For those who may not have come across it, Alli is a weight loss pill which, as their website states, “works by stopping some of the fat you eat from being absorbed”.

• The active ingredient, orlistat, attaches itself to some of the body’s enzymes that break down fat. This prevents some of the fat you eat from being digested and absorbed
• Fat is high in calories but if it isn’t absorbed, it can’t contribute to weight gain. The unabsorbed fat passes naturally out of your body in your stools

Sounds so innocuous doesn’t it? Of course the fat you which isn’t absorbed has to come out ..um..somewhere, so if you accidentally find yourself exceeding the guidelines for fat intake (or in fact even if you don’t) you may well find yourself suffering a “treatment effect”, or to give it it’s technical name…apocalyptic diarrhoea.

For those of you who feel the need for more…detail, the lovely folks at The West Virginia Surf Report have published a blow by blow translation of Alli’s usage guidelines but be warned, once you’ve read phrases such as

“You’ll be farting Wesson oil straight through your Dockers and having violent chipped beef explosions…all the time, with a sphincter that can no longer be counted as a friend.”

you can’t un-read them…oh wait…oops.