A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet alli user Cheryl H. as we filmed alli's latest commercial in her house (yes, in her house).  We chose her for the ad after reading the story that she submitted to the real stories section of myalli.com. 

Cheryl works as a pharmacist at a local independent pharmacy, she is married with two teenagers, and volunteers in her community. Like many of us, she juggles a busy schedule and did not want to take something that would reduce her ability to focus.

Being an alli user who is also a pharmacist, she is also able to share her experience with people that come into her pharmacy for help.

"When people come into the pharmacy and ask questions about any medication, it's always easier to talk about their concerns when I have actually had a personal experience with the medication myself. Since I have had personal experience with alli, I know all the ins and outs. I just tell them, if you eat right it's going to work for you, too. It's something that you're going to be able to do to keep the weight off because you change the way you eat. Unlike with other diet medications, Alli motivates you to make the necessary lifestyle changes that will make it possible to keep the weight off."

In January, I wrote about the alli calendar which directs readers to three episodes of Trend Watch on Vogue.TV. The first episode focuses on spring entertaining with celebrity chef and RD Melissa Petitto. 

Melissa used produce from local farmer's markets to create the menu. Spring lends itself to fresh produce no matter where you live. 

For those tempted by the food in the Trend Watch episode, most of the recipes were selected from alli cookbook or The alli Diet Plan. Or, more recipes are available in the healthy eating section of myalli.com or in your favorite low-fat cookbook or magazine.

A usual trip to the pharmacy goes a little like this. Walk in, go to the counter, and hand in the prescription. Wait 10, maybe 15 minutes. Pay for your script, grab the bag.  Next, out the door and start thinking about dinner. Pretty typical, right?

Surprisingly, yes. The 2008 Parata Prescription Survey of the nation's 225 million prescription-takers found 80% of people spend less than two minutes talking to their pharmacist when they pick up their prescriptions and 45 percent don't talk to pharmacists at all.

Your pharmacist can be a great source of information.  They can:

• Determine if you are taking your medicine correctly.
• Counsel on potential drug interactions, preventing overdose and unwanted side effects.
• Provide prescription and nonprescription medicine information.  For example, when we launched alli, many pharmacists received resources that included information relevant to the alli program.

So the next time you go to the pharmacist, ask questions. Remember a pharmacist is the most accessible health care professional in America.

Anyone who’s looked around the weight loss section of a drugstore or watched the ads on TV knows that some products promise to help you lose weight quickly and easily. The problem is that little, if any, evidence supports these claims – and some of them are outrageous.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, more Americans are victimized by weight loss fraud than any other activity they survey. Make no mistake about it. The FTC and the FDA work hard to address this problem, but more products keep flooding into the market, making unsupported claims.

I believe this situation needs to change. I’ve spent a lot of time listening to consumers and experts on weight and health who want to see it change, too. 

Perhaps you’ve heard that GSK recently joined three organizations in petitioning the FDA to change how it regulates dietary supplements for weight loss. The three organizations are the American Dietetic Association, The Obesity Society and Shaping America’s Health.

What does GSK get out of this?
There are those who have speculated that this is some kind of anti-competitive effort by us. 

Let’s be clear. There will always be competition for alli.  People have plenty of options for sound, proven approaches to lose weight. This petition is about setting a solid standard of proof for products that claim to help overweight people lose weight.

Consumers will benefit because they will be able to choose among weight loss products that are proven to work. 

When unproven products promise quick and easy weight loss, everyone suffers. All the hype makes it harder for people to find real help to lose weight and improve their health. It creates an environment where people start to doubt even modest, truthful claims. The entire weight loss category, benefits by reducing this doubt.