Orlistat

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Hi, I have just started taking Orlistat today and I can see lots of old threads about it but none recently posted so just wondering if anyone else on here is on this same journey? I have around 5-6 stone that I could do with losing so my doctor suggested Xenical as a starting point. I have Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome too and I am sure my weight at 18.5 stone won't be helping those. Any friendly advice or chat would be greatly appreciated

Oops.

4lbs loss for my first week. I’m so happy with that, that’s more than I have ever gotten in a week without the tablets!

That's a very good loss @Ruthlessaunt

I'm taking a break from Orlistat for a while as going on holiday so want to be able to eat a bit more fat without worrying about potential side effects. I've hit the 1 stone loss mark after several months so very happy with that.

Will start taking Orlistat again in a couple of weeks when my life is back to normal. And won't go too mad on holiday as I'm enjoying fitting into my clothes better now.

Just joining the thread after reading it for a while. I have just finished my first month and am down 12 pounds! I started at 19 stone 10 and am now 18 stone 12.

I joined a new gym two months ago which does a mix of weight training and HIIT and I am going three times a week. The weightloss has certainly helped my fitness and I have even done some short bursts of running as part of the training.

I have had one near accident but got to the loo in time (I was out so that was a speedy drive home). I have recently turned vegetarian and trying to keep protein consumption up is tricky when I get a certain amount from things like cheese but I have the hang of it now. I work from home a lot which is handy and in my usual office at work I have my own private bathroom which is handy! One day I knew I would be working elsewhere so I actually avoided taking the tablets the day before.

Overall I am very happy with the results so far. I am 47, have an underactive thyroid and am perimenopausal so this has been a big help.

Hello, @ZestyDragon it looks like you and I started out at roughly the same weight.

I've only got good things to say about Orlistat. I am now well below 18 stone, which to me is a miracle.

Good luck with it. I think that when people have about ten stone to lose it can become very disheartening indeed, but Orlistat has definitely speeded up my weight loss and I have had no bad side-effects at all.

I have had no bad side-effects at all.

@TheShellBeach Ooh that's a blessing, have you not eaten much fat at all?

I've eaten lots of fat, actually.
The only thing I'm trying to do is cut back on carbs.
I'm also attempting to eat fewer than 1400 calories a day.

Fewer than 1400 sounds brutal! I’m trying to stick to around 1500 a day after doing a TDEE calculator and I’m finding that tough most days lol. I’ve also had no bad side effects really (even with high fat meals) other than some mild stomach cramps and some smelly toilet trips (tmi sorry!!!). No urgency or anything like that though which is good. I take my orlistat with psyllium husk tablets every time which is meant to help with the gastro side effects.

About one month in now and 8 lbs down which I’m happy with :) could have probably been quicker if I’d been a bit stricter but oh well, need to have some days off or this won’t be sustainable I don’t think!

Hey @TheShellBeach yes it is VERY daunting. I am aiming for 12 Stone for now so that is just under 7 stone It could be worse as I was 22 stone at my heaviest a few years ago! I am just taking it a half stone at a time. The weight comes off very slowly but I have been told I have quite large fibroids so I am expecting that I will need surgery so it is my goal to get as healthy as I can to be ready for that and the recovery. It is the push that I need!

I've eaten lots of fat, actually.

That's surprising as I'dve thought it'd give you the runs or something badly.

Glad you're doing well on it.

I take my orlistat with psyllium husk tablets every time which is meant to help with the gastro side effects.

Oooh, interesting.

I forgot to post my weight loss this week:

Down another 2 lb. Considering I ate a lot of crap this week, that is remarkable.

Absolutely gutted - eating really well, taking Orlistat for 2 weeks and I’ve actually gained 2 pounds!
what am I doing wrong?

How many calories a day are you eating?

About 1750 - I’m eating so much less than I was

The reason you have put on weight can’t be anything to do with Orlistat. Maybe you have exercised less than usual or eaten more calories than you think. I would reduce your calories to around 1400 and see if you can lose weight then.

Hi all, I’ve been reading this thread with interest, I’d never heard of Orlistat before!

A typical day’s food for me looks like this (or at least it will in September when I go back to work in a school!), is this ok or is it too much / not enough fat??

breakfast - fruit with fat free natural yogurt and granola

lunch - handful of rice crackers or pretzel thins with veggie sticks, low fat cream cheese and either some ham / chicken / hard boiled eggs

dinner (non exhaustive but generally things like) - 5 or 10% fat minced beef (chilli with rice and tortilla chips / lasagne with garlic bread / shepherds pie with baked beans etc) or sausages with mash and veg, roast dinner, steak pie with veg, chicken curry with rice and naan, enchiladas, gammon egg and chips, all day breakfast. We use our air fryer as much as possible so generally only use oil for roast potatoes or Yorkshire pudding.

Exercise wise I work out 4 or 5 days a week - combination of classes / swim / gym and running. I have around 2 and a half stone to lose. I’ve been a yo-yo dieter for as long as I can remember but the closer I get to 40 the harder it is to lose weight and i really would like to sort myself out for good!!

If you have any tips or adjustments, that would be great - I’ve read the horror stories and would really like to not shart myself if it can be helped!! Thank you so much!!

Hi @MrsBooks I think this thread has shown that everyone responds to Orlistat differently.
I've never had a problem with it and I eat anything I like.
Other people have a different response.
The best thing to do is to try it and see how you get on.
Good luck! I do my best to do intermittent fasting as well as taking Orlistat.

I agree with @TheShellBeach that everyone reacts differently. But small adjustments I would make is not too much fat in any one meal. Some of your dinners look fairly fatty although the overall amount in your day is not excessive.

I’m thinking of things like lasagna & garlic bread. I would have salad with the lasagna instead of garlic bread. Also with your curry I would keep the rice but cut out the naan. I would also eat a couple of roast potatoes but no Yorkshire pudding as that is very high in fat which would scare me with the potential side effects!

@TheShellBeach and @Twiglets1 thank you so much. great ideas with the dinner 👍

I’m just so nervous - has anyone built up the dose by doing one tablet a day with dinner to start with maybe?

Yes, I did.
I discovered within about a week when to take them, and how they affected me.
There are women on this thread who only take one a day.
I found that even taking three a day didn't cause me to have diarrhoea.
Other women have had a different experience.
Give them a try and see how you react.
I've had no accidents at all.

I think it was the OP who noted that they take about twelve hours to work.

Weigh in this morning and I have now lost 14lbs. I am delighted. I am calorie counting and on 1550 calories per day. I am concentrating on getting between 70 and 80g of protein which is not easy being vegetarian and also just making sure I get my 5 fruit or veg a day. Lots of protein yogurt, eggs, small amounts of cheese and some quorn are how I am doing it. No accidents so far thankfully.

And I was very anxious before I started taking them - I think we all were - there are plenty of horror stories about Orlistat, after all.

@ZestyDragon well done!
How long has that taken you?

@TheShellBeach Thanks! It has taken 6 weeks at this point. I have a long way to go though and with an underactive thyroid it can be very slow.

I've also got a very long way to go.
It makes me laugh when I read threads where women say they need to lose 5 lb, to get down to 9 st or similar.
My goal is 10 st 7 lb.
I've got 7 st to go!