OMG I felt the same way when they told us about wearing blue polo shirts and tucking them into the kaki pants. I was like.. "heck no!" Beside, all the movie I do at work, they wouldn't stay tucked for longer than an hour. But I lucked out, being that i work the "Third shift." we get to leave out shirts untucked and keep our jeans. Which I'm very happy about, you would not believe how dirty it is at wal-mart. Those kaki pants would be grey and nasty after a few hours.

I have to ditto that! I've been taking Alli since 6/25. And my weight loss is around 3-4 pounds a week with, where I was only getting 1-2 pounds without. I think Alli makes me think about what I am eating and how much. I mean, who wants a TE?:dizzy:

As for the headaches, I found that after the first few days they were gone and I am not sure if it was the pills of the fact that I wasn't drinking a lot of cokes and coffee!

Well I am on week 3 and lost 4lbs so far, but that is partly because my first 2.5 weeks ;) I was not the best at staying "on plan". But as time goes by I get better

Hi Alli users! I have another question for ya'll! Do you guys think it would be ok to use Alli if you are already on a diet that is very low in fat? For example, my breakfast this morning contained 6 fat grams. So would Alli still be effective and worth it, or do you think it would be pointless? Thanks for you opinions guys! I just want to make sure I'm going the right thing before I go out and spend the money!

I have about 6 grams at breakfast and don't take a pill, I take it with lunch and dinner that is much higher in fat, however, the Alli is still in your system so I beleive it will lower your breakfast fat absorbtion as well.

(ie) A couple of times I overdid the fat and didn't take Alli, but the Alli already in my system from earlier meals gave me the TE's

actually, I've been off caffeine for about 5 years... it's just not a good idea for me. :dizzy:

yeah, mine happened about that time too. I'm going to stay super-hydraged today and see what happens.

I'm also having a hard time fitting 19 grams of fat into a meal. I've been eating low-fat for about a month now, and find it hard to go back.

TxBrittney...as expensive as Alli is, and with the TEs you can get if you have an off meal. I would say that if you are already on a lowfat plan and are able to follow it...you wouldnt need Alli. You arent even supposed to take if if you are well below your set fat goal which 6 grams would be. Generally if I know my meal is less than 9g of fat I dont take it.

It says right in the literature that Alli is not for very low fat plans. I would say 18 g of fat a day constitute very low fat plans.

~melissa

Okay first official Alli weigh in...drum roll please.....down 4.2 lbs!!! Considering last weekend I'm SO SO SO happy with that!!!

~melissa

WOW that is super Melissa!!!! Congrats!

:carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot::c arrot::carrot::carrot:

Way to go!

Hun.e.b! Yay for you, way to go!!

Guess what - I have another headache. Just the same as the others, dull throb behind my eyes/forehead, started after lunch. :(

Thats really odd thingirl. Can you tell us what you've been having for lunch lately.

Thingirl...that sounds like a sinus headache to me.

Hi Alli Friends!

I have been lurking for two weeks.
I have been doing the Alli Pills for two weeks.
I have been logging my food intake and making substantial changes for two weeks.

I just barely registered with 3fatchicks (whose site I love) to post on this forum thread! LOL! :carrot: Why I waited 2 weeks, I don't know.


Well, some info on me.
I weighed 265 in December of 2006 when I lived in Guatemala. That changed.
Not sure what my exact weight is right now or what it skyrocketed too.
I estimated 285 maybe higher. Last week, at Ikea, I weighed on one of their cheap dial scales. I think it was 280. There was so many people passing by, I was embarrassed.

The really neat NSV's for me since starting Alli.
1- I was consuming 3600 calories on a "good" day and didn't know it, until now.
I have now reduced that to an average of 2200 calories. I know its not the 1800 calorie goal. But, I am not worried. I have an 15 month old daughter who can keep me busy enough to burn those calories daily!

2-For the first time in my 36 years, I am not seeking a quick fix. Sure, help from Alli. But, nothing fad. I love using the fitday.com and seeking to get my fiber and my protein and my carbs and fats all balanced. It is so cool.

3-I consume fruits and vegetables with pleasure.

4-I only drink about 20 ounces of soda (usually diet) vs the 40-100 + ounces. Pepsi was a big thing for me. Now I actually drink 80 oz of water per day. OMG.

Last Year, I weighed 345 lbs. Prior to that, I think I reached 380+. I have been working on weight issues for a while.

But, this is the next step. The organization of knowledge, support of Alli, like minded Forum Friends, Exercise and a refinement of my eating habits into an total goal of well being and feeling good.

Beyond wanting to weight 175, I want to feel energetic and healthy and have lifes bounce. KWIM?

Long post, but I wanted to say hi and introduce myself.
Jennifer

Great story Jennifer...sounds to me like you are doing GREAT!! Such fantastic life changes you've made to be that fit healthy you! I have no doubts that you are going to reach that goal! How did you lose the first 100lbs? Keep up the good work!! Its so great to get to know you!!

Welcome Jennifer!
 

It's great to have you join our little group! Most of us have been on Alli pretty much since it came out. I started the week after and have lost about 2 pounds a week. I was already following a lower fat diet for 2 or 3 weeks before adding Alli. I don't know if it's making a huge difference in how much weight I'm losing, but I know that it keeps me honest and thinking about what I'm swallowing!

I never had problems with headaches, at least not that I really noticed. I haven't had any bad TEs, a couple of times it seemed like maybe it was hitting me harder than usual, but I never had a mad dash for the bathroom. Sometimes I have the opposite problem, which some other people on the boards have reported. Guess it just depends. I was really worried about TEs the first couple of weeks, I was almost afraid to go to work! But now it's just something that I take with lunch and dinner (breakfast never has enough fat in it) and I pretty much don't even have to debate with myself. I just don't eat it if it's too high in fat. If I don't have a taste, I don't miss it. If I have a taste, I want more!!!

So good luck with your weight loss plans. We'll be here cheering you all the way.

Whole wheat tortilla wrap, filled with grilled chicken & peppers, salsa & low fat cheddar & a piece of fruit, usually a peach.

This is a different kind of headache for me, I don't usually have headaches at all, I can't remember the last time I had one (before Alli)

nice job! :carrot:

Thingirl, I have had several major headaches the same as you described the first week of taking Alli. I have not had any this week.

Welcome Jennifer! These ladies are beyond compare. You will like it here in Alli-ville. We are very happy to meet you!

:dance::dance::dance:Congratulations Melissa!!!!:dance::dance::dance:
This dance is for you!!!

Hope everyone's heads have stopped pounding! I haven't had a headache yet, no te's, no constipation, so far so good. I do think there is something to the headaches. Many on the Alli boards have reported them, and at Walgreens the woman behind the counter told me she'd had several people return their kits because of pounding headaches. Then there's those crazy periods that start on day 4 or 5. That side effect I was lucky enough to experience.....

I was inspired a while back, so I borrowed my mom's Foreman grill and made the most luscious steak last night. Tonight it was chicken wraps. YUM! I also bought a watermelon and cut the whole thing up so that my daughter and I can partake whenever the need arises. It is so good! She likes the new food choices, esp. the cheddar cheese rice cakes I bought for her to replace the cheetos.

I hope everyone is doing well and feeling even better!

Hey Everyone. :wave:

I can't believe that this week is almost over, time is flying!

Melissa, congrat's on the weight loss chicky! That is fabulous news. I am so proud of you!!

Jennifer, welcome! This has been a great place to come to for me, I hope you enjoy it as much! It sounds like you have already done an incredible amount of work to get yourself healthy, that is fabulous! Your baby will definitely appreciate all the hard work you've done, it's all so worth it!

Thingirl, I'm sorry to hear you've had another headache. I get the headaches in the same exact spot you're speaking of. I have been prone to headaches before the Alli but this is a different kind and always right behind my eyes. Something to it? I dunno. I am just thankful that ibuprofen seems to do the trick that's for sure! I hope today was another successful day for you!

Phoenix, you have been a grillin' mama, haven't you? :D We had steak tonight too, man I think I could eat it every night! lol I heart my indoor grill!! I'd be lost without it! Enjoy the watermelon!!!

Ladies, I hope you all had another fantastic day! I am struggling still a bit, just can't seem to string a few good days together at all. Sorta ticks me off, but then again, who do I have to blame but myself, right? Need to really turn it up and just keep pushing through regardless. I have too many days where I'm lazy about cooking and not wanting to exercise, this attitude will not get me to my goals, this I know! The brain is such a funny thing, and it really bites that losing weight is almost ALL mental! :dizzy: Oh well, tomorrow's another chance at a new beginning and I am hopeful that I will do well!

Thanks Everybody, for the warm welcomes!!!!

Regarding Side Effects:

[QUOTE=Phoenix32203;1781140]Hope everyone's heads have stopped pounding! I haven't had a headache yet, no te's, no constipation, so far so good. I do think there is something to the headaches. Many on the Alli boards have reported them, and at Walgreens the woman behind the counter told me she'd had several people return their kits because of pounding headaches. Then there's those crazy periods that start on day 4 or 5. That side effect I was lucky enough to experience.....

QUOTE]

Um...what's the Crazy Period Side Effect?
Headaches, nothing out of the normal daily...LOL. Actually, I have felt great the last few days. Very energized. Like a Full Moon.

Regarding my prior weight loss.
I ballooned up due to infertility treatments. Once I stopped those, I lost some of the weight. Then, when I was living in Guatemala for 6 months, I dropped the rest of the weight due to the constant walking to sustain your daily needs and the mega amount of fresh, unprocessed veggies, fruits, eggs and chicken. Plus the Amazing Coffee.
Also, until I was schooled on where to find all the "american" candy, I wrote it off. Didn't want to try the local candy bars. I did enjoy the Guatemala Banana Cakes and the sweet breads occasionally. But, it took a long walk to get a normal, healthy portioned dessert and they lacked the same amount of Sugar as the U.S. version, of desserts, contain.

Portion Size, Lack of refined sugar, Tons and tons of leisurely walking, and fresh, fresh, fresh foods made all the difference. I ballooned back up within the first 2 months of being home...and I wasn't overeating. I was actually trying to protect my "slimmer" body. But, returning in the dead of winter didn't help either. :dizzy:


I don't mean to be chatty...but,
I just went to brookstones with my Husband tonight. I got on their fancy digital, fat measuring scale. It said 259 lbs. Do you think it was right? It was shoes off weigh in? I don't have a scale at home. I guess I will have to go back once a month to weigh in now! LOL.
Maybe, I lost already. So Cool if it is true weight. I was 275 at a doctors appointment 2 months ago and 280 on the Ikea cheapie dial only scale sometime last weeks...I am confused. :dizzy:

That's good to know, maybe they will taper off. I feel so good in the morning, it's a drag to develop these headaches in the afternoon :(

NRyker, another reason why I dislike scales - you don't get the same reading from different ones, it seems. I would think that one read too high, one read too low and your real weight is somewhere in between BUT you have lost weight.

How do your clothes feel? looser? I don't have a scale either but I can tell by my clothes what's happening with my body.

Hope everyone has a great Thursday with healthy eating and a little bit of exercise to keep things moving in the right direction :carrot:

Long-time lurker, first-time poster here.

I'm glad to see so many of you doing well - I am having the opposite problem where I'm just maintaining or gaining. Are most of you taking Alli with every meal, or just meals over 15g of fat? I'm still a little confused about that aspect and would like to hear some feedback.

Also, I'm surprised at how many of you haven't had any TEs - I had them on the 2nd day! I was eating low-fat and decided to splurge with a piece of cheese on my Subway sandwich and BAM it hit me. Subway's Web site claims there's only 4g of fat in their cheese, so I don't know what went wrong. I spent the first week with terrible gas and unpredictable bathroom issues.

Hi Laurelle - I only take alli when I'm eating a meal with more than 5 g's of fat. But clearly it will work better the closer you are to your target (in my case, 19), without going over. I've been on alli for 3 weeks and haven't had ANY TE's. One night some gas, but that's it. Why? Because I have stayed within my target. If you want to be TE free, stick to the plan. If you're going to cheat, be forewarned....it ain't worth it, or so I hear.
Best of luck!

That's the thing - I was having TEs without going over calories or fat. I still get a bit gassy with it. I've had stomach problems for most of my life, so maybe I'm just more susceptible to its effects.

I don't have a pill unless I'm eating over 12 grams of fat. So I never have one at breakfasts and not too often at lunch either. Dinner for sure.

I haven't had TE's except the 2 times I was stupid and ate things with way too much fat. I have had the headaches though, and dry mouth - especially in the morning I wake up parched.

Does it not work if you fall below a certain fat percentage or gram intake? I'm eating lowfat, so 19 grams doesn't often happen for me.

Are you sure it was the sandwich that caused the TE? It could have been from something you ate a couple of days earlier that was still in your system.

Yeah, do not discount the items of food you may have eaten within the past 2-3 days, I ran out of Alli last week and went 4 days without it, and guess what...It didnt matter! I still could see some oil in the toilet after 4 days without it. That kept me from going crazy though and eating my favorite fried foods. (Which I avoid like the plague now)

I haven't started the program yet. Thought I would wait until after surgery on the 2nd. I am a bit worried about the headaches. I get them enough already. I don't generally eat enough fat in one meal or one day to have to worry about the side effects. Think it will be kind of nice :) I can increase the amount of fat I eat and be able to eat some of the foods I have been doing without.

Laurelle...welcome!! I've got well over my fat grams a couple of times and not a single TE. That doesnt stop me from staying within my 19g for the most part though. I just consider it a blessing. I'm thinking the more I'm on it though the more likely those are going to start happen if I go over. I've only been taking Alli for a week.

Nryker....dont apologize for being chatty...I for one LOVE chatty! A long time motto of mine is Scales are for fish! I think its fabulous that you dont own one, why be a slave to a machine right! I would say that the doctors scale is most likely the most reliable. Would they allow you to pop over there for a monthly weighin?

I think I'm PMSing because I really had a hard time stopping eating last night. I had dinner, was still hungry so I had some salad...still hungry so tried reading and drinking a huge glass of water. Still hungry so I went for a bike ride. Then when we got back i gave in and snacked on things I shouldnt have, then decided to just give up and have a little more dinner. BAD BAD!! The scale did show me up a pinch today I'm sure because of all that salt!

On the good side I did my elliptical for 15 minutes on the hardest setting yesterday. I figured if I up the resistance I can do it for less time.

Okay off to get something done around here!! Have a wonderful day Alligaters!

Yes, that's a really good point. I now put a couple of teaspoons of parmesan on my pasta. Before Alli, I wouldn't do that, and now my dinner tastes much better :)

I allow peanut butter on my toast now! I wouldnt do that before Alli!

~melissa

TE's
 

I have had TE's on almost a constant basis, except for a day or so,
sporadically. Ironically, I eat the plan regarding fat totals, if not lower.
(Not always in the beginning). I do believe though, that the Alli seems to
stay in my body for long periods of time; creating TE's from a cumulative
of several foods. IE I think my body is not metabolising the food/fat or the
Alli quickly.
Constantly the oil in the toilet etc.

My reason for mentioning this is the question regarding when to take pills
and if you need 2 or 3 a day. Occasionally, I only do the two pills with the
two heavier meals (anything over 5 grams of fat) in the evening and skip
the AM pill.
But, last night I was thinking that, if the Alli is working from several days ago,
then having 3 pills a day creates better "coverage" fighting fat calories etc.

I don't know. Just my theory.

Good afternoon everyone! Just checking in to see how everyone is doing!

Glad to see we have some new members! Welcome:D

I made the mistake of eating a handful of cashews last night then reading the label to see how many calories/fat grams I was eating! So in addition to what I ate at supper I had way to many fat grams and yes I did have TE (yuck).:o and yes they do last through the next day although not as bad. I guess I never realized how many fat grams are in nuts! I won't make that mistake again :dizzy:

I am heading out of town until next tuesday. Ya'll wish me luck on staying on track with all the eating out I am going to have to do! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I think it makes sense what you say. See I've not even had the oil in the toilet...the only time was Sunday night after eating like a heffer all day just some tiny little bubbles. Other than that...nothing. I hope its still working!

Definately, there is no question that digestion & metabolism play a big part in Alli use & treatment effects.

That's why they want you lowering your fat before you start the meds - because something you ate 3 days ago could still be in your body and an Alli pill today could affect you.

Also by taking a pill today with a meal, and not taking any more pills, something you eat tomorrow can cause TE's. It's a 2 fold consideration - that's why the TE's can sneak up on you.

From my testing Alli, I can tell you that 36-40 hours is how long TE's take to materialize after I ate too much fat.

ThinGirl, I agree between 24-48 hours is when you will probably see some TE's after having a bad meal/snack.


*on another note*
Evening eating has always been my DOWNFALL, no matter what diet I use. I enjoy evening snacks!!! Well yesterday I had to go in to the Dentist to have my "bite splint" fitted, (this is what they called it) well last night was the first night I had it and I am supposed to keep it in my mouth 24/7 unless I am eating. So right after dinner I brushed and put it back in my mouth...well I was so busy playing with it that I didnt have a single bite after dinner!!!! I hope that this "splint" will help me keep from putting "all those little things" in my mouth that ADDDDD up to lots of extra fat and calories. Time will tell, but if last night was any indication it sure wont hurt!