Alli and CC

[gregg407]

I am a CC survivor (finished with FolFox about 15 months ago). To lose weight, I am currently using Alli.

I have just recently that there might be some CC concerns with Alli. Has anyone else heard this or
anything like this?



gf

[Gaelen]

CC concerns about Xenical (aka Alli) have been around since the drug went into OTC use.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,282617,00.html

OTOH, I'd think the side effects would be what would stop me...can anyone say 'bowel retraining?'

[Magnolia]

The side effects would have kept me off of it if nothing else. I had enough trouble regulating myself. It took over a year after treatment to get anywhere NEAR normal. I still have low Vit D and E levels. Both fat solubles. Messing with fat processing can't be good for that. Vit D deficiency is a known CRC risk factor. I don't know what kind of conclusions they'll eventually come up with, but when I connect my own dots, I don't want to use the product. Then again, I don't like being fat either. I do believe slow steady weight loss does less damage to metabolism and does less to promote regain of weight. One to two pounds a week is good. Healthy, small,frequent meals, moderate exercise, lots of water, lots of sleep. Tell you body is doesn't have to hoard fat. All is well. Crisis is over. No need to save for a rainy day. The sun is shining. It will relax and let go of some fat. Stress it by starving and overexercising and it will try to compensate by slowing metabolism and hoarding calories to save you from whatever catastrophic event it imagines is going on. Not counting the one that you just went through for real. We're all metabolizing a bit off kilter. We need to normalize, not stress our bodies.

As far as Alli goes,I guess I wouldn't worry too much about some very short term use, but I wouldn't expect too much success in the long run either. The link explains it well. If you lose too fast, it comes right back. Your body wants to save you from the next big famine you subject it to. It'll try to chunk you up before you can bring home another bottle of hard times in pill form. On a biological level, your body doesn't know the difference between an intentional weight loss and a famine. If you're heavy, you'll survive a diet/famine. If your weight is normal, and whatever your body "thinks" happened, happens again, you're in trouble.

All that said, I'm still struggling with the 30# I gained on chemo. My doc wants me to lose 40. I lost 7, but regained them on my last vacation. I work in the weight loss field. Knowing what to do and doing it are two different things.

[Lee]

I've lost almost 40 pounds with Weight Watchers. All food is assigned a point value, and your allowed so many points a day depending on current weight, age, activity level, etc. I am slow with the weight loss, I joined last summer; but I am successful, and feel I've developed some good eating habits this past year. While counting food points is not for everyone, I did find it successful for me, and would recommend it if the desire to lose weight is there.

Maybe a safer alternative to Alli

Lee

[Magnolia]

Weight Watchers is a good, healthy program. I like it.