Does Alli Work?
Is the weight loss pill Alli effective? The short answer is yes; but there is much more to the issue than this – keep reading to learn more about this popular weight loss drug.
What is Alli?
Alli (a brand name for the drug orlistat; also known as Xenical, its prescription strength form) is a fat blocker, essentially. Alli keeps your body from absorbing fat from dietary intake.
Alli is the only over the counter weight loss drug whose claims of efficacy are backed up by the Food and Drug Administration.
However, Alli is not some sort of silver bullet – it is meant to be taken along with a low fat diet and medical supervision.
How Effective is Alli?
How much weight can you expect to lose when using Alli? This depends; in one one-year clinical trial, 35.5% to 54.8% of the subjects in the study lost 5% or more of their body mass.
However, there is no data available on how much of this body mass lost was fat. 16.4% to 24.8% of the subjects lost 10% or more of their body mass – the drug is more effective when used in conjunction with a calorie and fat restricted diet.
Alli has also been shown to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
On average, the subjects gained 1/3 of the lost weight back after ceasing to take Alli; a percentage typical of diet plans.
Side Effects of Alli
The downside of Alli is that some users experience side effects. These side effects have to do with the digestive system and can include flatulence, loose stool and incontinence.
These side effects are more common and more serious at first taking the drug, especially if one’s diet is high in fat.
The manufacturer’s website warns, “You may feel an urgent need to go to the bathroom. Until you have a sense of any treatment effects, it’s probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work.”
You really need to want to lose weight to take Alli!
Dieting With Alli
These side effects can be minimized by eating a low fat diet while taking Alli; and avoiding these side effects is a very strong motivator to stick with the diet.
Keep in mind that Alli won’t do all the work for you. You have to be trying to lose weight; Alli can help, but only if you are putting in the necessary effort on your part.
Alli’s manufacturers claim that the drug can increase weight loss by as much as 50%; meaning that someone who loses 10 lbs could have lost 15 lbs if they were taking Alli in addition to their other weight loss efforts.
Of course, this is not guaranteed and your mileage, as they say, may vary.
Conclusion
There is not yet a diet pill which will just magically cause extra pounds to melt away; however, Alli is a diet pill which has been proven to help people lose weight. If you’ve been battling extra weight for a while, perhaps you should speak with your doctor about whether Alli is a good option for you.