If you are like everyone else, before making a major purchase, you do some research and read reviews pertinent to the product you plan on buying. You go through this process to ensure you make an informed decision and can have confidence that it will meet your needs.
It is even more important to do your due diligence and find out all you can before committing to surgery or another medical procedure. If you are considering a weight loss procedure that does not require surgery and offers a short recovery time, you should research and read endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) patient reviews.
You can find ESG procedure reviews all over the internet these days because of how quick and effective it is for weight loss. The results of the clinical trials were so impressive that the procedure was recently approved by the FDA as a recognized treatment for obesity.
Following is an ESG (endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty) review from one of our real patients. We have followed her and her weight loss journey since she began, and she is truly an inspiration!
Patient K had an endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty in September of 2019 and a revision in the Fall of 2021. Her story is inspiring and a true representation of how amazing of a tool weight loss surgery can be if used in conjunction with lifestyle changes.
An Interview And Inspiring Success Story of ESG Patient
Dr. Chris: My name is Christopher Ibikunle, I am a surgeon and one of the co-founders of IBI Healthcare Institute. I am here with Patient K who is an amazing success story, both in life, as well as in her weight loss journey. It is always a pleasure talking with you and I know you are really busy, so I want to thank you for joining us today.
Patient K: Oh you’re welcome Dr. Chris. It is always a pleasure.
Dr. Chris: Can you tell us about the past two weeks? How are you doing?
Patient K: I’m doing great! I had ESG (endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty – by editor) in September 2019 originally and about a month ago, I had a revision and I feel great! The weight is coming off, a little slower than the first time, but I’m just thankful that I had the opportunity to get some help to maintain my weight. I’ve been overweight most of my life, and you know, sometimes you get to a point where you just need some extra help to get it done.
Dr. Chris: Absolutely, one of the things that inspired me about you, is your ability to stay focused on your goals with life, business, family, and just anything you set your mind to. I’m so proud that you agreed to serve as a patient ambassador to inspire other people, including myself, on how to stay focused on the goal and just… not give up. You had phenomenal, I mean, the BEST results with the ESG procedure let’s talk about that.
Patient K: Originally, in 2019 within about nine or ten months, I had lost around 114 lbs. My original goal was to lose 100 lbs so I kind of superseded that goal and it only took me about 10 months to do it. I think it was probably because, at that time, I had a weight loss partner, someone who kept me accountable, and then I got a group of friends together and started an online group just to keep us motivated. If we slipped up or fell, we were able to help each other get back up. I sort of just created a family of people that were doing the same thing that I was doing. My personal family was tired of me talking about my weight, lol, so I had to find a group of people that were doing the same thing I was doing in order to achieve these goals.
Dr. Chris: For most of our audience, who does not know, the average weight loss with ESG in a year is about 60 lbs. So having Patient K lose 114 lb, which is almost double the amount, is amazing! It is not the ESG procedure by itself, it just creates the necessary foundation to succeed. Can you tell us about the steps you took to get you to that 114-pound weight loss?
WEIGHT LOSS CALCULATORPatient K: I really tweaked the diet because I was eating a slightly higher-carbohydrate diet so I cut down on carbs and chose “good carbs” like berries and things like that. I also really concentrated on portion sizes and then I ramped up the exercises a whole lot!
Dr. Chris: When she talks about ramped up, she is talking about waking up in the morning, and not only doing the exercise, but actually videotaping it, streaming live, and inspiring other people. We had hundreds of people just wanting to follow you and be in that “groove” because you were getting them to do stuff that they needed to “push” themselves to do. I learned a lot from you about low-carb alternatives like a pizza that doesn’t need to be made of flour, alternative spaghetti, etc. Tell us a little about these options that are equally tasty but don’t carry the punch of bad calories.
Patient K: Well, a lot of times they are using cauliflower to replace certain ingredients and they have low-carb options. I am a coffee drinker, so I use keto-friendly sweeteners and things like that. I’m not on a keto diet, I do eat carbohydrates but I keep them low, so I call it a low-carb diet. Some people seem to do fine with calorie deficits and I have seen people with ESG losing a lot of weight using different types of diets. I think you have to learn what works for your body. For me, the carbohydrates just kind of blow me up and so I try to keep those low. Some people may be able to eat more carbs and still do well, but I think it takes that and the combination of diet and being more active. If you’re not a person that likes to exercise, it could be things like mowing the grass or cleaning the house. You’ll find that as you lose weight, your energy level goes up and you want to do more things.
Dr. Chris: You started with a foundation of the initial ESG surgery that put you in the right direction. You told me you have lost weight before but you just wanted to keep it off. You have changed your lifestyle to become really obsessed with health and are exercising on a regular basis, why then, would you say you came back for a revision? Because that’s one part that people don’t want to listen to, they think I’m done, I am doing everything right, but life happens. So tell us about that.
Patient K: ESG is a non-surgical procedure, but even for people that have surgical procedures, I don’t think any of it is a cure. I don’t think there’s a cure for obesity. I think some people have different reasons why they gain weight. Whether it is heredity or something that happens in their life, or their metabolism changes, or they just start gaining weight as they get older. I look at it (ESG – by editor) as a tool to help me. I was in a motor vehicle accident, a drunk driver hit me. I was not able to exercise for over a month and I started noticing some of the weight coming back on. When I saw weight coming back on after I worked so hard to get rid of it, it made me a little scared and I decided to call the center and see if there was anything that could be done to help me. Also, after 20 months, I think my stomach stretched a little because I would eat a bit more than I could originally. This was fine as long as I was working out but when I could no longer exercise, the weight started coming back. I felt like it was a little out of control and that’s when I called and asked about a revision.
Dr. Chris: And we have successfully done that, what has your experience been with the revision?
Patient K: I think that because I was unfamiliar with the procedure the first time, I was super careful at the beginning, and the first time I was also more strict and careful. This time I want to lose about 30 lbs vs 100 lbs. So I am not being as strict but I have already lost about 10 pounds since the revision, so that is great! I want to lose about 20 more pounds and then just be able to maintain my weight going forward. The revision has helped me with portion control and as I continue to get better from the accident, I will continue to increase my exercising.
Dr. Chris: That is amazing! As you mentioned, we do not have a cure for obesity right now. It is a problem that can be genetic, metabolic, can also be stress-related as well as the high-calorie, high-processed foods that we have available to us. We have taken all the steps we can, we can make the stomach smaller, we can reduce our portions but the fundamental reasons like genetics, we can not cure that, we are working on it but revision is just a fact of life sometimes. Both non-surgical and surgical options, including gastric sleeve surgery, often require revisions. 85% of the people who have had gastric sleeve surgery are requesting revisions after only 3 years so, it is not unheard of. So do not be ashamed if you feel there are some changes happening. Whether they are hormonal changes, age-related or stress-related changes, accidents where you can not exercise, whatever it may be, If you feel the weight is coming back, reach out and don’t wait until it becomes overwhelming because we can always come up with a plan for you. There are medications, a change in diet, or maybe even a revision to help you out. So Patient K, since the accident what kind of exercises have you been doing?
Patient K: I have started walking again. I love to walk and be outside so before the accident, I was walking twice a day and doing about 5 miles a day. Right now I am doing about 1 – 2 and am having to build back up to what I can do. I have not started back with my weight training, kickboxing, or swimming. I was doing some of everything. Right now I am just trying to stay moving, and getting myself back where I was by watching my diet.
Dr. Chris: Walking, surprisingly, is one of the most underrated exercises that almost everyone can do and it burns a large number of calories, like running, but with less injury. Thank you for joining us today and sharing your story.
Video: Dr. Chris and ESG Patient About Weight Loss and Maintaining
Dr. Chris and ESG Patient About Weight Loss and Maintaining - IBI Healthcare Institute
Kimberley's weight loss was incredible and we bring her back to talk about what the experience was like. She discusses the lifestyle changes that she had to make in order to keep her on track to her weight loss goals.
FAQ’s About Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG)
Patient K underwent endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, once in 2019 with a recent revision procedure a few weeks ago. Here are some frequently asked questions regarding this procedure.
What Is ESG?
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is a non-surgical procedure that does not require any incisions. The surgeon accesses the patient’s stomach through the esophagus and using between 7 and 12 sutures reduces the stomach size by about 70% shaping it into a small sleeve-like pouch. The procedure only takes between 60-90 minutes, does not require a hospital stay, and has a very quick recovery time. The reduction in stomach size restricts the amount of food the patient can eat during mealtime making it a great tool to help patients lose weight.
How Long Has Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty Been Around?
The first published information regarding ESG was by the Mayo clinic in 2013. In recent years, the procedure has gained popularity due to its non-surgical status, short recovery time, low-risk factor, and success rate.
How Much Weight Can I Lose With Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty?
Generally, patients lose between 40 to 70 lbs and as much as 20% of their body weight. As with any weight loss surgery, results can be more significant if strict lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise are implemented. ESG is a wonderful tool to help patients with portion control, however, results will be greatly impacted by patient behavior.
Is ESG Surgery Successful?
A 2-year MERIT study (Multicenter ESG Randomized Interventional Trial) was conducted including nine centers in the U.S. and consisted of 208 patients. The average weight loss among patients was 49% of their excess weight. The benchmark goal for measurement to determine if ESG would be considered a successful option for weight loss is 25%. ESG more than met that goal through the MERIT study demonstrating significant success.
How Long Does ESG Surgery Last?
Like any weight-loss procedure, surgical or non-surgical, ESG is a tool that can help patients lose weight and maintain that weight loss if lifestyle changes are diligently pursued. If proper diet and exercise are continued, the results of ESG can last long-term.
Can Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty Be Reversed?
Yes, endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty can be reversed or converted into a different type of weight-loss procedure if necessary.
Is ESG Surgery Safe? Has Anyone Died Of Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty?
To date, endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty has exhibited a 90% favorable safety profile with very minor risk. Side effects of pain and nausea have been reported for a few days following the procedure. There have been no reported deaths associated with ESG.
How Much Does Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty Cost?
The Cost of ESG will vary depending on patient specifics and the bariatric clinic that performs the procedure. IBI Healthcare Institute offers transparent, all-inclusive pricing and you can check the cost of ESG using the IBI price checker.
If you are interested in learning more about endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, contact IBI Healthcare Institute for a consultation. Our team of experts is here to facilitate and foster your weight loss success. We offer unparalleled support from the start of your bariatric weight loss journey and into the future. To find out if ESG may be a good choice for you, contact us today.
