Orbera: The Effective Weight-Loss Option Between Diet and Surgery

Are you over your target weight and ready to shed some pounds? Then you might have started to look at various weight loss solutions. There are many of them. But what’s often overlooked is the solution that perfectly fills the gap between non-invasive approaches and surgery: The Orbera weight-loss balloon, offered in Tennessee by NuBody Concepts in Nashville and Memphis.

If you’re ready to talk to our gastric surgeon, select a date by clicking below. Otherwise, please read on to learn more.

Let’s first take a look at the non-invasive side of weight-loss. 

Weight Loss Through Diets

Many diets have made headlines and come and gone over the years. Do you remember the Grapefruit diet? You may be forgiven if you don’t, but in the 1970s it was all the rage. We’ve had the Beverly Hills Diet, the Liquid Diet, we’ve had low-fat diets as well as high-fat diets. Atkins was supplanted by South Beach, then came Raw Food, then came entire meal plans like NutriSystem. At some point we thought a Subway Diet, a Special K Diet, a Baby Food Diet, or even an Apple Vinegar Diet might do the trick. 

Needless to say, there is a reason most of these diets are now forgotten. Yes, Some plans have actually had staying power, such as Weight Watchers, and at the moment intermittent fasting is showing some promise. But all in all, diets have a pretty spotty track record.

That’s because diets can be very successful in achieving weight loss in the short term, but they often fail in the long term. You may have heard of the term yo-yo dieting. As you try out a new diet, you may achieve early success. But as time goes on, many people find it hard to sustain the restrictions imposed by their diet and return to pre-diet eating habits, regaining the weight they have lost – until the next diet fad comes along.

Weight Loss With Exercise

Exercise does not always lead to weight loss.  One reason is that working out does not burn as many calories as we think. Studies have shown that exercise burns off 10-30 percent of your energy intake. Given that most people increase food consumption when exercising, losing weight with exercise alone becomes even harder.

Don’t get us wrong – exercise is important for your health. It has shown to prevent cancers, improve blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and sugar, enhance sleep, boost attention and energy, and undeniably has a positive impact on your mood. But sadly it is just not that important for weight loss when implemented all by itself.

Conclusion: Non-invasive weight loss options are easy to participate in, but are often not effective.

Weight Loss with Surgery

Let’s take a look at the other end of the spectrum. 

Not surprisingly, surgery has been proven to be the most effective approach to long-term weight loss. Bariatric surgery causes weight loss by a much more radical approach than a diet. It restricts the amount of food the stomach can hold. The most common such procedures are gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and adjustable gastric band – with gastric bypass considered the “gold standard” of weight loss surgery.

What’s not to like given that these procedures are so effective?

The answer is that they are considered “too invasive” by many patients. Surgery requires incisions, stitches, and often a long recovery period. With today’s busy lifestyles, a long recovery is often not in the cards.  

Conclusion: While an effective weight loss solution is desirable, most people shy away from an approach they consider too invasive.

Weight Loss With Orbera

The Orbera gastric balloon perfectly fills the gap between diet and exercise on the one hand, and surgery on the other. It is a new incision-less, non-surgical option that gives you that boost in momentum that you need to make your weight-loss efforts last. 

Orbera is a two-parts program: First, the placement of a soft silicone balloon in your stomach. And second, a six-month period during which your body learns lasting portion control. During this time, you have access to a support team of coaches and experts to help you develop healthy eating habits.

The Placement of the Balloon 

The placement of the gastric balloon is an easy and fast non-surgical procedure. It is typically done in less than 30 minutes under IV sedation, and you get to go home the same day. A grapefruit-sized balloon filled with a saline solution is placed in your stomach without the need for any incisions or stitches. After six months, the same procedure is performed in reverse, and you are done. 

During those six months, the balloon takes up about 1/3 of the space in your stomach, which helps you to eat less often and in smaller portions. This makes it incredibly easy to stick to your new meal plan, which your nutritionist helps you design.

Is Orbera for You?

Gastric balloons have been a very effective solution for thousands of people in over 80 countries. Over 220,000 Orbera balloons have been distributed worldwide, and the numbers are growing. It has been evaluated in over 230 clinical publications and has shown to help people lose 3x the weight of diet alone.

If you’ve tried a series of diets that haven’t worked, give Orbera a try. It comes highly recommended by people who have “tried everything else” without success. It’s also a great path to a later liposuction procedure to remove the last pockets of fat and tighten your skin.

If you are newly embarking on weight loss, go straight to Orbera and avoid the thousands of dollars in annual costs for a succession of dieting plans. Orbera patients will tell you that they wish they’d done it sooner. 

The success of Orbera lies in the six months of eating right to let your body learn. And it’s so much easier to eat right when you’re not all that hungry.

To learn more about the Orbera weight-loss balloon, click below to schedule a virtual or in-person consultation!