is THEY ARE ALL DRUGS, by definition. They enter the bloodstream and work on some chemical or organ in some way. Problem is, you expose every cell in your body to every one of them. Side-effect galore.
Alli is not a drug. It never leaves your gastro-intestinal tract. Pie-hole to Hershey highway, no destructive stops along the way. The so-called side-effects are identical to the effects of particular foods. Sure, they are real, and maybe you can't live with them, but it's nothing compared to the potential damage from the other drugs & herbs.
So the point is that this food additive stands alone as a non-drug alternative to weight loss. If you're like me and are plagued by half the side-effects listed of about every drug on the shelf, then this (and insulin) won't hurt you.
Point 2) This will mitigate a high-fat diet to some degree. Literally can't live without some bacon in the morning? Some animal must die for you have eaten well? Think of butter as a beverage? Well, stage one is "don't eat like that". Once you determined that your quality of life is more important than the advice of the putz from stage one, move on to stage two. Alli's whole deal is to simply bind with the fat you've eaten and pass it through. So with no change in your diet, you'll be eating less fat. Period. It's tough to imagine a scenario where reducing the fat in your diet isn't a good thing. (Fat soluble poisons collected in your system? You're already Paris Hilton? Macrobiotic? O.K., then move on. Everyone else, line up.)
Point 3) As I said before, the side-effects do exist. With practice and good sphincter muscle control, you will be able to skywrite. Six-hour staff meetings are a thing of the past. In the worst cases, keep a spare pair of BVD's handy. (That one's right from the manufacturer. Believe them.)
Basically, if you've ever had a bowl of my chili, you'll be fine. If your fastidious about your "number two" habits, you might want to give it a miss. Oh, and don't miss a day. I believe the ballistic equivalent would be called a "sabot". I won't go into further detail here. Just trust me.
So, to summarize:
It won't help you with your appetite.
It won't affect your metabolism.
It will remove some amount of fat from your diet.
It will give you the green apple quick step.
It will help with diabetes. (Lowered my average blood sugar by 50 points!)
It will take time to lose weight. (But hey, I should be the "Jarod" of Alli. It does work.)
It will lighten your wallet.
"Helps me with my eating, Worth it" 2008-03-11
By Kristen B (Los Lunas, NM USA)
I have been using Alli for over 2 months and have seen great results. Even though I don't always stay under the daily calories its a pill that I take with my meals that makes me want to stay under 19 grams of fat, so is a motivater in a pill. People talk about Treatment Effects. I have had some, but they aren't bad and if you know you ate something bad, just prepare and use more protection ( with your normal undergarments for the possible oil leakage, I know gross but better coming out then staying in). Never had I had any horrible TE's, its been a easy ride and I will continue to take my Alli as it keeps my diet in check.
By calyx (bklyn)
I've been taking this product for two years now. It was prescribed by my doctor after I stopped smoking and gained quite a bit of weight. I lost 60 pounds but also dieted vigorously and exercised regularly at the gym on the treadmill for 35 minutes. Oily discharge sometimes? you bet, but only when I ate meals with a high fat content. Couple bits of advice: if you feel like you need to fart, don't. You can't be sure of what will come out. Restrain yourself until you get to a toilet, just in case. Also, not only fried chicken and fried food have fat. Any kind of red meat has fat content. Rule of thumb for me is if calories from fat are high, I take a pill with the meal. This product is a lifesaver but it only works with diet and exercise.
By AmazonComWoman (Dayton OH)
I've been using Alli now since the middle of November, and I've lost 12 pounds, on schedule with the promised 1-2 pounds of safe weight loss per week. They have a very robust online support site for people who purchase the pills and it provides useful tracking of weight loss and encouragement in more ways than I can use. The treatment effects that you read about are what keeps people honest with Alli and essentially make it work -- if you eat too much fat at one sitting, you'll be visiting the bathroom quite frequently. You learn quick. I made it through the holidays with continued weight loss, which I view as an amazing feat. I have 13 more pounds to lose on my plan and I'll weigh what I did before I had my two kids. Easy to use, promotes healthy eating habits and lifestyle changes, and self-critiquing when you stray from the plan. I would recommend Alli to others -- it's a little pricy but I'm getting my money's worth out of it.
By Bruce D. Meyer (Columbia, SC United States)
This is a product that requires some planning, and make sure you are prepared to begin. It isn't a fad diet item, this is the real deal. It also has some real side effects that you need to be aware of, and prepared to endure. By itself, this product probably won't do much. Combined with a change of diet, and adding in a decent exercise regime, it does work.
I had become a 244 pound fat boy, and decided to do something about it.
I began working out 35-60 minutes 3 - 4 times a week, changed my eating, snacking, and beer drinking habits. Now, 4 months later, I am at 214 pounds. For the first time ever, my cholesterol level was at normal levels. My Doctor said that the Alli (Orlistat) likely contributed to the drop in my Cholesterol due to its serious fat blocking.
If your truly serious about losing weight, and will change your diet and exercise habits, I recommend Alli 100%. It will work. Though it requires a commitment.
Bruce D. Meyer
By psue-psue-psuedonym (Leawood, KS United States)
This is not going to make you look like Paris Hilton by tomorrow. If that's what you're looking for, see a psychiatrist rather than an endochrinologist!
This is not going to keep you from being hungry. There's plenty of junk on the pharmacy & "herbal supplement" store shelves for that.
What it will do, is mitigate some of the fat you eat. If you have an extremely low-fat diet, it will do nothing for you. If you have an extremely high-fat diet (i.e. an American) it will do lots.
My credentials: I've been taking doctor-prescribed Xenical for a several years now. I've recently switched to Alli, because it is the exact same chemical ingredient (Orlistat) at exactly half the dose, and is significantly cheaper.
My results: When I started, I weighed 320 lbs. I now weigh 240. Now, I can't give all that credit to Alli, because in the two years it took me to lose the 80 pounds, there were numerous other factors to consider. Mostly, changes in my medication for type 2 diabetes. But the important point is, there was no change in diet or exercise over that period. Makes it a pretty good success story in my book.
Point 1) All of the other diet drugs fall into a couple of categories. One of which is the "appetite suppressant" group. Means nothing to me, because I'm never fighting my appetite. I eat well (and, according to two diabetic dieticians, appropriately) so I seldom get so hungry I have to binge. I understand the phenomenon, (on the rare occasion I miss two meals in a row, I'm ready to main-line Sugar Pops) and feel truly sorry for those who experience constant hunger, but Alli won't help that.
The second group are the "Metabolism Stimulants". You want to take "uppers" to lose weight? You deserve everything that happens to you. It's not for me. And Alli won't help you with that, either.
The point is THEY ARE ALL DRUGS, by definition. They enter the bloodstream and work on some chemical or organ in some way. Problem is, you expose every cell in your body to every one of them. Side-effect galore.
Alli is not a drug. It never leaves your gastro-intestinal tract. Pie-hole to Hershey highway, no destructive stops along the way. The so-called side-effects are identical to the effects of particular foods. Sure, they are real, and maybe you can't live with them, but it's nothing compared to the potential damage from the other drugs & herbs.
So the point is that this food additive stands alone as a non-drug alternative to weight loss. If you're like me and are plagued by half the side-effects listed of about every drug on the shelf, then this (and insulin) won't hurt you.
Point 2) This will mitigate a high-fat diet to some degree. Literally can't live without some bacon in the morning? Some animal must die for you have eaten well? Think of butter as a beverage? Well, stage one is "don't eat like that". Once you determined that your quality of life is more important than the advice of the putz from stage one, move on to stage two. Alli's whole deal is to simply bind with the fat you've eaten and pass it through. So with no change in your diet, you'll be eating less fat. Period. It's tough to imagine a scenario where reducing the fat in your diet isn't a good thing. (Fat soluble poisons collected in your system? You're already Paris Hilton? Macrobiotic? O.K., then move on. Everyone else, line up.)
Point 3) As I said before, the side-effects do exist. With practice and good sphincter muscle control, you will be able to skywrite. Six-hour staff meetings are a thing of the past. In the worst cases, keep a spare pair of BVD's handy. (That one's right from the manufacturer. Believe them.)
Basically, if you've ever had a bowl of my chili, you'll be fine. If your fastidious about your "number two" habits, you might want to give it a miss. Oh, and don't miss a day. I believe the ballistic equivalent would be called a "sabot". I won't go into further detail here. Just trust me.
So, to summarize:
It won't help you with your appetite.
It won't affect your metabolism.
It will remove some amount of fat from your diet.
It will give you the green apple quick step.
It will help with diabetes. (Lowered my average blood sugar by 50 points!)
It will take time to lose weight. (But hey, I should be the "Jarod" of Alli. It does work.)
It will lighten your wallet.
By Kristen B (Los Lunas, NM USA)
I have been using Alli for over 2 months and have seen great results. Even though I don't always stay under the daily calories its a pill that I take with my meals that makes me want to stay under 19 grams of fat, so is a motivater in a pill. People talk about Treatment Effects. I have had some, but they aren't bad and if you know you ate something bad, just prepare and use more protection ( with your normal undergarments for the possible oil leakage, I know gross but better coming out then staying in). Never had I had any horrible TE's, its been a easy ride and I will continue to take my Alli as it keeps my diet in check.
