The problem I am having is figuring out on my own plan how to get in the amount of fat needed.  I would prefer not to use the printed menu because I have done so many "diets" before and always lost weight, just unable to keep it off.  It is not that I don't know how to diet.  It is that I am emotionally unable to eat to live.  I would like to make my own choices, but find it time consuming to go through each substitution when deciding what to eat, and am not always near a computer.  Three days a week, I take care of my nieces' children, age 3 years, 9 months, 3 years 5 months, 14 months and 8 months.  I really don't have time to think about food except when they are sleeping, (yes I get them all down for a nap at the same time once a day).  I do have fruit and veggies for them, so I eat that with them,  and I do get cereal and banana in the morning, and lunch when they are napping, so I just figure out ahead of time what I will be eating. However, on those days I am so tired, I get little else done.  That said, I am having difficulty figuring out how to get enough fat in my diet when all of the foods reccommended are no fat.  I think I am missing something.  I understand the importance of getting the fat, I am just having trouble figuring out where to get it. 

For the meals I don't feel I am getting enough fat, I just don't take my pill.  I think I am also afraid of the TEs so that appears to be an additional barrier for me to get enough fat.  I am losing weight, but I would like to better understand the fat in foods and the best place to get them.  Maybe, I am making this all too difficult, but could use some guidance.

 Thanks,

Bonnie

Thank you, Betty!  I understand now.  I started with Alli this past Monday.  My wife told me about it on Sunday, and I wholeheartedly agreed to do the Alliplan with her.  I have never been on a real diet in my life, but it is time to face the facts.  Last night I bought a starter pack of my own at Walgreens and registered on-line a few moments ago.  We had a low-fat meal for dinner and about 30 minutes later realized we had forgotten to take Alli.  My wife looked for the bottle but remembered she had left it at the office.  Thus, my late night trip to Walgreens.

I want to thank you for all the excellent insight and advice you provide via the message board.  I respect your profession and background and I know all of us will all benefit from your experience.

BettyKovacs:

Here is the math:

 EXAMPLE ONLY

1800 calorie diet that has 30% of the calories from fat = 540 calories from fat

When you excrete 25% of 540 calories that = 135 calories being excreted leaving 405 calories from fat

 An 1800 calorie diet with 405 calories from fat = 22.5% fat

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD

 

Betty,

Okay, I am still a little lost.  I am on the 1600 cal./ 17 g. fat plan.   Do I need to eat 17g. fat grams per meal every meal to lose??  What if he breakfast I eat is a slim fast shake or just some fruit?  Not much fat there.  Please help!

I just started Alli yesterday. I, too, have been afraid of the treatment effects, so I lean towards eating very low fat. This series of posts is helpful... makes me realize that I do need to eat fat. However, I'm still afraid of what the treatment effects will be like. Will I survive? Will I be miserable?  What has been everyone else's experience regarding this?

 Thanks, annie

I think the website is somewhat difficult to navigate, but it will tell you how many grams per meal you should have.  This should fall under the "mialliplan" section, but also is listed to the right of the screen everytime you check in.  The thing to remember is that there are 9 calories for every gram of fat.  Your 17g of fat = (17*9) 153 calories, which just by eyeballing is not 30% of 1600.  30% of 1600 = 480.  If you only have fat in your meals and not your snacks, then you should have ~(480/3) = 160 calories from fat per meal, or ~17g (160/9 = 17.7).  Spend some more time checking out all the aspects of the website.  You may think it will be redundant, but things I think I already read about have different content - it's just a similar topic.  It took several weeks for me to realize all that was available there.  Good Luck!

Hi Betty,   I understand that I have to have 19 grams of fat per meal.  But, sometimes I don't reach that at one meal ex: breakfast, or lunch,   Can I add my snack fat grams as part of the meal?     

If I have Special K for breakfast, I don't take a pill because its 0 grams of fat.  But if I have breakfast with 10grams of fat, can I have a snack with 9 grams before lunch.  Same for lunch, a snack after lunch, can be 100 cal. and 4 grams of fat.     Please help sort this out for me. 

Thanks, Gail

Hi Pinonman,

Welcome to the board!

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such kind things. I love the number of people that I get to help on here, but miss working with all of you face-to-face. It's really nice to know that this is helping you.

I wish you lots of success,

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD

Hi Amandabulot,

The ideal plan when taking alli is to reach your fat grams at each meal. This does not mean that you won't lose if you do not do this. You have two options that you can choose from. You can continue to have your Slimfast with fruit or you can have Slimfast with some walnuts, flaxseeds, or almonds. The calories are going to be higher with the second option so you would have to cut back somewhere else. If you are comfortable with the first option than stick with that and reach your fat goals at the other two meals. If you lose weight than it's working so there is no need to change anything.

Does this clarify things now?

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD

Hi Annie,

There are lots of posts about treatment effects on here. You can use the search command on the upper right corner to find them.

As long as you are under 15 grams of fat in your meal you have the lowest risk of effects. I think that it would help you to increase your fat slowly. Reach your fat grams for at least one meal per day. Once you see how that is you can reach it for two meals and then move up to three.

Good luck,

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD

Hi Gail,

You want 19 grams to be the maximum amount of fat that you will have for each pill. If you have a snack with 9 grams of fat within one hour of when you take alli for your meal that fat needs to be added to the fat in your meal. Alli will excrete 25% of that fat that is consumed within one hour before, during or up to one hour after your meal. Whatever you eat in that time frame needs to be under 19 grams.

Does that make sense?

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD

Betty - I have not been getting enough fat so I will increase my fat and see if that helps my weight loss.  I would be happy if I could lose 2 pounds a week.  I expected to do so since I am a large woman (200 pounds).  I though I would lose faster than someone who just has 10/15 pounds to lose.

Even when I started my walking program, I continued to lose just 1 pound a week so I am very disappointed.  However, I have no choice but to cotinue or stay fat so I will continue even if I only lose one pound per week.  Donna

Hi Betty,  

           Thank you so much for clearing that up for me.  So if I eat lunch with 13 gr of fat and I want a snack I have to eat it within one hr of taking the pill.   That goes for each meal.  After dinner also.   I have a terrible problem not snacking while watching t.v.  now I go up to my bed room after dinner because i'm too lazy to go down for anything.  It seems to be helping.

           Anyway,  thanks so much again for clarifying that for me. 

                                                                   Gail

Duckydolittle,

How did you up your fat but not your calories?  That is what I am struggling with. 

Hi Betty,   You answered the question of fat grams for me but, I checked in today and was told that I shouldn't exceed 15 fat grams a meal so I won't have any treatment effects.   So,  if I shouldn't exceed 15 grams of fat a meal because I have treatment effects, then how do I fit in the 4 extra grams a fat per meal.    I'm supposed to have 19.     I did lose 3 lbs.  But I did have the treatment effects also.   Please help.   I know I'll understand this sooner or later.   LOL 

                                 Thanks,  Gail

Hi Gail,

The 15 grams was set to help avoid treatment effects. Most people can actually tolerate up to 20 grams without any effects. It can be difficult to accurately count fat so setting the number at 15 grams was to count for some hidden fat. If you are accurately counting your fat you can consume your required 19 grams at each meal. You can start at 15 grams and slowly increase to 19 grams if you are nervous about your reaction to it.

Let me know if this does not make sense,

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD