Gastric Balloon

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Well it's day 18 and I've just come back from seeing the dietician, weight lose 9lbs which is great but I'm not eating much, I was told that a portion of slimfast gives you all your vitamin needs so no need for a vitamin tablet. I have found liquidising slimfast, milk and a handful of ice cubes is delicious. My day seems to consist of breakfast - 1/2 portion of slimfast, lunch - a couple of spoonfuls of either yogurt, soup or porridge, dinner - 1 egg scrambled or soup and water throughout the day. I feel so full after eating that I feel sick. Acid reflux still bad, I have been told I must see my surgeon this week because I'm not eating enough. I'm sure it will get better. Good luck everyone.
 
Hi all,

Just real quick cos it's way past my bedtime- plateau, normal apparently and just a matter of pushing through. Had a diet think idea of doing a slimfast fast to drop a few, but actually was told to let my body have weight loss rest; weight loss is very stressful on the body and it needs gentle tortoise-like persistence to reassure it and let it relax again. Will let you know what happens, very interesting to see!

Glad you are losng hopeful, it does get easier food wise! Welcome Chunky Monkey!

Hey FF- I did get a bit of backpain now you mention it, maybe just down to shift in centre of balance and having nearly a kilo of weight in your stomach? Not sure...

Yes, love it when the other half does that fav food thing.....educating my aspiring chef husband to use lower fat options is tough! He is trying bless him.

OCM xxx
 
That's interesting about the plateau OCM, I must remember what you've said, it's so hard when you're being good but not seeing the results on the scales, always a good idea to measure yourself too as quite often there is inch loss. Though I feel really bloated and I can't see any difference in the mirror my trousers that were too tight to wear are actually really comfortable now, always a good indication. Today was a much better day, it was the first time I felt hungery and had a very overcooked vegetable stew, so not quite solids but not pureed or liquid. The really strange thing is that all my favorite foods ie coffee, chocolate, crisps, etc really do not enter my head at all. My worry is that when I go to friends for dinner or out to a restaurant I'll have to be really careful what I order so not to get too full too quickly and I'm away for 3nights next week. Any advice from anyone would be gratefully accepted, only 163 days to go!!!!

ps got my appointment with surgeon this thursday so if anyone has any questions they want me to ask I'm happy to get an answer. BMI are really good, recommend them to anyone who might be considering any of the weight lose procedures, such good 24/7 back up.
 
any suggestions most weclome

Hi all,

I had my balloon put in just over a week ago and the weight lost hasn't been great. I've been living on soup and yoghurt so can't understand, can only hope it will improve. No diet guideline was given to me so and suggestion would be a great help.

thanks and goodluck all
 
Hi Bonnybee,

You gotta eat more than just soup and yoghurt!

Basic advice; have breakfast, eat little and often, cut fat where you can, eat early and walk after dinner. Have they given you any advice?

OCM
 
Hi there,

I feel so down today, only my second week of having the balloon and havn't lost anything this week and not much the previous one. Don't know what to eat and what not to eat because I wasn't given a list of do's and don't or a diet to follow... very much in the dark and really need help please.

thanx
 
hello everyone

back in the land of the living after having my balloon yesterday afternoon. Fingers crossed but have had no pain, no vomiting, no nothing so long may it continue.
Slightly mystified as to why the nurses keep bringing me bread sticks (pretzels really}, and yogurt drinks as well as some horribly sweet squidgy bar which I can't stand the smell of let alone eat the thing.

Any way I'm fine and looking forward to going home tomorrow.

Be in Touch soon.
 
Hi ES- glad it is going well! Can't wait to hear more about it.
OCM x
 
hi everyone,

I had my balloon fitted 10 days ago in Sydney. The first 24 hours was absolute hell with lots of vomiting and cramps. Settled down pretty quickly though and managed to tolerate a clear fluid diet. Have just started a soft diet but every time I eat the balloon seems to shift down into the midline causing me cramping, discomfort and vomiting. I tried going back to soup today but promptly threw that back up. Perhaps I should be eating very small amounts. For those of you who have had the balloon for some time, do you get to the point where you dont notice it? It certainly feels very uncomfortable for me and gives me severe back ache. I lost 3 kg in the first 3 days and cant wait to jump on the scales again..planning a game of soccer this weekend and do some weights next week..
 
Hi all,
Hope you are all going well!

Bonnybee and Cat- Definitely got to the place where I don't think about it. I would happily have this in forever, except for exercises when I am on my stomach!

Basically, I can eat everything with a couple of exceptions- whole red meats i.e. steak, but mince is OK. I also get reflux from some foods, only discovered by trial and error though; includes bananas and frozen yoghurt weirdly!

I don't drink much, #1 because I get drunk real easily, and # 2 I think the drugs I take for acid changes the taste.

Sometimes I think I am not eating any less, until I go out with friends and can't eat anything like as much as I used to.

That said, there is nothing but my own good sense to stop me eating high calorie foods. I am not always successful, especially if I am stressed, but I do have some success asking myself: Is this what I really want? More than losing weight (and all that means to me)? Usually the answer is no but sometimes it's yes, which is fine, because that is normal. Yay normal!

If you have read any of my posts, for me this is all about learning to eat like a normal person. I am having a bit of success with this; I can be unreasonably afraid of being hungry, and have overeaten in order to prevent hunger many many times. I also like to treat myself with food, as I am not terribly good at nurturing myself in any other way. Making time for friends is a big help with this- I eat so much less with others than when I am on my own. Not because I am embarrassed, funnily enough, it is just that I can hear my bodies signals more clearly when I feel nurtured- all this according to my shrink, but it rings true to me.

Thank goodness I have you guys to listen to me thinking out loud. Sorry, it all sounds a bit self indulgent, but it really helps me to put it into words.

Hope you have success this week!

Feelfat, Hopeful and evening starter- how's it going?

Cheers,

OCM xx
 
Last edited:
catinablenda said:
hi everyone,

I had my balloon fitted 10 days ago in Sydney. The first 24 hours was absolute hell with lots of vomiting and cramps. Settled down pretty quickly though and managed to tolerate a clear fluid diet. Have just started a soft diet but every time I eat the balloon seems to shift down into the midline causing me cramping, discomfort and vomiting. I tried going back to soup today but promptly threw that back up. Perhaps I should be eating very small amounts. For those of you who have had the balloon for some time, do you get to the point where you dont notice it? It certainly feels very uncomfortable for me and gives me severe back ache. I lost 3 kg in the first 3 days and cant wait to jump on the scales again..planning a game of soccer this weekend and do some weights next week..
Click to expand...

I had it about 4 weeks ago , I did not eat for two weeks, I just sipped on ice blocks , the cramping is the worst part , and yes I had back pain as well. it has just got to the stage now that I dont know about it . But it appears that you are eating too much too soon, I would go days and days just sipping on powerade or hot water with stock cubes in it , I did not vomit at all, as I was very strict with my eating and did not do too much too soon.
I lost 7 kgs in 4 weeks, I have only this week started eating, without pain or problems and that is week 4 on day 10 I still had not eaten anything but hot water with a stock cube in it , playing soccer? hmmmm, i think you are going to know about it ...... take your pain killers
 
2nd week now finished

Thanks Ozcat for checking up on me

As I said before, really good first week no pain, no side effects of any kind but this week has been very different.

Tried to start a soft diet but either it or something else got the better of me and I started being sick in the early hours of Tues morning and have kept being sick or feeling horrendously nauseous for the rest of the week, despite reverting back to a clear liquid diet. Today is really the first day when I am feeling almost normal. On the positive side I have lost 5 Kg over the two weeks so all is not lost. I have to admit to getting slightly worried and a bit of a baby really as I am not a sicky person normally so got a bit concerned about what to do, frightened to death that I might throw up whilst at work or driving (yes the urge was really that sudden!) the tablets they gave me at the clinic didn't help but I found some "over the counter" ones which seemed to have got me over the worsed.

Any way I have now gone back onto a liquid diet and will stick with that until I feel a bit more confident again. But yes! I am fine and because I have been such a "good girl" (and an email has just come through about how to spend my airmiles) I am seriously thinking of taking myself off for a pampering weekend at a spa in the Cotswold! Well I think I deserve it and it won't cost me a think Whoopee!
 
How fabulous- the spa sounds absolutely perfect! Lucky you having air miles to spend, hope you enjoy it!

One of the things the dr told me in the first week was how to shift the balloon; basically you need to lie on your back,arch your back slightly and push it back towards your left armpit. I use the palm of my hand as I am paranoid about damaging the balloon, but it moves quite easily. If it is in the wrong place it can make you feel nauseated, bloated or give you reflux.

Give it a go, it sounds gross, but hopefully it will help!

OCMxx
 
I'm new here

Hi, I found this forum just before I had the gastric balloon inserted a little over 5 weeks ago. You experiences helped me decide to firstly go ahead with the procedure but also to know what to expect afterwards.

I am obviously one of the lucky ones. I had a couple of bad days immediately after having the ballon inserted, but since then things have gone very smoothly. At the clinic I am going through, I am the their first patient to have this procedure, so I am getting a little bit of added attention (which is nice!)

I transitioned through the various modified diets (clear liquid, soft liquid, soft solids) in about 10 days, and I have been on a "normal" eating diet ever since. So far I have lost 15.5kg's in 5 weeks, so I have been very happy with the result. The challenge for me though is not how much I lose in the 6 months, but the challenge of keeping it off after the balloon is removed.

For anyone reading this that is yet to have the procedure, do not kid yourself that it is easy. Part of this whole process is to ensure that you stick to the plan and use the support services that generally come with a programme like this. (dietitian, exercise, pschycologist, etc).

I am using a lot of coping techniques at the moment as I do feel hungry a lot of the time. A number of people on this and other forums comment about eating "little and often" and that is certainly the key, but of course in our busy lives this is not always possible. One of the things I am doing is maintaining a blog. (PM me if you would like the link) I have also told EVERYONE what I am doing and what I have had done. There's nothing like a bit of guilt to keep you motivated. I am also documenting my journey with weekly photo's. On a day to day basis you don't really notice the weight coming off (particularly now as the process has slowed down considerably since the first couple of weeks), but when I compare week 1 to week 5, the transformation is really quite amazing.

I am now over half way to my goal weight. I won't get the rest of the weight off overnight, but it will come slowly but surely if I stick to the plan. It would be easy to cheat the system (I believe chocolate thick shakes work best) but I won't be doing that. I also constantly remind myself of the expression, "it's a journey, not a race". It took me years of neglect to get myself into this position, and there is no miracle that will fix it overnight. The balloon is simply a tool to restrict my calorie intake. The rest is up to me.

I look forward to continuing to follow your journeys on this forum....dcollo
 
I am due to have a balloon inserted next week and am currently on a low calorie diet in preparation for it (4kg down in 1st week!). However, I am starting to have doubts about whether I have made the right choice. The toss up was always between the band and the balloon and now I am starting to think that I should get a band and be done with it. Doubt, doubt, doubt. Did anyone else go through this?
 
Well its been 5 weeks post balloon insertion for me and although I have lost weight, my life is pretty damn miserable. I saw the dietician this week who said I was losing muscle mass because I cant keep any food down and my metabolism has ground to a halt. The only food I can tolerate is a poached egg,potato crisps, and dry crackers. Not a lot of nutrition in those. I have started to increase my protein intake but even the smallest portion makes me so uncomfortable, the only way to relieve it is to vomit. Yesterday for lunch I had a small piece of pumpkin and shaved chicken breast, 18 hours later up it came, completely undigested. I think my stomach has gastroparesis. I am beginning to understand what it must be like being bulemic..vomiting has become my friend. On a brighter note, I did get 2 games of soccer in last weekend. I had no energy and have lost all my speed and power in my kicks ( I play up front as a striker)..so no goals were to be seen. My partner is supportive but he thinks I need to have it removed..I guess I will give it another 2 weeks in the hope that I will turn a corner..I miss being cheerful and energetic and I miss sharing a wine and dinner out with the man I love.. I do like that I have lost about 8kg..just another 5 to go...perhaps I need to pray a little.
 
Pre surgery happiness

Hello everyone
have been overweight most of my life and have lost and gained bk upto 15 kgs everytime I start a high protein low fat diet with some heavy trtaining but then I somehow drop the ball and come right back.
I'm scheduled for the balloon on the 28th of June and can hardly wait!! Am based in Mumbai and have found a fantastic surgeon who I cant help but trust immensely! He's seems very confident and optimistic about the whole process and I can't wait to lose this extra 30 kg luggage I carry around and start fitting into everything I'm itching to wear!!
This forum seems like a fantastic place to share progress reports on the balloon and everyone seems very nice.
Have been reading about the cramps and the vomiting and I feel prepared to hurl my brains out in return of a smaller appetite.
My surgeon says he's going to use a balloon which can be left in for 9 months (as opposed to the 6 months quoted on many websites) so I guess I'll have longer to adapt to the lifestyle change.
Looking forward to exchanging nausea and encouragement stories with everyone so that all of us that have done it or will soon do it can get through it with some support!
Yay for the balloon! Seriously counting down the hours!
Nish
 
Progress Check?

Hi,
Im a newbie. I had the Gastric Balloon inserted at the end of March. I was horribly ill for 4 days, but since then it's only gotten better, and for the last month I havent even noticed the balloon is there!
I wanted to know if other people are having weight fluctuations. Depending on when I weigh myself Im showing as having lost anything from 10kg's to 6kg's.
I can eat anything I want to now, but I've been trying to help things along by also using Optifast as a meal replacement once a day, and keeping to a 1200-1300 calorie diet. Its been ok most the time, but family meals and dinners out are really tough.
Anyway, just wanted to share my progress...
 
I got my balloon inserted on Wednesday after much tooing and froing. I was on a strict diet for two weeks prior to insertion and lost 7kgs. I had a couple of average days, but am feeling much better today. Still some cramping, but much less and I actually feel like having some yoghurt and puree fruit today.
 
Well congratulations to all the ladies loosing the weight, keep it up and dont get disheartened. If you are not losing the weight with the balloon, take a look at what you are eating have you changed your eating habits?? are you eating smaller portions.
I get my balloon out around the middle of July and get one back in on the same day. I have lost 25kgs so far so by the time I get the old one out and new one in I probably will have lost 26-27kg. I find towards the end I am loosing 1kg fortnightly, but I am very happy with this. My goal was 25kg in 6 months, so I am hoping to do another 25kg in the next 6 months. I dont know if I will get any symptoms with one coming out and one going in the same day but I will let you all know, it will cost $2500 for the second balloon, but if I got it out and waited a couple of weeks to get another one in it would cost over $3000.00. I started with 60kg being overweight and so when the balloon eventually comes out I can lose hopefully only 10kg on my own, which I am confident of doing.
My clothes are so falling off me, but I dont want to buy new clothes just yet so mum put elastic in my long pants ect, and I just have baggy tops lol. I feel so good and getting heaps of compliments which is a good motivator to keep going. My daughter keeps telling me know I need to wear a dress, havent worn one in years so thats what I will do is buy a dress and surprise my daughter.

Anyway ladies very proud of you all and will let you know how I go with the second balloon and if I get sick ect.
 
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