Orlistat

[Freyagillian]

Looking for advice from anyone who has same problem as myself. I started Orlistat 5 weeks ago and have followed a calorie controlled diet of 1200 for the whole time with no success at all. That is the recommended calories for my height and weight.For the first 2 weeks I had constipation and bad wind and cramping but I stuck with but no weight loss what so ever, I normally have 2 tablets as advised by my Dr who said if there is very little fat in my meal I would not need to take them and since I have all bran and fresh berries with skimmed milk for breakfast I don’t take one. I have only seen the oil once since I started even if I have occasional taken a meal with a higher % of fat I do not get any repercussions . Spoke to my dr after 3 weeks who said to continue as it was early days which was 2 weeks ago but still no weight loss but still getting constipation. Anyone else with this problem. Would be grateful for any advice, I had high hopes too.😩

If 1,200 calories is the recommended calories intake for your height & weight, do you mean that is your tdee? Your recommended daily calories maintains your weight. You need to reduce it by 20% to lose weight.
https://tdeecalculator.net/
How are you working your calories out? Maybe you are eating more calories than you are counting? What is a typical day of food? Are you weighing everything? Accurately? Are you logging on an app? Exercising?

IMustntBelate. Hi, my calories are worked out on an app programme I fill in every day. It also gives me the fat of every meal so I know I am not overeating on the fat. Excuse my ignorance but what does tree mean? No the 1200 is for loosing not maintaining, my maintaining calories is 1400 but I have always found it so difficult to loose weight, I write every single thing down, even if I do have a treat it is always included within my calorie count. I don’t go to the loo a lot and when I do very evidence of the side affects. I know I am not choosing fatty meals though. Really not sure what to do as 5 weeks is a long time and though there would have been a loss showing by now. Not read of anyone else with the same problem. Thank you for replying.

What app are you using? And are you logging any exercise on it?
Unless you are weighing every morsel and logging accurately it is still possible to over eat your calories. you should have lost something in 5 weeks, even without the orlistat, if you were eating in a calorie deficit so something must need tweaking.
TDEE is total daily energy expenditure.

I am on the app Lose it and I do write every single thing down that I eat and weigh everything. I wear my Fitbit watch which tracks exercise not that I am able to do much as suffer with bad arthritis causing painful back which affects my hips and my knees but I do not use up any calories with any exercise so when I joined Loose it I put my exercise as sedentary so they never gave me a high calorie count to use every day . When I did the table putting my details in weight height etc it worked out it was 1400 to maintain weight 1200 to loose weight which that’s just over 5 weeks now and as I said not lost a thing. Since Thursday I reduced my calories to 1000 a day to see if it will help I don’t know what else to do. When I dieted by myself before I was on 1000 cals for weeks and lost nothing, I just can’t loose weight hence the Dr put me on Orlistat so had high hopes to loose on this but not a single thing. I think when I had a dish of macaroni and cheese I expected suffer for it but not a thing no oil when going to loo which does make me think! Just to assure you I do write everything and I mean everything down even if it’s a little thing with low cals as I know it all adds up. The Lose it app is really good and it’s free it also gives you the fat content and protein, carbohydrate so have watch my fat content as says it should be about 15 % fat in a full meal . So yes I am religious about writing it all dow,. Unfortunately I have always been like this when I try to loose weigh. Just never read any other people have this problem and I have read loads of reviews on different forums.Thank you for your help. Grateful for any suggestions. Lorraine.

Orlistat makes people lose weight for two reasons;

1. It reduces fat absorption
2. The effect of #1 creates an aversion to eating high fat foods and midifies their behaviour.

Orlistat fails to cause weight loss for two reasons;

1. People eat carbohydrates instead.
2. People don't feel as satiated on carbohydrates compared to fat, experience greater dips in energy due to the the body processes carbs and therefore consume greater calories in carbs to try and get the same satiated feeling they'd get from fewer calories of higher fat foods.

I should consider cutting out some carbohydrates to see if this makes a difference as never thought about that stopping me loosing weight as I thought as long as I was doing a low fat diet and within my recommended calories it would be ok but obviously not. Thank you for giving me this advise. Regards Lorraine.

Correct

Its a medication based on all the wrong approaches about weight loss

Ive never taken it, I wouldnt because Ive had years of IBS symptoms and I predicted a nightmare for me if I did, but equally because the most successful way of eating for me for weight loss is high fat/protein, and low carb. Unfortunately it took me many decades to learn this

The doctor referred me to the weight loss surgery pathway so that I could have WLS but this involved working to a programme that involved orlistat. I booked it privately myself as I knew that I wouldnt engage with that.

Its a shame the NHS appears decades behind in terms of weight loss approaches, there is so much evidence that low fat is counter productive.

I feel for you as my daughter has had IBS for years, it seems to hit her at any time which is so scary if she is out and not near a toilet. Very painful and spends ages on the loo. I saw Alex Burke the singer getting an interview as she has IBS and she came upon a probiotic called Symprove which she takes first thing every morning and basically she has got it under control and changed her life. I bought it for my daughter (not cheap) and she has taken it for about 3 months now it has not got rid of it but the attacks are much less so she she continues to take it. I read a lot of people have had success for it. Maybe look into it. I find it’s cheaper on eBay. I am going to cut down on carbohydrates, only thing is I have to take albran cereal every day to keep me going to the toilet as had problems for years until I took this TMI 🤣. Orilistat only made me worse in that department so will have to take that. I wonder how much carbohydrate you can have and still loose weight. I am send picture of Symprove. Thank you for your help. Lorraine.