I started using xenical in September 2005, and I have been taking it ever since. In that time I have lost about 3.5 stone (50lbs or 23kg). But taking it has required something of a change in lifestyle. Xenical works by inhibiting the lipase in your digestive system, so that 30% of the fat in your meal is not absorbed into your body (it therefore goes straight through you, hence the potential side effects).
Due to a medical condition I have great difficulty in losing weight, as my metabolism has been effected by prescribed drugs that I took for 7 years. This has meant that eating a normal diet I tend to put weight on, and even by eating a low-calorie, low-fat diet my weight loss tends to stagnate. When Boots the Chemist started to advertise a weight loss programme I decided to investigate, and it turned out that what they were giving was 252 tablets of xenical for £125 (that's 3 months' supply). This seemed expensive, but due the problems I have with my metabolism my weight had ballooned to over 20 stone, and my health was beginning
to be affected. So I decided to give it a try, having been given no help from my GP.
I would recommend using xenical only with good medical advice, or through somewhere like Boots. At Boots they do a full assessment of your current health situation (all of the people who run the weight loss programme are already Boots' pharmacists) and, based on your medical history and need (you will not be given the drug unless your BMI is over 30, or over 28 if you have a medical condition that you need to lose weight for), you can be given a month's supply for about £60 as a trial, or opt to go straight for a 3 month supply for £125 (if you go for the three month supply, but then decide that this is not for you within the first month, you simply need to return the 2 months supply that you have left and they will refund the difference). The other advantage to Boots is that they will give you a 25% discount off everything in their "Shapers" range and their own brand fitness equipment when you do the diet, as long as you hold a Boots Advantage card (their loyalty points card).
I found that the advice that I was given about how to take the drugs and how to avoid the unpleasant side effects that can come with the drugs at Boots was excellent (I've listed the DOs and DON'Ts for taking xenical at the bottom). I've seen xenical written up in the press as the drug for lazy weight loss, which is, quite frankly, absolute tripe! To use it properly and effectively you have to be extremely careful about the fat content of your food, ensuring that if you do not want to "leak" (that is when too much fat passes out of your body as oil, making, at best, your bowel movements loose and, at worst, actually leaking oil throughout the day) you must ensure that each meal you eat has less than 12 grams of fat. Less than 15 grams of fat will also work but you will start to get the loose stools mentioned above. So the trick is to eat lost of fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, chicken breasts, cut all of the visible fat off other meat, and above all check the fat content of every processed food you eat. You will be amazed once you start checking everything just how much fat supposedly healthy food has in it.
With xenical you must take a capsule during, or within an hour of, every meal. This is probably one of the more difficult aspects of the drug, as you have to carry it around with you and ensure that you take it even when you are very busy with other things.
Don't expect never to have side effects, but be prepared for them. I have usually managed not to have any, but be aware that going on holiday and going out for meals are times when you will have to try to find low fat food but may not succeed. If you have had a lapse and eaten fatty foods you will "leak", and it will be your own fault, not the drug's, assuming that you were given the proper advice in the first place. What you also need to be aware of is that the worst of the side effects will happen 24-48 hours after the fatty meal, and if, through circumstances, you have two fatty meals in succession, you will leak oil terribly (I've only done it once on holiday, and believe me, I will not be doing it again!)
Having gone through all of the possible side effects, I must actually go through the positives. Although I did nothing more than cut down the fat content of my already low fat diet, and try to do a little more walking, I lost 10lb (4.5kg) in the first month on xenical. Quick weight loss was actually not what I was looking for, so I was shocked, as I wanted slow, steady sustainable weight loss, but after that my weight loss slowed to what you will be quoted as the recommended achievable weight loss taking xenical which is 0.5-1lb a week. It is now probably even slower than that, my having been on xenical for well over a year, as I lose no more than about 2lb a month. However, I am happy at this, as I have already lost 3.5 stone as I mentioned above, even though I still have 6 stone to lose to reach my target weight. I am happy with this weight loss, and I am so confident about xenical that I am convinced for the first time that by eating a low-fat diet whilst taking these tablets, that I will actually achieve my target weight.
I have included a list of DOs and DON'Ts below for anyone starting with xenical:
DO get medical advice from your GP or get them from somewhere like Boots if your doctor won't give you them. DO take them after every meal even if it has only a low fat content. DON'T take them if you are sure that your meal has no fat at all, they will have no effect. DO ensure that each meal has 12 grams or less of fat (15 grams at absolute maximum) if you want to avoid the side effects. DO expect slightly looser stools and a slight increase in wind even when you stick to the 12 grams per meal - it is slight but noticeable at first. DON'T forget to take them if you are eating out and you think you have had too much fat in a meal - you will have side effects, but it will still remove 30% of the fat from a fatty meal, which at least should help even if you had a major lapse. DON'T take them more than an hour after a meal your body has already digested much of the fat, and by the time the xenical get into your system it will be too late - they are too expensive to waste! DO take a vitamin D, E, K & beta-carotene supplement, as these are fat-soluble vitamins and their absorption will be effected by the xenical. Ensure that you take them either more than an hour before taking a xenical tablet, or more than an hour after, or they will be effected by the tablet, just as these vitamins in your food are. DO keep you portion size big enough to fill you fully, just ensure you keep the fat content low. DO watch your calorie intake, up to a point. It is no good cutting the fat content of your meals if you are only going to substitute with higher sugar. DO eat healthy snacks between meals (e.g. fruit, yoghurts, low calorie snacks) if you are hungry, just don't eat junk-food snacks. DO try to take exercise while doing the diet, you will lose weight more quickly and be more likely to keep it off.
Foods to be mostly avoided:
Eggs Mayonnaise Cream (including cream soups and sauces) Most bacon Most sausages All fast food Cheese Chicken cooked with the skin on Cakes, cookies and biscuits Any processed food with more than 5% fat unless you are eating it in very small amounts.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: It is usually a successful way of losing weight Disadvantages: It requires a lot of self control unless you want to suffer the consequences!
junkboxjules 10.02.2003 (03.01.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Xenical
Advantages: Losing weight is easy and you don't have to give up your favourite foods, great support offered, lots of local meetings during the day and eveing Disadvantages: Weekly fee can make it an expensive way to lose weight
junkboxjules 18.12.2003 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Weight Watchers
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Dec 3rd, 2006
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