Good For: Further boosting weight loss when on a calorie-controlled and low fat diet.

Overview:

Alli is the first pharmacy-only weight loss product medicinally licenced throughout Europe and it has a pretty impressive promise – for every 2lbs you lose through conventional weight loss methods or healthy eating, alli can help you to lose one pound more. It does so by blocking 25% of the fat you eat from being absorbed by the body, thanks to its active ingredient, orlistat.

Orlistat is the same active ingredient found in Xenical but the two are produced with differing amounts; alli contains a smaller amount of orlistat and is therefore available over the counter, while Xenical is only available by prescription.

Alli is clinically proven to help you lose weight when used with a reduced calorie and low fat diet. The need for a controlled diet is considered so important that alli now provides a new support programme that pledges to help you make the right food choices and get active.

Alli is available from chemists such as Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy. It is only suitable for those people with a BMI of 28 or over. Alli should not be used for longer than six months; capsules should be taken whole with water just before or during a meal or up to one hour afterwards, with a maximum of three pills taken a day.

Pros:

• Clinically proven to boost weight loss.
• Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
• Clinical studies show that people taking alli while following a low-fat, reduced calorie diet lost 10lbs in six months.
• More than 100 clinical studies, using data from more than 30,000 people, have proved the safety and effectiveness of orlistat, the active ingredient.
• Unlike many other weight loss supplements, alli places considerable emphasis on maintaining a controlled (low-fat, low-calorie) diet and gives the tools for people to follow.
• The alli programme offers personalised support tools for weight loss, such as the ability to set your daily diet, calorie and fat targets based on your current activity, fitness and weight levels tracker.
• Ability to talk to other alli users on the forums.
• Alli promises to teach you which foods to avoid and how to deal with cravings.
• Encourages healthy steady, gradual weight loss; you should aim to lose 1-2lbs a week on a low-fat, low-calorie diet.
• Suitable for people with a gluten intolerance as it does not contain gluten.
• Contains no caffeine.

Cons:

• Alli is not a quick fix; in order to lose weight, you will need to follow a low-calorie and low-fat diet. Indeed if you don’t follow the suggested diet, you may suffer from certain diet-related side effects.
• Some people may experience flatulence, sudden bowel movements or soft stools, fatty or oily stools as a result of the way alli blocks fat absorption. (For this reason it is important that you manage your fat intake while using the capsules).
• Exercise is also encouraged in order to see effective weight loss.
• Not suitable for vegetarians or vegans as it contains gelatine.
• Won’t influence carbohydrate or protein absorption rates.
• Don’t get a free-for-all with food intake as it does only block 25% of the calories.
• Has been linked to colon cancer.
• Could cause serious liver damage.

Health Warnings:

Not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Also not suitable for anyone taking warfarin or any medications to thin the blood; those taking ciclosporin; anyone who has problems absorbing food or who has cholestatis. Diabetics, anyone with heart rhythm problems or anyone taking medication for high blood pressure or high cholesterol should first consult their doctor. The oral contraceptive pill may be less effective if you suffer from severe diarrhoea.

Do not take a capsule if you know you are going to eat a high-fat meal as this can bring on diet-related side effects; likewise, do not take if you are about to eat a meal that does not contain any fat. (Ideally you should make sure all meals are low-fat).

You are encouraged to take a daily multivitamin with vitamins A, D, E and K to counteract the fact that alli can lower the levels of some fat-soluble vitamins absorbed by the body.

Summary:

There is no denying that the makers of alli have done their homework. There are an impressive amount of studies done to prove the success and weight loss power of its active ingredient orlistat.

Alli is a good choice for those people who want to embark on a low-calorie, low-fat diet and want an extra boost to their weight loss. It is not suitable for those who will not stick to this diet.

Alli alone will not help weight loss and the recommendation to follow a controlled diet is not just a suggestion in this case; it is actually a health recommendation. Not following the correct diet could trigger side effects when taking alli. Be confident that you are really prepared to follow a low-fat, low-calorie diet before you spend any money on alli.

Where to Buy:

Buy online from Slimming.com, Boots, Tesco, Lloyds Pharmacy, Amazon.co.uk and many others.