Alli, New Weight Loss Aid, How does it work?

by Megan Andry
You’ve probably seen the advertisements on TV for the new weight loss aid Alli, also known by its generic name, Orlistat. What does this new over-the-counter pill do? Combined with a low calorie, low fat diet, Alli helps you lose up to 50% more weight than with just diet alone. How does it work? Alli basically prevents the body from absorbing fat. Like many diet drugs on the market today, it is not an appetite suppressant. You might say that Alli is an appetite enhancer because fat, like fiber, helps you feel full and satisfied after a meal.

The manufacturers of Alli recommend that users consume no more than 15 grams of fat per meal. If this level is exceeded, what Alli calls “treatment effects” can occur. If more than the suggested 15 grams of fat per meal is consumed, your body flushes it out in loose, runny stools. There can be oily spotting as well if you fall off the dieting wagon (users of the pill have suggested not wearing white pants when on the drug). Because Alli blocks fat absorption, it can also block the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals. Since you aren’t eating enough fat to burn for your energy needs throughout the day, your main energy source becomes carbohydrates which don’t contain the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Is Alli still worth taking to lose weight? Alli conducted one six month study on the drug's effects before releasing it to the public. After participants stopped taking the drug, they gained back most if not all of the weight they had lost while taking Alli. That’s why Alli’s website suggests a life style change, because you will gain the weight back if you revert to your old ways. Keep in mind that this drug is not meant to be taken for the rest of your life. It is a diet drug. Diets end and drugs run out. For more information, please visit their website at www.myalli.com and www.webmd.com for more articles regarding Orlistat and its parent drug Xenical.

While losing weight, do not stop eating fat. Dietary fat plays very important roles in our bodies, some of which may surprise you. Fats provide essential fatty acids that are not made by the body. These essential fatty acids control inflammation and blood clotting, and support healthy brain function. Your body uses fat as its main energy source, not carbohydrates. It takes only 20 minutes of exercise to burn off carb calories. After that your body switches to fat calories for energy. That’s why everyone keeps telling you to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day! Fat aids in the absorption of vitamins A, E, D, and K through blood stream. Fat breaks down the vitamins into a form that the body is able to use. Fat protects every cell in our body, the lipid by-layer of our cells. If we don’t have good fat to protect our cells, cancer, viruses and bugs can get into them. The bottom line is: Don’t eat carbs like sugar and flour and do eat protein, tons of vegetables (low glycemic) and only two fruits a day. A really cool website to check out is www.nlm.nih.gov/. Search “fats “and it will tell you all about the different types of fat, how our systems process them and which ones are best for a healthy life.

Drug manufacturers are making trillions of dollars by giving us false hope. Just keep it simple and you will lose weight. We have a great food plan to follow, the same one that allowed my boss Dawn Throne to release 70 pounds so far in 7 months. The deal is you have to stick to a food plan consistently: basically you have to burn more calories than you consume. Drug companies get us with the “get thin quick scam” and we hope, hope, hope it works and it never, never, never does.