Weight Gain After Gastric Balloon: Gastric balloon surgery helps people with obesity lose weight, but patients can still gain weight after the procedure. The surgery involves putting a silicone balloon in the stomach to make it smaller. This makes people feel full after eating less food. While this method often works well to help people shed pounds, it’s important to know that weight gain can happen after gastric balloon surgery. This might need extra care and management.
How Does Gastric Balloon Surgery Work?
During gastric balloon surgery, doctors put a deflated silicone balloon into the stomach using an endoscope. Once it’s in place, they fill the balloon with sterile salt water. This makes it bigger and takes up a lot of room in the stomach. As a result, you can’t eat as much food, which means you take in fewer calories and lose weight.
Having the balloon in your stomach also makes you feel full, which helps you eat smaller portions. The balloon stays in your stomach for six months to a year, depending on which kind you get. After this time, doctors take it out. They then tell patients to keep eating healthy and living well to keep the weight off.
Expected Weight Loss with Gastric Balloon Surgery
Gastric balloon surgery has an impact on weight loss, and patients often see big drops in body weight. In general, people can lose between 25-35% of their extra weight while the balloon stays in. But keep in mind that weight loss results can change based on things like how your body works how well you stick to diet rules, and how much you move around.
Factors That Can Lead to Weight Gain After Gastric Balloon Surgery
While gastric balloon surgery can help people lose weight, it’s important to remember that you might gain weight after the procedure. Several things can lead to weight gain, including:
1. Poor Eating Habits: Once the balloon comes out, some people find it hard to stick to the diet they followed during treatment. Without the balloon to limit how much they can eat, it’s easier to eat bigger portions and indulge in high-calorie foods.
2. Feelings and Mental Health: How you feel can also affect weight gain after gastric balloon surgery. Some people turn to food when they’re stressed, anxious, or down, which can cause them to eat more calories and gain weight as a result.
3. Not Enough Physical Activity: Getting regular exercise plays a key role in keeping weight off. But if people stop moving or don’t make exercise a part of their daily life after gastric balloon surgery, they might put weight back on.
Can You Put On Weight After Gastric Balloon Surgery?
Yes, you can gain weight after gastric balloon surgery. While this procedure offers a useful tool to lose weight, it doesn’t guarantee you won’t gain weight in the future. It’s crucial to see gastric balloon surgery as the first step towards a healthier life, not a quick solution. By building lasting habits like eating a balanced diet and exercising , people can lower their chances of putting weight back on.
Managing Weight Gain After Gastric Balloon Surgery
Don’t lose heart if you gain weight after gastric balloon surgery. You can try several methods to handle and tackle the weight gain:
1. Talk to Your Healthcare Team: Get in touch with your healthcare team, including your surgeon, dietitian, and psychologist, to get advice and help. They can assist you to pinpoint the root causes of weight gain and create a plan just for you to address them.
2. Look at Your Diet Again: Check what you’re eating now and spot any areas that might have led to weight gain. Try to eat foods rich in nutrients, keep an eye on how much you eat, and cut down on processed and sugary foods.
3. Make Physical Activity a Priority: Work regular exercise into your daily life to burn calories and keep the weight off. Mix cardio workouts, strength training, and stretching to boost your overall fitness and health.
Ways to Keep the Weight Off After Gastric Balloon Surgery
To make sure you succeed in the long run and don’t gain weight after gastric balloon surgery, try these tips:
1. Set Realistic Goals: Choose weight loss and maintenance targets you can reach. Remember to be patient with yourself and know that losing weight takes time.
2. Be Mindful When You Eat: Listen to your body’s signals of hunger and fullness, and don’t eat because you’re bored or feeling emotional. Take time to enjoy each bite and appreciate how your food tastes and feels.
3. Drink Enough Water: Make sure you drink plenty of water during the day to keep yourself hydrated and help control how much you want to eat. Water also helps with digestion and can make you feel better overall.
Getting Help After You Gain Weight
If you’re having trouble keeping weight off after gastric balloon surgery getting help from others who’ve had the same procedure can help. You might want to join support groups or talk to a counselor. These give you a place to share what you’re going through learn from others, and get support from people who know what it’s like.
Other Weight Loss Options After Gastric Balloon Surgery
If you keep gaining weight or it becomes a big worry after gastric balloon surgery, you have other options to lose weight. You might think about another surgery, like gastric bypass or gastric sleeve. Or you could try weight loss drugs under a doctor’s care. Make sure to talk to your medical team to figure out the best plan for you based on your situation.
Weight gain following gastric balloon surgery can happen, and people should know this before they decide to have the procedure. The surgery can help a lot with losing weight, but it’s best to see it as a way to begin living healthier, not as a fix-all solution. To keep the weight off for good, you need to start habits you can stick with ask for help when you need it, and stay in touch with your doctors. Keep in mind that getting healthier takes time – it’s more like running a long race than a quick sprint.
