Non Surgical Weight Loss - What are the options?

Coupled with a healthy, calorie-controlled diet, exercise is the best thing that you can do to keep yourself fit and well. This includes losing excess weight. 

Exercise helps with the calorie deficit, with cardio exercises, such as swimming, running or cycling, the best choices to aid with fat loss. 

But losing weight via exercise takes time and commitment. It is no quick fix solution to weight loss. 

Some people who are very overweight or obese may find it difficult to start exercising because the excess weight may impact on their movement or breathing. Someone who feels self-conscious about their weight and appearance may also actively avoid exercising, particularly if other people are around. So sometimes a different non surgical weight loss option may be needed to help set someone on the pathway to healthy habits.

If you have tried dieting without much success, then you may wish to consider a non surgical weight loss like a gastric balloon. This involves placing a saline-filled balloon into the stomach, filling a large area and making less room for food. 

If you have a gastric balloon fitted at the Cadogan Clinic, you should expect to lose up to a third of your excess body weight. Compared to dieting and exercise, a gastric balloon is a much quicker way of losing excess weight. The average gastric balloon weight loss is two to three stone, with the majority of this weight loss happening within the first three months of the procedure.

However it is only a temporary weight loss solution as the balloon will be deflated after around six months, when your stomach will return to its normal size. The idea is that during the time the balloon is in situ, you would have adapted to having smaller portion sizes. It is important that you are able to maintain a healthy lifestyle after the balloon is deflated in order to prevent putting the weight back on again.

Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG)

Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is a great way for moderately obese people to lose weight, without going under the knife.

In this non surgical weight loss method, a scope is fed down the throat and into the stomach before the doctor uses a special studding device to cinch the stomach in, reducing it to the size and shape of a banana. The premise is the same as a gastric balloon procedure - there is less space in the stomach for food, so you need to eat less to feel full. As a result of eating less, you will lose weight. 

And the amount of weight loss is not inconsiderable either. Studies show that within a year of the procedure, most patients have typically lost around 15% of their starting weight.

SculpSure, also known as laser fat reduction, is a great non surgical weight loss option and a popular treatment here at the Cadogan Clinic.

In this particular treatment, heat is used to kill fat cells. These dead cells are then flushed from the body via the patient’s natural lymphatic system. This non-invasive treatment is particularly good for tackling stubborn fatty deposits in the back, thighs, hips and abdomen area (also known as love handles) as well as a double chin.

One benefit of laser fat reduction is that it is very quick - one treatment takes just 25 minutes from start to finish, with no downtime afterwards. You may need to have more than one treatment and it can take three months to see the full results, so you need to be patient. 

However SculpSure does produce some great results and the best thing is these are permanent.