I have to lose about 35-40lbs.  I recently started dieting and exercising more and I've lost 14 since mid May. I decided to try alli two weeks ago tomorrow.  So far I've only lost 2 lbs. I am not a high fat eater. My weight is from portions and carbs etc (alcohol) but I don't eat lots of meat and never fast food, fried foods.  So, I take the pill and eat my meal and I've noticed no oil in my stool only the stool is a lot darker than before and its consistently dark.  Otherwise I have no effects or problems. I read a few posts about making sure you consume the full 15 grams. My booklet says that you shouldn't exceed the 15 but you can eat less. For instance, I am sure I do not eat 15 grams for breakfast. I still take the pill.  I also read that if you skip a meal or have a meal without fat (like a yogurt for breakfast) you can skip the dose. I hope that the dark stool is because of the fat coming out but I also hope I do not have to eat 15 grams in order for this to work.  I measure and eat the recommended portions of fish and chicken so I am not exceeding 15 grams for dinner. I may even be eating less. I hope Alli will work for me. I am giving it the rest of the month and then quitting and going back to the old fashioned way since it seemed to work well. I just wanted a boost and thought it would help me lose 50% more than just dieting as it claims to.

pearlgrl,

In order for the Alli plan to work for you, you need to follow the calorie/fat recommendations.

To better understand the plan, read these two threads:

 ***READ FIRST - Why you need to reach your fat grams
http://community.myalli.com/forums/t/19329.aspx

***READ FIRST - Why you need to reach your calorie goals
http://community.myalli.com/forums/t/19330.aspx

Good luck on your journey to a healthy lifestyle!

~Deb

 alli will work by blocking 25% of ANY fat you consume with your meals.  alli recommends a low fat meal, which is not hard to achieve knowing that most foods have their own natural fat.  alli recommends that you incorporate healthy fats in those 15 grams of fat as you are already doing.  Fish, chicken, low fat yogurt all those foods and most foods have fat so you will be surprised to know how quickly 15 grams add up. 

Here is a list of some fats that will help you reach your low fat target without adding too many calories:

• 4 almonds or walnuts = 4 grams fat, 44 calories
• 1/4 cup cubed avocado = 5.5 grams fat, 60 calories
• 1 cup 1% low fat milk = 2.4 grams fat, 102 calories
• 1 cup Low fat fruit yogurt = 2.5 grams fat, 240 calories
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter = 8 grams fat, 100 calories
• 4 oz. Salmon Chinook fillet, broiled = 15 grams fat, 252 calories

You will love incorporating these healthy choices!

Sylvia Melendez-Klinger, MS, RD, LD, CPT - registered dietitian

HI:

Thank you for this info--I did buy almonds and I ate those with my lunch to make 15 grams. I also had peanut butter one morning to have 15 grams of fat. I understand that healthy foods have fat so 15 should add up quickly. Actually based on my weight I can eat up to 19.  I just never use butter, I do use oilie oil and I know that will add fat........but I have always drank skim milk and eat non fat yogurt and cottage cheese so I guess I have to eat low fat of those not non fat.

I never dreamed it would be hard to find enough fat--I want this to work and I am not a mcdonald's eater or cakes or anything like that--never was. I just eat too much and I do love cheese....and meat!  Even a small 3 inch italian sausage link had only 4.5 grams. So I ate two of those and still needed to find more fat.  normally i would eat that or fish or chicken and a salad or rice......I just need to find more fat!!  I want to eat the right amount so I am not sick.  I will give it one more chance--end of this month and that's it!

Thanks Sylvia.

 Thank you for this info. I just checked in today for my 2wk checkup. I was unaware that eating too little fat would make alli less effective until reading these boards. I am lucky to get 15grams of fat a day since I eat all low fat or fresh foods. This simple list will help me greatly.

Honestly I have trouble eating 15 grams per meal--it might sound silly but its a lot for me--actually based on my weight 19 grams is what I need to eat each meal.  So even if I don't make the limit of 19, Alli still works on the fat I do it right?

I think its very curious that I didn't lose ONE pound and this Sat marks a month since I started.  There have been plently of days where I eat a higher fat lunch and dinner.  Not sure why I didn't lose even one.  Starting to feel discouraged and wonder if this even works. It might work for severely obese people. By my weight and height I am obese but I have never been a high fat diet person.  I went out to dinner several times this month and ate what I wanted and still nothing.  I am sure I ate 19 plus grams several times over the weekends........ice cream and dining out.  I'm sure of it!

I'm asking my dr if maybe its not for me.

Thanks and any other people with similar results posting would be great!

So Angcandoit--you checked in for your two week check and did you lose???  Even one pound? You didn't say.

alli works best with a low fat diet, which means between 12 and 19 grams of fat per meal.  Fatty meals (fried foods, high fat dairy products, or any high fat products) will placed you WAY over the recommended fat limit and will contribute to weight gain and possible treatment effects as alli only blocks 25% of any fat you consume.  I will strongly recommend consuming a low fat diet, which is not hard to achieve since almost everything has some kind of fat and calories.  

If you consume fatty foods (fries, large sandwiches with fatty meats, big burgers with sauce, etc.) they usually contain about 84 grams of fat and over 600 calories per 1 serving.  That is why alli encourages consumers to incorporate healthy low fats into the meal plan.

Hope this makes sense :)

Let me know if I can be of any help,

Sylvia Melendez-Klinger, MS, RD, LDN, CPT - registered dietitian