How Much Fat?

Yes

What the blueys do is to fast track 30% of your fat intake straight through without touching the hips. Oddly enough your body still seems to register that fat is coming in, and so doesn't decide to go into starvation (ie low metabolism and the dreaded weight loss plateau) mode.

This all means that you still have to do the dieting/exercise, but the results are even stronger than doing it on your own - it's like swimming with flippers.

The other key effect is fear! If you overdo the fat (and most of us only make 1 or 2 mistakes before saying \"never again\" ) you have squitty orange oil leaking out of your backside. If you stick to no more than 15g of fat a meal, you're safe.

Some people think they should go very low fat if they are dieting but if you are going to do this and make it work, then why are you on Orlistat which only can work with a 30g fat intake? Any losses they are making aren't down to the blueys at all. Presumably this kind of low fat dieting hasn't worked long term forr them in the past, so why think it will now?

Remember most normal weight women need 70g to 100g fat a day, and so the Orlistat target of 25-30g a day is in fact low but at a reasonable enough level to help teach you new healthy non-crash-diet patterns.

So 1200-1400 cals, 25-30g fat a day, not more than 15g fat a meal and lots of exercise works well with Orlistat in a quick-results but can-be-kept-up-for-months way. Calorie counting and fat counting is fiddly for a a week or so, then becomes second nature.

Good luck.

Hello,

I've just started today and that is great advice with the calories, fat, and so on! (I've only had one dose not enough to notice anything side effect wise -

Question about the oily stuff - Will it be possibly embarrassing in public? And when it says you will have to run to the loo, is it something you can still control (in case its a public bathroom and you need to wait) or do the meds make you have [b:3eae67d224]no [/b:3eae67d224]control! :oops:

Sorry if that is gross, but I'm not sure what to expect!

Good luck to you!

It depends. I have had 2 experiences. On Easter Sunday I ate a load of salmon - I thought fish, steamed, low fat -derrr!. It turned out to be about 60g of fat's worth and on the Tuesday (sorry about the graphic descriptions coming but I wish someone had been clear with me before) I turned round and thought - oh, someone has split a load of orange juice on the floor...but it was me. Luckily it was on the kitchen floor and no-one noticed. Oddly enough, until that point I had wondered if the blueys were actually doing anything.

On another occasion I overdid fat on a couple of days, and when I went to the loo a day or 2 later, had 2 or 3 very runny, orange oily, poos - but not particularly urgent and not leaking.

So - about 20 weeks in, about 4 and half stone down, and just 2 really explainable incidents, only one of which was scary - and that was absolutely my own fault. Don't be afraid, be excited - you can do this!

Hi RR, I have to dispute your claim that some people think they should go very low fat if they are dieting but if you are going to do this and make it work, then why are you on Orlistat which only can work with a 30g fat intake? Any losses they are making aren't down to the blueys at all. Presumably this kind of low fat dieting hasn't worked long term forr them in the past, so why think it will now?

I am one of those low fat people and I always thought that the purpose of the tabs was to aid weight loss. I take them to help me with will power as there is no better incentive of eating healthly than the fear of soiling yourself. I even take them when eating a meal that is low in fat as it stops me from cheating later on. I don't want to take in 25 - 30 grams of fat if there is a chance of having an accident. Does the low fat strategy work for me, well yes it does. I've just had my week 32 weigh in and I lost another 9 pound in the last four week. This takes my total loss to 6 stone 3 pounds. The results speak for themselves!

I know everyone is different and what works for some doesn't work for others. All I know is that what I am doing is working for me and I am now lighter than I have been in the last eight years. Yes I've tried to diet before but without success due to a lack of will power. I still have no will power just tabs that can cause me to pooh myself instead. Who needs will power?

Andy

Hi Andy,

I agree with you totally. I am one of the low fat dieters.

I tried at the beginning to eat the 30g a day and found I was eating more than before and was only losing small amounts here and there.

I asked my doctor why there is the 30g limit in the tablets literature and he says that for us larger people eating 30g fat a day would be low fat, as our diets were so high fat before. But he says the tablets will work even on 15-20g a day, and after losing almost three stone in three months I have to agree with him. You do not normally lose between three and four pounds a week on a low fat diet consistently.

Also, my hubby has been eating the same food as me the whole time and he has only lost nearly two stone and is not on the blues.

I also think it is the tablets that are keeping me on the straight and narrow. The thought of the orange oil stops me eating the very naughty but nice foods.

I dont think there is any right or wrong way, we are all individuals and the best way is to do what feels right for you.

Playing devils advocate, if you lose weight on the blues eating 30g fat a day, but have slower weight loss wont you be on the tablets a lot longer hence more money for the drug company? At the end of the day ROCHE want to get very rich from this.

Just a thought,

Sasx

Hi ,

Just a quickie,

Women should be aiming for a [u:ca89a7c0e6]maximum [/u:ca89a7c0e6]daily intake of [u:ca89a7c0e6]70g[/u:ca89a7c0e6] per day whilst men should have a maximum of 95g.

Sasx

Hi Sasx

I agree with you regarding the money the drugs company will make the longer we are on the tabs. I hope that one day I will feel confident enough and have the right mind set to stop taking the tabs. But I know at the moment I'm not ready for this step yet.

Just like your hubby, my wife too has lost weight from the reduced fat in the meals that she is now cooking for me and our healthier life style. Must admit, with out her, I wouldn't have lost 6 oz never mind 6 stone - she's been brill.

Keep up the good work

Andy

How really interesting to have a debate about this.

Clearly whatever works for an individual is right for them, but just to play devil's advocate and push the conversation a bit more......... I am not saying that you can't use the blueys as a policeman, and clearly the fear factor is a great driver for us all in keeping on the straight and narrow. However, weren't these drugs designed primarily to remove fat from a balanced diet? Taking chemicals just to police your willpower and to remove a tiny bit of fat could be argued to be not what they were designed for. I do know that there are some medications that police, for example that make alcoholics feel very ill when they drink, but presumably they are designed for that purpose and can be taken safely for it.

On one hand, none of this matters if they are safely helping us to lose weight, but on the other hand, I am not keen on using any medications not in line with the recomendations.

Really interested in hearing other views.

RR

What a really interesting debate.

Has to be said, I wasn't really trying with WW, I was getting no where because I was cheating, eating stupid things and not writing it down and then just saying, \"Oh well\" when I lost little or nothing at weigh in. I have crap willpower, as Andy said, so I can see where he is coming from, because I am starting to feel the same way on these tablets.

I've literally only been on the tablets for a week, but since an embarassing accident on Day 2, I have been shocked into really avoiding any high fat things.

Personally at the weekend it had occured to me that they just gave you horrid side effects, like the vomit inducing drugs given to junkies and alcoholics, which make you want to avoid fat altogether. Such was my fear of the orange stuff that by Sunday I was saying, nothing other than chicken and rice for the rest of my life!

My other half reckons it's just a placebo!

I reckon they work the way they're supposed to, just with a cleverly designed side effect, not there to police as such, but just to encourage!

Interesting debate, although as someone said, we're here for support, whatever works for you at the end of the day, we're all unique individual people which is the beauty of humanity.

Just my twopenneth!

Amy

I love this website. Where else can you have a discussion on the benefits a medicine and how its meant to work whilst talking about poohing yourself. The top and bottom (no pun intended) of it is hopefully we all are heading towards our goal of losing weight.

Thanks for the support everyone.

Andy

RR- thanks for your honest input - I dont mind if its TMI as I need to know what I may be in for! I've only noticed the orange oil when actually in the bathroom, just a tiny bit on the tissue and only a little - again sorry to be gross! (and the day before I had spaghetti carbonara, and a slice of french toast with a tiny bit of syrup for breakfast)(then again maybe it will take a few days...?

Andy- I totally agree that if it hasn't worked by now, why are we going to suddenly implement a change for life unless we are so afraid of accidents! I think in a way, its a good thing to keep us honest!

I haven't had any major issues, but I have to use up whats in the cupboard ( i just went shopping for about 2 wks the day before I got put in these!)

However, I had already banned junk the week before, dont notice if I've lost, but I do feel a lot better than when eating a junk food.

Sure it takes more time to count calories, and Im really only on the 3rd day (i forgot to bring them with yesterday!)

Sasx - I agree that if it says 30 g of fat, stay under not over! that is what I am trying to do, and Im not about to temp fate! I think I am driving my hubby mad with the calorie and fat counting, and looking in the mirror, but oh well, I hope I start to see results.

Good luck to all of you!

this is quite interesting..

i had been wondering myself which route was best, i asked the doctor at my first weigh in about the debate and she said that theres nothing to suggest that either work better as its down to the person, she asked my average fat intake and its about 16g daily and she suggested that if i am loosing the weight then its working