Good Evening,

After several months of research on this and other forums, I just had the ESG procedure on Thursday morning at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. I thought this might be a good opportunity to provide some information for others who may be considering this option - as these forums were invaluable to me when deciding how to proceed.

To begin with, I am a 42 year old male with approximately 39 BMI. Like most of the rest of you, I have been back and forth on the scale for most of my life. I have no other medical issues and consider myself in generally good overall health, otherwise (good range of motion, no real restrictions in life). In the end, I decided that I really wanted it to stay that way - and found that I have really been having difficulty getting into any sort of exercise or healthy eating routine.

I emailed a request to the Mayo clinic in early June for more information. They had me come in (about a 3 hour drive for me) for a day long set of procedures and consultations to discuss a range of weight loss options (from medication to balloon - as well as others). I was aware that they were one of the only facilities to offer the ESG (at least at the time) and felt very lucky to be so close to the facility.

The called me about 1 week after the consult and offered to setup a time for the procedure. I picked the first open date, September 21st. In addition, the Mayo Clinic is now requiring all ESG patients to attend a healthy living class that consists of baseline testing, nutrition coaching, healthy food prep, and exercise guidance. I promptly scheduled this for the two days prior to the procedure. At that point, I was required to pay the $15,000 for the entire program prior to final booking (you can pay in any form you wish).

Fast forward to last Tuesday - and I showed up at 7:00 am to being the Healthy Living Class. It consisted of complete body scanning, VO2 Max baselines, complete bloodwork as well as a lot of one on one coaching with doctors, Physical Therapists and Nutritional coaches. Over the course of two days, I had about 10-15 sessions that I can describe as extremely motivational, very informative and unbelievably professional and refreshing. Because the entire program is relatively new (myself and one other person were attending this week - and we are only the 14th and 15th to go through it) I felt like I received a ton of personal care and guidance - from some extremely compassionate and highly qualified individuals. Almost everyone I spoke to had contributed to books, medical papers, and professional publications. They were amazing.

My procedure was performed on Thursday (Sep 21) after I arrived at 6:45. I was out of the hospital by noon. I choose to stay at a local hotel with my wife until I felt good enough to drive (because of work, we decided to drive separately - meaning I had to drive myself home, eventually).

No real issues with the procedure, however, I was quite nauseous for two days afterwards - which I didn't really expect. The nurses and doctors all told me that everyone they have seen go through there (about 100 people thus far) all had nausea - every single one. Beyond that, a little stomach pain (no throat pain for me) but it's all manageable. They did provide me with an ample supply of medications (nausea, oxy for pain, antibiotics and sleeping meds) all included with the procedure.

Next week I begin my weekly phone in coaching (1/2hr a week for one year) and I will return in 6 months for a complete scan and more blood work - and again in one year to compare everything against my baselines.

I don't want to bog anyone down with too many details, but if you'd like to know more or have specific questions I would be happy to answer. I can't say enough great things about Mayo. I think I received incredible value for my money. If you are considering it - give Mayo a call. I can't imagine it going any better than it did and, because the program is relatively new (and you have to pay out of pocket for now) they don't have a long list of people waiting to go through it - and you have a whole team of people working with you to help achieve your goals. The focus is really on long term quality of life - and using the ESG as a tool to help retrain you for success.

Thanks to everyone on this forum who contributes. I wouldn't have even considered this if it wasn't for you.

Oh wow Mel your post almost put me in tears. You are so right about spending $ on our children in a heartbeat even if it will only slightly improve their quality of life. I do want to do this not only for myself but for my family to be honest with you. I really think that if I am able to achieve a decent amount of weight loss, I mean 30 or 35 pounds, then my entire outlook on life would improve. I know it is not the answer to all my problems but it would definitely help. Do you know how many times I’ve felt bad about my weight and let those emotions spill out into my general mood for the day? How many times have I heard my husband ask me what’s wrong and why am I upset or cranky! I can’t even give him a decent answer. I can’t even verbalize my day to day struggle with my self image. It’s really “weighing” down heavily on my life. You’re right I need to do this. I just hope it works well for me as a tool. I do exercise and try to eat healthy but my weight has crept up on me and I’m tired of the constant struggle. I will keep you posted and please continue to post about your progress. You have inspired me to go forward. I want to know that you are there as a senior or pro at this procedure. My continued blessings to you.

Oh one more thing Mel, sorry I meant to ask you. Was your procedure endoscopic or was it a traditional gastric plication where there were incisions? I’m just wondering because you said you were gone for a week and ESG is supposed to be a same day procedure.

Oh one more thing Mel, sorry I meant to ask you. Was your procedure endoscopic or was it a traditional gastric plication where there were incisions? I’m just wondering because you said you were gone for a week and ESG is supposed to be a same day procedure.

Yes my procedure was endoscopic. As I lived out of state they required me to stay for 7-10 days to ensure any complications could be dealt with quickly. I was well enough to drive the 10 hours home on day 5 as I was fine. They also had an infusion clinic that we could attend as much as we wanted which was so good. For 3 days I had Iv fluids and lots of Iv drugs to make me feel better. My dr has us nil by mouth for 3 days post procedure so the fluids really helped. I think this is not the norm though as most esg clients drink soon after.

I'm so glad that we are able to connect and support one another via this forum. I know how valuable it was to have questions answered honestly so that I really knew what I was signing up for.

Oh wow Mel your post almost put me in tears. You are so right about spending $ on our children in a heartbeat even if it will only slightly improve their quality of life. I do want to do this not only for myself but for my family to be honest with you. I really think that if I am able to achieve a decent amount of weight loss, I mean 30 or 35 pounds, then my entire outlook on life would improve. I know it is not the answer to all my problems but it would definitely help. Do you know how many times I’ve felt bad about my weight and let those emotions spill out into my general mood for the day? How many times have I heard my husband ask me what’s wrong and why am I upset or cranky! I can’t even give him a decent answer. I can’t even verbalize my day to day struggle with my self image. It’s really “weighing” down heavily on my life. You’re right I need to do this. I just hope it works well for me as a tool. I do exercise and try to eat healthy but my weight has crept up on me and I’m tired of the constant struggle. I will keep you posted and please continue to post about your progress. You have inspired me to go forward. I want to know that you are there as a senior or pro at this procedure. My continued blessings to you.

It really does affect your entire life. I don't remember a time when I haven't been on a diet or preparing for the next one. It feels like such a cycle that just wears you down to the point that it dominates your whole self worth. Despite success in other areas of our lives, it is still the one thing that is always out of reach.

Remember that with or without this procedure, you are loved beyond measure by your family. Perhaps it's time for us to all be a bit kinder to ourself and celebrate all the things we do well.

Take care
Mel.

Mel, are you a counselor or a motivational speaker? Really you have an extraordinary gift of really setting things in perspective and making our outlook on life so much more positive. You have been a gift. I have taken the first step and called the office for a consult. I am planning to tell my husband this weekend. I think he is the only one I’m going to tell about this for now. Wish me luck my dear. ??

Thanks so much bell3endosleeve. So kind of you to answer me in such detail. I am so happy that your procedure went well and it was a success! I was wondering how it is now dealing with caring for your children and getting back into a normal routine. How long did it take for you to feel well enough to go back to your routine? What was your pre procedure requirements like diet and blood tests, etc. ? I can see that you had some pretty bad nausea for the first few days but were you completely debilitated or was it sporadic fits of nausea until day 3 when it got much better? Did others around you notice that you had a procedure done or was it not something strikingly obvious unless you told them? How much did you pay to get it done on the west coast? I was quoted between 10-11 thousand. Thanks so much for all this information and please don’t hesitate to tell me that I’m asking too many questions if I’m overwhelming you. Your responses are truly so valuable to me right now as I am still indecisive. All my best.

Hi hi hope4momof4!! Caring for my children has been no problem. The first 3-5 days I was tired and my husband had to work so my mom helped out. I would plan to stay wherever you have the procedure done for at least 3 full days after. That should manage any initial post op difficulty. But it’s really easy with kids, I just told mine I didn’t feel well (sick). Also, told friends that too. No one ever questioned anything. Why would they? I also did talk about my plans to “go hard” again on getting my weight down around the time of the procedure. Due to summer travel & other events I said I’d have to get on track after. Essentially preparing people for my weight loss. I have told no one about having this done. My mother, mother-in-law and husband and the only three people. I didn’t want any judgment and it’s been a great choice. I do however feel that this procedure could help some of my close friends but I’m still not planning to share at this point. Regarding my kids, I have even baked cookies and banana bread and pancakes every Sunday. Not a single bite! I cook meals every day that I don’t eat with no problem.

My pre-procedure requirements were very easy. No blood work or anything. Just 2 days of clear liquids leading up and 1 day post clear liquids (the clear liquid stage was a bit challenging) then full liquid after.

Regarding how much I paid, I’m not sure what I’ll be charged yet. My doctor bills this procedure as an Endoscopic procedure ( not as a ESG). We haven’t received a bill yet but don’t expect it to be too much[emoji4].

I truly and with all my heart could not recommend this procedure more highly. It’s been incredible and from what you said to Melesg, I was right where you are now...feeling so frustrated with my weight and letting it spill over into other areas. For me having lost 25+ pounds 3 times since my 3rd baby (she’s 3.5 now) was born... has been so deeply depressing. I almost didn’t recognize myself, my happy joyous ways were so muted and I was hiding. My husband was hesitant initially when I brought this to him but I became very educated before I spoke to him so it wasn’t long before he was super supportive. He has watched me work so hard to loose then have it all come back. This will be a gift to you and your family.

@hope4momof4 No, definitely not. Just someone who understands how it feels. I wish you the best of luck speaking with your husband. I imagine it will be a big shock for him that you want to take this step. Sometimes planting the seed and letting it cultivate is important. Even if he is not convinced for now, I hope you can move forward with his full support. I imagine it must be a little scary thinking that your wife is taking a reasonably drastic step. Take care of each other xo

The forum has been awfully quiet for a while. How is belle3endosleeve doing? I hope you are still losing? How much have you lost so far? How are you Melesg? I haven’t heard from either of you in a while. I hope that you haven’t had any issues. Please update us on your progress. Still wishing all my best.

Well, since I started this thread, I'll bite. It's been about 8 weeks since I had the procedure. During weeks 1-7, I chose to stick to the liquid only diet - which in my case consisted of only protein shakes (specifically I drank only Beverly International UMP and MTS Machine Whey protein - in other words very high quality and great tasting protein) 3 times per day. Occasionally, I would have about a cup of chicken broth or sugar free jello (the cups they sell pre-made and refrigerated in the grocery store). The first week was easy and the second week was difficult. The third through seventh weeks were very easy and I really enjoyed it (so much so that I continued past the 4th week until week 7). I found that I had a ton of energy and felt the best I've felt in years. Ironically, I spent a lot of my free time watching cooking shows and learning some new recipes. My wife thought it was torture, but it actually seemed to keep me focused on not eating with a goal of cooking more high quality meals after I was done with the liquid phase.

I started walking a lot by the second week (some on my treadmill at a medium speed but a steep incline - some outside) for about 30 - 50 minutes at a time - including some targeted running at the end of the walk (High Intensity). I walked 5 times a week and found other things to do to keep my mind occupied when I wasn't at work. After 30 days, I began lifting weights - for about 90 minutes at a stretch. It's been a while since I lifted weights so I was VERY sore. This means that I've only lifted twice a week since that point - which is fine with me.

Last week I began eating again - not very much and mostly soft foods like eggs and yogurt. I also went out of town to a friend's retirement which found me drinking some liquor (mostly cranberry juice and vodka) and going out to eat. In all honesty, I couldn't eat much of anything (even though I wanted to) and I took some protein shakes with to drink. Over this past weekend, I spent a lot of time cooking some healthy meals but didn't really feel like eating too much. I really enjoy spending a ton of time in the kitchen cooking (some of the meals I made took 4-5 hours) and not caring about eating.

So far, I have had a pretty good variety of foods (albeit very small portions) including all types of meats, cheeses, vegetables, and small amounts of grains/breads. I have had no trouble tolerating any of the foods (except a bit of meatloaf I had last night that just didn't sit well) but my portion sizes are a fifth of what I used to eat - and I'm only eating food for dinner. During the day, I am sticking with protein shakes - for now.

If I were to guess, I would say that I have been between 600 and 800 calories per day since the procedure. Every once in a while, I get a little lighted headed when I stand up - but not often. I have enough energy to work out and drink tons of water. I just started drinking coffee again this week - but not first thing in the morning - that's when I have a protein shake.

As far as weight loss goes - I don't know my number. When I started this program, I promised myself a few things:

The number on the scale would never be a part of what success was for me. I've spent the greater part of my life worried about that number and my past behaviors got me to this point - so they need to change. No more weighing myself.

My goal was, and continues to be, to feel good each day. It's that simple. When I go to bed at night, I want to feel good with where I am - and how I spent my day. So far, I have succeeded and feel better than I have in 20 years.

I started off at 267 (5'10") and I can tell you, without a doubt, I have lost a ton of weight. My pants went from a tight 45 to 40 and I can fit easily in XL from a tight XXL. I have no doubt that I have dropped 40 or more pounds and even started toning up. I wouldn't be surprised if I weigh below 200 by my 6 month appointment in March - when I will have my next official weigh-in. It's coming off that quick.

Having this procedure is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I am planning on spending the winter lifting and losing so I can continue long distance running in the spring - in the hopes of running a marathon by next fall. I have begun investigating hiking and backpacking throughout the US and am committed to being healthy. What's amazing, is that after the second week, it has been pretty darn easy. I have no real restrictions now - and have absolutely no side effects (other than massive fat shredding).

To sum it up - if you just had the procedure or are having it soon - here is the best advice I can give you:

Buy and drink the highest quality protein you can afford. I buy mine from Tiger Fitness - as they are the cheapest with the quickest shipping. The protein costs a fraction of what I used to spend on food - so I would recommend you avoid muscle milk and anything you can find at Walmart or your local grocery store. Buy what athletes and nutrition experts buy. The cookies and cream from MTS nutrition will blow your mind.

Don't run from food - embrace your new lifestyle and focus on enjoying every bite you take. Just keep the portions small.

If your doctor approves and you feel good, stick with the protein shakes as long as you can. The amount of weight I dropped during this phase is phenomenal. I intend to use protein shakes as a supplement for the rest of my life - including occasional protein shake fasts.

When you are on a protein/liquid only diet, take time each day to reflect on where you are at and where you want to be. Call it meditation or whatever you want - but think about your thoughts. It will make your will stronger and you will eventually regain lost confidence and be capable of anything. Daily victories begin to snowball.

If you can, don't weigh yourself. At least not frequently. Nothing good can come from it and it is a horrible indication of your health. Trust your feelings and instincts. If you feel good - then you are moving in the right direction.

Good Luck and enjoy the journey.

18 minutes ago, AlCzervik said:

Well, since I started this thread, I'll bite. It's been about 8 weeks since I had the procedure. During weeks 1-7, I chose to stick to the liquid only diet - which in my case consisted of only Protein Shakes (specifically I drank only Beverly International UMP and MTS Machine whey Protein - in other words very high quality and great tasting protein) 3 times per day. Occasionally, I would have about a cup of chicken broth or sugar free Jello (the cups they sell pre-made and refrigerated in the grocery store). The first week was easy and the second week was difficult. The third through seventh weeks were very easy and I really enjoyed it (so much so that I continued past the 4th week until week 7). I found that I had a ton of energy and felt the best I've felt in years. Ironically, I spent a lot of my free time watching cooking shows and learning some new recipes. My wife thought it was torture, but it actually seemed to keep me focused on not eating with a goal of cooking more high quality meals after I was done with the liquid phase.

I started walking a lot by the second week (some on my treadmill at a medium speed but a steep incline - some outside) for about 30 - 50 minutes at a time - including some targeted running at the end of the walk (High Intensity). I walked 5 times a week and found other things to do to keep my mind occupied when I wasn't at work. After 30 days, I began lifting weights - for about 90 minutes at a stretch. It's been a while since I lifted weights so I was VERY sore. This means that I've only lifted twice a week since that point - which is fine with me.

Last week I began eating again - not very much and mostly soft foods like eggs and yogurt. I also went out of town to a friend's retirement which found me drinking some liquor (mostly cranberry juice and vodka) and going out to eat. In all honesty, I couldn't eat much of anything (even though I wanted to) and I took some protein shakes with to drink. Over this past weekend, I spent a lot of time cooking some healthy meals but didn't really feel like eating too much. I really enjoy spending a ton of time in the kitchen cooking (some of the meals I made took 4-5 hours) and not caring about eating.

So far, I have had a pretty good variety of foods (albeit very small portions) including all types of meats, cheeses, vegetables, and small amounts of grains/breads. I have had no trouble tolerating any of the foods (except a bit of meatloaf I had last night that just didn't sit well) but my portion sizes are a fifth of what I used to eat - and I'm only eating food for dinner. During the day, I am sticking with protein shakes - for now.

If I were to guess, I would say that I have been between 600 and 800 calories per day since the procedure. Every once in a while, I get a little lighted headed when I stand up - but not often. I have enough energy to work out and drink tons of Water. I just started drinking coffee again this week - but not first thing in the morning - that's when I have a Protein Shake.

As far as weight loss goes - I don't know my number. When I started this program, I promised myself a few things:

The number on the scale would never be a part of what success was for me. I've spent the greater part of my life worried about that number and my past behaviors got me to this point - so they need to change. No more weighing myself.

My goal was, and continues to be, to feel good each day. It's that simple. When I go to bed at night, I want to feel good with where I am - and how I spent my day. So far, I have succeeded and feel better than I have in 20 years.

I started off at 267 (5'10") and I can tell you, without a doubt, I have lost a ton of weight. My pants went from a tight 45 to 40 and I can fit easily in XL from a tight XXL. I have no doubt that I have dropped 40 or more pounds and even started toning up. I wouldn't be surprised if I weigh below 200 by my 6 month appointment in March - when I will have my next official weigh-in. It's coming off that quick.

Having this procedure is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I am planning on spending the winter lifting and losing so I can continue long distance running in the spring - in the hopes of running a marathon by next fall. I have begun investigating hiking and backpacking throughout the US and am committed to being healthy. What's amazing, is that after the second week, it has been pretty darn easy. I have no real restrictions now - and have absolutely no side effects (other than massive fat shredding).

To sum it up - if you just had the procedure or are having it soon - here is the best advice I can give you:

Buy and drink the highest quality protein you can afford. I buy mine from Tiger Fitness - as they are the cheapest with the quickest shipping. The protein costs a fraction of what I used to spend on food - so I would recommend you avoid muscle milk and anything you can find at Walmart or your local grocery store. Buy what athletes and nutrition experts buy. The Cookies and cream from MTS nutrition will blow your mind.

Don't run from food - embrace your new lifestyle and focus on enjoying every bite you take. Just keep the portions small.

If your doctor approves and you feel good, stick with the protein shakes as long as you can. The amount of weight I dropped during this phase is phenomenal. I intend to use protein shakes as a supplement for the rest of my life - including occasional protein shake fasts.

When you are on a protein/liquid only diet, take time each day to reflect on where you are at and where you want to be. Call it meditation or whatever you want - but think about your thoughts. It will make your will stronger and you will eventually regain lost confidence and be capable of anything. Daily victories begin to snowball.

If you can, don't weigh yourself. At least not frequently. Nothing good can come from it and it is a horrible indication of your health. Trust your feelings and instincts. If you feel good - then you are moving in the right direction.

Good Luck and enjoy the journey.

Good for you!!?????? I’m happy to hear you not just doing well but outstanding! I think you really did use this procedure as just a tool to get healthy. I’m very hopeful that I can achieve similar results. It looks like you are feeling full with very little food and either the procedure has worked perfectly for you in that sense or possibly you started off not feeling hungry due to the procedure and then you trained your body to not want food as much afterwards. Either way you are doing great and I hope you continue your success. Please continue to update on your progress at least weekly. You do give us inspiration especially those like myself in the process of scheduling this procedure. Thanks a million and continued success and health!

Al, that's awesome to hear, fantastic progress! I know from the yo-yo diets how incredible that feels to go down that many sizes in clothes, sounds like you are on a path to stay there this time. Also great to hear of your exercise experience, inspiring for my upcoming procedure. Stay in touch as you continue to make progress it is very reaffirming for the rest of us! Great job, enjoy the new healthy you!

Regards, Tex

The forum has been awfully quiet for a while. How is belle3endosleeve doing? I hope you are still losing? How much have you lost so far? How are you Melesg? I haven’t heard from either of you in a while. I hope that you haven’t had any issues. Please update us on your progress. Still wishing all my best.

Hi!!!
How are you? How did your conversation go with your husband? Any progress on what you are going to do regarding the esg?

I am great, thanks for checking in [emoji4]. I have finally broken the stall and have been losing, slowly but losing none the less. Still loving the support of my dietician to navigate this new world of eating. I have begun moving more and adding some short runs and strength training - baby steps but it is working well with my life.

All up I am now nearly 12kg down and can no longer shop in the big girl stores. Lost about 1 and a half dress sizes. Having to answer a few " wow you look great, what diet are you doing" conversations.

Still needing to work on impulse eating which has happened a few times when I am not organised and grab something for the kids on the go. I am trying to adopt the mindset of trying not dwell on it but work on strategies to prevent it next time. It's definitely a learning curve.

Keep in touch,
Mel x

Hey Melesg,

Great to heat that you’re doing well. 12 kgs, that’s more than 26 pounds! Amazing! Congrats to you! I have heard from several who post about this procedure that a stall is very common so I’m glad you were able to get through that little bump in the road. I’ve also heard that people who have this procedure have increased energy levels as well. Is this something you noticed?

About my conversation with my Hubbie, well, it hasn’t happened yet but I am starting to get him on board with the idea of doing something to help me lose weight. He sees me struggle and has said if I really want to I should go to a weight loss doctor, although he kindly adds that I don’t need to, lol. So I’m getting there....baby steps. I’m planning to have mine in February. I’m not sure about Australia but it is still cold here in February which I think gives me time to recover and be ready for spring. Keep your fingers crossed for me. My best to you always.

What is ESG?


5' 5"
HW: 259
CW: 234
GOAL: Healthy and hard 140-ish?

28 minutes ago, Sherry Rice said:

What is ESG?


5' 5"
HW: 259
CW: 234
GOAL: Healthy and hard 140-ish?

Hey Sherry,

ESG is a new bariatric procedure that is considered noninvasive. It stands for endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty which basically means sewing or stitching up your stomach like a gastric sleeve but without any incisions. They go through your mouth with the suturing device. You are put under anesthesia and it is outpatient so you go home same day. There are only a few doctors performing this. However, this procedure looks promising so I think more and more doctors will be offering it soon. I am looking to get it done but I have not had it yet. Hopefully more people who have actually had this procedure done will chime in from this forum. My BMI is 32 and I’m 43 years old. This procedure is only for patients with a BMI from 30-40. Hope that helps you. Good luck with whatever you decide.