If we're going to make progress in helping millions of people lose weight, isn't it about time that the news media, providers of weight loss programs, and others (yes, that might be a pharmaceutical company) influence the public to adopt more realistic expectations about what makes weight loss meaningful?

Number of pounds lost should not be the only yardstick of success

Medical science has proven that even a modest amount of weight loss is beneficial if you're overweight. Losing more, like 5% of your weight, leads to significant improvements in your health. That's why the government requires new weight loss drugs to meet or beat this standard. 

If even modest weight loss is beneficial, why do we expect so much when we begin a diet?

When we've asked people "how much would you like to lose", they give answers that reflect their aspirations versus what they think is realistic. I've sat through dozens of focus groups and have seen this first hand. And I suspect that when dieters fall short of unrealistic goals, they have even higher expectations the next time - creating a vicious cycle.

In fact, the vicious cycle does exist. A study [links to PDF] that we conducted with the University of Connecticut found that people distinguish between "ideal" and "realistic" weight loss.

alliFirst Team member Caryn Eyring (left) told People Magazine she's lost 21 pounds since she started taking alli in April, along with "cutting fat [and] doing yoga."

She's quoted in the July 9, 2007 issue of People (page 77) with a post-jail Paris Hilton on the cover. Caryn had one  "alli-oops" episode after eating a chicken with crispy noodles appetizer, according to People. alli, she says in the article, "is forcing me to eat healthier."

Yup, alli will punish cheaters if you don't stick to a low-fat diet. But isn't that the whole point... to encourage a healthier way of eating? As another alliFirst member, Paula Miguel, told People: "If I stopped taking alli today, I would still keep those new habits."

Oh and just a reminder that coverage of the alli program by People Magazine is not an endorsement. 

The crux of the alli plan is that you have to eat a sensible, low-fat, reduced-calorie diet and get a moderate amount of exercise while taking the capsules.

For those interested in following a diet program or plan, here are the pros and cons of using alli with popular diets - from the very low-fat to the low-carb, high-fat .

As the graph from the Companion Guide inside the alli package shows (click on the image above), you want to avoid diets very high in fat like the Atkins program. Why? You'll get treatment effects like loose stools and have to get to the bathroom very quickly. alli blocks 25 percent of the fat you eat so the more fat you take in, the more fat needs to come out the, er, other end.

By the same token, you want to avoid diets that are very low in fat, like Pritiken, since there's little or no fat to block. 

The good news is that there are many diet programs that work in combination with the alli program.  Commercial weight loss programs like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig or Nutrisystems all have low-fat reduced calorie options that are compatible with alli.   

This is not an endorsement of any of these diet programs. And they haven't endorsed alli.  Just an explanation.

You may be hearing from a select group of people who started using alli in April. We're calling them the alliFirst Team. They are 400 overweight adults - men and women - whom we recruited as eager volunteers to try the alli program.

Hundreds of clinical studies have been done on Orlistat, the active ingredient in alli - but we wanted to get some early feedback based on "the real world."  You may have seen comments about alli on other sites.  alliFirst members have set up their own online communities (on SparkPeople, for example) to share ideas and help each other. 

The alliFirst members have received many of the same educational tools that will be available this coming Friday when alli hits store shelves.  They've also received a six months supply of alli to compensate them for their advice - but their opinions are their own.

Read on for the invitation letter we sent to the alliFirst Team to come check out this blog.

Letter sent to alliFirst Team members

Dear alli First Team:

We would like to invite you to be among the first to visit our blog at alliConnect.com.  The alliConnect blog is a place to talk about weight loss with the alli brand team.  You are welcome to leave a comment, but you don't have to.

You should keep in mind that if your comment is published, it will appear on a public web page and will be seen by others.  So you should be careful about revealing too much personal information. 

However, we would like you to identify yourself as someone who is part of the alli First Team - a special group of consumers who are already using the alli weight control capsules and program.  And as always:

- express only your own opinion

- share only your own experiences; do not write about others on the team

- comment on what you know from personal experience; do not speculate or fabricate

- disclose that you have received product at no cost but that you are otherwise not compensated by GSK, the makers of alli

- be respectful and thoughtful; your comments will be read by many

We continue to value your insights, opinions, suggestions and appreciate your dedication to the alliFirst team.

Sincerely,

Karen L. Hill, Associate Brand Manager, Weight Control
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare