Alli won't help you lose anything, not even weight
Jessica Carreras
Issue date: 7/17/07 Section: Perspectives
Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Hydroxy Cut - and the newest weight loss miracle? Hello, alli.
Praised as a miraculous "fat blocker" that helps women to lose 50 percent more weight when on a diet, alli has received lots of criticism lately because of allegations that it may cause, er, unpleasant side effects to the tune of fecal incontinence. Indeed, on the bottle, it warns potential users to begin using alli on a day that you can be at home near a bathroom, just in case. Yikes.
So here's my confession, and I say that because I am somewhat ashamed: I tried it. What can I say? I was curious and my shorts haven't fit so well this summer. Plus, my mom was footing the bill because she wanted to try it too. In my defense, it was her idea.
Shame aside, I'm here to quell the rumors and spill the beans about this miracle weight loss pill. No pun intended.
I have to admit, I was deathly afraid of alli the first day I took it. My mom and I would call each other every couple of hours asking if the other had "experienced any side effects," i.e. was either of us in need of a Depends and a change of clothes. To our pleasant surprise, neither had. In fact, neither of us felt any different at all, good or bad.
So I took my pills, three a day, and turned down the McDonalds and the cookies for fear that I would regret them later in more ways than one.
To keep the story short, it's just over a week later and I told my mom she can keep her alli to herself. The reason? Yesterday was our weigh in. Yep, you guessed it. No fecal incontinence, but no weight loss either. Even my mom, who I'll admit has a much healthier diet and stronger resolve than I (midnight Taco Bell runs, anyone?), didn't shed a pound. Okay, so it's only been one week. But still.
I didn't necessarily quit because it wasn't working, although I'll admit that I'm among the millions of women waiting for that miracle pill. I quit because it made me afraid to eat and, quite frankly, I love eating. When we entered into the Web site that we hadn't lost any weight, it told us that obviously, we needed to eat even less fat. Smaller pants size be damned. I'm sick of salads.
The bottom line: It's not worth the hefty price tag, or the fear. Really, though, most weight loss plans aren't. If I really reach a point where I am determined to lose weight, I'm confident that I know how to on my own. I don't need a book or a Web site or a bottle of pills to tell me that grilled chicken is a better choice than Pizza Hut, or that taking the stairs burns more calories than eating a doughnut while riding the elevator.
And I certainly don't need a weight loss pill that makes me afraid to eat French fries but doesn't help me lose any weight. Goodbye, alli.
Praised as a miraculous "fat blocker" that helps women to lose 50 percent more weight when on a diet, alli has received lots of criticism lately because of allegations that it may cause, er, unpleasant side effects to the tune of fecal incontinence. Indeed, on the bottle, it warns potential users to begin using alli on a day that you can be at home near a bathroom, just in case. Yikes.
So here's my confession, and I say that because I am somewhat ashamed: I tried it. What can I say? I was curious and my shorts haven't fit so well this summer. Plus, my mom was footing the bill because she wanted to try it too. In my defense, it was her idea.
Shame aside, I'm here to quell the rumors and spill the beans about this miracle weight loss pill. No pun intended.
I have to admit, I was deathly afraid of alli the first day I took it. My mom and I would call each other every couple of hours asking if the other had "experienced any side effects," i.e. was either of us in need of a Depends and a change of clothes. To our pleasant surprise, neither had. In fact, neither of us felt any different at all, good or bad.
So I took my pills, three a day, and turned down the McDonalds and the cookies for fear that I would regret them later in more ways than one.
To keep the story short, it's just over a week later and I told my mom she can keep her alli to herself. The reason? Yesterday was our weigh in. Yep, you guessed it. No fecal incontinence, but no weight loss either. Even my mom, who I'll admit has a much healthier diet and stronger resolve than I (midnight Taco Bell runs, anyone?), didn't shed a pound. Okay, so it's only been one week. But still.
I didn't necessarily quit because it wasn't working, although I'll admit that I'm among the millions of women waiting for that miracle pill. I quit because it made me afraid to eat and, quite frankly, I love eating. When we entered into the Web site that we hadn't lost any weight, it told us that obviously, we needed to eat even less fat. Smaller pants size be damned. I'm sick of salads.
The bottom line: It's not worth the hefty price tag, or the fear. Really, though, most weight loss plans aren't. If I really reach a point where I am determined to lose weight, I'm confident that I know how to on my own. I don't need a book or a Web site or a bottle of pills to tell me that grilled chicken is a better choice than Pizza Hut, or that taking the stairs burns more calories than eating a doughnut while riding the elevator.
And I certainly don't need a weight loss pill that makes me afraid to eat French fries but doesn't help me lose any weight. Goodbye, alli.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Brianna Romano
posted 7/18/07 @ 8:17 PM EST
you didn't mention working out, you know excercise is a really big part of this diet? its not supposted to make you lose weight, it's to help you from gaining any while you are working out. (Continued…)
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