“Alli” is the new buzzword in America. On June 15, Alli became the first FDA-approved diet pill that’s available without a prescription. Despite its high price tag, uncomfortable side effects, and small potential benefits, it’s been flying off the shelves Dieters are eager to try Alli, but is it right for you? Here’s my take.
What is Alli?
Alli is a less potent version of the prescription diet pill, Xenical (orlistat). At half the dosage of the prescription version, experts feel that its potential for abuse and overall risk is low enough to be safe for over-the-counter use. You can expect to pay between $50 and $60 for a 30-day supply of Alli, which can be bought in supermarkets, drug stores, and even online.
How Does Alli Work?
Put simply, Alli is a fat-blocker. You take a pill with each meal. The main ingredient in the pill binds with the digestive enzymes that would normally break down fat from the meal that you consumed. But because Alli attaches to these enzymes, it prevents them from digesting about 1/4 of the fat you just ate, allowing it to pass through the digestive system and out of the body, undigested and unabsorbed. Overall, fewer calories from dietary fat are stored as actual body fat.
Sounds easy, right? There’s more to it than that. Alli isn’t a magic weight loss pill, and its makers don’t claim that it is. They are adamant that daily exercise, a reduced-calorie diet, and a specific diet plan that limits the amount of fat you eat accompany the use of Alli. If you overeat on carbohydrates, protein and/or fat, you will not lose weight by taking Alli.
If you eat more fat than recommended in a single meal (15 grams or less), you’ll experience some pretty embarrassing and serious side effects (see Pros & Cons below), and still might not lose weight by taking Alli. Just like any old weight loss plan, it involves counting and cutting calories, reading food labels, limiting high-fat foods, and exercising regularly. It takes will power, determination and consistency to see results.
What the Research Shows
Modest Results. Studies conducted by the company show that when using the Alli program (pills, diet and exercise) correctly, individuals can lose up to 50% more weight than dieting alone. They compared the Alli program with dieting only (not with dieting AND exercising), so it’s hard to say whether these results come from Alli, the exercise component, or a combination of both.
While 50% more weight sounds like a lot—here’s an example. If you used the Alli program, you could lose 15 pounds instead of 10 pounds in the same amount of time. These results aren’t that dramatic—especially since you have to diet and exercise for it to work. In another study, dieters using the Alli program only lost three more pounds over the course of an entire year than people who dieted and exercised without taking the pill.
Short-Term Benefits.
The modest benefits of Alli aren’t likely to last in the long-term. Alli is marketed for short-term use only, and follow-up suggests that people start to regain weight once they stop taking it.
Generally Safe.
According to a GlaxoSmithKline press release, the safety and efficacy of orlistat, which has been marketed as a prescription drug in the U.S. since 1999, is supported by more than 100 clinical studies. This includes the four-year landmark XENDOS trial, the longest study ever of a weight loss medicine. More than 22 million people in 145 countries have used orlistat.
Not for Everyone.
Alli is for people over the age of 18 who are overweight. It is not for people at a healthy weight, or those trying to lose the last five or 10 pounds.
Pros & Cons
At most, you could lose a few more ounces (1/4 to 1/3 of a pound) per week by using Alli, which is expensive and has some serious side effects. Is it really worth it?
You could lose more weight on the Alli program than from diet and exercise alone. But the amount of additional weight is small. Alli’s manufacturer is up front and honest about the potential side effects, which means that they won’t come on as a surprise to users. Since Alli isn’t a stimulant like other diet pills, it’s not associated with any jitters, changes in energy levels, or insomnia.
But its so-called “treatment effects” are embarrassing and negatively affect one’s quality of life. Alli users experience loose stools, more frequent stools that are hard to control, an urgent need to use the bathroom, and increased gas with oily discharge. In other words, because the fat you are blocking has to go somewhere, you could experience uncontrollable diarrhea.
Alli is expensive. You can expect to pay between $1.50 and $2.00 per day to use Alli. While Alli may help you lose a few extra pounds than lifestyle changes alone, little research exists to show what happens when you stop taking Alli. Experts predict that uses will re-gain the weight lost since the pill is doing the extra work for them.
Although there’s a lot of buzz surrounding it, Alli isn’t a magic weight loss pill. Diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes are a must for this pill to help you lose weight.
My Stance
Experts believe that healthy lifestyle changes are the key to long-term success at weight loss and health improvements. Along with that, our fitness and nutrition experts recommend staying away from quick fixes and other unsafe or questionable practices. When it comes to diet pills, we have always advised against them. And even though Alli is FDA-approved, making it safer than any other diet pill on the market, we do not recommend the use of this product. Here’s why:
Alli’s “treatment effects” can seriously interfere with your daily life and well-being. You may have to take time off work, wear feminine or adult products to protect against accidents, and deal with other digestive woes. Imagine sticking to a fitness routine and everything else in your daily life while worrying about these things.
Alli does interfere with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins. It’s important to take a vitamin/mineral supplement while taking Alli, but that is no guarantee that your body will still get and absorb all the nutrients that it needs—especially those that need fat to be absorbed.
Alli doesn’t care whether the fat you ate was from a Big Mac or a healthy serving of salmon. Even though all types of fat aren’t bad for you, Alli will take both good and bad fats out of the body. Dietitian Becky thinks this issue is “very important,” despite its lack of mention in the press and in the Alli support materials. Healthy fats are important for your overall health, and blocking them can have negative effects.
The diet recommended by Alli is questionable. “I’m not sure I understand the Alli diet,” says Dietitian Becky. It calls for a reduced-calorie diet (based solely on your current weight) and an equal intake of protein, carbohydrates and fat (about 30-33% each). In comparison, most dietitians medically- and research-based recommendations are 10-35% protein, 20-35% fat, and 45-65% carbohydrates, with a calorie level based on your current weight, goal weight, goal date and exercise level. Alli’s diet is low in carbohydrates, the body’s preferred source of fuel, which should make up the bulk of your diet.
According to the Alli diet, a person will take in about 533 calories from fat (59 grams) each day. “That’s really not that low-fat,” says Becky. The Alli pill will result in 25% of those fat grams (15 grams) to be excreted and unused—a total calorie savings of just 135 calories per day. Over the course of a week, the calories you save by excreting that amount of fat will result in about 1/4 to 1/3 of a pound lost. If you consume less than the 30% of fat recommended, your weight loss results will be even smaller—a matter of ounces.
The Bottom Line
Taking a pill doesn’t teach you how to create a healthy lifestyle that you can live with long-term. By making permanent changes to your diet that you can actually stick with, you’re likely to keep the weight off for good. Alli does require some dietary changes, but it isn’t a long-term solution to the battle of the bulge. Dietitian Becky says that you really have to ask yourself if the benefits of Alli outweigh the risks. “Is losing an extra 1/4 pound weekly worth the discomfort, cost, and embarrassment that Alli causes?” she asks. “For some the answer is yes. But for many others, no.”
Save your money and stick with top diets like Nutrisystem or Medifast.
Hi, I'm a dietitian with experience in hundreds of weight loss programs and fad diets. When forming my list of the
i have had constant diareah and vomiting since i starting this….i will call the center that i made my purchase and let them know…at first i thought it was a bug..it is the food it is getting lodged in my upper stomach….i had this problem 10 years agao i thought maybe the food had changed…my hair is stringy also.,this is from less than a week..i had to leave work today to go home shower and change..,that is how sick i got a work..,sincerely leigh rheuban..p s i may be callling our today i still have the bowel problem
I started takinf Alli 3 weeks ago. I had so much gas I was afraid to eat anytging at all. I went 3 days living on water and watermelon. It is really uncomfortable trying to work with this extreme gas and blotting. I fell the pill is working but what can I do to keep the gas off. Its doesnt matter that I do not eat,which I know is not healthy, i still have gas and I took 6 extra-strenght gas pills in one day, and that didnt help. I need some info on what to do? Thank you
I bought the Alli 90 capsules last Tuesday I have been on it a week and I can’t wake up I shake inside. Im very active person and I just feel dizzy all the time. I lost 2 lbs but I can’t wake up no energy
I lost my reciet is there any guantee on this product.
I bought it at Wal-Mart.
I tried alli because I was laid up from foot surgery and couldnt go to the gym. I took it and found that it didnt really matter what I ate I was plagued with the oily stools with awful gas and to make bad matters worse I lost NO weight. In my opinion this product is a total rip off. Keep your money and try Nutri Systems. I now do it and have lost about 20 pounds.
I just wanted to let people know i was on Alli for 3 months and came down with Diverticulitis. As you may or may not know this is a very serious condition and very painful. I was rushed to the hospital at one point. I had the “embaressing side effects” for a while and then became constipated and thats when the diverticulosis began. I beleive the 2 are related and going to have further testing to confirm this or not. I’m only 48 years old and other then being slightly over-weight am in fantastic health. My doctor was very shocked by this conditon surfacing in me and also at such young age (usally between 60-80 yrs old). I would let people know that Alli may not be as great as advertised and to beware of all these quick fixes for weight loss. I learned the hard way. I now have to change all my eating habits for life to ensure no more attacks of diverticulitis. Of course this includes a large majority of the foods I eat on a daily basis. So please just be warned.
Thank you,
Changed for life.
I did Alli. Yes, had the side effects.. all over myself.. it was this oily stuff so there is NO control of it.. its oil! Anyway… I made sure after that that I didn’t eat FAT.. and guess what? I GAINED WEIGHT while using this stuff. I thought for sure I was losing..and now I have all kinds of stomach problems..and my liver is messed up! (They claim IT doesn’t effect your liver…but my liver enzymes are supposed to be 38 and they are 105 right now!)
I was reading the previous persons info and they said they had Diverticulitis. I don’t know if I have this..and I didn’t think about the stomach issues being from ALLI but it might be… it was a rough deal!
I say it doesn’t work…
I agree, the weight loss I achieved with the help of Alli was not worth the side effects. The effects were not controllable, and I found I had to wear a maxipad all the time. I don’t think it was worth it, I did lose a bit more weight, but I think that was due to increased exercise. I also had terrible constipation, now that I’ve stopped alli, I feel much better.
Save your money.
I tried alli, and it’s side effects ( say you go one or two over on how many fat grams your alotted ) were absolutely disgusting. Lets just say, oily, uncontrollable stool. I stopped taking it after 5 days.
I gave Alli a chance twice. The first time I got tempted just to see what would happen if I had some pizza and junk like that. Oh boy was that an experience…. If you are going to eat Pizza DO NOT TAKE ALLI!
So before new years I decided to try Alli again and eat more sensibly. I took ONE ALLI pill and had stomach cramps for DAYS! For some reason it can stay in your system for days. I had a few cookies several days after I took the first pill and there was the oily discharge… days after??? I don’t get it.
The commercial is VERY misleading and does not tell you about the real side effects. It doesn’t tell you about the constant upset stomach, cramps and that you get the craps for days after taking the pill.
FDA approved? Horsecrap…. More like FDA payoff…
People grow up. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. People have ended up dying because they used diet pills to lose weight.
Haven’t we learned anything? Pick a food-based diet or just eat less, eat healthier, and/or take a walk every day. You will not only lose weight, you will feel better and have a better quality of life.
I have been taking ali now for 4 days and have not had any bowel movements or very few. In addition I have had the stomach cramps and gas. I really dont think this is working what a waste of money. You would think they would have some kind of money back gaurentee but guess not.
One possible benefit of Alli is behavioral modification. I gained weight because we have chips & nuts for sale on my airplane which I couldn’t resist on the low calorie diet that kept my weight down. I am now taking Alli because if I eat those chips now, I will experience “treatment effects” very embarrassing.
I am optimistic
Thanks for the heads up on Alli. I was thinking about buying some. But, after reading this article you’r right. There are no magic pills in the weight loss game. Modify eating habits and exercise is the only way to change and achieve my goal.
I have just gotten on Alli this past week and am following the meal plan. I am not having any of the horrible symptoms (yet). I am following the regime very strictly and had little gas from it. I am sure if I were to eat something like pizza (like I use to in quantity) I would feel like I am going to die.
As for behavior moidification, in a way the sort of “Pavlov Effect” of this program can help some folks. I do not feel all fiet plans are for everyone as there are way too many variables.
Without bantering any further, do the research and no matter what you do, find a wholistic balance.
If I get any side-effect or something changes I will return to this site to update the info as I feel this is important.
After seeing this, I may leave the Alli product I bought in the bag (as I just purchased it today) and get the refund now before I go to the “oil bin” with anymore folks. The thought of diverticulitis is too much for me to consider. I’d rather stay 30 lbs overweight than to die from these stupid diet pills.
- Ms. SLOW metabolism…
Why all the negative talk about Alli? It tells you in the packet you will experience oily stools and such. Different people have unusal reactions to certain drugs and/or substances. However, I’m in- clined to believe some of the side affects decribed in these reviews are overly exaggerated! I, too, have a story to tell.I’m about 95 lbs. overweight!I took Alli for about two months and lost about 6 lbs. Yet,I dealt with the “oily stool” syndome in a more positive way I guess than others. I took it as a good thing as this was extracting bits of fats from my foods and out of my body!There were no embarrassing moments when I couldn’t get to the restroom fast enough (even though Alli warns you about uncontrollable stools, and some seepage). Maybe some people aren’t eating the way they should. Pizza? Who trying to lose weight should be eating pizza anyway? No I haven’t lost as much weight as I would have liked to; and at the present time I have discontinued use of Alli. However, it is not Alli’s fault. They don’t make false promises to you. They say you will lose a little more weight by taking the pill along with exercising and eating right than you would have through exercising and dieting alone. I, myself, have not been consisting in my exercising. And even though I am a vegan, I still don’t eat all the right things. Nor do I drink enough water. We have all got to take responsibilities for our actions or non-actions people! While seeking to lose weight, lets gain more common sense (and I’m speaking to myself on this as well)!!!
Well,..I just started Alli about 1 week and 1/2 ago and I am ok. Yeah I’ve had the terrible side efects but only because I ate all the wrong foods!!If you eat right you’ll be fine but you can’t take a diet pill and still eat fatty foods or yeah your going to go to the bathroom.
Just hanging in there.:)
I tried Alli twice, and both times it was a disaster. I have since gone back to my tried and proven exercise and diet program which enabled me to lose wait fast without the potentially embarassing side effects. Sorry, but unless you are willing to wear an adult diaper or duck out from work like Clark Kent to change into new clothes, then I would leave the pill alone.
Their current tv advertising is fraud. “Go the myalli.com and get a $10 coupon off”. After giving all my personal info (here comes the spam) … the coupon is for $5 off for a quantity of 120 only (the largest and most expensive bottle.
They won’t be getting my money.
I was interested in trying Alli and the $10 coupon made it more inviting. I registered with their website to obtain the coupon and received the message “Sorry, but the print limit on this offer has been reached.” What a crock and I’ll be sure to block them when I start receiving e-mail from them.