athenean

Hi all, how are you all doing? I am currently overseas on business but I thought I would check-in with everyone. I am doing great and happy to report I have lost 9kgs (19 pounds!) in just under two weeks! With a low-ish BMI to start with I am completely stunned by the results! I've feeling fantastic and the only thing I can not eat is lettuce! For some reason it just kills my stomach. Discomfort is about a 2, no pain, no nausea, no smelly burps. I am vegetarian though so I think that helps as I don't have any meat sitting on the balloon. I am eating as normal but can not manage more that 600 calories a day. I am having Protein shakes which are helping. But generally I am very happy.
I also managed the 14 hour flight to Dubai no problem and am currently in 50 degree heat and managing just fine! Not lightheaded or anything. I have been so blessed and I hope all of you have as positive an experience.

Hi all, how are you all doing? I am currently overseas on business but I thought I would check-in with everyone. I am doing great and happy to report I have lost 9kgs (19 pounds!) in just under two weeks! With a low-ish BMI to start with I am completely stunned by the results! I've feeling fantastic and the only thing I can not eat is lettuce! For some reason it just kills my stomach. Discomfort is about a 2, no pain, no nausea, no smelly burps. I am vegetarian though so I think that helps as I don't have any meat sitting on the balloon. I am eating as normal but can not manage more that 600 calories a day. I am having Protein shakes which are helping. But generally I am very happy.
I also managed the 14 hour flight to Dubai no problem and am currently in 50 degree heat and managing just fine! Not lightheaded or anything. I have been so blessed and I hope all of you have as positive an experience.

I've had it in for a week and have lost 5.7kgs which works out to 12.5 lbs. I must add that I think a lot of that weight was all the IV fluids and stuff because I came out the hospital 2.7kgs more than what I weighed when I went in. Still thrilled with the results so far!

No he didn't! I think my Doctor is a hippie I have called and left a message.
60-80 grams of Protein seems doable.

that's my concern.. i hope i have taught myself a new lifestyle of healthy eating and once the balloon is removed not go back to my old, bad habits.
my balloon was placed on july 7th.. as of today, i have lost 9lbs.
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Congrats and welcome! I had mine placed the day before you. I did some walking a few days ago and it seemed fine. I also walked yesterday briskly and was fine, didn't feel more uncomfortable than usual. I have to admit the thought of heavy cardio does not appeal to me just yet. I plan to pick it up a bit in two weeks! Good luck!!

I had my procedure exactly a week ago today and have lost 13 pounds so far!

Ok, spoke to the Dr and he said that the first week or two the calories can be very low as long as you have some Protein and are keeping fluids down. After two weeks he suggests a 1000 calorie goal per day. I could normally finish that watching one show on Netflix....so this should be interesting!!

This is my first week with the Orbera so I have not learnt much. But I can say so far that I have learnt that wants and needs are two very different things!! I see what can fuel my body and it is scary that it doesn't include chocolate! Big life lesson here!

Ok, spoke to the Dr and he said that the first week or two the calories can be very low as long as you have some Protein and are keeping fluids down. After two weeks he suggests a 1000 calorie goal per day. I could normally finish that watching one show on Netflix....so this should be interesting!!

That's interesting ... and a good question. I have not had the exact same lessons. I do eat for hunger, but I also want to eat for comfort. I have to force myself to think of food a fuel and make eating decisions based on what's the best fuel for my body. It's not as fun but making it clinical like that somehow makes it easier. Also, I have not thrown up since the first 48 hours, so I have not learned the latter lesson either.
But I have learned (as I suspected) that losing weight is work no matter how you do it. I am very cognizant of what I put into my mouth. If I ate mindlessly, I think it would be easy to gain weight, despite the balloon. So while the balloon definitely helps, it's just a tool - not a solution. And what does that mean post-balloon? That the work will continue. Six months does not fix a battle that has lasted decades ... it just helps to keep you hyper-focused for a few months while you (hopefully) develop better habits.
Granted, I assumed this would all be the case going into the procedure, but now that's been confirmed. I'm still glad I did it - it was exactly what I needed, and was the best option for me.
Cheers! :-)

That's amazing! Ok, I better find out. I'm really short so I am sure it will be pretty low.

I did want to mention that I have found the bariatastic app to be great for charting my food, calories, Protein,Water, and it connects to your fitbit! It's really user friendly
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It depends on your RMR, which is largely based on height, weight, age and gender. A lot of women are told around 1000-1200 calories. I am pretty tall so I was targeting 1200-1500 at first, and was usually hitting 1250-1300. However, I was hungry and having a hard time getting enough Protein with that range. Around that time I had my thyroid re-checked and my endocrinologist said I was not getting enough calories/protein. I upped it to 1500-1800. After that, I felt better and started losing faster. But that's just me - you should ask your doctor what's best for you. Good luck!

Thanks all will do that...
Hope you are doing well? I'm full of energy! Very exciting times!!

V8 juice/ hi Fiber.

Other posters have done a great job offering tips and tricks so I just want to say I think you will thrilled with the results
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The Gastric Balloon is not considered MAJOR surgery.

How are you feeling xingmaltese? I phoned my doctor and he said since I have not been sick he has moved me to soft food already. He wants me eating solids on Monday, if I feel like it of course. I managed a bit of Greek yoghurt with oat bran and it went down well with a few sips of coffee!

So far so good for me!! I cleaned the house and even managed a 30 minute walk yesterday! I'm down 4kgs from coming out the hospital and 2kgs from pre-insertion weight! I'm losing about 0.6kgs a day but I am sure that will slow down! So far I'm not weak at all - a very positive experience. Except for the burps!! Wow the burps!

How are you feeling xingmaltese? I phoned my doctor and he said since I have not been sick he has moved me to soft food already. He wants me eating solids on Monday, if I feel like it of course. I managed a bit of Greek yoghurt with oat bran and it went down well with a few sips of coffee!

Ok, so a bit of an update. It has been 36 hours since insertion and still feeling very well. Last night I woke up at 2am and had a little bit of a vomit, nothing much at all. The cramps have been on and off but nowhere near the pain of something like a contraction. I have not been hungry at all and barely managed a whole Protein Shake all day. I have had some tea and sips of Water but not much will go down. I have even managed to clean the house and do some dishes. So all in all very good!

Hi all, I'm doing fantastic!!! I know I shouldn't be saying this but I think I built it up to be such a scary thing that now that I am not feeling so bad I am so relieved. Here is my story for anyone that wants to know what I did for Orbera:
6;30am - Admitted into Hospital
8:00am - Met doctor and anaesthetist
8:30am - They administered the sedation
9:30am - I woke up with a big smile on my face, didn't feel a thing. My throat was a bit sore and my lips were dry but other than that I felt amazing and had a good chat with the nurse. I even had to ask if they had done the procedure as I felt no different. Even sat on my phone messaging family to say everything went ok.
9:30am - 10:30am - I sat up as I was getting bored and they administered two lots of IV fluids
10:30am - They offered me some liquid food, I opted for some milky tea (I drank it with a spoon as not to have too much), I had half a cup and then a few licks of an icelolly. I felt only marginally queazy after this but I held it down and the nurses were very happy for me to go home. All my vitals were fine.
11:00am - I was discharged!! So very very pleasant!
11:30am - Walking to the car I got a slight wave of nausea and felt a lot of spit in my mouth. I used the barf bag they gave me but really it felt like some excess saliva in the mouth and not vomit at all. There was no wretching whatsoever.
I then came home and lay in bed and had three sips of chicken broth and a few sips of a Protein Shake. I'm a bit uncomfortable and every now and then I burp, but genuinely all very manageable. I have only had one painful cramp but other than that all good. Before I had the Protein shake I had this empty feeling in my stomach like I was extremely hungry but then a queazy feeling of fullness - it was weird, but a few sips of protein shake sorted that out.
I wanted to add a few sidenotes: I have a very high threshold for pain and managed all my labours painfree (even the one that lasted 36 hours!). On my scale the pain so far with the Orbera is honestly no more than a 1-2 but I am sure some people handle pain differently. Also I had awful morning sickness during all my pregnancies and miscarriages (9 in total), it was terrible, I was unable to get out of bed most mornings and I was miserable, I had to be hospitalised several times for IV drips. So I expected this to be worse than the morning sickness and in all honestly so far it is a walk in the park in comparison to pregnancy. I know it is early days so it might not stay this way. But I thought I would post my positive experience so far.
I'm holding fluids down very well but not hungry at all. I'm sipping Water every now and then and then some broth. My tips would be to take lip balm with you as your lips get very dry and don't eat anything remotely solid at the hospital. The nurse wanted me to try something a bit thicker after the tea and icelolly and I flat out refused. I think that is why I have not puked yet.
I'm also completely pathetic and got on the scales when I went to the bathroom and I am up 2kgs! I know its all the IV fluids and I believe the Orbera itself should have a fair bit of liquid in it which adds to the weight gain. So I guess that will be very normal. Just preparing you all!
Onwards and Upwards! Hope this helps whoever wants to know...

Ok, so a bit of an update. It has been 36 hours since insertion and still feeling very well. Last night I woke up at 2am and had a little bit of a vomit, nothing much at all. The cramps have been on and off but nowhere near the pain of something like a contraction. I have not been hungry at all and barely managed a whole Protein Shake all day. I have had some tea and sips of Water but not much will go down. I have even managed to clean the house and do some dishes. So all in all very good!

13 pounds is amazing!!!! Wow!!! Good for you!!! Keep it up!