You have heard all of the bad raps about diet pills. However, a new product is getting rave reviews for its effectiveness in helping lose those extra pounds. Meet alli.

The latest, best weight loss formula in a pill comes with the Federal Drug Administration's stamp of approval. It has accompanied by an online customized support program that includes a healthy eating regimen, a portable reference guide, a calorie counter and other resources that will help whittle your waistline.

According myalli.com, expect to drop 50 percent more weight than you would through dieting alone. So if you prepared to lose 10 pounds using diet and exercise alone, you would lose 15 pounds with the able assistance of alli. So what exactly is alli?

It is a product designed to stop the body from holding on to the fat it consumes.

The makers of alli claim that alli stops the body from absorbing about a quarter of the fat that you eat. So if you're following a calorie-counting, low-fat diet and taking the alli capsules, you are going to get the bang for your buck. Expect to lose at least one to two pounds a week.

alli works by attaching itself to the natural enzymes in the digestive system. This stops the body from breaking down the fat you eat. If fat is not digested, it passes through the body naturally. alli only attaches itself to enzymes that break down fat -- so it has no bearing on carbs or proteins. Those nutrients are absorbed by the body as they are supposed to be.

The main ingredient in alli is orlistat, which is the key ingredient used in Xenical, a drug prescribed to those individuals who suffer from morbid obesity. However, alli has half the strength of Xenical.

One of the greatest perks of alli is that there are none of the effects that are commonly associated with other diet pills -- racing heart, sleeplessness and jitteriness. alli proponents point out that it works on the digestive system, not the heart or brain. But that does not mean it's without consequence.

Among the side effects are gas with oily spotting, loose stools and more frequent stools that may be hard to control. The more fat you eat, the more likely you are to suffer the uncomfortable effects.