Do Diet Drugs Work? We test Alli and Appesat

Kara Gammell is taking Alli

Height: 5' 3

Starting weight: 11st 10lbs

Pills taken for: one week

Weight now: 11st 7lbs

Weight loss so far: 3lbs

"I've done it. I figured out the secret behind the Alli pills. It's fear. And fear, as it turns out, is a great way to lose weight. All week, I've dutifully taken one pill before every meal and made sure to keep my calories low and fat intake even lower. Or suffer.

With the ghastly gastro-intestinal "diet related side effects" never far from my mind, I haven't so much as looked at anything high in fat all week. And surprise, surprise, I lost 3lbs. And much to my relief, so far I've had no side effects at all. Unlike most medications, the Alli pills are said to have potentially immediate side effects.

It's amazing how the thought of suffering faecal-incontinence can create rock solid will-power. It's a great deterrant and it made avoiding high-fat foods a breeze.

And when I climbed off the scales this morning, a totally out of character thought ran through my mind: imagine how much weight I would lose if I excercised too.... The Davina Work-out box set is already on it's way."

Fiona Macdonald-Smith is taking Appesat

Age: late 30s

Height: 5ft 4in

Starting weight: 9st 12lbs

Pills taken for: one week

Weight now: 9st 12lbs

Weight loss so far: 0

"Well, I've been taking the Appesat tablets for a little over a week now, and there don't seem to be any side effects. Unfortunately there don't seem to be any beneficial effects either...

The really annoying thing about them is that although you have to take three tablets before each meal, with a glass of liquid, it can't be hot liquid. In the mornings, pre school run, I have half an hour to get up, get the kids up, and have breakfast. So I take the pills as I get up which gives me half an hour before we leave, to swallow my muesli (no added sugar) before heading out of the door.

Trouble is, I can't have a nice hot cup of something caffeineted as I do so, which really is a loss. Also, because you need to take the tablets half an hour before each meal, I find meal times are getting later and later (personal best was lunch at 3pm on Thursday) to accommodate my Appesat habit.

No noticeable weight loss yet, though have managed to stick to relatively healthy foods. I think seeing my weight in print, and my porcine photograph beside it, was probably more of an incentive to lose weight than having a large bolus of seaweed in my stomach. Still, we shall see…"

Catch up with their progress here on Monday 11 May.

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