By Krista Berge  

  In the eternal struggle to cross the divide between smaller waistlines and larger appetites, has a solution come to bridge the gap?  Can we finally just take a pill, eat what we want, and get skinny?    Alli is the new FDA-approved weight-loss pill on the market, and though its commercials ask you if you are ready to lose weight, what you really need to be ready for are the side effects.     Alli is the over-the-counter form of the prescription drug Xenical which was introduced in 1999.  Now eight years later, the same weight-loss ingredient in a lower strength is available to anyone without a prescription.  According to Alli’s website, www.myalli.com, you can lose 50 percent more weight than just dieting alone.  Three pills a day with meals could mean losing 15 pounds instead of 10.  However, this will be a slow weight loss at about 1-2 pounds per week.  Also, notice that there is still “dieting” involved.    So, what “dieting” is required to get this weight loss, you ask?  You are limited to an approximately 15 grams (g) of fat per meal. In addition, your total fat calories should be less than 30 percent of your total daily calories.     But how much fat is that? To figure out exactly how much fat you’re eating would be challenging, but it is possible to avoid foods that you know will be fatty.  For example, at McDonald’s the Big Mac has 29g of fat, the Filet-O-Fish has 18g of fat, and a large fry has 30g of fat.  Even a salad at McDonald’s is tricky because a salad dressing such as the Creamy Caesar can have 18g of fat by itself.      To be safe, you could avoid fast food restaurants all together, but there are many dangers in even the safest looking restaurants.  When a slice of pecan pie can run 27g of fat, it’s not hard to overshoot.    The obvious point is that it is definitely not easy to stay under the 15g of fat per meal rule.  But, it is possible. So, what happens if you do accidentally order something too fatty? Or maybe you simply want to treat yourself one day?    Here is where the side effects come in.  Side effects include gas with oily spotting, loose stools, and more frequent stools that may be hard to control.  These side effects may take 48 hours to appear after the fatty meal, so you have to be prepared days later.
    Alli’s own website states that all beginners should “wear dark pants and bring a change of clothes with you to work.”  This is just in case those loose stools and gas with oily leakage come before you can race to the bathroom.  
    In addition, since Alli inhibits the absorption of fat from your gut, you may also need to take extra vitamins A, D, E, K and beta-carotene because these require fat absorption to be absorbed themselves. This can be accomplished by simply taking a daily multivitamin.  However, this is another cost added to the $45-55 for 60 pills of Alli.
    If you have not been turned off to Alli yet, there is still hope for those of you desperate to lose weight. Alli does work, and since it works in your gut, there are few drug interactions.  There are also no jittery side effects such as a racing heart rate that other weight loss pills have.  
    In addition, Alli’s website has everything you need (short of willpower) to assist you in losing weight, from a personalized online action plan, to menus, shopping lists, feedback from experts, online weight loss tools, and messages boards. Www.myalli.com does all that it can to get you to lose weight.  
    Alli isn’t for everyone, so check it out thoroughly before you begin and talk to your doctor.
    Alli is not a miracle, and it can be miserable, but it does help the determined dieter lose weight. If nothing else, it keeps cheaters honest when they eat too much fat, because they will definitely pay for it later when they are racing to the bathroom.