​Would You Swallow a Balloon to Lose 40 Kilos?

Like many individuals who’ve struggled with their weight, Illinois resident Dana Goossens had tried all the pieces from food plan modifications to hormone injections to Weight Watchers to shed pounds. Nothing caught till her mom forwarded her an article concerning the Obalon Balloon System, a brand new FDA-approved weight-loss program that makes use of balloons to help in weight reduction.

It’s mainly precisely what it seems like: Over a interval of six months, sufferers swallow three inflatable balloons (sure, actually) that then develop of their stomachs to take up area and encourage sufferers to eat much less. Based on Obalon’s official web site, this system is geared towards individuals with a BMI of greater than 30 who’ve tried to shed pounds through food plan and train, and it’s utilized in “adjunct to a reasonable depth food plan and habits modification program.” The balloons are eliminated six months after starting the process.

Uninterested in the yo-yo weight-reduction plan, Goossens determined to succeed in out to the researchers overseeing the scientific trials (on the time, Obalon wasn’t FDA-approved) and managed to snag one of many final spots. In a brand new essay on Time, she describes this system.

“The process was surprisingly easy,” she writes. “Through the first session, I swallowed a small capsule that was tied to a tiny micro-catheter. The physician then inflated the balloon as soon as it was in my abdomen—it will get to be concerning the dimension of an orange—and eliminated the catheter. The entire course of took about 10 minutes. To start with, I may inform there was an object inside me. At evening it was a bit extra uncomfortable as I may really feel the balloon transfer a bit and squeak, however nothing I couldn’t deal with.”

A month later, she swallowed the second balloon, and two months after that, the third one. On the finish of the six-month mark, Goossens had misplaced 40 kilos and says she developed way of life modifications to assist her maintain it off.

“I’m hopeful this weight reduction is sustainable…By the point the trial ended, I felt assured I may keep my wholesome way of life even after getting the balloons eliminated. And I’ve even misplaced extra weight since then,” she says.

Learn the total essay over at Time.