A water balloon for weight loss?

Testing is currently underway to assess the potential of a device called “Elipse” as a viable method to lose weight…and it’s not necessarily for the faint of heart.

Elipse is a balloon that's crammed inside a typical-sized medication capsule which is attached to a tiny catheter. 

Once it’s swallowed and reaches the stomach, the capsule dissolves and releases the balloon. Then the balloon gets pumped up with distilled water through the catheter.  When the balloon is full, the catheter is pulled out through the mouth.

What results is a grapefruit-sized (about 19 ounces) water balloon that fills the stomach and significantly reduces the amount of food someone can eat before feeling full.

After four months, the balloon automatically deflates, at which point it makes its way through the intestinal tract and is eliminated when Nature calls.

Success!  Or maybe not

By dramatically reducing their intake of food, people that use Elipse (once it’s approved by the FDA) will most assuredly lose weight. 

Taking in less food always means your body must begin to rely on its own fat reserves and hence you lose weight.

But the same can be said for any diet that significantly reduces intake! 

And the real issue is: What happens once the citrus fruit-sized water balloon is no longer a part of your gullet?

You guessed it—all of a sudden you have more room again in your stomach and don’t get full as fast anymore.

Watch the tide roll in.

Now, the developers of Elipse are optimistic that people will learn portion control during the four months that the balloon is taking up residence in their stomach, and these newly formed habits will continue once it goes on its merry way.

Well, all I can say is while this new “stomach shrinking” method has not been approved yet, I have yet in my health career to see a single case of bariatric surgery where the person successfully kept ALL the weight off, so I can’t imagine this being dramatically different.

What’s wrong?

The glaring boo-boo here is this: 

You can follow a severely restrictive diet, you can have your stomach stapled, you can inflate a gastric water balloon or even swallow an old sock to fill up your stomach if you’re so inclined, but none of that changes the fact that losing weight and keeping it off is not simply a matter of portion control!

And that’s why these weight loss measures are merely temporary at best.

Losing weight and keeping it off are instead a function of these three factors:

1. What you eat
2. How efficient your digestion is
3. How much you move

What you eat is arguably far more imperative than portion control and here’s why:  When you concentrate on real, whole foods like vegetables, fruits, meats, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs and healthy fats (like butter and olive oil) your body gets properly nourished and you stay satisfied longer—which greatly reduces your chances of overeating, binging or snacking.  Plus whole foods are inherently lower in calories than processed foods, so you naturally reduce calorie intake without deprivation or starving yourself!

Efficient digestion is a must.  If your body can’t properly assimilate and absorb nutrients from your foods and/or eliminate wastes due to poor digestion, forget it.  There’s no way you’ll be able to lose weight since you’ll be constantly hungry (due to poor nutrition) and constantly constipated (due to inefficient breakdown of your foods).  So if your digestion is not going along so well and/or you find yourself relying on acid reducers, you can help turn that around by:

• Making your meals simpler and easier for your system to tackle—and the Great Taste No Pain health system can show you exactly what to do. It’s easy—it just involves a few simple changes to how your structure your meals and can make a world of difference in how your body accomplishes digestion. 
• Giving your body digestive enzyme support if needed with Digestizol Max enzyme formula. People most in need of digestive enzyme supplements include the elderly, people who use acid reducers, people who have had gallbladder surgery or people who have had a long history of a junk food diet.

Moving on a regular basis is essential too.  Regular physical activity helps to increase muscle mass and decrease body fat, both of which are crucial to weight loss and management.  Plus you’ll also be decreasing your risk of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, back pain and even depression!  Get your doctor’s nod of approval, get some sneakers and get going!

Losing weight and keeping it off doesn’t have to be rocket science and it certainly doesn’t require water balloons. 

Eat the right foods, keep digestion humming and break a sweat on a regular basis and I’m sure you’ll love the results!