alli Is Not a Wonder OTC Diet Drug

Xenical (Orlistat) will become the first over-the-counter diet pill in the United States.

Sounds good for millions of obese and overweight people?

With so many false claims, overpromises, litigations, fines and accidental deaths, shouldn't people already learn to stop looking for the magical diet pills?

Xenical has previously only been a prescription drug approved by the FDA for weight loss. The drug works by blunting fat absorption by blocking the digestive enzyme lipase. The over-the-counter version of the diet drug is marketed under the name "alli."

Alli does something totally different. It prevents some of the fat you eat from being absorbed by simply passing through your digestive system.

There are potentially uncomfortable and even embarrassing gastro-intestinal side effects: oily discharge, leaking, urgency, flatulence, oily spotting, liquid stools, incontinence, etc.

Like many other over-promising weight-loss diet pills, they all have potential health risks and nasty side effects .

Herald-Leader Columnist Cheryl Truman criticized the first over-the-counter weight loss drug and shared her journey to losing 74 pounds by adopting healhty eating habits and exercising regularly.

Read her inspiring story here. >>

Orlistat (under the name "alli") is not a wonder diet drug. It didn't promise big weight loss. The manufacturer still recommends doing exercise to go with the drug. Well, if you exercise regularly and eat right, then you don't need that drug.

The take-away message is that so many people have lost weight (fat) successfully without taking any wonder diet drugs or weight loss pills. More importantly, they start to live an active, healthy lifestyle. They achieve their goals by taking care of their body and mind. "Weight loss" is no longer on the back of their heads. They learn to live an enriched and inspired life to the fullest.

Weight "loss" is a negative word and mindset that would make people's lifestyle in a downward spiral vicious cycle. It's a near-sighted short-term fix to your fundamental long-term healthy lifestyle changes. It won't last long. I'm sure you at least know someone who has been in "yo-yo" cycle of weight gain and loss for sometime, a few years or even a good part of his or her life.

The right mindset is to unleash the full potential of your lifestyle and gain your energy to succeed in every area of your life. You want to "gain" leanness, look good and feel better. That is the secret to permanent weight loss. Exercise and diet are two of the best actions, tools or methods to achieve your bigger lifestyle goal. Exercise and diet by themselves are not the goals.

Fat loss is simple, but not easy!

A good starting point is to following the Ten Commandments of Successful Exercise and Weight Management Programs and learn to live a high-energy performance lifestyle!