Actress Catherine Kamau reversed the weight loss procedure she underwent which cost her about Ksh500,000.
Kamau had an inflatable silicone balloon inserted into her stomach in a bid to lose weight in a procedure called laparoscopic gastric balloon placement.
Speaking during an interview with YouTuber Mungai Eve, Kamau said she stayed with the balloon in her stomach for four months before she had them removed.
The mother of two lamented that she was losing too much weight very fast, revealing that in the first few weeks she lost 15kgs.
"I told them (the hospital), I wanted to lose weight but not this much coz I still want to be a curvy girl," Catherine Kamau said.
The actress noted that she wanted to lose only about 20kgs but she had no idea that losing even 5kgs was such a huge difference in how she would look.
"I realised that my body would shrink and I might not look like the same person. I would not look nice. I talked to them and they told me after a month they would incorporate movement and change my diet so I don't end up losing so much and look saggy," she said.
Kamau further revealed that she resorted to working out after getting rid of the silicone balloon.
"I love working out and lifting weights. I started working out slowly and went back to the gym as I needed to have my muscles back. I realized that my weight was coming back and I looked even better," she said.
Balloon placement
Catherine Kamau underwent laparoscopic gastric balloon placement in May 2022.
She updated her fans after undergoing gastric balloon placement at Nairobi Bariatric. She said that the procedure cost between Ksh350,000 to Ksh500,000.
Gastric balloon placement
Laparoscopic gastric balloon placement is a non-surgical weight loss procedure which involves the insertion of a specialized balloon inside the stomach through the mouth using an endoscope.
It is an endoscopic treatment for obesity that together with a balanced diet and physical activity helps lose weight.
An inflatable saline-filled silicone balloon is inserted inside the stomach to occupy space and limit the food-carrying capacity of the stomach. This makes one feel full sooner and limits their intake to smaller portions. The procedure is temporary and the balloon is usually removed after a period of six months.
Gastric balloon placement nonsurgical procedure has been shown to reduce 10 per cent of total body weight.
The balloon is inserted via a pill that is swallowed with a glass of water. It is inflated with gas. The gas may reduce the risk of acute pancreatitis that can occur with saline-filled balloons.
A total of 3 balloons are inserted. The second balloon is added a month after the first one, and the third is added during the second month. [sic]
Apart from Catherine Kamau, Jackie Matubia also underwent a gastric balloon placement procedure in October 2022.
Matubia lost 6kgs in one week after swallowing the silicone balloon.
