I had a great time at the alli booth at Team Prevention Walk it! Philadelphia with Pat Baird, RD, one of the myalli.com experts. Pat was representing alli as a sponsor of the event. She was providing healthy eating and weight loss tips, as well as education about alli, to those who stopped by. I wanted to share a story from the event:

An alli user approached Pat at the alli booth. She said she had lost 38 pounds thus far which gave her the confidence to complete her first race, an 8K, that weekend. She told Pat she was excited about approaching Thanksgiving and the holidays with a new outlook, as she now knows she can cook and eat healthy, watch portions and not cheat.

As she put it: "Let's face it, the first two mouthfuls are the best anyway, and who needs more after that?"

Holidays, food and eating are a part of all of our lives as the year ends. I can point you to holiday tips on the alli Web site where it guides you to eat until you're satisfied, not full. But I also wanted to share this weight loss journey story and the "two bites" tip with you. Whether it's chocolate chip cookies or stuffing, I think it's one that really resonates.

And again, in the interest of full disclosure, this user's weight loss results and experiences may not be typical of all alli users.

Colleen Laing, a blogger writing for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer notes that she picked up a copy of are you losing it? while waiting in line for a prescription.

Her biggest takeaway came from a quote on page 10 by Gary Foster, Ph.D., director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University. "Weight loss is about self care. It is about taking time for self care. It is about changing your attitude, your behavior and your lifestyle," says Dr. Foster. 

And, he weighs in on how to accomplish this: "Don't make time for yourself - take it! ... you are worth taking care of." As Colleen puts it:

Remember in the airplane when the flight attendant says "put your oxygen mask on first, then your child's." That's the idea here -- if you're not taking care of yourself, how can you take care of others? Burnout is on the horizon, temporarily staved-off by a few donuts, a couple frappuchinos [sic], a brownie here, a cookie there.

- Colleen Laing for the Seattle Post Intelligencer

As the book says, the big question isn't whether a weight loss program can change your life, but can YOU?

While the media and many bloggers have focused much of their attention on alli's potential treatment effects, consumers who are actually using the product take a different view.

They say that treatment effects act as a deterrent or a reminder NOT to eat fatty foods. We know this anecdotally from alliFirst Team members as well as from a new study presented at the recent annual meeting of NAASO (aka The Obesity Society). Download PDF of study poster.

The study found that fewer than five percent of users stopped taking alli because of treatment effects and that, in fact, potential side effects were viewed by many as a positive feedback tool.

Caryn Eyring, the alliFirst member featured in People Magazine (after losing 21 pounds), attended The Obesity Society Annual meeting in New Orleans. She said in an interview:

“I had a treatment effect once when I ate too much fat at a meal. I just got right back on the diet. There is no way that a little treatment effect was going to stop me from doing what’s working for me. alli is like a little reminder, sitting on my shoulder, telling me to stick to the plan.”

- Quote from Caryn Eyring, an alliFirst Team member from New York who has now lost 30 pounds.

In the interest of full disclosure (you knew we'd say this)... Caryn's weight loss results and experiences may not be typical of all users.