Orlistat<\/a>, sold under the brand name Xenical or Alli, is a popular weight-loss drug that is licensed for the treatment of obesity. It works by preventing around 30% of the fat you eat from being absorbed. The unabsorbed fat is passed through your system and excreted in stool.<\/span><\/p>\nAllow me to explain why this pill is not a silver bullet. For starters, it\u2019s not that effective for weight loss. Worse still, the weight comes back on once it\u2019s discontinued. In one-year clinical trials, about one-third to one-half of people achieved a 5% or greater decrease in body mass, although not all of this mass was necessarily fat. After Alli was stopped, a significant number of subjects gained weight, with some regaining up to 35% of the weight they had lost.<\/span><\/p>\nIt took much more than a few days to put the weight on, you must accept that it will take some time to get the weight off again.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThere\u2019s a pill for virtually any ailment known to man. There\u2019s a time and place for medicines, no doubt. The problem with fat loss pills is that they do not square with the ethos of teaching and encouraging a healthy diet and lifestyle. Most people will take the path of least resistance \u2013 in this case taking the Alli, with little or no change towards a healthier lifestyle. This is not how we should be promoting health. <\/span><\/p>\nDietary diseases should have dietary solutions.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nVitamins A, D, E and K are incredibly important fat-soluble vitamins. This means that they can only be absorbed in sufficient quantities from our food, in the presence of fat. Many people are already deficient in these vitamins due to a nutritionally-poor diet and lack of adequate sun exposure. These pills will only make things worse. In fact, users are encouraged to take a multivitamin supplement when on Alli. Ergo, you end up paying twice, once for removal and once for replacement of the vitamins. Not the smartest move, in my book.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n