A god-send for me . . . with other tools
"I started using Alli again in March along with other weight loss aids as part of a medically-supervised weight loss program. I had used it previously, with limited success, but that success was not wholly a failure on the part of the product as I sometimes forgot to take it and I didn't always fully meet the dietary restrictions. This time, however, it has made a major contribution to a very successful weight loss effort that has impressed even my doctor.
To start with, I had gastric bypass surgery in 2002 that resulted in a weight loss of 188 lbs. Some rebound is common and even expected, but due to various circumstances, I gained weight at the rate of approximately 10 lbs a year, for a total of almost 60 lbs, which is much higher than normal. I made MANY attempts to lose weight but NONE resulted in more than a few lbs loss, no matter what I tried.
Then, in February, I became a patient of Dr. Dominic Ricciardi, a bariatric physician who specializes in post-op weight loss surgery patients. (Contrary to popular opinion, long-term post-ops often have a harder time taking off "small" amounts of weight than the average person.) My husband and I started his program together. I have a hard time calling it a program though, since it consists mostly of a calorie-controlled diet (1600 calories for me, 2000 for my husband) with journaling to keep track of calories and protein, physical activity, and the use of prescription phentermine. Prior to beginning the program, we had a full lab workup, and in office we were tested with EKG, Calorimeter, BP, weight, body composition, and measurements.
We had great success in the first month. Following an auto accident, I began to have headaches related to a neck injury. When I mentioned this to Dr. Ricciardi, he prescribed me Topomax for the headaches. Some of the well-known "side-effects" of this medication are a marked decrease in appetite and a change in sense of taste with regard to some foods/drinks. This is so distinct that the medication is in the process of being patented as a combo drug WITH phentermine for weight loss. He told me this because he knew that I was already doing very well with the phentermine alone, people taking Topomax often eat TOO LITTLE and he wanted to make sure I continued getting enough nutrition. He was right. I essentially lost the desire to eat (which is a wonderful thing for someone who is essentially a food addict.)
At the same time, I told him that I had a supply of Alli from the last time I dieted, and I wanted to know if it would be acceptable for me to take it. He told me that would be fine, and gave me the go ahead to take the prescription dosage. My Amazon purchase was my "refill" after I went through my reserves. Fat content has always been a problem for me for any number of reasons. First, fat is what makes food yummy! Second, especially when it comes to meat, the leaner the cut, the tougher it cooks and the easier it dries out. As a post-op, I need plenty of protein, and it does need to be lean, but it also needs to be tender and moist or it will get stuck in my pouch. It gets very difficult to keep a very low-fat piece of meat tender and moist! Third, my body composition has ALWAYS been higher in fat than normal. Even after massive amounts of plastic surgery following the bariatric surgery, I carried more fat than is normal. Getting fat to leave my body seems impossible, and you can only limit consumption to a certain degree. This is why Alli is such a godsend. As for the side-effects . . . yeah, they're gross. When I've consumed too much fat, I know it. And it has hit at some very bad times, often when I was just about to leave for work. I've had to change clothes more than once. Guess what? I'm NOT COMPLAINING. 9 years ago, a doctor cut me open from groin to sternum and rearranged my insides, and it gave me my life back. It was not easy. It was painful. I had to learn to eat all over again and I got so sick that I was hospitalized for 2 weeks, put on TPN for 2 months, and finally started to be able to eat solid food again 3 months after surgery. My "pouch" is the size of a grape, but it is not meant to hold food, it just acts as a valve to regulate the rate of consumption. If I eat too much too fast, I get stuck and get sick. If I eat the wrong thing, that's too bulky or too dry, I get stuck and get sick. Because of the bypass, if I eat food that is high in refined sugar (or even too much natural sugar), I get sick. I can even get sick from too much fat.
Now, with Alli, if I have too much fat, I know what will happen. It's called aversion therapy, and after awhile, you don't need to think about it. The IDEA of what that piece of fried chicken will do to you makes you shudder. That's the POINT! Lately, the only time I have side effects are when I eat something that I THOUGHT was within the guidelines but actually was not. (This might be because I ate out or with friends and had to guesstimate fat content.) I accept consequences and take precautions. If you can't deal, don't take Alli.
After everything I went through (that I would do all over again in a heartbeat), I find it laughable that so many people who seem so "desperate" to lose weight get indignant because a weight loss product WORKS. Alli is designed to block the absorption of some of the fat you consume. The idea is to NOT consume too much, and it will do its job by still blocking part of what you do consume. If you do have too much, it's going to do its job even BETTER and block ALOT of that fat. And you'll probably leak (as I call it). Don't want to leak? Then control your fat intake. When you see that gross orange stuff in the toilet bowl, smile. The stuff that you paid a lot of money for is working, and be glad that it's there and not in YOUR body. If its working, and you still aren't losing weight, then it might be that fat isn't your problem and you may need to troubleshoot.
I started with Dr. Ricciardi on February 2nd (taking only Phentermine at first) weighing 200 lbs. I began Topomax and Alli near the end of March. I have lost steadily and continuously ever since. At last weigh-in on June 30th, I had lost 40 lbs.
Now, you may be saying, "that doesn't mean it's the Alli . . . what about all the other elements?" My husband has ONLY been taking the phentermine. He started at 336 lbs. He has also lost 40 lbs. However, because he is heavier and male, he should be losing weight much more quickly than me. I cannot say that Alli alone has done it, but to go 5 months without a slowdown of weight loss, and to be only 10 lbs from goal is something that is shocking even to Dr. Ricciardi, and he is a bariatric specialist. I can't help but think the Alli is playing a significant role."
