Alli Weight-Loss Aid, Orlistat 60mg Capsules, 120-Count Refill Pack
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Customer Reviews of Alli Weight-Loss Aid, Orlistat 60mg Capsules, 120-Count Refill Pack
Customer Review: An honest testimonial.
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Customer Review: I Recommend Alli
Summary: 5 Stars
Hello Everyone! Alli has really worked for me, here is my story.
I am a 25 year old female, and I've always been somewhat overweight. I really packed on the pounds though during my first few years in college. I tried a bunch of commercial diets, pills, and even just good old diet and exercise, but they usually made me feel sick, and I only lost a few pounds, if any. Every time I stopped a diet I gained all my weight back plus more. I was actually considering the lap band procedure when I reached 235 pounds, but I thought I'd try one more thing, Alli.
I have now been taking it on and off for over two years and have lost over 40 pounds. That may not sound like a lot for two years, but the weight has stayed off, so for me that's great. I find that the diet that comes along with the pills plus the plan on the website is really easy to follow because the meals are easy to make and don't require any specialty grocery items. I also keep some Slim Fast shakes, Lean Cuisine dinners, and Luna bars on hand for when I'm in too much of a hurry to put something together. I have a couple of Weight Watchers cookbooks that I've collected over the years, and these recipes also work really well with Alli. Plus just read labels, and you may find that a lot of everyday foods are in the target fat range. All this has kept me from getting bored with the food. Because I've lost weight slowly, I can stop taking the pills for a few days (say for the holidays or a vacation) without gaining weight back.
As for the treatment effects, I've found they're worse when you start the diet or when you're going back on the diet. I suggest wearing panty liners or folding up some toilet paper in your undies during this time. Another reviewer mentioned don't fart unless you're on the toilet, I agree. I also agree with the reviewer that said taking some Metimucil helps lessen the side effects. I drink a big glass of the stuff every morning. I think it soaks some of the oil up. Sorry if this has grossed anyone out, but you need to be prepared for the treatment effects. I thought it was really gross and shameful when I started the diet, but now I just think of it as less fat that's going to be stored in my body. Sometimes if I eat too much fat, I'll get cramps, I've found a heating pad helps with that. Be sure to take your multivitamin every night at bedtime. I also take an additional A, E, and D supplement.
Despite the side effects, Alli is totally worth it. I've gotten used to the diet, it's become part of my lifestyle now, and it will eventually help me reach my goal weight. I think if I worked out more and didn't take so many breaks from the diet, I'd have lost more weight by now, but I'm getting results and sticking to it. I believe the most important part of any diet is sticking to it, and if you slip up, forgive yourself, and start the diet again tomorrow. One of the best feelings in the world for me is going into the fitting room, and the smaller size is the one that fits. I will never have to go over to the plus size section of the store again. I am sure happy that I didn't spend the ten thousand dollars for lap band.
I recommend trying Alli if you want to lose a lot of weight. If you need to lose just a few pounds, the side effects might not be worth it. For me the health benefits of weighing less and the self esteem boost that it's given me is worth it.
Happy dieting!
Customer Review: Some precautions before taking Alli
Summary: 2 Stars
I started using ALLI three weeks ago after I read all the reviews on Amazon.com. Based on the reviews, this is what I did:
1) Reviewers stated that taking Alli causes gas but after the body became acclimated to it, the digestive system would produce less gas. Based on this information, I started out by taking 1 Alli pill a day after my heaviest fat meal. I continued this for the first week of my diet. The second week I took two Alli pills a day (once for breakfast and once for dinner). The net effect was that my body did produce some extra gas, but not a lot of excess gas.
2) Reviewers stated that taking Alli could cause an oily discharge. Other reviewers claimed that consuming a high-fiber supplement would stop the oily discharge from occuring. So I bought ProFibe (also available from Amazon.com) and started taking one scoop a day. After three weeks, I have never experienced an oily discharge.
3) Reviewers stated that they needed a mini-pad in their underwear to prevent accidents. You can also use a few squares of toilet paper stuffed into your butt. It's a little uncomfortable at first, but it works.
I have now lost 5 pounds in three weeks (from 205 lbs to 200 lbs). I am taking only two Alli pills a day (breakfast and dinner) and I am happy with the results. I also walk between 3 to 6 miles a day.
Update (3/27/2010)
4) I have now been on Alli for a few months. I am happy to say that my weight loss continues although the pace has been slow (about a pound every two weeks). However, since I used to gain a pound or two every month, Alli has made a significant difference.
5) I found that my body had grown accustomed to Alli and I am no longer "gassy" like I was when I first started the pill.
6) After the fifth/sixth week of Alli, I found myself constipated at least once a week. My 82 year old family doctor recommended eating a raw apple every morning before breakfast. The apple worked and I was regular again.
7) I found my weight loss tapering off around the seventh/eighth week. Again, my family doctor came to the rescue and recommended eating a raw apple before lunch and also a raw apple before dinner. He stated that the apples would have a filling effect and cause me to eat less calories during each meal. He also stated the extra fiber would be very beneficial to my colon (not to mention the extra regularity it would cause).
OK, my regimen is now (a) eating an apple before every meal and (b) taking an Alli pill if I consume fat during a meal (the directions on [...] state that it is OK to take the Alli pill up to one hour after eating a meal).
BTW, my doctor told me that the apple is the only food in the world that can stop diarrhea and cure constipation. He also said that before the drug companies took over the health care industry, that "eating an apple" was the standard prescription for either of these maladies.
UPDATE FEBRUARY 20,2011
I stopped taking Alli last summer (2010) as my weight loss stopped and I found the pills having less an effect on me than when I started. I am now on a zero-carb diet and losing weight at a rate of 1 pound a week.
Customer Review: Helping me stay consistent and on-track...just watch out for the suprise!
Summary: 4 Stars
I think read almost every single review possible before buying Alli, just to make sure I knew what I was getting into. A girlfriend of mine has recently informed me that I will be a bridesmaid in her wedding next year, and that in itself is secondary motivation to drop the weight I've been carrying around. I'm overweight, and diet does help, but not at the rate/progress I'm happy with. I purchased Alli last week, and I've been happy with the progress over the last week. Diet is low-fat, lots of water, small portions. I use [...] to keep track of my meals and to get ideas for low-fat/low calorie meal options that aren't boring, and it really helps. So far I have lost 5 pounds in 5 days, and my "check-in day" according to myalli isn't for another week (plus I haven't started exercising yet, but will be starting it up in another day or two). I'm happy with that, even though I know you usually lose the most weight at the beginning of a diet program. Still, if I can lose around a pound per day, I'll be happy with what alli is doing for me. If I stick to a low-fat meal, my bathroom visits are normal. I drink lots of water (probably 10-12 cups of water/day), so that keeps me a pretty frequent restroom visitor. As far as the nasty side effects of this pill? True. However, I need to put in a disclaimer here. I disagree that every single review on here that claims that they had oily discharge all the time because this pill doesn't work. This supplement says RIGHT ON THE PACKAGING that bowel movements can contain an orange-like discharge. If you are eating a low-fat diet, you should have a regular bowel movement that does include little fat bubbles. I know you look in the toilet after you "ya know". Here's a breakdown of my daily eating habits and the result (yes I am this candid, because I believe you need to know what happens). Breakfast: yoplait light 100 calorie yogurt, apple, full glass of water; Lunch, salad, fruit, full glass of water; Snack, low-fat cheese and reduced fat wheat thins, full glass of water; Dinner, "sensible meal" like chicken breast with a salad. During the day I drink water between meals and it really curbs the cravings, because this pill does NOT curb them at all. And at the end of the day, or first thing in the morning (whenever your "time to poo" happens) I have a healthy bathroom visit, and yes, there are oily fat bubbles in the bowl ready to be flushed out. I have not experienced any discharges, leaking, farting with a surprise visitor, you name it. Yes, it is gross to think that there's a little something extra coming out, but HEY, it's fat that's coming OUT of my body, instead of being stored away IN my hips.
I'm happy with what alli has been doing for me so far. I will come back and update on further progress, just to keep you informed as far as this product working. If the side effects bother you? I say too bad, because poo is a part of life. Get over the poo, and try the darn product. It's been fantastic so far.
Customer Review: Amazing product
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not going to go into anything about who I am other than I'm going to tell it like it is and you do what you want with the information. Alli-Orlistat, is probably the greatest product out there if you know how to use it and understand it. All foods have fat and so you need to take it 3 times a day even in low fat meals. You need to take it every day for it to work. Because you are over weight you have had a negative caloric balance and stored that energy as fat as so now you need to change that balance by blocking as much new fat absorption as possible. The next thing to know is this takes time. You need to make a committment to take it three times a day for a year straight to see the results but you will see the results. The truth is you feel great knowing you can eat whatever you want and not gain wait, and when you eat less and exercise more you will lose more weight. The next thing is the dose. The chemical name is orlistat, the over the counterversion is Alli (they are only 60 milligram pills). Prescription strenghth xenical is the same thing, only at 120 mg, or 2 Alli pills. So you need to take 2 Alli pills 3 times aday. You also need to take a multivitamin before you go to bed because I have heard from multiple doctors that the drug will block fat soluable vitamins. Another benefit is this should be taken over the long run as it will lower high blood pressure and cholesterol and keep the weight off. I have my blood examined a few times a year and all my levels have gotten better.
There are only two side affects to worry about. The first one is the price, it is not cheap and to take year round is expensive, but if you make the committment and take 6 alli pills a day for a year i promise you will be happy with the results. The second side effect is that the fat separates as it is digested. You will see it in oily discharges, separates in the toilet, smells and is gross. This will go away with time but this is how I deal with it, hope it helps. You will need to get used to wadding up some toilet paper and keistering it all day, otherwise i can guarantee you will fart or things will come out and it can be so bad you will "oil your pants". Also, you will have to flush the toilet twice when going, once to get rid of everything, and once to get in there and wipe all the orange residue out so noone at work notices, its gross.
But if you can overcome those side effects you will be amazed. Don't listen to what other people say, this is the truth, good and bad, if you want to lose weight, try it for 3 months and get used to it. It is the only thing that has worked for me. I go to the beach with my shirt off now.