Advice Please!

[Jgander]

I am new to this site and looking for some advice please. I have just started taking Xenical and not sure if I am using it right?? would you mind giving me a typical days menu that you use just to give me an idea?? I read that if your meal doesn't contain any fat there is no point taking the tablet, would you agree with this????
Any info would be most helpful, thanks!!
Confused Jen !

 

[Alex_1978]

Hello, and welcome
The main rule to remember is that you should eat foods that contain no more than 5g of fat per 100g of food, and no more than 15g of fat in each meal.
Each time you eat a meal (assuming you've taken your Xenical) a third of the fat in that meal will pass through your body and out in your stools, rather than being absorbed and used by your body in the normal way.
So say if you ate a meal with 9g of fat in it, 3g would go straight through and 6g would be absorbed normally. You wouldn't get side effects because 3g is a small amount of fat to 'pass' amongst other bodily waste.
So...say if you were naughty and ate a meal with 60g of fat in it, 20g would pass straight through (which is quite a lot) and this means that you'd be more likely to get the 'tango' effect (which can be anything from normal stools that are just a bit orange or oily, to the full Tango experience - sorry if that's too much information!!)
Don't be worried by the horror stories though, as long as you stick to the rules, or as near to them as you can, you'll be fine.

You're right in thinking that if you ate a meal without any fat in it (say a fruit salad) then there isn't any point taking the tablet as it has no fat to work on. Having said that, some people like to take their tablets regardless because it stops them from being tempted to snack on fatty foods between meals.

As far as daily foods are concerned, I'd suggest having a nosey around the diary section - the link to mine is in my signature below.
I'll also re-post something I wrote in response to another new member a few days ago (if I can find it) as they asked a similar question to you...

Hope this helps a bit - and if you've got any other questions then ask away

 

[Alex_1978]

Here's that other post I wrote a few days ago.... but don't forget that these are just my ideas, I'm sure you'll pick up lots more ideas from the other members here

So, onto food. We all do different healthy eating plans here. I count calories myself, others do Weight Watchers and Slimming World, and some people just watch the fat content in their food.
With Xenical you must eat foods that are less than 5% fat (5g of fat per 100g of food - it's usually listed on the packet) and you must ALSO not eat more than 15g of fat per meal. If you stick to that rule, you shouldn't be troubled with the side effects.
I find that I need to do more than just watch my fat intake to lose weight, so I count calories too. It's second nature to me, so I don't calculate rigidly, but if I didn't do that, I might find that I was eating too many sugary/carby foods that may not cause problems on the Xenical, but would still slow the weight loss down.

For breakfast, I always have porridge so can't really help much with ideas there! I find it's the only thing that fills me up for longer than an hour or so!
I have soup most days at lunch time,but sometimes I have beans on toast, a small ready-meal, or a jacket potato. You could also have salads, pitta bread/wrap or a sandwchich with lean meat and loads of salad to fill you up.
In the evening I sometimes have ready meals (weight watchers lasagne and that kind of thing) but I bulk them up with extra veg, as they don't fill me up on their own.
I also bulk cook things like mushroom risotto, vegetable chilli, or spaghetti bolognese, and freeze them in portions, so there's always something to grab. Stir frys are another quick and low fat option if you use the Blue Dragon sachet sauces, and the straight to wok noodles.

For snacks I have fruit, low calorie/fat cereal bars like Alpen Light, and occasionally SnackaJacks. I also have mini milk lollies, sugar free jelly and WW deserts after my main meal in the evening.

Well that's all I can think of at the moment, but I hope it helps.

One last tip for you....drink LOADS of water - like 2-3 litres a day if you can manage it. Xenical can make you a little bit constipated in the beginning, and drinking water will keep that at bay. It will also help you stay fuller for longer. I have mine with sugar free sqash, and I keep a big bottle with me at work or home, and drink it throughout the day.

 

[KittyBling]

Hi Jen, I just want to say hello and welcome and second everything that Alex has said, there is no more to add! Good luck

KB x

 

[Jgander]

Thanks so much Alex ,that is really great info!! For the first day taking them I was so afraid I was going to have the dreaded side effects you hear about, I hardly ate anything!!! that would keep the pounds off alright wouldn't it....scare you into not eating anything lol!!!

Thanks again for your replies, very helpful,
Jen

 

[purple_kathryn]

I would recommend avoid mayonnaise - at least the full fat stuff

 

[Redkoala]

Welcome Jen x

 

[hells belle]

Hi Jen & welcome.

The only advice I can add is to keep a hand-written diary...preferably in the kitchen. And do your sums regarding fat before you start cooking.

In the first week this helped me immensely when I was initially almost too scared to eat anything.
And in subsequent weeks, when I was stuck for ideas I could look back and remember meals I'd enjoyed, that I knew were 'OK' for me to eat.

There are a couple of brilliant recipe threads here in the Xenical section, I have found them invaluable for coming up with fresh, new ideas for tasty meals that my husband will enjoy too....I categorically refuse to cook seperate meals....I just give him larger portions