12-month Gastric Balloon Program
The Balloon sits in your stomach, naturally reducing hunger and promoting mindful eating, helping you achieve and sustain over 20% weight loss with NV Health’s support.
3.1x more effective than exercise and diet alone[1]
Build life-long healthy habits with 1-on-1 coaching
Starting from only $63/wkṮ
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Significant Fat Loss
Average of more than 20% body weight lost. Lose 3.1x more weight than with just diet and exercise alone.[1]
Healthier Eating Habits
Assisted portion control training that promotes lasting healthy eating habits with personalised diet and nutrition coaching.
Clinically Proven
Proven for 20+ years, backed by 230 clinical studies, with 220,000+ successful uses worldwide.
The gastric balloon is a reversible, temporary weight loss procedure where a soft, silicone balloon is inserted into the stomach through the mouth using an endoscope. Once in place, the balloon is filled with saline to partially fill the stomach, reducing its capacity and slowing gastric emptying. This helps you feel fuller faster and consume smaller portions, aiding in weight loss. The procedure is temporary, with the balloon removed after 12 months, and is most effective when combined with a healthy diet, lifestyle changes, and regular medical support.
Two mechanisms for how the gastric balloon is working to help with weight loss:
- Physically just taking up space, requiring less food to feel full.
- The balloon has some weight to it from the fluid, so it sinks to the bottom of the stomach and it actually slows stomach emptying so it takes longer for food and liquid to exit the stomach.
So when you eat, you feel full quicker and that fullness lasts for a longer period of time.
The results of the gastric balloon match the effort you put in. You will use it to boost your current weight loss efforts over 12 months to lose an average of 15-40kg. While the device isn't permanent, it allows you to learn portion control and develop lasting behavioural changes and foster a healthier relationship with food so once the balloon is taken out in 12 months you can be mindful of your portion sizes, eating less and feeling satisfied.
A proven pathway for addressing stagnated weight loss that goes beyond the scales for enduring wellness.
Unmatched, Comprehensive Support
A Structured Program to Lifelong Health & Wellness
Assess Eligibility & Prime Your Success
Your journey begins with a free, no-obligation phone consultation with our Nurse Consultant, who will assess your unique needs and help you evaluate your best path forward for transformational weight loss.
If you’re a suitable candidate, you’ll have a comprehensive, fully bulk-billed consultation with your gastroenterologist to confirm your eligibility, discuss expectations, and plan your program.
- 100% free and fully bulk-billed initial consults.
- Comprehensive assessments to confirm suitability and eligibility.
- Personalised program plan, goal setting, and expectations.
- Compassionate super release assistance if applicable.
- Follow a special pre-op diet for 2 weeks to prepare your body.
Inserting the Balloon
- Endoscopic procedure under twilight sedation.
- The deflated balloon is placed in the stomach.
- Filled with saline until its about the size of a grapefruit.
- Procedure takes 20 minutes - go home a few hours later.
- Adjustment period with special modified diet lasts up to 21 days.
Nuclear Change - Build Big Habits
Ordinarily, you would make small sustainable atomic habits. But you will utilise the 12-month Gastric Balloon to do a complete overhaul of your lifestyle, making the necessary big, nuclear changes that deliver big, significant results.
- Strive to master the 4 pillars of wellness: nourish, move, hydrate and rest.
- Design your environment to support lasting lifestyle changes
- Adopt structured meal plans focused on mindful, portion-controlled eating
- Develop sustainable exercise routines and optimised sleep habits
To build momentum and support optimal habit formation, your allied health support team deliver 19 consults in the first 8 weeks, then weekly sessions from weeks 8 to 16 - each scheduled at key milestones. All allied health support consults are telehealth.
Atomic Habits - Continuous Optimisation of your Lifestyle
You've implemented the essentials of a healthy lifestyle, and now you will continue this momentum to further optimise nourishing, moving, resting, and hydrating your body.
• Refine meal plans for balanced nutrition and improved dietary habits.
• Implement proven strategies to eliminate bad habits and reinforce healthy ones.
• Ensure ongoing medical supervision to monitor progress and prevent complications.
Your allied health support team will continue to support you over the next 8 months with the balloon through fortnightly follow-ups.
Removal of Balloon
At 12 months, same endoscopic procedure, but it is punctured with a special needle where the saline is aspirated and then deflated and removed through the mouth.
- 15 minute removal procedure with same-day discharge.
- Negligible recovery time.
Fortification - Lock in Your Success
You’ve likely reached your weight loss goal and have built a healthy lifestyle with the gastric balloon. Now it’s time to transition to independent, sustainable living while continuing the mindful eating habits you’ve developed over the past 12 months.
- Embrace the habit building strategies you learnt to achieve autonomy over building a healthy lifestyle.
- Continue to expand and implement your knowledge of how to nourish, move, hydrate and rest your body
- Focus on continued optimisation and reinforcement of the 4 pillars of wellness.
Your progress is reinforced by alternating fortnightly check‑ins with your nutritionist and lifestyle coach, ensuring you remain on track for long‑term success.
An All-inclusive Program
Struggling to lose excess weight? Break through stagnation and reach a healthier weight with a comprehensive 18-month program designed for significant weight loss and lasting success.
Comprehensive medical support with the balloon – Ensuring safety and success at every step.
Comprehensive nutrition and lifestyle coaching – Helping you lose weight and keep it off.
On-call bariatric nurse support – Get answers whenever you need them.
Access to weight loss psychologists – Optional but available for deeper behavioural support.
Effective medical supervision and monitoring.
2 years of comprehensive, multi-disciplinary allied health support.
This is why our patients engaged in the program can achieve a healthy BMI in as soon as the first year that’s sustained long-term.
Invest in your health without financial stress.
NV Health makes procedures financially accessible with flexible payment plans and alternative funding options, so you can focus on your transformation without financial barriers.
Private Health Insurance Rebates – Check your coverage for potential cost reductions.
Transparent Pricing – No hidden fees. Free and fully bulk-billed initials.
Want to explore your funding options? Our team can guide you through the process and help you find the best way to invest in your health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common side effects include:
- Tummy Discomfort and Abdominal Cramping
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Reflux
- Diarrhoea or Constipation
Our nurses and diet team provide guidance before and after the treatment to help minimise these side effects.
Like any medical weight loss intervention, there is a risk profile of the tool.
The Gastric Balloon involves certain risks, including:
- Esophageal or Gastric Ulcers
- Gastric Outlet Obstruction
- Perforation
- Balloon Leak: Notify NV Health immediately if you pass blue or green urine, indicating a leak that requires urgent balloon removal.
- Intolerance: In 2-3% of cases, severe nausea and vomiting may occur, necessitating early removal via gastroscopy (cost covered in the program).
- Dehydration: This may require IV hydration from our NV Health nurse or a hospital visit.
It is possible to drink alcohol, but it is recommended to avoid it, along with caffeine. Alcohol and caffeine can stimulate acid secretion, which may increase the risk of heartburn. From a weight-loss perspective, it’s important to be mindful of the calories in alcohol. To stay on track with your health and weight loss goals, it may be helpful to establish clear limits when it comes to alcohol consumption.
Yes, you can exercise with the Gastric balloon. Establishing a regular, low-impact exercise routine like walking, swimming, or cycling is beneficial for enhancing weight loss and overall health. Our team at NV Health suggests a 10-minute walk after meals to aid digestion and manage blood sugar levels. However, activities like skydiving, SCUBA diving, and bungee jumping are not recommended while the Gastric Balloon is in place.
With NV Health's 12-Month Balloon Program, individuals can typically expect to lose between 20-30% of their body weight within the first year. Our multidisciplinary team provides a tailored 18-month support package, including a diet and lifestyle modification program, to help achieve your weight loss goals and sustain them long into the future.
The removal of the Gastric Balloon is performed by a Gastroenterologist using an endoscope. The process involves puncturing and deflating the balloon to drain the saline solution, then extracting the deflated balloon through the patient's mouth. This procedure is done under mild sedation.
At NV Health, the Gastric Balloon is placed during a day surgery by a Gastroenterologist. The procedure is performed endoscopically under mild sedation. The balloon, initially deflated, is positioned in the stomach using a gastroscope. Once correctly placed, it's inflated with saline solution mixed with blue dye, which helps identify any leaks. The process takes about 15 minutes. The inflated balloon, occupying the stomach's middle third, creates fullness and reduces hunger. The balloon remains inflated for up to 12 months.
There are health conditions that may disqualify someone from having a Gastric Balloon. These may include, but are not limited to:
- Hiatus hernia
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Bleeding disorders
- Pregnacy
- Breast feeding
- Previous gastrointestinal surgeries Eg Fundoplication, LSG or Gastric bypass
- Allergies to Silicone
- BMI over 35 with co morbidities
- Severe reflux or heartburn
- Certain medical conditions that may complicate the use of Orbera Balloon.
Book a free consultation with the NV Health team to see if the Gastric Balloon is suitable for you.
No, the Gastric Balloon itself is not covered by Medicare or Private Health Insurance, but part of the hospital and anaesthetist fee for insertion and removal may be depending on your cover.
⇢ weight loss results are dependent on adherence to medical and lifestyle guidance. Details of expected results for individual circumstance and goals for each eligible program with will be evaluated and disclosed during your initial consultation.
¹ payment plans starting from $40/wk are for insured patients enrolled in a weight loss surgery program under a 5-year term.
² early compassionate release of super is dependent upon medical necessity and is at the ATO's and your super funds discretion for release.
³ unlimited support is bound by fair-use terms.