Home > Good Form > Archives > 2007 > February > 19
Monday, February 19, 2007
Move over Kirstie .. .
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There is a new fat girl in town! People have frequently said that I look like Kirstie Alley. Now that she has taken off a lot of weight, I don’t want them to say I look like the FAT Kirstie. So, tomorrow I start working out with Tina G. Thanks to the AJC, I get four months of FREE (!) personal training three times a week. I’m sure Tina will make me work out at a far more demanding pace than anything I’ve done on my own. I don’t know which is more intimidating, working out with a trainer or publicizing my starting weight. Ayyy.
Will check in tomorrow assuming I survive the mortification.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Fitness Challenge
Alli- The name Sounds Safe, but Is It?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Another “new” fat blocker that is on the market has raised its ugly head. Funny thing is it’s not new at all. The only thing that is different is that it is now available over the counter and has been given a different name. The drug that I speak of is Orlistat (also known as Xenical).
Xenical has been made available to the public by prescription for many years now. The intentions of Xenical are to block the absorption of fat into the body. Therefore, the idea is that if you block fat you’ll use the fat you have and lose weight. Unfortunately, for most, it isn’t effective at all. Of course it isn’t, as there is no focus on a healthy diet or exercise regime. The other problem is that you need fat, so you block healthy fats as well.
If you don’t believe in healthy fats, let me educate you. First, there are four fat soluble vitamins which are vitamins A, D, E, and K. Secondly, you have essential fats known as Omega 3 and Omega 6. You block these fats, then you severely risk you health.
However, if that’s still not enough to convince you not to use it, then let me share some foul side-effects. When you use Alli you can suffer from diarrhea, intestinal gas with discharge, an increased number of bowel movements, poor bowel control, a need to have a sudden bowel movement, and best of all oily spotting (anal leakage). Now, that just sounds sexy doesn’t it?
The worse part about this drug and many others is that it has hardly any positive benefits whatsoever. In clinical trials it showed minimal results, like a pound a month (which was probably the result of the oily stools). Alli is also just another example of how you can continue to make profits on a drug (when profits begin to fail) just by changing its name, putting it in a different bottle, and making it available over the counter. Even worse, there are people flocking to buy it because it’s been approved by the FDA and are told that it is safe. Very unfortunate this stuff even gets approved!
