answer:I don’t know about the balloon but about the bypass, which a coworker had done. There seem to be a variety of procedures now with the same intention: reduce the amount of digestion and reduce the volume of the stomach. Despite the proliferation of ads on radio, this is a major procedure. My colleague was lucky: relatively few problems, and a significant weight lost (150 lbs). But it did not address much of the underlying emotional issues about his weight and eating, and until he got into therapy, he was a mess. Many people that go through this realize that they may not eat as much, but they can maintain their calorie intake with things like milkshakes. They can also drink alcohol and get drunk quicker, and many do so.