Dieters hoped it was the magic bullet they've been waiting for. But seven months after the much anticipated launch of Alli, the first-ever FDA approved weight loss pill, the jury is still out.
Alli works by blocking about the quarter of a fat consumed, a promise dieters initially found alluring. They ignored warnings of nasty side effects like gas, oily discharge and diarrhea. Consumers snapped up more than four million Alli starter kits in the first four months alone. GlaxoSmithKline, the drug's distributor, reported $217 million in sales during that time period. More recently, sales of the drug have slowed down.
Some consumers grew weary of running to the bathroom every time they overindulged on fatty, greasy foods (which let's face it, is an American pastime). Others abandoned the program when their results fell short of what was reported in the lab: Original studies suggested that Alli takers who also ate a balanced diet and exercised lost 50 percent more weight than those who made the same effort without taking the supplement. However, study subjects were vigilant about reducing portion sizes and limiting fat intake to 15 grams or less per meal -- which many realize is a daunting challenge. And, by GlaxoSmithKline's own admission, most of the expected weight loss occurs within the first six months of use -- where some users may fall off the wagon once they hit the dreaded dieter's plateau.
Insurance fund manager C.J. Martin tried Alli for a couple of weeks but then abandoned it during a period where she felt she couldn't be vigilant about her fat intake.
"I couldn't do that all the time, it's just too much of an effort," says Martin. "And if I did go off, I didn't want to deal with the consequences [i.e., diarrhea, leakage, gas]."
Martin admits she dropped a few pounds on Alli and never experienced any "horrific" side effects. She also didn't like the idea of taking three pills a day indefinitely.
"I don't like the idea of a program that involved pills. I have to fight to stay on task even when taking vitamins. I thought about starting up again -- but once you go off something, it's very hard to start up again."
She's moved on to lose 37 pounds on another diet program.
Still, Alli has its share of success stories. Alissa Brandemuhl for one has lost 52 pounds on the Alli program and is still going strong.
"I always tell people, it's not just the pill, it's the program," says the 35-year-old homemaker. "When you read the information packet, it's quite inspiring to be told you can start with small changes and build from there. It gave me the push I need."
Like Martin, Brandemuhl has never had an issue with the undesirable side effects. She thinks that taking a pill before a meal helps keep her on task because it reminds her not to overeat. She also likes the fact that the program stresses the importance of regular, moderate exercise -- like the 30-minute walks around the neighborhood she takes three times a week.
"Popping Alli -- or any diet pill for that matter -- will fall short of expectations unless you also control food portions and emphasize low fat, lower calorie, plant-based foods, and regular exercise," says Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN. The registered dietitian, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and author of "Feed Your Family Right!" (Wiley, 2007), says that dieters who don't take to heart Alli's message of positive lifestyle modification are doomed to failure.
"Unless someone is committed to making those lifelong changes to eating and exercise habits, no pill will be effective at helping to peel off pounds and keeping them off for good," says Zied.
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