Tipping the scale of weight loss programs

By Maripet L. Poso, Staff Writer

11/05/2009

It was never solely about vanity. At first, the pressure to measure up to today’s standards of beauty is probably a huge part of it, but what pushes women to actually try to lose weight goes beyond being able to slip into a size two LBD (little black dress).

Alarmingly, more and more women in the Philippines are being diagnosed as obese.

“The prevalence of obesity in the Philippines has gone up by 24.9 percent since 1998,” says Dr. Cristine Chua of St. Luke’s Medical Center. “Obesity comes with a lot of complications, that’s why we are addressing the problem.”

According to the latest Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) report, “the incidence of being overweight is on the rise with 21.4 percent of adults weighing significantly more than they should.”

Losing weight is not easy. It takes tons of determination to convince yourself to give up the things that make you feel good — sweets, junk foods, couch potatoing — and consequently make you gain weight. Losing weight is a serious endeavor, a journey that doesn’t start and end at the gym.

Jennifer Villegas, a stage actress and part-time teacher, knows this. After all, she’s tried almost all weight loss fads and diet pills out there, including Atkins, South Beach, Master Cleanse, Organic Smooth Move Tea and Mesotherapy. Her story? Her weight gets in the way to getting lead roles.

“I’m always the funny girl, the best friend of the lead,” she shares.

She and 18 other women decided to sign up for the weight loss program of alli, a new player in the weight loss pill industry in the country. Alli (orlistat) from GlaxoSmithKline is the first ever over-the-counter weight loss pill, which works in your digestive system by preventing your body from absorbing some of the fat from your diet.

Villegas says, “Since this pill attacks only your digestive system, you don’t get migraines and headaches.”

The 19 ladies comprise the alli First Team Program. The program aims to support women who want to lose weight by providing them with not just weight loss pills, but a complete weight loss program, including behavior modification, fitness regimen and healthier and smarter food guide.

“Everything is taken care of,” says nutritionist Virgith Buena, who designed the healthy eating menu for alli. “The client is properly guided. This is how alli differs from other diet plans. It requires you to control the amount of fat that you take in. Others, well, they completely remove the fat, but that’s not healthy at all. The alli diet allows you to eat any food you like in moderation.”

She also emphasizes that the eating plan she designed is not at all a deprivation diet. “Users can continue to enjoy their favorite food, but in moderate amounts through a recommended meal plan.”

Each alli starter pack contains a weight loss program that includes a one-week meal plan, a healthy eating guide and tips for a healthy lifestyle. To complete the program, alli also enlisted the help of conditioning and fitness coach Jim Saret as the consultant of the weight loss program.

“To be successful, a weight loss workout has to be convenient,” states Saret. “You should be able to do it anywhere and it should be easy enough. Time-wise, it shouldn’t take too long.”

So what he did for alli was come up with a program he calls “metabolic fat-burning workout.” It’s a four-minute workout of four exercises, which include the plank, the squats, the modified push-ups and the lunges.

“What’s good about this workout is it can actually burn nine times more calories than spending hours at the gym. No equipment, no membership. You do it for four minutes. It’s a full body workout already.” It’s sustainable; it’s convenient. You can do it anywhere.

Now, almost two months into the program, Villegas has already lost 17 lbs. “We’ve all heard about Orlistat and its effects,” given the fact that orlistat is also being carried by different brands, but all prescription pills. Since alli has lower dosage, it has been approved as an over-the-counter diet pill.

“At least with alli, you’re assured that you’re doing it the right way. I know it was never gonna be easy,” she shares. “They were explaining nga that you have to kind of monitor what you eat, and it’s hard for people who don’t really watch what they eat. You’re kinda accountable so you feel accomplished.”

Being over their desired body mass index or BMI is not the only thing that’s common to these 19 women. They’re all accomplished in their respective careers — the performing arts, medical, corporate — and all have positive dispositions in life. They, however, have different reasons for trying to lose weight. One has been diagnosed with borderline diabetes. Others feel the need for a paradigm shift in lifestyle. One thing is sure — they all want to lose weight to live a healthier and fuller life.

All 19 ladies will undergo the program for three months, but Villegas believes that some of them are planning to take it longer.

“But I think the maximum that you can take it is six months.”

She adds that those who are willing to try out the pill can consult the Web site, www.alli.ph, to monitor their progress, food intake and to check out tips. “You’re not going to go through it alone even if you buy it over the counter.”

She happily confirms that ever since she has started on the program, she has more energy to do the things that she does. “I teach pre-school in the morning, so before, I was like, ‘Ugh, I’m gonna start my day.’ Now I feel a little more energized. It’s also partly because of the workout, the four-minute thing. I do that first thing in the morning. It kinda boosts you and gives you more energy. That’s a good thing. And I also do theater so we do a lot of movement. Before, I used to complain that I couldn’t really carry my weight so much. Now, I don’t feel that way anymore. And, of course, you get compliments from people. That’s a good thing, you feel motivated that it is working.”

She adds that with alli, it feels that you’re working together. “It’s not the kind of pill that says here, take me and I’ll solve all your problems. Here, you learn a lot about yourself, your bad habits and how best to correct them.”

Now she can say no to her guiltiest pleasure: Chips.

“Now I can go to the groceries, pass by them without actually buying them. Only because Dr. Chua really did sit me down and discuss to me the consequences. She would say, ‘You’ve already succeeded health-wise, how you look is just secondary.’ I’m already 33, I wanna stay healthy.”

The program does not give the ladies target weight or goals; it’s up to them to set it themselves. What’s best about it is that the ladies don’t go through the journey of losing weight alone. They have each other for support and encouragement.

“There are a lot of diet plans out there wherein you can lose 10 lbs. in two weeks, but just as easily you can gain it back. This one is more than a diet program — it’s actually a behavior modification. And if you continue at it, and take things like good fat over the bad kind, then it should be more of a lifestyle change. It doesn’t bounce back,” ends Villegas.

For more information about alli and the alli program, visit www.alli.ph.

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