Let me tell you about Xenical and my experiences with it. First and foremost, I am not overweight, I was at one stage in my life (hey, being the first born, the probability of being overweight is tremendously high) but I am not now. In fact, the BMI chart in the Xenical website states that I am not a candidate for the drug. The reason why there is Xenical sitting in my kitchen is because my mum had bought a slab. Then she found out that since she is a diabetic (and hence on medication), it is not recommended that she take Xenical. Hence, she passed it on to me, as opposed to throwing it out. It is rather expensive in this country, approximately RM5 per pill. I had read about Xenical before but I had never had the urge to buy it.
You can read more about Xenical and its prescibed treatment at the Xenical Website. This story is about my experience with the product. Let it be known that as with any other weight loss program, professional medical advice ought to be sought before starting the treatment. This story is by no means an alternative to seeking professional medical advice.
So, why do I take Xenical? Well, the drug basically inhibits approximately one third of the fat of a meal that can be absorbed by the body. Basically, I take it when I go out for extremely large and fattening meals... e.g. during Chinese New Year, when I go out with my friend Sheldon (who LOVES food) etc. It is a way of "cheating" the system. I do not follow the prescribed program... I only take it when I feel that I have over eaten or when I have eaten an extremely fattening meal (e.g. anything deep fried). That way, I don't feel TOO guilty when consuming the meal.
WOW!! It stops the fat from being absorbed... so why not take it everyday you might ask. Well, I don't like abusing drugs and whilst like most of the female population, I have an urge to lose weight, I am not that desperate. I lead a fairly healthy lifestyle (e.g. I watch what I eat and I go to the gym) so I don't feel the need to take it everyday. I am not anorexic or bullemic. Aside from the cost factor, there are the side effects factor of the drug. Let me tell you about these...
OK... we've established that Xenical stops 1/3 of the fat you consume from being absorbed. So where does it go? Well, as with most any other waste products, it comes out of the bowels. Basically, your errmmm stool becomes oily... and you know those friction burns and the stretched anus feeling you get when your stool is hard? Well, that's not a problem... think of it as WD40 for your stool... it eases the motion. For those of you who are constipated, this could be a god's send. However, let me tell you that if you take just one Xenical tablet, when you got to go, YOU GOTS TO GO. It doesn't matter where you are, what you are doing, when you got to go, YOU GOTS TO GO. Now, this would make it a little inconvenient for those of you who attend important meetings on a daily basis as you CANNOT CONTROL YOUR BOWEL MOVEMENTS. And one bowel movement per day isn't the norm when one is on Xenical... you could go a few times a day. Hence, when taking Xenical, one has to keep this in mind. One has to think ahead when taking Xenical.
Uncontrollable bowel movements is one... then, there is the flatulence problem... farts for those of you who don't know what flatulence is, southern region gas expulsion. Gas is a problem when one is on Xenical... you tend to produce a lot more. Not a problem you say? Well, if you are one of those who farts discretely, bravo to you!! I simply cannot abide with those who fart in public... have they no shame?? Anyways, gas is a problem. Why? Well, seeing that there is oil in the bowels, when you expel the gas, oil flows out as well... this one, you simply cannot stop. You can clench and clench and clench but the oil will flow as there is no resistance in the passage. If you are a female, putting on a panty shield helps with the oil stained underwear... for males, chuck some toilet paper down there. I don't recommend that one wears white or light coloured underwear when taking Xenical for the oil that's produced, well, it could have gone in clear but it may come out as orange or brown in colour. Needless to say, an oily behind is a reality when one is taking Xenical.
Then of course, there are the stomach cramps... this one, I have experienced a few times, but not on every occastion that I have taken the product. According to the Xenical website, the side effects that I mentioned above should go away in time e.g. 6 months but seeing that I don't take it in the prescribed method, I get it almost everytime I take it *sigh*.
Another thing to remember when taking Xenical is that it also inhibits the absorbtion of some vitamins hence, taking a multivitamin pill is recommended when on the program. Whilst it isn't stated, I don't think that you should pop that Evening Primrose Oil pill for a few hours after taking that Xenical tablet. Looking at the range of vitamins and mineral supplements available on the market, it is safe to say that a large portion of us take them. A lot of the supplements are in the "oil format" e.g. Evening Primrose Oil, Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin E Oil, Garlic Oil etc. I think that Xenical would negate the effects of these supplements... you do not want to be expelling these oils now do you?
In summary... well, it is nice to have a "back up plan" like this on the market... it enables us to cheat our diets once in a while without feeling TOO guilty... but there are things to watch out for. You do not want to be taking Xenical before the night of that big date.
