I'm in my third week of taking Alli on and off and over all I would recommend it. I'm having a terrible time losing weight because I eat very healthily, but just too much, I suppose, and I definitely eat too many home- or bakery-made yummies. That aside, I am very impressed with the on-line support that comes with the Alli program. They give you full meal plans after analyzing your dietary needs, and shopping lists. You check in with your weight once a week and you're provided with an immediate analysis of your week, worded very positively and encouragingly. There are discussion boards on diet, the medical side of the pill (monitored by RNs who are obviously trained in all things Alli), and exercise, as well as some general chat rooms.
One of Alli's attractions is the "aversion therapy" aspect of the pill. Evidently, many people can experience urgency and even soiling their pants as a side effect. The Alli people call these side effects "treatment effects". Personally, I have experienced only the opposite: bloating, constipation and too small stools. That really freaked me out the first week and I immediately stopped taking it and asked the RNs about it. I received a very prompt explanation via email. I was thankful I didn't have to check in to the Alli web site to get the response. It turns out I wasn't eating enough fat to warrant taking Alli! So now I only take Alli when I'm eating a medium to high fat meal and I feel pretty good about it.
The last thing I'd like to say I like about Alli is that you can take the pill anywhere from one hour before your meal, during your meal, to as late as one hour after your meal. If I had to take it before every meal, I'd never take it.
If I were a high fat eater, this pill would be a Godsend. AS it is now, I'm losing weight excrutiatingly slowly, but before I started taking it, I kept gaining, just a tiny bit, weekly. Now, I'm down two pounds in 2 1/2 weeks and I'm still eating pretty much the same. I'm just happy I have reversed the trend. It also may be significant that I am not super overweight. My BMI is 24. something. It is recommended for much higher BMIs than mine.
Good luck,
A. B