Mahbod Paya, MD

15 min to change 20 years of weight gain. Yea it is worth using a gastric balloon as a sledgehammer kind of tool. Why use a knife to cut things out that you use every day! The Balloon helped me change habits not modify my body with surgery. I had tried so many times to lose weight with other programs but they we not changing the behavior with feedback for making bad food choices. Weight gain and weight loss take time...however knowing how much time helps. I can only say how great I feel now and how the experience help shape and replace my ideas about food, eating, quantity and calories, activity and the joys of life. My wife and I did the program together and frankly having the support of someone else going through the program is a huge plus. If not someone you know get on a support group page with people who are going to do the same thing. They will be more willing to tell you the truth and push you to succeed. Find a good Dr and Practice that has after care or use the Orbera coaching team and online videos. You are not hungry, so it is important to still eat. Just eat dense protein and chew well. Don’t drink your calories you want to let your body continue to metabolize (the balloon) 24/7 thus you just burn more weight off than you think. Get up and keep moving and just watch the lbs. melt away.

I am 47 and have been on every diet you can imagine. These last few years have been very difficult to lose weight due to perimenopause. I am 5'4 and on the day of my procedure was 184 pounds. Well, today is day two and the scale said 179. Day one was very difficult. Despite taking all my meds, I spent the day trying to drink enough and throwing up every three hours. The heartburn is brutal but I found that Peptobismal helps a lot because the omeprazole wasn't. I got a solid three hours sleep but woke up around 2 am with terrible heartburn. Spent the rest of the night in the recliner in front of the tv. Day two has been much better as I only threw up twice and I was able to keep some protein shake down. I feel more hydrated today thank God because I have to work five hours tomorrow.

Updated on 4 Jun 2017:
The painful stomach cramps are gone and most of the nausea as well. Haven't vomited since day two. I am still trying to get in enough water. Ate a scrambled egg and it made me feel a lot better. The heart burn is still there at times despite taking my med for it. No longer taking any of the other meds. Yesterday I got through a half day of work. I even went for a half hour walk. Day by day feeling better.

Updated on 7 Jul 2017:
It's been one month since my balloon insertion and I am very happy with the results so far. I am doing a modified version of the Fast Metabolism Diet (you couldn't possibly eat all the food they tell you to, but eating the correct types of foods on designated days makes the weight fly off.) I want to keep my metabolism up so that when they take the balloon out I won't gain it back by just eating lettuce! The first week I hardly lost anything because I was following the prescribed liquid diet and had very little energy, but now that I am on the Fast Metabolism Diet, the weight is falling off. I have been exercising on my tread climber for 30 minutes a day and I also do Classical Stretch videos (a program I found on PBS that is great for staying young and feeling great!) I can fit into a lot of my clothes that I haven't been able to wear for a long time. Being perimenopausal, the last year has been very frustrating trying to lose weight. My goal is to get to 130 pounds. I am feeling confident.

Updated on 29 Jul 2017:
Hi everyone! It's been almost two months and I am down 20 pounds. I must admit I recently hit a plateau which is frustrating, but I am not giving up!!!! I certainly didn't spend $8,000 to lose 20 pounds, so I plan on adjusting my exercise and diet to lose as much as possible over the next four months. Over all, I feel pretty good, but sometimes it is difficult because digestion is slowed due to eating fresh vegetables, and sometimes even cooked veggies. There can be times of awful burping (which I try to do silently) and the taste can be nauseating. I almost threw up at work the other day because of it. At night I sometimes have acid reflux attacks and I feel like I am drowning/choking. That's no fun! Then there are times when it feels like there is no ball in my stomach at all, which is a wonderful feeling! But if I am honest, it will be a relief to get this alien out once the six months are up. To those of you who have also had the balloon, please tell us how you are doing because It is inspiring to hear your stories.????

Updated on 10 Sep 2017:
Hi everyone. It's been three months and one week and I am down 29 pounds. I can get into my smallest clothes now and soon will have to buy new pants. I am still throwing up occasionally, which seems to happen when I eat something that sits in my stomach all day long. The ball gets pushed up high and my stomach feel so hard it hurts at times. Massaging in a downward motion helps relieve the pressure. The burping can be horrible! I had a bad plateau for about a month but finally broke free by eating less and exercising more. I am going to hike the Grand Canyon at the end of October so I am training for that! I hope you all are doing well!

Updated on 20 Jan 2018:
It has been one month since the ball came out and I am very happy with the results! So far I have been maintaining my weight loss through diet and exercise. I refuse to go back to old habits, and every time I think about eating something unhealthy I remind myself that I spent $8,000 that could have gone toward other important family needs. Recovery from the ball removal was more difficult than the insertion. A heavier anesthesia was used so I felt woozy for a few days afterward, and I had quite sore throat for a few days. It sure feels good to have that thing out! No more heartburn! No more indigestion! I eat three meals a days and two snacks and rarely feel true hunger. I treat myself with respect and no longer use food as entertainment or as a way to treat boredom, depression, etc. I went from size 16 to size 6, 184 pounds to 134. I urge anyone reading this to get The Fast Metabolism Diet book and read it! It is the lifestyle I follow and it works!