I struggled big time with my weight for the last three years. Knowing I looked bigger, I stayed in more and more and with that came more eating and in the evenings I would treat myself – feeling that I deserved it. I was stuck in a vicious cycle.
My partner knew how unhappy I was and was aware of the vicious cycle I was stuck in – then I knew I needed to make a change. I had done a lot of research on the gastric balloon and found Gastric Balloon Group, the specialists in the UK. After enquiry, the Gastric Balloon Group kept in good contact with me and didn’t pressurise me and gave me a lot of time to think about my options.
The swallowable Allurion balloon seemed the perfect fit for me and I knew once I had taken the first step I would put my all into it. Funnily enough, my partner paid for the balloon for my 50th birthday present and that also gave me that motivation not to let him down, which was a really good move for me!
I received my Allurion 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 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 had 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!
