'Miracle diet pills made my body leak fat'
She may have lost a stone while taking it, but the side effects of the new wonder diet drug were hideous, says Big Brother 6 star Kinga Karolczak, 24
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For years I've struggled with my weight. As soon as I started going out drinking in my teens, I piled on the pounds - it was all the pizza, late-night kebabs and beer that did it. I used to pretend I didn't care and hide behind the loud, extrovert character viewers saw on Big Brother, but inside I hated myself.
In 2006, six months after leaving the BB house, I decided to take action. I started a healthy diet and began working out for three hours at the gym every other day. I dropped from 11st 8lb and a size 14, to 8st and a size 8 - and I felt amazing.
I managed to keep the weight off for two years, but last autumn I became quite down about where my life was going. I had a bit of a delayed reaction to the negative press about me during BB and started comfort eating - bingeing on Krispy Kremes and Kit Kat Chunkys. By March this year I'd piled on more than 2st and the scales had tipped to 10st 3lb. To my horror, I was well on the way to being a size 14 again and too heavy for my 5ft frame.
So when Fabulous asked me to trial new diet pill Alli, I jumped at the chance. Previously, I'd tried everything - the cabbage soup diet, Slim-Fast, the grapefruit diet - but I couldn't keep the weight off. I'm always looking for a quick fix, and this so-called wonder drug seemed the answer to my prayers.
I bought a starter pack, which said I'd have to eat a low-fat diet at the same time as taking the tablets, so in mid-March I combined a new eating regime with the pills. It's claimed that taking one tablet with each meal can cause 50 per cent more weight loss than just dieting.
The pill works by stopping the fat in food from being absorbed. But this means the undigested fat must pass through the body, leading to the possibility of unpleasant side effects including flatulence and diarrhoea. It sounded awful, but a small price to pay for instant weight loss.
- Weight before: 10st 3lb
- Dress size before: 12
- Weight after: 9st 3lb
- Dress size after: 10
- Total weight loss: 1st
The first pill didn't seem to have any effect on me, so I began to think: 'This is easy!' I also started to shed a few pounds so I was delighted. But I'd spoken too soon.
On the third day I went to a friend's house for supper. I hadn't eaten anything all day so I wolfed down four slices of pizza.Within 30 minutes my stomach was gurgling alarmingly. Ten minutes later, I had to dash to the bathroom with the worst diarrhoea of my life. I was so embarrassed because my friend heard me. I'd told her about the diet pills and she'd wanted to try them too - until she saw the consequences.
After that, I was terrified about eating fatty food so it was easy to be healthy. And the weight was falling off. I lost 5lb in the first week and around 3lb a week after that. But there were m
ore unpleasant side effects.
One morning, a week into taking the tablets, I woke up with a huge, dark yellow, oily stain all over my sheets. It was all over the seat of my pyjamas, too. Fat, which looked exactly like olive oil, had been leaking out of my bottom. It was disgusting.
After that, more oil would leak out every few days. I couldn't predict when it would happen, so when I was out I always wore black trousers with a cardigan tied around my waist and changed my underwear regularly.
I was constantly full of wind. My boyfriend Danny, 27, thought it was hilarious, as he'd never heard me break wind before, but it didn't make me feel sexy. And the smell was unbearable!
I felt so hideous I couldn't be intimate with Danny for the month. He told me not to worry - he knew how important it was for me to lose weight. Despite his support, my body repulsed me because horrible things were happening.
In just a month I lost 1st, twice as much as if I'd been on a normal diet. But the side effects were horrendous. I'm going to continue losing weight with healthy eating and exercise. I'll never take Alli again!"
ALLI: THE FACTS
Alli is the brand name for the drug Orlistat, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. It costs £32.95 for 42 capsules from Boots and is also available online. Alli works by blocking the amount of fat absorbed by the body, but must be used in conjunction with a calorie-controlled diet. Pharmacists must weigh and measure people to ensure they have a BMI of over 28 before selling it to them. Side effects include wind, oily spotting and diarrhoea, but are less likely if you stick to a low-fat diet.
It's not a quick fix
Dr Sarah Jarvis, a women's health specialist, says: "Alli is not a quick fix. If people think they can take it and eat a normal high-fat diet, like Kinga, they're going to have a shock. Oily seepage is the most common side effect as Alli stops the body from absorbing oil. It has to go somewhere - and that's out! Alli will help you lose weight to an extent if used alongside a low-fat diet, as it will reduce the number of calories you absorb, but you may still suffer some of the side effects, such as excess wind. I wouldn't recommend it. It's definitely not a substitute for a healthy diet."
As told to Jess Spiring Photography: Lancton, LFI Styling: Jemima Fleming, Penny Baker Hair & make-up: Caroline Piasecki, Alice Theobald at Joy Goodman using Origins & Estee Lauder Kinga wears dress, H&M
