What to do when you feel that your balloon is not working for you?

The first few days after balloon insertion can be difficult. You may not be able to eat much at all, leading to rapid weight loss. However, as your body adjusts to the balloon and the initial symptoms tend to resolve, it is important that you learn to work with your balloon to optimize the results you achieve during your program.

The most important thing to remember is that your kite can only work as hard as you can. It’s not set and forget. There are many things within your control that will help enhance your results.

Often people tell us that they don’t think their kite is doing what it’s supposed to. However, we often find that with a few simple tweaks we can make your kite work better for you to achieve better results.

If you feel like you may be overeating, are extremely hungry, or aren’t losing weight as you’d hoped, the following can help make sure you’re not unknowingly working against your bladder.

• Make sure you include at least three main meals each day.
• Include up to three snacks if you are physically hungry between your main meals. You may also need to add a snack if you eat too much or too quickly at your next meal. Click here for snack ideas.
• Include protein in your meals as it helps you feel full faster and feel satisfied for longer.
  • Include eggs, yogurt, milk, cheese, baked beans or nut spreads for breakfast. Click here for our breakfast brainstorm.
  • At lunch and dinner, try to make half of your meals protein-based. Include fish, chicken, meat, seafood, eggs, grains or lentils.

Image courtesy of Allurion.

• Load up on salads and veggies to add fiber and volume to your meals. Just be careful with stringy and leafy vegetables early in the placement.
• Include healthy fats as they also help you feel fuller for longer. Include small amounts of avocados, nuts and seeds in your day. However, remember that healthy fats are also high in calories, so a good rule of thumb is to limit nuts and seeds to no more than a quarter cup per day.
• Focus most of your meals on solid foods. For example, eating chicken and broccoli will make you feel more satisfied than eating chicken and broccoli soup.
• Eat until you feel full or neutral. Here you can eat more, but your physical hunger is gone. Avoid eating until full. Click here to learn more about this concept.
• Limit liquid calories, including soft drinks, juices, flavored milks, and alcohol. Your balloon is very difficult to limit them.
• Avoid grazing, where you nibble on small amounts of food for long periods of time. You will struggle to support yourself.
• Minimize slider food. Slider foods are crunchy, soft, or lightly processed foods with little nutritional value. They are very easy to overeat and do not keep you full for long. Learn more about slider food here.
• Move your body. Try to incorporate regular exercise into your day. Walking, pilates, yoga, YouTube workouts, gym, dancing, swimming, cycling…
• Contact us for help and support. Never feel embarrassed or ashamed if you are not getting the results you expect, we are here to help and support you.