A bit of history.

In january I had a bad fall and damaged my back - couldn't walk far and definitely couldn't do any exercise for months.

I'm Ok now, but I put on weight big style - not good.

So, I went down my Doc's and persuaded them to prescribe Xenical (also known as Orlistat), a weight loss drug that works by blocking your ability to digest fat - it just passes straight through you instead.

Now my back is better, I have started walking my two dogs every day - not a 'cissy' walk, but 3 1/2 miles over hills at forced march speed.

Been doing both for about 6 weeks now.

As a result of both these 'developments' I have lost nearly a stone, been able to reduce my insulin by approx 30% and have never felt better.

I recommend both Xenical and Exercise unreservedly :)

One interesting observation though - you need to be careful with the Xenical - if you eat a meal that is high in fat you may well need very little insulin, if you eat a meal that is low in fat you probably will need the same insulin as normal.

Also, the exercise thing is worth careful monitoring - I have found that I can dispense with my 'before meal' insulin completely if I eat a normal meal and then do a really energetic walk 20mins later. There is some interaction with exercise and Xenical, so I need to monitor carefully and always take a glucose drink with me when I do the walks 'just in case'

errm... I stopped taking them when I went to Crete - the slight laxative effect is not ideal in a country with a shortage of public conveniences :(

I was making some progress, lost about half a stone - I have started taking the Xenical again, but haven't started my exercise again yet.
Apart from the laxative effect, I have noticed no other side effects at all.

I'll give proper feed back in a couple of months.