Has anyone started looking into this? It will be available over the counter starting June 15. There is a website by Glaxo Smith Kline, the manufacturer, to help you determine if it's right for you. Here: http://www.myalli.com/

I actually called my Target to see if they would have it available, and what the cost would be. They indicated that they would have it by the 15th, but they wouldn't know the price until they go it.

I am seriously considering this. Not as a substitute for my calorie/portion control and my fitness regime, but in addition to it.

Has anyone taken it's Rx equivalent? Are the side effects pretty dominant?

What do you all think?

Luckily, my weight loss goals don't call for any OTC/Rx medicines, but even if they did, the side effects of Alli just seem really undesirable. I think I'd have to be pretty desperate to deal with that.

But that's just me, obviously.

sounds like it could be horrible... all those bowel problems don't sound like much fun.. not to mention if you eat smaller portions, cut down on calories and fat and excersise you won't need any medication. I have literally tried every single product on the Walmart shelf, from NV to Flush the fat (which by the way they mean literally) I have come to the conclusion that none of them work, the diet pill industry isn't a multi-billion doller business for no reason... I wish you luck and I hope it works for you but in my experiece nothing works but plain hard work

Looks to me like you are doing fine without any medication.
I would steer well clear of anything like this.
If you get there on your own, you are going to know that you have made the changes that are going to keep that weight off for life.
I know you don't want to here this but slow and sure is the only way - there is no miracle pill

xcyclone, just so you don't think you're alone out there, I am also considering taking Alli. My weight loss progress has been good, pretty steady, but it's my opinion that if the FDA has approved a product to help speed the the process up a little bit, and that product is available over the counter, then I'm all for it.

I'm not looking for a magic pill that will solve all my weight loss issues. I'm just looking for a little extra boost. I'm going to try it for a month, and see how bad the side effects really are, and see if it helps my progress.

Good luck to you!

Thank you all for your perspective on this sensitive issue!
I'm planning on talking to my doctor about this. She refused to put me on an Rx weight loss drug, because she didn't think I needed it, however, I don't think she sees the daily struggles I have.

And yes, I have made progress, and I'm proud of all the work I've done to make sure I can keep up with my three year old.

But I haven't made progress for several weeks. And like rrigg, I feel that a little boost may be beneficial.

I've still got a few weeks to look into this before I decide.

I wish you'd added an option for "No, I refuse to put that sort of thing into my body."

Diet pills make me very suspicoius, but just to give you a bit of background, I have a personal objection to most chemical alteration of my body. (I have a psych degree and personally hate the idea of psych meds for myself, although I have seen them help other people greatly).

My gym trainer tried to talk me into taking a supplement in addition to my regular multivitamin that was supposed to accelerate my weight loss. I forget the exact chemical combination, but I researched it and decided that I liked neither the side effects nor the shaky research involved. The funny thing is, he told me, "It 's a chemical that occurs naturally in the body!" implying that it was perfectly safe.

I told him that arsenic occured naturally in the body, too.

And isn't Alli the med where one of the side effects is "anal leakage?"

I'd be careful, xyclone. You look like you're doing fine without it, and keep in mind how many meds that the FDA passed off as 'safe' have been recalled in the past 15 years.

I did put that final No option, but it was somehow deleted!

And it is refreshing that you spoke to your personal bias against all medications before giving your assessment of this new (actually old) medication.

I eat Lays light potato chips occasionally, which give the same warning, and I've never ever had a problem.

I plan on looking into how long the drug has actually been in use. I haven't had the opportunity to dig that deep yet. I know it is a lower dosage of it's Rx counterpart, which is supposed to reduce the side effects significantly, while retaining 85% of the effectiveness of the original.

I'm not done with my research yet.

CNN news article on the recent release of Alli; seems fairly balanced.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fit ... rss_health

I have to admit that although it makes me nervous I am considering using Alli. My question is that if I am consuming 1200 calories a day and I take this pill that blocks (1/3rd??) of your calories from being absorbed, does that mean you are at risk of your body going into the dreaded "starvation mode"? I've been to the website several times but cannot seem to find an answer to my question.

For those of you wondering about the cost, I was browsing on www.costco.com this morning and they have it available for pre-order. It's $67.99 for 150 capsules.

Wow,
Anyone taking either Xenical or Alli would have to be extremely careful about what they eat. Absolutely no splurging on anything with fats in it. I wonder about it's affects if you do not take it for a day or two. I see it is to be taken with meals, but uncontrollable bowel movements if you eat over 30% fat content I guess fish & Omega-3 foods are out, no fish oil supplements. I would wonder if you could even go near any dairy products. But then if you cut out anything approaching 30% fat products wouldn't you get the same weight loss effect any how? Or is it more of a "If I eat this the effects are not going to be pretty" and scare you from eating certain foods?

Will this supplement knock your good cholesterol completely out of wack?

I did notice in the Alli site that it is recommended that any one taking Alli follow a low calorie low fat diet along with exercise, which is exactly how to become healthier in the first place.

All of this leads me up to the question of what type of weight bearing exercise is everyone doing that is considering taking Xenical or Alli? I would hazard a guess that 15 min a day of bodyweight exercise would have the same if not better effects as you are firming up your muscles and not just losing weight.

If anyone is interested-
Look up Hindu squat and Hindu push ups. You'll have a different body after a year of doing these. FREE !

The only leakage you'll see are from the tongues wagging when you walk by...

-Lonnie

Unless I missed it, I'm not seeing where it blocks calories from being absorbed, just fat.

So if that's the case, why not just STOP eating fatty foods? Then you don't have to worry about taking a fat blocker.

Loni, I think the attraction is that if I'm losing 10 lbs a month through calorie control and exercise, I would be able to lose 15 through calorie control, exercise, and using Alli. I would be able to reach my goal 50% sooner.
Instead of taking four months to lose 40 more lbs, it might take under three months.

I know that the weight loss will slow down as I approach my target weight, I'll have a net calorie intake of fewer and fewer calories as I lose more and more weight. Which means I'll probably take it slower as the target approaches, I don't want to starve myself by getting too much under 1200 net calories. So it may be more reasonable to assume that I might be able to reach a 40lb weight loss in 6 months without Alli, but 4 months with.

That all being said, there's not really a target weight I have as much as a body fat goal. I've tried to translate that into weight because it's just easier to track. Calories have a direct correlation to pounds. Not to body fat.

But getting there in four months instead of six sounds really good to me.

Because it's not healthy to cut out 100% of fat from your diet. You need healthy fats in order for the body to function properly. Alli prevents the absorption of 25% of ingested fat, whether it's healthy or unhealthy fat.

I'm planning to try it for at least one month to see what kind of results and side effects I have (and yes, I'm well aware of the stated side effects - I've done quite a lot of research).

If it doesn't work, or if I find I can't live with the side effects, then I'll stop. Nothing that I've read states that this is intended to be a life-long medication for losing and/or maintaining weight. I'm interested in the short-term results - just like xcyclone has stated. I'm still modifying my diet to cut out processed food, increase fiber and veggies, increase physical activity... none of that will change.

My short-term goal is fat and weight loss, which is why I'll be using Alli, but my long-term goal is health and fitness.