Efy's success story on weight loss with the Spatz3 gastric balloon

Spatz3 is the world’s only Adjustable Gastric Balloon System

I’ve never had a diet. This is my first diet. My wife recommended I go to a dietician to help me lose weight, but I refused. For a very long time, I had knee pain. I had trouble moving it, as well as my body. I always had pain. After an MRI, it turned out I had a complex tear of my meniscus, and I stopped doing sports as I used to. As a result of the injury, I gained plenty of weight. I reached 288 lbs. Finally, I understood that if I continued down that road, I would not have a long and healthy life. It was the wrong way for me, and I understood I needed to make a change.

First time discovered the gastric balloon

I saw an ad about the gastric balloon, it caught my attention, but I didn’t do anything about it at first. Then, as time went by, I thought about it more. Although it took almost a year to decide to have a balloon, personally, that was the time I needed to be ready for the journey. There was no way back. I needed to lose weight, and there was one way for me.

During that time, I went to a nutritionist and gradually built new healthy meals, and she explained the one-year adjustable balloon to me.

I went on a two-week food fiesta and eventually had my final double burger at my favorite restaurant. It was a symbolic meal for me, but now I felt I was committed to losing weight – forever. So, I went on to have a gastric balloon. Dr. Jeffrey Brooks from Spatz Medical implanted the Spatz3 balloon, and I had it for almost nine months.

After the balloon implantation

The first month after the implantation, I lost 22 lbs. I know the initial period of having the balloon was the most difficult one, but it went fine for me. I didn’t have all the symptoms that I was told, such as burps, nausea, etc. But maybe it’s because I didn’t eat much and mainly drank liquids.

During the first three days of the balloon treatment, I felt stomach spasms, but they disappeared. After that, I returned to work and didn’t feel a thing. In the first week, I lost 15 lbs. By the time the balloon was removed, I lost an overall 90 lbs. (about 3 lbs. a week).

Back to daily routine

I was allowed to return to sports, and only one month after the balloon implantation, I went back to fitness activities. I walked every evening for 5 kilometers. I do weights at the end of the walking trail. During weekends I walk two or three times a day!

I enjoyed losing weight and ate less than 1500 calories daily, so it worked fantastically for me. If I didn’t lose weight, I’d have to undergo surgery, so I was committed to the balloon treatment. The pain was lower since I weighed less.

I didn’t have an appetite for fatty food as I used to, but I won’t lie, I had the occasional craving for bread and butter, and I did have some here and there. But not too much. Most of the time, I stayed away from food that was bad for me. The fact that the Spatz3 balloon took part of the space in the stomach helped me a lot, and I believe that played a role in lowering my appetite. I also stayed away from citruses, as the doctor told me. I also quit carbs, drank plenty of water, and taught my body to eat between meals. For example, I had vegetable sticks or other small snacks instead of sweets and junk food.

When I considered increasing the balloon size, I decided there was no reason to make it bigger because I went precisely according to the nutrition meal plan Spatz gave me. I’m not a gastric balloon expert, but I think that for those that don’t go strictly by the meal plans, a gastric balloon size increase is the best solution to help them. I don’t know if other balloons offer an increase in size. I believe the Spatz3 is the only one.

Time to remove Efy's ballon

While having the balloon in my stomach, I fell in love with sports and trained regularly. And I still do! But when covid came in, and lockdowns became a reality, I felt ready to remove the balloon.
Only one month after I removed the balloon, I could say that I changed my eating habits forever! That’s, and the fact that I lost 90 lbs. is my biggest prize.

I took the real gastric balloon with me after it, so I don’t forget what helped me during my most difficult times. I also have before and after pictures of myself, so every morning when I wake up, I look at myself and remind myself how this journey has become a blessing for me.

Life after the balloon

I listen to what the Spatz team has told me. I eat 1200 calories a day, I go to the gym every week, and I enjoy my new life. I have a salad every evening, chicken breast, and overall, I describe myself today as a healthy eater. Otherwise, I will go back to my old form, overweight. That is not an option for me!
My trousers are ten sizes lower, and my relationship with my wife is much better. My wife Rotem has been side by side with me during this long journey and joins me on my long walks. I have lost 90 lbs. and wake up with a smile every day.

In summary, one needs to be ready for the gastric balloon and understand it’s a process. You need to be consistent and not give up.

I believe that when I began the process, I was reborn again. I will never return to being the person I was. If, from my personal story, I could help even one person lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle forever, I did my part.

I want to thank the people at Spatz Medical and Doctor Jeffrey Brooks for helping me live a healthy life.