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My first month on Orlistat

Posted , 10 users are following.

5ummer
5ummer

Hello, so this is my first post on here...

I'm 34 and whilst I weighed between 9.5 and 11 stone most of my adult life, I put on a lot of weight after illness - I was severely anaemic for a long time before the drs realised what was wrong and my blood was bright orange due to barely any red blood cells in my body. I was at breaking point and they discovered the problem just in time and my red blood cell count was dangerously low. As a result of feeling so exhausted I was craving sugary food and drinks - I ate so many packs of mint imperials and drank a lot of fizzy drinks which I didn't before. I had no energy to go anywhere or do anything and the weight piled on (up to 17.5 stone). I am not happy being this heavy and I feel it restricts me from doing all the things I used to do. I also want a baby and want to be in better shape for that. Due to piling on so much weight I developed a fatty liver and it stopped functioning properly. It wasn't processing fats and nutrients so I still felt rubbish all the time and had no energy to exercise. Everytime I started a diet, I couldn't stick to it as I didn't have enough energy. Due to my liver not working properly I developed jaundice which is now being monitored by my GP who has now prescribed Orlistat to help me lose weight, improve the health of my liver and hopefully lead to me having children. 

I have been taking Orlistat for nearly 3 weeks now and have lost 1 stone so far. Really pleased with how fast the weight has come off and had my first check up with the dr on Wednesday this week, at which point I had lost 11lbs and she was really pleased. I have since lost another 3lbs. 

I did a bit of reading up about Orlistat before taking the tablets and some people suggested you shouldn't consume more than 5g of fat per meal. I have completely changed my eating habits - while I thought I wasn't over eating before, I was clearly eating the wrong types of foods and snacking in between meals. I've been making a conscious effort not to eat in between meals - sticking to breakfast, lunch and dinner at fairly regular times and have been reading a lot more of the nutritional content of what I'm buying. It's really surprising how some pre made salads and vegetable pots etc that I thought were quite healthy before, have actually got a high fat content due to the butter etc they add in. 

I'm eating a lot more salad and veg than I was before, avoiding wheat and dairy as much as possible and only drinking water (I read that you should avoid drinking calories if you want to lose weight so I'm doing my best). 

A typical day for me would be something like this...

Breakfast - fat free yoghurt and a piece of fruit (usually a banana).

Lunch - salad or a salad wrap (my favourite ingredients are mushrooms, avocado which is a good fat, beetroot and salad leaves. I sometimes add in raw cauliflower or carrots - it's not always the same but you get the idea)

Dinner: Vegatable / mushroom stir fry or a rice dish (not too much though), sometimes I will have a plate of vegeatables such as brocolli, cauliflower, asparagus and carrots, sometimes i might have a low fat, low calorie vegetarian burger such as a nut cutlet which is less than 5g fat. 

I really think it's a lifestyle change, my husband works with someone who was on these tablets and while she lost weight, she didn't improve her eating habits and continued to eat 'unhealthy food' which meant she was constantly dashing to the toilet. Then when she stopped taking the tablets she put wreight back on becuase she hadn't  changed her eating habits. I find that my bowel movements are far more regular than they were before but very rarely have diarrhoea. I do notice a yellow/orange greasy substance which I believe is the fat from the food I've eaten but beacuse of the foods I'm eating it's not a large amount so I haven't been caught off guard. 

I just hope the weight loss continues at a good rate - although I know I need to add in exercise now. What were people's weight losses like in the second month? Did you have similar results to your first month or did it slow down?

1 like, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Precipitusdaisy
    Precipitusdaisy 5ummer

    Posted

    Hi

    Congrats on your weight loss :-)

    You have made a very valid point, not all of us are overweight because we over eat, but because we eat the wrong kinds of foods!

    I am on my 5th week now, but lost 10lbs my first month :-) Have to say I was not rigorous with my diet plan and have not really been counting calories, just watching what I eat, especially the fat content.

    I am feeling so much better now I am back to healthy eating, hair has become a little dry and brittle since being on this diet, but its a small price to pay :-)

    ///*.*\\\

    ///*.*\\\

    • 5ummer
      5ummer Precipitusdaisy

      Posted

      Hi Precipitusdaisy, thanks for your reply smile You're doing great with your weight loss too! Just a thought - have you tried eating ground up linseeds? It's supposed to be great for your hair/nails and skin. They need to be ground up because the body doesn't absorb them otherwise and they come straight out the other end. I sometimes have mine mixed in with yoghurt - supposed to have about a teaspoon or two daily. Might be worth a try. 
    • britneyspears
      britneyspears 5ummer

      Posted

      Just thought i would add Linseeds are higher than the 5g of fat allowed per 100g so you would get side effects from those as the tablets cannot differentiate which is 'good' or 'bad' fats
  • claire18356
    claire18356 5ummer

    Posted

    Im only 2 and a half weeks in at the moment but so far I've lost about 8lb which im really pleased with.  I've been really good so have escaped any kind of leakage lol.

    im on these for similar reasons - after being ill (miscarriage) I have piled on in the region of 4 n half stone. Im an emotional eater so I just buried my head and ate my way out.

    Im determined to get me my baby so head down and get the lard gone.  

    I do hope you are feeling much better now that they are treating you x

    • 5ummer
      5ummer claire18356

      Posted

      Hi Claire, thanks for your reply and so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. A friend of mine had a miscarriage last October/November time and was understandably very upset about it as I'm sure you are. I sympathise with your weight gain also - I'm sure many of us here understand what you're going through in that respect. The weight piles on so easily doesn't it but is so hard to shed. This seems like a great forum and it's good that people are currently active and able to support each other. I have been having trouble conceiving - firstly my GP told me a few years back that under no circumstances must I get pregnant because I was so anaemic it would put both my life and the baby's life in danger. Then I piled on all the weight and although we've been trying for a year, nothing is happening and the GP I'm seeing now thinks it's probably due to that. I'm hoping I will lose enough weight to a) feel like my old self again and fit back into all my size 12 clothes and b) to enable me to conceive. Good luck with your weight loss Claire, the end goal is definitely worth it smile
    • rachel35655
      rachel35655 claire18356

      Posted

      Hi Claire, i am in the same boat as you really, i had an ectopic pregnancy and whilst in surgery they damaged a nerve which gives me continoes pain in my right leg iam restricted and cant do any weight bearaing exercise this is why i was put back on these tablets. I want to lose the weight to concieve again and be a healthy mummy. i have lost over a stone so far and want to carry on.

      How much have you got to lose?

      x

  • pinkhen72
    pinkhen72 5ummer

    Posted

    Well done thats a fab weight loss, the blue bullets do work if your like me and want to see results quick they do the job. I have only been on them for four week tomorrow.  Although I dont take three a day most i take is two.

    Good luck my lovely xx

    • 5ummer
      5ummer pinkhen72

      Posted

      They certainly seem to be having an effect that's for sure! Just hope it continues. Will be great to see how you get on as we seem to have started this at a similar time.
  • cathryn34283
    cathryn34283 5ummer

    Posted

    Hi, we'll done on  your weight loss! 

    I have only just started taking orlistat two days ago and g came across this forum after searching for advice on what to eat whilst taking it. 

    I have too decided to take three a day with my meals, g have stopped snacking and having a cheeky bite or finish off the kids leftovers! it has really made me think about what I'm putting in my mouth whereas diets never have, the consequence of cheating on a diet is you put weight on, with orlistat the consequences are a little more severe I've heard! Xx

    • 5ummer
      5ummer cathryn34283

      Posted

      Yes, it has really made me think about what I'm eating and I'm not eating in between meals anymore. I have had a few sweet treats such as ice-cream but not every day and today we ate out at Harvester so I had coleslaw with my salad, croutons and honey and mustard dressing. I also had a cheese and cauliflower tart which was very nice but there have been consequences since I've been home - sorry if it's too much information but I've noticed a lot more orange grease coming out when I've been to the toilet since eating that meal today. It's great that the tablets are doing their job but I'm saving treats like that for the weekend and being really strict during the week. Also not eating in between meals at the weekend and still drinking mostly water. I think also because I've been told to take 3 tablets per day, one with each meal, I'm conscious that if I eat anything in between meals I won't have a tablet to go with it and because I know what will happen if I eat what I shouldn't (excess grease/fat) then I mostly just avoid it. I'm eating more food that I was before but in general it's much healthier options and at more regular intervals. I do feel like I'm training myself for how to carry on after I stop taking the tablets and like you say, other diets don't seem to do that. Good luck with your weight loss!!
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