A friend of mine was banded and she uses these diet aides to try and thin out. I dont know if they work or are they safe to take with the band,I am one month post op as of yesterday and I couldnt tell you my progress. My first fill is 4/14 and I dont own a scale at home!:bored:

Phentermine's not really safe (or particularly effective) without the band---no safer with it. Have you ever heard of anyone achieving lasting weight loss success with diet drugs? No, because it doesn't happen--ever. People may lose---and the minute the drug is stopped, they regain. It's a terrible thing to do to the body, and particularly so to a banded body (which is confused enough already!).

Alli works by removing fat from your body before absorption. At this point, your intake is low enough that unless you're really overeating (and *ahem* if you are, stop), your body NEEDS the fat you take in. Alli's not a good choice at all. Never mind the oily, uncontrollable diarrhea; you will be robbing your body of a needed macronutrient that only is given very finite real estate in your new stomach.

Look, you have a built-in appetite suppressant wrapped around your stomach. You're so close to banding that you haven't yet realized its benefits, but you will.

Commit yourself to achieving a good level of restriction. That will guide your food choices in a way that you lose without introducing potentially harmful drugs to the mix.

Will it take care of the head hunger? No. But numbing that out with drugs really isn't the answer to that problem, either.

I know the early days are really frustrating. But make and keep appointments with your doctor, follow his or her eating plan, and you will get the results you want. It will be hard, at first. But it will be worth it.

Edited April 3, 201016 yr by BetsyB

I wasnt talking about me. I have no interest in taking over the counter or even prescription drugs. I was wondering if was safe for my friend..

Se before the band she had to do the 7 month diet and she didnt eat right or exercise... SHe actually gained 20 lbs so she would qualify to be banded by our insurance. And she is rather lazy if you dont mind me saying so.

I am not here to bash her ways but I wanted to know if these drugs we safe for her to be taking them.. SHe thought that with the band she was gonna drop 50 lbs in the first month without diet and exercise...

Its really sad tho, because here I am busting my hum working out and eating right.. And she keeps asking me how am I doing it and she isnt ...

I've taken both, before and after the band. I don't think the band has any bearing on whether they are safe or not. The mechanical band doesn't affect how the drugs work in one's body. But I can tell you from experience that neither is effective on a long-term basis and both have nasty side effects. You already heard about those of Alli; phentermine gives me terrible insomnia and never works as well as the first time you take it.

Buy a scale and a tape measure - sometimes the latter is a better indicator than the scale. Forget drugs.

Buy a scale and a tape measure - sometimes the latter is a better indicator than the scale. Forget drugs.

Haha I know to forget the drugs.. I have never taken them before or after being banded.. Didnt you read my second post?? I am worried a friend may be abusing them while being banded.

And I prefer not to buy a scale... I dont want to jump on it everyday.:bored:

I agree with not owning a scale. I own one, but put it away and only get it out once a week. I have been scale crazy in the past enough to know it messes with your head. I don't measure because there is way too much variable in that also depending on which way you want it to read. I just use the fit of my clothes to measure with.

The friend who is using drugs with the band needs to get some professional help!! She was not ready to get the band and she will subconsiously find a way to fail until she gets to the bottom of her issues.. Food is only a small part of it for her.

I have watched the comercials for Alli and I never have thought it made much sense. I also don't believe that fat in our food is the main culprit for weight issues so that prob. explains it.

Many years ago, there was a weight loss fad that combined speed with shots of pregnant womens urine or some dumb thing. You went to the doctor every morning for a shot and you paid 2 dollars for the shot. I remember I was flying high for the first few hours after that, and I lost about a pound a day. It was really fun, but of course you can't do that forever. I gained back the weight and a lot more.

It is interesting how my Mother spent most of her life worrying about getting enough food, and I have spent most of my life worrying about being too fat..... I wonder what my grand children will say about this when they are my age now. Gotta love it!!!! Hugs!!!!

Generally speaking, Alii is safe. The side effects may be unpleasant, but its safe. I've taken it before (when it required a prescription) and my only issue w/it is that I don't think it was worth the cost. I think its easier to just eat lower fat than to pay for this drug, eat higher fat, and deal w/the side effects.

Phentermine, on the other hand, is a stimulant so it is not safe for some people (depending on pre-existing conditions - generallly, stimulants should not be taken by anyone w/high bp and a lot of overweight people have high bp so that is a problem w/this drug). I don't know about the effectiveness because I've never taken it (I have high bp). On the topic of using phentermine WITH the band, I wouldn't mix the two because w/the band you are trying to find your 'sweet spot'. And, if the phentermine is reducing your hunger, then you aren't giving your band and fills a chance to do that. Once you get to proper restriction, you shouldn't need anything else to reduce your hunger. So, the risk is that she'd be taking a drug (and all the risks that go w/that) when it really isn't needed.

I agree. I know alli sometimes makes sense but not really its a fat blocker but if you are eating stuff that doesnt contain a lot of fat then you shouldnt have to take it... I had another friend that thought just eating like she normally does and taking Alli would make her lose weight. But then she complained she was on the toilet all day everday.. and I told her that was because she was eating high fatt foods like french fries and cheese steaks what did she expect was gonna happen..

Now I have never used phentramine or Alli but I about 5 years ago I found myself into the weight loss supplement fad... Of course I would use stackers and not eat I lost 100+ lbs but of course when I got pregnant I gained it back.

Since I have been banded I eat 2 small meals lunch and dinner, and in the morning I drink a no sugar added carnation instant Breakfast. I am onlt one month out so I am doing either 30 high intense cardo workout called cardioke... or I do Leslie sansones heart healthy 2 mile brisk walk.:bored:

Well I came to this blog and start this journey speaking honestly. I have used Alli for the past 3 years. I spoke to my nutritionist and she said I could still use it with the band. I don't see a problem with it unless it is used as an excuse to overeat. It deters overeating of fat. It only handles about 50% of 12 grams eaten at a meal. If you overeat fat you will suffer. One reason I like using it is that I am regular and never constipated. Obviously it hasn't helped to loose weight or I wouldn't be getting banded but I have maintained my weight for about 1 year without weight gain. Most of my weight re-gain had been right after breast cancer when I felt so out of control of my life..............Well there it is the truth.:thumbup:

The safety issue that arises with Alli is this: when your intake is as low as it is post-banding, and you are eating carefully and cautiously, you are taking in an amount of fat that is consistent with what your body needs to carry out cellular functions.

If you use a drug that removes a percentage of that fat, you may experience deficiencies.

The typical American diet gives TONS of leeway for "losing" dietary fat by malabsorption.

The typical bandster diet has far less latitude.

As a rule, we no longer need Alli to pare our fat absorption down. If it doesn't prove harmful, it is certainly not likely to be particularly helpful. And as I recall from when I used it (preop), it's not a cheap med. I'd rather save the $$ (and make sure I have enough fat to keep my skin and hair happy, to transport fat-soluble Vitamins, and to help with cell functions that keep me physically and emotionally sound).

I took Alli two years ago when I did weight watchers and it works - but goodness do NOT ever eat more fat than recommended. Trust me. It can get UGLY quick. And it's EXPENSIVE!

I wouldn't recommend taking it with the band because Vitamin absorption is already an issue. Plus, with the higher carb, lower fat diet, you shouldn't really need it. (Or your friend - I'd tell her to wait because she needs her vitamins)

My brother still uses it but only about once or twice per week.

Tell her she needs the fat to help her body absorb Vitamins. I think one of the big things with the band is that it's not so much a ton of fat, it's the carbs and sugar that get processed and stored as fat. She still needs some fat for basic body functions.

But, it did help me lose faster on weight watchers. I was about 50% higher than everyone else in my group. :ohmy: However, when I stopped, as you can see - I gained it back and now have switched to the band.