Phoenix nurse loses nearly 50 pounds in clinical trial

Except the 48-year-old Phoenix nurse never got the balloon. She wound up being assigned to a comparative control group. Still, through just the trial’s counseling and coaching, Krista was able to lose nearly 50 pounds, dropping from 220 down to 170, before settling at her current weight of about 180.

“I had significant success being in the control group; actually, better success than some people with the balloon,” shares Krista, who participated from February 2023 through January 2024 in the clinical trial, supervised by James Swain, MD, medical director of the Research Institute’s GI/Bariatrics Research Division. “My nutritionist told me, ‘You don’t have to deny yourself anything. You just make sure you’re counting the calories that go into your mouth.’ I pretty much eat what I want. I’m just better at making choices; smaller portion sizes.”

Participating in the national clinical trial

She was one of nearly 550 patients at 17 sites nationwide who enrolled in the trial to test the world’s first and only swallowable, procedure-less gastric balloon for weight loss. It is designed to address various shortcomings of legacy gastric balloons. It is swallowed as a capsule and filled under the guidance of a healthcare provider without surgery, endoscopy or anesthesia during a 15-minute outpatient visit. About four months later, a patented release valve opens, allowing the balloon to empty and pass out of the body naturally.

Krista wanted to lose the weight she gained during the stress of nursing school at ASU, where she graduated just prior to the intense stress endured by nurses worldwide during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My biggest thing before was just motivation,” adds Krista. Through her weekly coaching sessions, she learned how to focus on counting calories: what to eat, how to eat and how many times a day to eat. Krista received basic suggestions about how and how often to exercise, using apps as a simple guide that focused on varying her routines, keeping them not boring.

Seeing results and feeling better

“I feel fantastic,” she says. “I ended up losing almost 50 pounds, and that was without any mechanical help. I’m perfectly happy with that.”

Krista, who works in a neurosurgery operating room focused on brain and spinal procedures, said her biggest change was eating more than three times a day but eating less at each meal. “I’m not hungry because I’m eating often,” she shares.

She is a former history teacher, who no longer eats at her work cafeteria, opting instead to pack her food every day so she knows exactly how many calories she is consuming. “That really helped a lot,” Krista adds.

She no longer is tempted to snack on food brought in by co-workers and only eats what is part of her diet. “I’m much better at not stress-eating than I used to be,” says Krista.

What is the one thing in her diet she misses the most: ice cream? “I still eat it, but not as often and only in small portions,” she explains.