New to Orlistat ( unprescribed )

Hey, thanks for the reply

I should of mentioned that the dose is 120mg to same value as the tables prescribed by a gp.

I've also booked a appointment with my gp to let them know I'm on it etc.

It's only been 3 days so I can't expect big changes but well done on your weight loss - great motivation !

Oh wow you managed to get prescription strength without a prescription?!! You're doing the right thing seeing your GO about it though but being honest from what people have said a lot of them don't give a lot of info. I'd recommend searching this site for orlistat as there is a downloadable info sheet from a Norfolk hospital that has been designed to give you all the info you need & a 4 day meal planner :-) x

Hi Cath. You seem to know alot about all this, so I hope you don't mind me asking...I am new to Orlistat and I am about to take my first one. I am not sure if understand it correctly...the pills work by preventing absorption of dietary fat (1/3 approximately). I am not sure if this is no matter how much fat you eat (since more comes out in your stool if you eat too much). However, we are told that we should eat low fat foods, but surely if we eat lower fat foods then we will be eating more carbohydrates (which will all be absorbed). Am I correct in thinking that this drug works on the assumption that the user ate far too many calories before, especially fat and that the fear/actuality of having oily stools etc will be a deterrent for eating high fat foods and therefore you will lose weight? I know if will get rid of a bit for us, but we won't be eating that much, including many calories. I thought that the reason why diets don't work is due to deprivation and hunger making people overeat. Can we eat 'normal' rather than diet portions and not have a very low calorie diet (e.g. 1,600) of low fat foods)? I don't think i'll lose weight on this unless I go basically I diet, which has not worked for me because I am always starving. Thanks

Hi, thanks for feeling like you can pick my brain! I admit I dont know much about the science other than what you have described above but I do believe you're right in that it has more effect because its a deterrent. Most people will probably try eating higher fat foods 'to check' the reaction & believe me its not pleasant & you won't want to repeat it but sometimes we have to learn from our own mistakes! That's precisely why I wanted them being honest. I can do weight watchers/slimming world etc & for the most part follow it to the letter BUT I then 'treat' myself to chocolate etc with my points/suns whereas on orlistat I can't so I hope it means that once accustomed to it I won't miss it. I have not had a single piece of chocolate in a month now which is quite frankly something I'd never imagined being able to do so easily! I make sure that my meals are filled with 50% of the plate as veg/salad lots of lean protein & a small amount of carbs or sometimes none at all because that's what works for me. I expected to feel hungrier as after all I didnt reach 28st by eating lettuce but by eating fibrous healthy filling food its working. Give it your all. Maybe try different approaches a week at a time to see the results both in terms of hunger & on the scales so you can see what works best for you? You can do it! x

Thanks for the reply Cath. You have been so helpful. Sounds like you have done really well with the diet. You are eating so healthy and I'm sure your body thanks you for it, not just for the weight loss. I think that some people could still continue gaining weight if they ate lots of carbs, but if you follow the guidelines then it should keep you right. We are all different, so everyone will have things that work better for them. I have major food issues, so I have had to try these pills as a last resort to deter me from bingeing on bad foods. I cannot stop otherwise. Thanks for your support. I will let you know how I get on and I hope to hear more about how you and everyone else on here are getting on. I love the positive, supportive atmosphere on here...I don't feel like society is like this at all

Our society is def fatist not that that's a word but you know what I mean.

I too have a bad relationship with food - I need to override a 30yr dysfunctional relationship. My Dr actually said my mum was to blame which was good because its nice to know its not all my fault & that the seeds were sown by someone else. It's become my comfort, my reward & something I rely on. I would love to see food as merely fuel for my body but I'm not sure that will ever happen!

The only people who truly understand are people who share these issues. I believe I may have an addiction & the thing is if your addicted to alcohol you could give it up same with gambling & drugs - its very hard but you can live without them. Food you cannot live without as we need it to survive so we're stuck. Everyday is a battle not to have all those lovely foods/drinks out there but thats life & at the end of the day if I want a life I need to not eat them because I wont be around in the future if I do.

I feel I've cracked chocolate but I need to work on not wanting to eat cake as that's what I crave most days!!