I am 240ish and I stay within 1,600 - 1,800 calories per day and I workout 4-5 times a week for an hour and thursdays for an hour and 30 minutes.. Doing this I have dropped from a 20 to an 18 in one month -- but I do not weight myself.

I think that 1,800 calories is perfect for your height and weight.

I also do not drink soda - diet or other wise. I stick to coffee, milk, tea and water with a a few glasses from red wine on sunday. It is possible to drink too much water but you'd really, really have to work on it.

I am not a fan of diet pills so I cannot comment on your fat intake .


I think your questions are wonderful and you are moving in the right direction! Be proud of yourself!

I think your fat intake is fine with the Alli pills (I used to take them) but I would check their website. Your body needs a certain amount of fat to function, so you want to make sure you're at least getting that. Also, are you taking a multi-vitamin? When I was on Alli, if I didn't take my vitamin I was dragging the next day. My body and mind were exhausted.

I don't drink soda either - I'm a water girl, but on the weekends I allow myself to have tea. And there is my iced coffee addiction that I'm trying to kick.

Just a word of advice - I know the pills say that if you're eating something with more than 15g of fat, just don't take a pill...BE CAREFUL. Because if you took one in the morning and at lunch and you have a "fatty" dinner, its still in your system and it will work on what you just ate. I found this out the hard way. I tried to take them 5 days a week, and take weekends "off" so to speak. It was not pretty. Other than that, they work well, I think, and I never noticed any terrible side effects (other than what happens if you eat fatty foods). I'm usually really sensitive to medication, and I was happily surprised that they didn't really hurt me in any way.

i have not had major side effects with this pill and this is my second time on them. I was on them for 2 weeks before and lost about 7 pounds in that time.

I do take a multi vitamin pill, along with my iron and calcium and fish oil pills i take daily. and i do notice a difference if i miss my multi pill at night. the next day i am really dragging but i have only done that twice..

I appreciate your answers on this. I have been very strict this time on this not missing pills and so on,

I was so excited because last night we went to see our local minor league team the barnstormers and i didnt give in to temptation and lord knows i love there fries, burgers and funnel cakes.. i did so well even my hubby was impressed..lol

Taylor-I am only working out every other day for 30mins and i started walking now, do you think i am still ok with the calories if i go up to the 1800 every now and then?


Thanks again all..

Yes, I do.

I allow myself 1,600 - 1,800 because I don't allow myself to go below 1.600 or over 1,800.... workout or not. It gives me some wiggle room.

For example I wanted a weight watchers ice cream bar and I had calories left over so I had it and it ended up at 1,780 which is in my calories so that day was a success. If I ended the day at 1,650 without the ice cream bar that also would have been successful.

I also try to eat "whole" foods. Almonds, veggies, lean meats, fruits, whole grains...etc. I usually eat an ice cream bar by weight watchers every night because it keeps me sane and I like them. What I am trying to say is if you do up your calories I wouldn't fill ALL those calories with foods that aren't "whole"

Does that make sense?

Like I heard on Biggest Loser...food is not the enemy. Keep within calories good for your body and take the rest out on the gym. Food is energy and healthy and fuel for the day.

This is just opinion and what I have found works for me. I hope it helps.

I'm addicted to soda, so I've been weaning myself off of it. I don't see anything wrong with drinking water all the time! That seems preferable for a healthy lifestyle. If you do really feel the need for some soda, or something beyond just water, there are couple of options I've started leaning on (and my Diet Coke intake has begun to drop, big time). The first option is soaking cucumber slices in water overnight. You can also add mint, and I know people who throw some berries in there as well. This will lightly flavor your water and be really refreshing, trust me. The other option I've started giving myself to wean myself away from soda is carbonated water mixed with a little bit of juice. This provides that wonderful fizziness of sodas that people (myself included) crave, as well as the sweetness, but it's a much healthier option!

Shannon, like you I did Alli and am now on it through a maintenance plan designed by my physician. I think the Alli plan when followed as the company prescribes, is a very good one.

I know you want the weight off NOW--I can totally relate to the feeling. I began my journey in May '08. After several months I noticed some hairloss. It was very similar to what I experienced after childbirth except it didn't stop. Luckily, I am a very hairy kinda gal so I had plenty to lose. While I prided myself on staying below the rec. Alli fat allowance, I wound up INCREASING my fat intake by eating more healthy fats in my diet. Of course, this means cutting out other things to stay under daily calorie intake. I also had to up my protein. Your body cannot store protein so it's important to eat it several times daily.

I hope this helps in someway. I am in PM away if you have any more specific questions.

Oh, btw--I went cold turkey on the sodas. It was too much a part of my old lifestyle. I now drink DC on Friday nights when we have pizza. Otherwise, I don't drink it at all.

Thanks for what you all had to say i appreciate it.. I am going to do some checking into the fat thing i know i am ok on the calories..

I appreciate everyones imput like always!!

Alli stops you from absorbing about half of the calories from fat. Fat has 7cal/gm. So if you eat 40 grams (for easy math , Alli stopped you from absorbing 20 grams of that. So 20 x 7= 140 cals that you ate but didn't get absorbed. So I think you should stick to the higher side of your 1600-1800 cals range. The point of Alli is to not absorb these calories, but you still need adequate caloric intake. It's meant for people who can't restrict calories/fat by themselves. It's a good way to kick start a program, but in my opinion it's a lot of money that you could spend on a gym membership or fresh produce. I guess I'm just a cheap a$$ But if it helps you loose weight then it's worth more than you paid because that's improving your health... and that's something you can't buy