About a week ago, I started taking the FDA-approved weight loss drug, #Alli. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the drug Orlistat (brand name Alli), it works by inhibiting your gut's absorption of fat. Read that again. Yes, it's true and it's been around for many, many years.
I had seen it around the pharmacy area at the grocery store for years and paid it no heed. I assumed it was your standard anxiety-triggering, sleep-depriving weight loss pill and that it was completely worthless (or wouldn't everyone be using/talking about it??)
I was WRONG.
Let me start at the beginning. I was always a petite athletic person. Until I wasn't. It took a Thanksgiving Day family picture to make me realize that I was no longer petite and most definitely not athletic anymore. I was unrecognizable to myself. The shame and embarrassment I felt from looking at that picture lit a fire under my a** so intense that it had me seeking anything and everything out there to help me lose the weight.
I tried various pills and potions, all with various, and sometimes scary, side effects. I endured sleepless nights and high anxiety and endless sweating all in hopes of losing a pound or 20.
The reality was that I really needed to lose more like 40 pounds, so that's when I hit rock bottom and started looking at gastric bypass or lap bands. It's horrifying to me to even have to type that out loud.
The bottom line was that 1) I did not have the money to do something as drastic as lap band surgery 2) I wasn't so overtly heavy that I couldn't lose the weight from traditional methods (I was just lazy and unmotivated. #truth) So, I decided to do it that hard way. I do have a degree in Kinesiology after all.
Fast forward 5 months and I was down 37 pounds. I accomplished this by sticking to a strict #calorierestricteddiet and exercising a minimum of 5 days a week. I still had my nightly glass of #wine, but gone were the days of 3, 4, or 5 drinks (depending on my social calendar). I was happy and feeling good. Then I hit a plateau that I have maintained (for the most part) for the past 8 years.
Until last week.
I picked up my bottle of Alli from Walmart and away I went. Nothing prepared me for the side effects. Sure, I read the neatly enclosed pamphlet that read, "Read Me First" where they talk about "treatment effects," but I somehow assumed that they would not apply to me as I already ate a diet low in fat.
I was WRONG (again.)
I'm just going to leave this little link right here: https://www.rxlist.com/alli-side-effects-drug-center.htm
If you're not giggling thinking about how these side effects might make you a social pariah or cause...uh hem...uncomfortableness at work then you probably don't laugh much.
So, yeah. That's where I am right now. One week in. But, on the upside, the pill actually works. I lost 2 pounds in the first week of using it. Is it dehydration or actual weight loss? Time will tell.
But, I can see why no one is shouting from the rooftop with their oily-orange stained pants. Stay tuned. More week-by-week updates to come as I continue my Alli journey...
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