I received my Elipse balloon in late July 2020 and I was so excited to start my weight loss journey. I had the procedure and – from the beginning to the end of my appointment – it took only 30 minutes to complete before I could go home. Initially, the side effects were hard to deal with but I knew what to expect after being advised by the Gastric Balloon Group team. On the third day of balloon insertion, I started actively walking and I was sticking to the clear liquids stage for two weeks as I was advised by the team.

From day three I could literally feel a change in my body and that’s what I wanted to see positively as early as possible so I could keep going with the motivation it gave me. Having the gastric balloon was a long, mental battle as food can still be consumed as frequently as usual, however, it’s about listening and all the things that the balloon teaches you to do: eating slowly; eating smaller amounts; waiting a short time to feel full. I exercised as much as I could and felt strong in my mind to keep going. If I felt weak and wanted to eat unnecessarily, I took myself away from the situation and I soon found I have moved my mind and cravings on.

I feel slightly nervous to say goodbye to my friend the Elipse balloon as I still have a journey ahead – more weight to lose and keeping up the skills and behaviour it has taught me. I certainly have no regrets about my decision on choosing the swallowable Elipse balloon and I wouldn’t change a thing!