Amazon is selling 90-capsule packs of Alli (30 days of pills) for $49.99, at a price that’s lower than most drug stores. I couldn’t resist: my order arrives tomorrow.

Naturally, I’m aware of the pros and cons of Alli from their website. Yes, there’s a risk of “oily discharge” and other unattractive side effects, all of which are garnering quite a bit of attention from the anti-diet pill crowd. But here’s one thing the naysayers overlook: the lower one’s fat intake, the lower the chance for such side effects.

In other words, Alli works best when it triggers a Pavlovian response: eat less fat, have no problems; eat too much fat, suffer embarrassing bowel problems.

Meanwhile, Alli claims to deliver the one thing that hampers most low fat dieters: results. By preventing the body from absorbing the fat from even a meal within the > 15 gram limit, you’re going to lose weight faster than eating the same meal without Alli. And results are what it’s about when you’ve tried every diet fad, trend and gimmick but failed.

Results keep a person motivated, and motivation makes a person keep doing what works. Best of all, since you’ve got to learn to eat low-fat meals while taking Alli, the pill actually helps establish the long-term dietary changes that are necessary to maintaining weight loss after you stop taking the diet pill.

As far as I’m concerned, this all gives me another good reason to look forward to seeing my UPS man. As if those cute little brown shorts weren’t enough.