If you’ve decided to give the gastric balloon a try for weight loss, you have likely been on a long journey to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Exercise programs, diet fads, and medication – you may feel as though you have tried them all. With each attempt, regardless of how much success you have found, it has always been temporary, and the weight has always come back. It is only natural as you consider the pros and cons of this weight loss procedure that you have your fair share of skepticism. How can you know that this time will be different? To answer this question, it is important to first understand what constitutes realistic expectations of weight loss from the gastric balloon.
How Much Weight Will I Lose with the Gastric Balloon?
Because the gastric balloon is designed specifically for those with a lower body mass index than other surgical alternatives, patients will not lose the same large amounts of weight. A gastric bypass patient can lose over 100 pounds, and candidates for the gastric balloon will typically lose 20 – 40 pounds (or 10 – 20% of their body weight) over the six months the balloon in place.
How Can I Maintain Weight Loss from the Gastric Balloon?
In addition to the total amount of weight lost, the gastric balloon differs from alternative procedures in a number of other ways. Perhaps most significant is the fact that the balloon does not make any permanent change to anatomy. The balloon is placed inside the stomach and then removed after a six-month period. This temporary placement of the balloon does not equate to temporary weight loss. One of the most important components of a successful gastric balloon procedure is medical guidance and support to help patients make permanent lifestyle changes. The six-month timeframe should not only be a time of weight loss, it should also be a time of education. With comprehensive coaching by experts in both dietary and exercise programs, patients are able to learn healthy habits while simultaneously dropping pounds. By the time the balloon is removed, the majority of patients have made turned the lessons they learned into lasting habits, enabling them to easily maintain the weight they have lost. While it is certainly understandable to have concerns about regaining weight, if you are committed to the complete program, including coaching, you can count on both achieving and maintaining desirable results.
