A few weeks ago, CNBC ran a report on Alli, the new weight loss drug from Glaxo Smith Kline, set to hit the market next week. This just isn't any weight loss drug, this is the first over the counter pill manufactured specifically to help people lose weight. As part of their marketing campaign, GSK had taken the former Union Square Savings Bank and home to De La Guarda, converting it into an almost museum for the drug. Of course, I had to go check it out.

The entire space was completely white with some bright colors, giving me the strange feel of Austin Powers, as a bunch of pharmacists milled about. The floors were a white rubber, and there were screens all over the walls, describing the benefits of Alli. Lose "50% more than with dieting alone."

I asked one of the women in white how the drug works, and she promptly referred me to one of the many computer kiosks they had set up. Ok, it pretty much told me everything I could have wanted to know, except the cost, which I have recently learned is about $60 for a month's supply. The drug functions as some sort of fat blocker, absorbing fat intake and expelling it, not allowing your body to digest it. I think the actual figure is about 25% of the fat your body consumes is sent right back out the other end.

Now, this sounds great, right? Who wouldn't want a drug that could prevent their body from digesting fat? Well, there are probably some side effects worth mentioning. This is taken directly form the welcome pamphlet I received at the Alli station: "The main side effect occurs when you eat a meal with too much fat while taking alli. If so much fat is blocked that your stool can't absorb it, you might have side effects. Because they're related to how the product works, we call them 'treatment effects.' These include loose or more frequent stools that may be hard to control, or gas with an oily discharge. The excess fat that passes out your body is not harmful. In fact, you may recognize it as something that looks like the oil on top of a pizza. And these treatment effects can be lessened if you stick to reduced-calorie, low-fat meals that average 15 grams of fat per meal."

Ok, gas with oily discharge. You might recognize it as something that looks like the oil on top of a pizza. YIKES!!! Some of the suggestions that GSK makes when taking alli is to always, always, always, keep an extra pair of clothes, especially underwear, with you wherever you go. To work, on a date, wherever. You will not be able to control your body's functions, and well, an extra pair of clean underwear will apparently be something you will be very thankful for. 15 grams of fat per meal really isn't a lot, and going over the 15 grams per meal is going to put you at even greater risk for some serious butt leakage.