I am pretty much desperate to lose weight, but I don't want to do anything bad for me. I've been reading a booklet called "Are You Losing It?" by the makers of Alli. Alli is a medicine they have out now that you can get over the counter, that flushes fat out of your body. I am trying really hard to do it the natural way, and I just need to drop about 20 pounds ASAP because summer's coming and I'm getting really uncomfortable. I was wondering if anybody has heard anything negative about Alli that I should know about before taking that leap. I have enough health problems already.....

I've never heard of it. Really, lots of water, walking and 5-6 small meals a day will really help get you in shape to then kick it up a notch when you've dropped those 20 pounds. Dropping 20# super fast is usually bad news (and mostly water anyhow).

I'd love to see you find something that helps you stick to it. Unless it's a lifestyle any pill or fad diet is completely fleeting and the vast majority of the people doing them gain their weight right back.

Man, one of the best bits of advice I read a few years ago was this: find (health) foods you can enjoy, and simply eat moderate amounts. It's true. I've found I'll stick to a protein powder/bar or a certain kind of veggie or fruit that while NOT QUITE as healthy as its cousin, inspires me to be much more consistant. I can choke down any thing for a few days, but I'll soon abandon those things and be back to the old habits. Now that I've found my happy, moderate health foods and stick to them I find I have very few cravings (because I'm getting good amounts of fat, carbs and protein) and I'm mentally happy.

You are doing such a good thing coming here to talk because a lot of folks here know much more about this then I do either through experience or professional work. I'm sharing my experiences, and I hope others do too.