Hi everybody!  This is my first post.  I started Alli in early September and absolutely love the plan.  I've lost 28 lbs. so far.  I'm very happy with my results to date, but I've noticed that even though I'm sticking to basically the same diet that I did at the beginning, my loss has slowed way down.  I was losing 2-3 lbs. a week.  Then it was 1 lb. a week.  Now it's more like 1/2 a lb. a week.  I'm starting to worry, because even adding exercise isn't speeding things up,  I walk 2 miles, 4 to 5 times a week, plus light strength training.  I love this product, but I wonder if it loses effectiveness after you've been on it for a few months.  Should I take a month off the pills and stick to the diet?  Any suggestions would be helpful.  Thank you.

Congratulations on your weight loss so far!  That's terrific.

It's not unusual for weight loss to slow down especially as you get close to goal weight.  You didn't mention how far you are from that.  Let me know and I can see if there's anything else to suggest.

In the meantime,  the majority of people lose the majority of their weight within the first six months -- so you still have a while to go.  A lot of people had setbacks during the holidays where they either gained slightly, or stayed the same -- even though they thought they should have lost!  You may be coming off a similar situation.

I would suggest increasing the intensity of your exercise; not necessarily the amount of time.  Sometimes, that helps to jumpstart weight loss again.

In addition, be very vigilant about your portion sizes for a while; maybe even weigh and measure for a week.  You may have gotten a little lax after being on the Program for a while.  That often happens.

Let me know if any of this is relative for you, and how far you are from goal.

I hope this helps.

Pat Baird, MA, RD, registered dietitian

Thanks for the quick response.  In answer to your question, I have  a lot more weight to lose.  I gained 116lbs. five years ago on hormonal birth control shots. (It's not that uncommon, unfortunately!)  So I started out at 306lbs.  When I started Alli I weighed 288.  Now I'm down to 260lbs.  My original Alli goal was 250.  Once I reach it, my new goal will be 225, and so forth and so one...  So this isn't a 6 month diet and done for me.  I'm going to be at this for quite some time.  Alli really is a life saver for me.  I was just wondering if maybe it lost some of it's potency after a few months of constant use.  I thought maybe if I stayed with the diet and added extra exercise for a month and then went back on the pills it might shock my system like it did originally.  Any loss is great for me, but 1/2 lb a week is just a little slow, I think.  Any suggestions are appreciated.  Thank you.