26/11/2025
What will my weight loss journey be like?
Approximately 90% of people have no appetite at all after the insertion of an intragastric balloon. In the first 10 days you will be restricted to a liquid diet, but most people do not feel hungry!
After 1-2 weeks, your appetite may start to return but is typically blunted, and when you do eat, you will get full VERY easily. Many patients tell us they get full on a couple of tablespoons of yoghurt.
During this time, you must eat very slowly and cautiously, as overeating can very easily occur. If you overeat, your body will give you a signal, whether it be bloating, reflux, hiccups or indigestion. It is very important to pay attention to your body signals: the aim is to learn when you’ve had enough without developing those signals.
Over the next 6-8 weeks, you will gradually be able to increase the amount you eat, although not to what it was previously. Around this time, weight loss will start to slow down and may ultimately plateau.
With an Orbera® balloon, 90% of the weight loss will occur in the first 3 months, with the second 3 months largely representing a weight maintenance period.
With the Spatz3® balloon, it is at this plateau phase that an adjustment can be made to increase the volume of the balloon to improve appetite and satiety control and achieve further weight loss.
