Smuggling Acomplia, Hawking Alli All In The Desperate Name Of Weight Loss

In the same week when the media is going absolutely crazy with their feeding frenzy giving free publicity to the new over-the-counter GlaxoSmithKline weight loss drug called Alli, along comes a story like this one which just goes to show you the desperate attempts that some people are willing to make in the pursuit of getting thin--even if it's ILLEGAL!

I've blogged about the next great "magic pill" for weight loss from pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis before--it's called Acomplia. Like most diet pills, the dirty secret is you must eat a low-calorie diet along with them. Shhhh, don't tell anyone! ;)

But Acomplia is still very popular among Americans right now despite the fact that the FDA has not granted approval of it yet because of fears that it increases the risk of suicide. With close public scrutiny on them right now over the diabetes drug Avandia, which allegedly raises heart disease risk, the FDA is being cautious with Acomplia.

Nevertheless, European countries have already put their stamp of approval on Acomplia and hopeless Americans are smuggling the drug into the United States by bringing it back with them after visiting foreign lands and/or making the purchases over the Internet.

It was disheartening to read about a 60-something year old woman in the story who thinks Acomplia is all she can do to lose weight. NO! As much as people like this want to believe a drug is their best option, clearly it is not. There are too many questions about side effects with weight loss pills, so why not try a natural and effective weight loss method instead?

Like LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB!!! :D

If approved by the FDA in the U.S. sometime in July as expected, Acomplia could rake in over $3 BILLION dollars annually in profits for Sanofi. Now there's your REAL motive for pushing this drug and other such medications on the American people, not the promise of meaningful and lasting weight loss!

As for that new OTC pill Alli, I received an awesome e-mail from a reader in Fort Worth, Texas who was contemplating taking this to help her with her obesity. But in her research online, she found my blog post about it and changed her mind.

Here's what she wrote:

Hello! I have just discovered your blog while Googling to find some information on Alli/orlistat and how it could affect someone following the Atkins program. Your blog post was informative, helpful and inspiring! I just had to take a moment to write to you!

Hearing the ultra-hyped promotion for this new miracle pill, of course I was interested and had to do some research, but what I've found--well, lets say that instead of spending $60 on Alli tomorrow, I ordered some new low-carb cookbooks from Amazon instead!

I weigh close to 400 pounds, have 2 beautiful children and a loving husband that need me. I have got to get this weight off and doing it without surgery and medications is definitely the way I want to go.

I first tried Atkins two years ago and had lost nearly 60 pounds in three months. I felt awesome! But, unfortunately I went on a honeymoon and got into the "vacation" mentality and couldn't manage to get back into the right mindset.

Now, however, I've been on Induction for 2 weeks and I'm feeling fantastic already!

I had a moment today, wondering if I should change my diet to incorporate this new wonderful pill, seriously considering stopping the Atkins plan in favor of GlaxoSmithKline's slick advertising. But reading various web articles, especially your blog, has convinced me to keep on doing what I'm doing. Atkins is healthier, easier and faster than any diet I've ever tried. And if I feel good doing it, why change?

A low-fat diet filled with carbs would ruin any positive changes I've gained in the last few weeks, sugar is the enemy! One bagel for breakfast and I'd be craving sugar all over again. Don't want to go through that withdrawal ever again. Heh!

So, this was simply a long-winded way to say THANK YOU for your blog and I will now be a devoted reader and might even start a blog of my own weight loss via low-carb adventure--as well as get an order in for your book!

You are truly fantastic!

If only we could educate more people like this very intelligent woman before they fall prey to the allure of a pill like Alli or Acomplia, then these risky gimmicks would be used only as a very LAST resort rather than the primary tool for weight loss. My hope and prayer is that many more will learn the truth now rather than suffer the heartache and physical effects of these drugs later.

6-15-07 UPDATE: It turns out the author of that e-mail to me is a 35-year old Texas woman named Morgan MacLeoid and she has a blog called "Good Carbma" (now that's pretty creative!).


Morgan is wholeheartedly committed to livin' la vida low-carb now

Yes, ask shocking as it sounds, she seriously considered taking Alli and switching to a low-fat diet to do it. But now Morgan has thought better of that idea and is sticking with her all-natural low-carb plan.

Although she currently weighs more than 400 pounds, Morgan is committed to doing this for the sake of living a long and healthy life for those two precious kids of hers. You're gonna make it, Morgan, and I'm so proud of you for making this wise choice for yourself and your loved one. Let me know if I can help you along in this journey!

Obesity Pill Promises Pie In The Sky

If you are trying to lose weight, then I must warn you of a new weight loss drug called Acomplia.

A much-heralded study was recently released by European researchers that found a group of 1,500 obese or overweight people lost more weight taking this pill than those who took a placebo. Supposedly their waist size got smaller, cholesterol dropped, triglycerides went down, became insulin resistant, and other health benefits after taking Acomplia.

But they also had their calorie intake reduced, which means less food for the participants. Everyone knows you can LOSE weight by taking in less calories. What nobody wants to talk about is how you can't keep eating that way without ALWAYS feeling so hungry. It's the dirty little secret about low-fat, low-calorie that you never read about in the media.

Even the researchers aren't so sure this new miracle weight loss drug will last over the long-term.

"How this finding will translate into prolonged weight loss in clinical practice has yet to be determined," the researchers write in their report.

Manufactured by the third-largest pharmaceutical company in the world Sanofi-Aventis, Acomplia is not yet available for consumer purchase. Tests are still being conducted about the drug's effect on the brain since it blocks appetite control receptors.

My concern about this new weight loss drug is that it does nothing to address the root cause of obesity -- bad eating habits! Unless your lifestyle changes to keep the weight off, people who take this drug will see all of that weight pour right back on them and then some. It's the problem with any weight loss measure that doesn't have a long-term plan for maintaining weight loss.

That's what is wrong with low-fat and it is definitely what is wrong with this pill. This pie in the sky mentality by the drug company will leave a lot of people getting even fatter along with the wallets of the drug company. They know the lure of weight loss is BIG BUSINESS for them!

For me, I'd rather be livin' la vida low-carb and not worry about things like side effects and weight gain after getting off the diet or pill. Why do so many people want to make losing weight akin to rocket science?! The answer: DO LOW-CARB!