Finally prescribed! orlistat - diary

Treatment and medication
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I'm 5'8 and have gone from 11st to 15 1/2 stone in the past 2-3 years. Pretty steep rise, after a combination of medicines and stopping exercising. My BMI is 34.

After asking for it a year ago and being told no, then asking for it a month ago and being told no, finally I was prescribed orlistat! It was a locum doctor, otherwise I wouldn't have got it! The doctor that previously refused me twice is old fashioned and tbh just weird, told me to lose weight before I could get it? to me, that's like saying to an addict, prove you're not an addict and we'll give you treatment for your addiction. BIZARRE.

Anyway I wanted to keep a diary of whether I lose any weight and of the side effects, because I've found it so interesting reading other people's experiences.

I started taking it on Friday 23rd Oct, I went out for dinner and had vegetarian moussaka, garlic bread and ice cream. No effect. Saturday, I decided to really test the water and had a takeaway of singapore fried rice, barbecue ribs, chips and curry sauce. Nothing. Then yesterday it really started. Cramping, loud farting, and doing a poo every time I go to the toilet. Today, Monday, is when I've started seeing all the oil.

I've started eating a high carbohydrate, low fat vegan diet, as reccomended to me by the very smart, well-read and professional locum doctor. Mainly the fat I'm getting today is from houmous, seeds and dark chocolate. 

The cramps are fairly constant after a meal that has fat in it, for breakfast I had sugar free muesli and soy milk, and had no effects. For lunch I had rice cakes, dark chocolate, veg soup, bread with dairy free spread. And then more rice cakes. For dinner I'm actually excited to have the same wrap I had for lunch, falafel, houmous and lettuce. YUM. 

My stomach is feeling flatter because of all the poos I'm doing, I'll weigh myself on Friday morning and see what the progress is after a week

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Hi Alice

You sound similar to me in height and weight and gain!!! Just be careful of fat content. If you're keeping below the 5g rule you don't get those symptoms... Houmous, even low fat and any spreads are too fatty in my opinion.

I've been making good progress, 12lbs in about 5-6 weeks. Lost 7lb in the first fortnight without exercising. I eat well and still drink wine most nights so pretty sure if I cut that out I'd lose more!

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12lbs in 6 weeks - thats brilliant!!

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Hi Alice

Good luck on your journey. Sorry to hear the doctor refused you initially.

Time to knuckle down and try your best to be good for a couple of weeks. When you start seeing results, you will be motivated to stick at it.

Tomorrow will be my first week. I have not really had side effects. My body seems to be in a routine right now so I know when I am going to go etc.

I have not done any exercise and at the moment weigh 2kg lighter (4lbs). I am quite happy to lose 2kg a week to be honest. At least it's something.

Good luck again and keep us updated when you can. This forum doesn't seem that active, which is a shame.

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Hi there well congrats on finally getting your tablets but can i ask after trying so hard to get them you would binge eat just to test the side effects?? I would have thought you would be determined and excited to work with them to lose weight? Why are you still eating dark chocolate everyday? These tablets you have to work with them they are not a wonder drug on there own you must stick to low fat 5gms per 100grms every item you eat or its not low fat and no more then 15grms fat per meal as for the doctor who said stick to high carbs is wrong carbs gain weight too many you need to cut them down or you wont lose as much if you can get myfitness pal app on your phone put in your details and log eveything you eat it will tell you how many calories a day to stick to and if your over doing fat and carbs its really helpful i stick to 1200 calories a day and ive lost 3 stone im on my last prescription of olistat now as my bmi is ideal im worried about not having the tablets anymore but so ecstatic about my loss you need to work hard with them after waiting so long to get them because if you dont lose they will not prescibe you anymore sorry if i sound a bit harsh i was just gob smacked that you would eat all that after wanting the tablets to lose weight for so long good luck with your journey hope you manage to shed what you gained x

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hey corinne, i decided to test the water - i wouldnt sat having a chinese was binge eating - to see what the effects were when eating really fatty foods, was curiousity! im eating small amounts of dark chocolate, like a couple of squares.

when i say high carbohydrate, I don't mean bread, pasta etc I mean primarily lots of fruit and veg with bit of wholegrain bread and rice. thats my main diet just now.

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2kg a week is amazing If I can get going at that rate Ill be chuffed :-) well done x

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Hey all, well that's me 7 days on the tablets now, near enough. Weighed myself this morning and have lost 1lb.

That's pretty good going, as at the weekend I had junk food and alcohol.

One thing I've changed about my diet which is actually quite major is I've gone vegan. When my doctor advised me about high carbohydrate diets she was talking about fruit and vegetables, with less focus on rice, pasta etc. I've always wanted to go vegan but never really had the push, but this was it.

Been vegan since Sunday so that's about 5 days. Yesterday after a sh*itty meeting which I was still crying about after I left (all to do with a complaint I made about the police - sorted now) I noticed how my usual reaction would be F*** this, I'd grab a chippy or some sweets or some wine. But I had no desire to eat those things.

It's no doubt the combination of not wanting to eat meat and dairy, and also the stomach cramps that would come on because of the Orlistat.

I'm cancelling my weighwatchers membership today, it doesnt work for me and never has, I always kid myself on I'll make friends at the meeting but I never do. So the money I'm saving from that is going on a Pure Gym membership. I'm also walking to uni and back as much as I can.

With eating all this fruit and veg and also allowing myself a few squares of dark chocolate I can honestly say I don't feel deprived. I made an amazing vegan chili last night and I can't wait to eat the leftovers for dinner today.

Vegan diet plus orlistat seems to be in theory anyway a great combination so things should start getting better and especially once I introduce more exercise into the equation.

I have two weddings in June and have bought a size 12 dress to wear to one of them for inspiration - so I just need to keep that in mind.

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Hi alice sorry we seem to have got off on the wrong foot when i read your comment it read as if you were just over eating to see what happened i prob just didnt understand why as the side effects are really bad and sometimes you have no control over oil leakage so couldnt understand why and the carbs sounded like rice pasta etc but my misunderstanding so i apologise it sounds like your on track and doing well you will prob see a goid difference in your weight friday good luck i wish you well x

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Hi Alice, don't know what age group you are, I'm 58, but it took me years to convince the doctor to give me a three month trial. However, I was not eating an unhealthy diet in the first place and was regularly going to the gym, be it on a gentle programme. Now I find my weight is fairly static, far too high but have dropped a dress size. Flabby bits are flabbier but I can also see muscle shapes.

Point of all this is I am due back next week and doctor has said if there is no significant weightloss she will not be allowed, by the NHS, to continue with the prescription. So lesson here seems to be sit on your backside, eat little and show results, nothing to do with trying to get healthier in the process. So be very careful with the balance between a good balanced diet and trying to feel fitter.

I have been given good advice about getting the doc to measure me ratherather than weiging, or as well as, but I can see these tablets being removed.