20 April 2009
A 'new' weight loss drug, called alli is all over the newspapers at present. It is hyped as a wonder drug.
But what alli really is is xenical (previously known as Orlistat). And the harm it did under that name, will continue under the new name.
And it doesn't work — for two reasons:
- alli prevents dietary fat from being absorbed into the body. But it isn't dietary fat that puts weight on, only carbs do that. Dietary fat is actually slimming. So, eat a low-carb, high-fat diet and you will save a small fortune — alli is not cheap!
- If you want to lose weight the alli way, you still have to eat a low-fat diet and take lots of exercise, which is probably what you are already doing. And, if you're doing that, you don't need alli. If you don't also cut your fat intake, you'll spend a lot of time sitting either on the toilet or in very messy, pants. The fat that alli has stopped you body absorbing has to go somewhere; it leaks out of your nether end!
Until people realise that there is only one way to live their lives at a normal weight and in good health — and that way does not include drugs — they will remain a constant source of income for unscrupulous drug pushers, while living an uncomfortable life.
12 comments:
I read a dated article of yours discounting the benefit of counting calories. I've gone on several diets including a low-carb one. It worked but I think it has problems. The best for me was exercise and reducing calories in line with my basal metobolic rate. It's strickly a matter of fuel i.e., fewer calories in and more burned cuts the weight!!
Thats starving! And you can't starve forever. Being hungry also affects your mood and energy in a negativ way atleast it does so for me. Low-carb high-fat is a lifetime eating regime not an on/of diet for loosing the weight you gained since your last diet.
Read Barrys book "Natural health and weight loss" its realy good at explaining how our body works with different foods and why the amount of calories alone can not be used to determin if your gonna gain, lose or just maintain weight.
On topic, I wonder what goes on in the head on the people making these drugs, how can they make them self do it?
Søren
Hi AnonymousSøren has answered your point concisely. As I explained in both Natural Health & Weight Loss and in Trick and Treat, the paradigm that weight loss can only be accomplished by cutting calories and taking more exercise is totally flawed. There is absolutely no point in counting calories as many of them are in proteins and fats, which your body uses to make things that don't contribute energy and have to be discounted, and exercising usually makes you hungry so you eat more - which, if nothing else, is a waste!
And the idea that calories in must balance calories out contravenes the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
SørenThe answer to your question is easy - MONEY.
I truly don't understand the logic, if I don't eat fats and replace them with carbs just as the dietician told me, the excess carbs get turned into MORE fat. Eating the fat is far more satiating as it doesn't drive up my BG and insulin which means that my body fat and blood fats (lipids) improve significantly, thus I have nothing driving me to overreat.
Nearly everyone who tries this finds the same effect. We're not the only species that works this way either, ask any farmer how he fattens his animals: fat or Healthy Whole Grains . . .
Article in today's Mail online. I know it is the Daily Mail however they do mention that it is carbohydrates that cause weight gain and not fat. And of course all the disadvantages of the alli drug. Some interesting comments on there as well.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1174043/As-the-counter-drug-weight-loss-launched-ask--actually-bad-health.html#comments
Suzie
Not about Alli, but low carbing reaches Saga Magazine
http://www.saga.co.uk/saga-Magazine/apr-2009/diabetes.asp
things are looking up . . .
The Daily Mail article is not bad at all. The message is getting out.
Unfortunately the Diabetes article in Saga Magazine has a serious fault. Charles Clark is replacing carbs with lean protein - and that's no healthier than the carbs. Why? Well the answer here is not difficult to understand. But, because it isn't politically correct, doctors who aren't trained in nutrition, tend not to understand the dangers of relying on protein for energy.
So, things could be looking up more.
Why not send a letter to the editor of Ssga Magazine and refer him or her to the article? A lot of people have the wrong idea about protein.
Hi Anon
Good idea. I'll do that
Barry
It's a step though. If he mentioned saturated fats (or maybe even any fats at all) do you think the article would have been published?
There may be a legitimate use for "Alli" afterall- in fact, possibly one of the only ways to TRULY "detox"! Check out this blog post by Michael Eades: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/weight-loss/a-legitimate-use-for-orlistat/. No bull- I'm seriously trying it. There's practically no other way to get these "persistent organic pollutants (POPs)" out of our fat cells, and EVERYONE has accumulated them throughout life, because they are everywhere in our environment these days. In fact, I have a theory that they're why I get sick and have a headache everytime I try to fast- maybe the poisons are leaving my fat and going to my brain! In any case, I don't think this is dangerous to try for a few days- only dangerous if you're trying to lose weight by them.
Hi Jared
An intersting article but there are definite problems with the idea.
Firstly, this is only a hypothesis, and it has only been trid on rats, so more work would have to be done to see if it works in the same way on humans. This is frequently not the case with dietary animal studies, as few animals respond to the human diet in the way that humans do.
But secondly - and probably more importantly - if you want to lose weight and be healthy, you have to use fat as your major energy source and that means absorbing dietary fat into your body. Orlistat inhibits the absorption of fats - which is the last thing we want to do.
So what looks like it might be a good idea, may need some more thinking about. How about getting rid of POPs in dietary fats instead, for example, by avoiding meat and other fats that have been subjected to them?
Incidentally, I doubt that POPs cause weight gain - but low-fat diets certainly do.
I will have a new article on my website soon about the fact that ALL wild mammals (perhaps all animals including birds and fish) eat a very high-fat diet in their natural environment.
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