What's The Harm In Taking A Diet Pill Like Alli?

New OTC weight loss drug Alli at the center of obesity debate

Did you catch my latest podcast show about the new diet pill that everyone's talking about called Alli? If you missed it, then you need to go listen to what I think will go down as my favorite show ever! Hilarious doesn't even begin to describe it! :D

But not everyone was laughing.

One of the comments left for this episode of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" was from someone with the initials LJM (could that stand for "loathes Jimmy Moore"--hee hee!).

Anyways, here's what he said about the podcast on Alli:

Let me start by saying that you have A LOT of great information and good reading on your site, I really enjoy it.

I am in no way associated with any program, pill, or company so this is just a average Joe opinion here.

I just read your transcript from the program you did and it reads rather alarmist on one hand and used car salesman on the other. I got the sense of you pushing your way as the best & only way. When you say you are stuck taking it for the rest of your life, I sort of got a confused look.

From what I’ve read re this pill, it is not meant to be taken alone, but in conjunction with a healthier eating style. Ya you get the runs, and poo issues if you have to much fat in your diet, if its really bad just stop taking the pill. I have not taken it, I thought about it as an additional way to take off a few pounds faster in conjunction with my low carb, low to med fat intake.

If the runs are the worst of it I think some people would welcome the extra weight loss. As for being on it for a lifetime, that does not even make sense. If you get your weight down to a level where you can exercise, and you continue to eat healthy, why keep taking it?

Get to your ideal weight and maintain it. As for taking a multivitamin, how can that hurt ya? The key is to not rely on vitamins, diet pills, diets, or anything like that. Eat healthy and you won’t need them. If a pill helps you along the way and doesn’t hurt you, go for it.

Did this person even see all the possible negative reactions that Alli can cause? What's he been smokin'? Here was my response:

THANKS, LJM, but I respectfully disagree with you. There was nothing “alarmist” about my podcast (you REALLY need to listen to it, not just read the transcript!) except that which was found on the web site for both Alli and the FDA which approved the drug to be sold over-the-counter.

If you listen to virtually ANY of my previous podcasts, then you would know how ignorant your “I got the sense of you pushing your way as the best & only way” comment really is because I am all for people finding what works for them, following that plan exactly as prescribed, and then doing it for the rest of their life.

Livin’ la vida low-carb has been that for me and I realize it may not be for everyone. But this Alli is something tee-totally different because we’re not talking about a natural supplement to aid in weight loss. Instead, what we have is a truly dangerous drug that has not just gaseous side effects, but also the risk of COLON CANCER!!! Why even risk taking something like that just to lose only a few extra pounds.

I don’t say you’re stuck taking it for the rest of your life, that’s EXACTLY what the Alli commercial says when the announcer says, “You don’t just take Alli, you commit to it.” What do you think that means, LJM? Did you hear when I quoted from the FDA when they said if you ever get off the Alli pill, you will GAIN your weight back? Again, this is NOT me saying this, but the freakin’ group that approved this thing!

As for this “healthier eating style” crap, a high-carb, low-fat diet does NOT fit that description. When you lower the carbs, the fat is naturally going to increase as a percentage, so this Alli will become that much more harmful to people who are livin’ la vida low-carb. There’s just no wiggling out of this inevitable fate.

Face it, LJM, people are gonna still eat their high-carb and high-fat meals and will take this Alli OTC drug to ease their conscious about it. Boy, will THEY be in for a rude awakening!

I don’t know why people would put themselves through the torture of the side effects that Alli has just to lose a couple more pounds. Why not just work the low-carb plan you are on exactly as the author prescribes and the weight loss can and will happen as quickly as it needs to.

Don’t forget, I lost 180 pounds in 2004 without the use of any drugs or anything other than my all-natural, healthy low-carb Atkins diet. Alli would have been a disaster for me and I very likely would have given up from all the discouraging gas and “accidents.”

Finally, I cannot agree with you lumping vitamins in with something truly unhealthy like diet pills such as Alli. Vitamins are truly an important part of a healthy lifestyle and I have taken them daily for over three years. They are the lifeblood of ANY healthy living strategy and it is ignorant to think otherwise. They are completely safe, too!

While I appreciate your feedback, LJM, you could not be more off base if you tried. Again, you REALLY need to listen to this podcast show so you can hear how the information was presented and then check out past episodes so you won’t be as ignorant about my philosophy the next time you decide to mindlessly rant on a topic you obviously are clueless about.

Take care! :)

Care to add your two cents worth about Alli? Add your comments and join the conversation! And enjoy a laugh or two with this podcast. Kudos to my producer Kevin-Kennedy Spaien for having some fun with this one.

'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show' Episode 61: Why Oh Why Would Anyone Take Alli?

Have you considered becoming "committed" to Alli for weight loss?

Forgive me for not jumping for joy or being filled with excitement over the new over-the-counter weight loss drug being heavily promoted right now called Alli. But in Episode 61 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" today, you'll hear exactly why anyone who is livin' la vida low-carb should stay very far away from this latest so-called miracle diet pill that some believe is the ever-elusive "magic bullet." But are they shooting themselves in the foot instead?

Let me warn you ahead of time...my producer had way to much FUN with this one. You'll see what I mean when you listen:

 "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 61 [13:30m]: Play in Popup | Download

Doesn't that just make you wanna run out and get your very own stash of Alli for yourself? NOT! It's truly amazing how a drug with so many well-known adverse side effects could actually be approved by the FDA to be sold over-the-counter while something as harmless as stevia has a tough time getting approved as a sweetener. That FDA is one messed up government entity, I'm telling you! This is a lawsuit worse than Vioxx or Avandia ever dreamed of becoming!

Low-carb podcasting is available to you anytime by:

1. Listening at the official web site
2. Going to iTunes
3. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via Podlinez
4. Subscribing to the RSS feed

Have you considered taking Alli, the OTC version of Xenical and orlistat, to help you shed a few extra pounds? Or did you, like one of my readers recently, decide against it because of the risky side effects? Tell us your thoughts about Alli and whether you would ever consider taking a drug like this one in conjunction with your low-carb lifestyle.

Oh, and have you seen what some creative marketing people who make other diet pills are doing lampooning the side effects of Alli? Check this out:



Um, in a word...EWWWWWWW! I think I'd be avoiding Alli if I were you.

Don't miss Thursday's episode of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" because we only have two interviews left from my trip to Nashville last month for the American Society of Bariatric Physicians obesity conference. Hear from the heart of a real doctor who is treating his overweight and obese patients with exactly what they need to be successful. And it ain't Alli!

FDA No Weight Loss 'Alli' Approving OTC Drug

An OTC version of the weight loss drug orlistat gets FDA-approval

It wasn't a matter of if, but when.

This Washington Post story details the disappointing news that the United States government regulatory agency over approving medicines that can be sold without a prescription in this country has given its final blessing to an over-the-counter version of a prescription weight loss drug made by pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, who calls this "the only FDA-approved weight loss product available to consumers without a prescription." Yippee freakin' skippy!

You may recall last January when I blogged about the weight loss drug orlistat following an 11-2 recommendation by a group of medical "experts" who deliberated for all of one whole day about whether the risky prescription medicine Xenical should be made available in an OTC formula.

Today, the Food & Drug Adminstration (FDA) made it official and gave the rubber stamp to sell orlistat using the name "Alli." No, it's not pronounced like Muhammed Ali (AH-LEE), but rather like the word "ally" (AL-EYE) as in someone who is on your side.

The irony in that name is that the FDA is certainly no "Alli" to anyone desiring weight loss with their outlandish and irresponsible approval of this drug. They really ought to be ashamed of themselves for putting a drug like this one out there because obesity pills are just pie in the sky promises that don't deliver without a little effort on the part of the dieter. And the FDA even acknowledges that fact.

While they don't encourage children under the age of 18 take this drug (but who are we kidding? Parents will be buying this drug for their fat kids left and right!), it is absolutely open game for adults willing to combine it with a low-fat, low-calorie, portion control diet and exercise program. That's right, just in case you missed the fine print from the FDA about this latest cure-all for obesity, the dirty little secret is you STILL have to diet!

Don't even think about livin' la vida low-carb while taking the 60 mg capsules of "Alli" right before each of your three daily meals either because it only works well in people who eat little to no fat in their diet. Yep, not only do you get the unique pleasure of having most of the fat you put inside of your body sucked completely dry like a shallow river basin in 110 degree heat, but you also are FORCED to eat a low-fat diet in the process to make it work. Aren't you just so very happy about that?!

But wait, there's more!

In addition to not absorbing dietary fat (which can be dangerous on a number of levels that you don't even want me to get into!), this drug may very well prevent you from absorbing some of the most essential nutrients in the foods you eat. Therefore, they recommend you take a multivitamin before you go nighty-night sucking your thumb while holding a fuzzy wuzzy teddy bear.

Isn't this hilarious? While opponents of livin' la vida low-carb always chastise us for promoting vitamin supplementation on our very natural and healthy way of eating, here's the FDA telling people they need to eat a low-fat diet and take supplements if they decide to start using the "Alli" OTC weight loss pill. And this is the WEAK version of the drug Xenical--can you imagine what the full-strength one is like?

Like most drugs, "Alli" is not without some really nasty side effects. Try this on for size: loose stools, excess gas, fatty stools, possible uncontrollable bowel movements, flatulence with discharge, abdominal pain, and a general sense of poop-poopy-doop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, non-stop fun between you and the porcelain goddess! Aren't you so glad you chose to lose weight this way? NOT! Sounds about as bad as the weight loss drug for dogs I blogged about last month!

Seriously, though, orlistat is NOT for everyone (I don't think it's for ANYONE, but that's just my take on it!). People who have had an organ transplant shouldn't take it because of drug interactions and neither should people on blood thinners, who are diabetic, have a thyroid problem, binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, or malabsorption syndromes. The FDA says people with these conditions should consult with their before using this over-the-counter drug.

Um, maybe I'm thinking too hard about this, but why make a drug OTC if there are very real dangers to a large segment of the population with all those ailments listed above? Has the FDA completely gone out of its mind here (don't answer that question because we already know the answer)?!

I'm telling you, this is a class action lawsuit just waiting to happen. The FDA has no idea what it has gotten itself into approving a drug like orlistat and making it available to anyone and everyone walking through the grocery store, Wal-mart, or drugstore. The end result will be more obesity and a lot more tummy aches.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again and again if I have to. People need to stop looking for the next great diet pill to come prancing in like Prince Charming to swoop them off their feet with promises of weight loss nirvana. Sorry to burst your fantasy everyone but it ain't gonna happen...nor should it!

Weight loss can be achieved safely and naturally without the use of ANY drugs whatsoever. Not once during my nearly 200-pound low-carb weight loss experience over these past few years have I felt compelled to add a drug, prescription or otherwise, to my diet for the purposes of aiding in my weight loss. NEVER! If I didn't trust my low-carb lifestyle to do everything I needed it to to shed the pounds and restore my health, then I'd start looking for another way to eat.

It should be quite disturbing to anyone who is eating a low-fat, low-calorie diet right now that their diet all by itself just isn't good enough to bring about weight loss and improved health. Nope, they have to have something like orlistat to be added to them in order for them to work better (although the jury is still waaaaay out on that claim!). Why put yourself through all of that?!

Come on over to livin' la vida low-carb and enjoy what REAL healthy living is like. No drugs, no forced diet plans, no disgusting foods to put up with--just delicious foods that help produce amazing positive results in your weight and health.

Why would you choose any other way?