The pill, called Alli (pronounced al-EYE), is the only weight loss drug approved in the United States as an effective and safe weight loss product available without a prescription.

Gossip magazines are quick to praise the newest fad diet that helped a celebrity lose a seemingly impossible amount of weight; every other TV commercial is for Trim Spa or some other miracle weight loss supplement that promises to help you lose a monumental amount of weight in time for swim suit season.

The reality is weight loss is something that takes time. It does not happen overnight and for a lot of people, a diet alone is not enough. About two-thirds of American adults are overweight, which makes weight loss is a serious issue that needs serious attention.

Recently the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of the first over-the-counter weight loss pill. The pill, called Alli (pronounced al-EYE), is the only weight loss drug approved in the United States as an effective and safe weight loss product available without a prescription. Alli is to be used in combination with a reduced-calorie, low fat diet and will help people lose 50 percent more weight than they would with diet alone.

“Part of the reason a low fat diet is recommended, is that the fat that is not absorbed, stays in your intestine,” said Julia Syburg, a registered dietician in Milwaukee. “This can cause loose or oily stools with some leakage and gas, especially if a large amount of fat is eaten. I have heard that many patients find this side effect to be too uncomfortable to stay on the drug.”

Alli, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, is a weaker version of prescription Xenical; while Xenical capsules contain 120mg of orlistat, Alli capsules contain only 60mg.

Orlistat has been on the market for some time in prescription form and works by limiting the amount of absorption of fat in your diet, said Syburg.

GlaxoSmithKline claims Alli to be different from the numerous OTC weight loss products because it provides consumers with an innovated support system in addition to the drug.

The support program provides consumers with the Alli start package that includes: welcome and companion guides, a guide to healthy eating, a daily journal, a calorie and fat counter, quick fact cards and free access to an individual online action plan. Alli users are asked to create realistic goals and to commit to the plan, not just take the pill.

The theory behind this plan is that when dieting many people lose focus and are quick to give up. The plan is designed to help motivate the consumer and give them realistic goals and prove that those goals are achievable. Alli doesn“t claim to be a miracle pill.

“It won“t be easy, nothing worth it ever is,” said its Web site. All Alli promises to do is help the consumer lose more weight than they would with diet alone.

Alli should be in stores summer 2007.

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