A woman desperate to lose weight has swallowed a gastric balloon, which works by expanding in her stomach to curb appetite.Lucy Heather from Berkshire says she piled on the pounds after having her two children and was miserable at four stone overweight.
After managing to lose a stone and a half on her own she plateaued - and sought the assistance of a £3,000 surgery-free gastric balloon, she revealed to Lorraine on the sofa this morning on ITV.
The Obalon balloon is swallowed as a pill and expands in the stomach to make you feel full
'I felt it for the first couple of days but now can't,' says Lucy, who has had the balloon in her stomach for two weeks and is eating smaller portions because of it.
The balloon can be swallowed in a capsule and expands once inside the stomach. It works by floating on top of the stomach, stopping you eating quite as much and stimulating the receptors which tell you you're full, sooner.
As the device is so new, doctors are as yet unaware of any long-term side effects - though in the short term, Lucy says, the balloon is relatively low risk, and removal through a simple endoscopy is reportedly fast and painless.
Critics such as nutritionist Amanda Ursell, who joined her on the sofa, say the balloon will not change your eating habits in the long term.
'Its not a magic bullet,' she says.
'It is absolutely crucial that people realise this. You must invest commitment to weight loss.
Amanda Ursell (left), Lucy Heather (middle) and Lorraine (right) discuss the balloon, it works by expanding in the stomach and stimulating the receptors that tell you you're full
'When i see someone who really wants to lose weight, they do it regardless of whatever they've been doing before and just focus on losing weight. This is not a quick fix.
'If you are going to do it you have to embrace that you are going to have to change your eating habits afterwards. You have to make the commitment to change your eating habits long term and your lifestyle.'
Lucy says she is getting nutritional advice and exercising, and Lorraine will follow her progress and have her back on the show in a few months.
'I haven't noticed any significant side effects, no nausea or anything like that,' says Lucy.
Lorraine will have Lucy back on the show in a few months to monitor her progress
Last month the Mail reported that, unlike other gastric balloon treatments, the new device, called Obalon, does not require invasive surgery. Instead, in a 10-minute procedure, patients simply swallow a capsule the size of a large vitamin pill which contains a deflated balloon.
The capsule is attached to a hollow tube and, once the capsule arrives in the stomach, the balloon is inflated to the size of an apple. The capsule dissolves and the tube is removed via the mouth.
Patients receive a second balloon 30 days after the first procedure, with the option of a third balloon after around 60 days, based on their weight loss and feelings of fullness.
At the end of the treatment plan, a few months later, the balloons are deflated and removed during an outpatient procedure.
Patients are not able to retain the balloons for more than 90 days but the hope is that the treatment will help them make lifestyle changes which they will then be able to maintain once the balloons have been removed.
Obalon costs from £2,995 for a two-balloon treatment. It is currently only available privately. It is aimed at people who are not sufficiently overweight to qualify for weight-loss surgery.
Clinical trials in the UK and in the U.S. have shown that patients lose an average of 1st 3lbs in 12 weeks.
After managing to lose a stone and a half on her own she plateaued - and sought the assistance of a £3,000 surgery-free gastric balloon, she revealed to Lorraine on the sofa this morning on ITV.
The Obalon balloon is swallowed as a pill and expands in the stomach to make you feel full
'I felt it for the first couple of days but now can't,' says Lucy, who has had the balloon in her stomach for two weeks and is eating smaller portions because of it.
The balloon can be swallowed in a capsule and expands once inside the stomach. It works by floating on top of the stomach, stopping you eating quite as much and stimulating the receptors which tell you you're full, sooner.
As the device is so new, doctors are as yet unaware of any long-term side effects - though in the short term, Lucy says, the balloon is relatively low risk, and removal through a simple endoscopy is reportedly fast and painless.
Critics such as nutritionist Amanda Ursell, who joined her on the sofa, say the balloon will not change your eating habits in the long term.
'Its not a magic bullet,' she says.
'It is absolutely crucial that people realise this. You must invest commitment to weight loss.
Amanda Ursell (left), Lucy Heather (middle) and Lorraine (right) discuss the balloon, it works by expanding in the stomach and stimulating the receptors that tell you you're full
'When i see someone who really wants to lose weight, they do it regardless of whatever they've been doing before and just focus on losing weight. This is not a quick fix.
'If you are going to do it you have to embrace that you are going to have to change your eating habits afterwards. You have to make the commitment to change your eating habits long term and your lifestyle.'
Lucy says she is getting nutritional advice and exercising, and Lorraine will follow her progress and have her back on the show in a few months.
'I haven't noticed any significant side effects, no nausea or anything like that,' says Lucy.
Lorraine will have Lucy back on the show in a few months to monitor her progress
Last month the Mail reported that, unlike other gastric balloon treatments, the new device, called Obalon, does not require invasive surgery. Instead, in a 10-minute procedure, patients simply swallow a capsule the size of a large vitamin pill which contains a deflated balloon.
The capsule is attached to a hollow tube and, once the capsule arrives in the stomach, the balloon is inflated to the size of an apple. The capsule dissolves and the tube is removed via the mouth.
Patients receive a second balloon 30 days after the first procedure, with the option of a third balloon after around 60 days, based on their weight loss and feelings of fullness.
At the end of the treatment plan, a few months later, the balloons are deflated and removed during an outpatient procedure.
Patients are not able to retain the balloons for more than 90 days but the hope is that the treatment will help them make lifestyle changes which they will then be able to maintain once the balloons have been removed.
Obalon costs from £2,995 for a two-balloon treatment. It is currently only available privately. It is aimed at people who are not sufficiently overweight to qualify for weight-loss surgery.
Clinical trials in the UK and in the U.S. have shown that patients lose an average of 1st 3lbs in 12 weeks.
