• About
    • Penny
    • Hank
    • Juju
  • Contact
  • How To Start A Blog
  • Make Money Blogging
    • How To Make $40K Your First Year Blogging
    • Making Sense Of Affiliate Marketing
    • How To Monetize A Food Blog
    • Food Blogger Pro
  • Blogging Tips
    • Blogging Resources
    • Recommended Blogging Tools
    • Blogging Tips
      • More Quick Blogging Tips
    • How To Increase Blog Traffic
      • SEO For Health Blogging
      • External SEO Tips
      • On Site SEO Tips
    • Blogging Action Plan
      • Deciding Why You Blog
      • Types of Health Blogs
      • Important WordPress Settings
      • Blog Security
      • WordPress Plugins
      • WordPress Themes
  • Shop
    • Planner Favorites
    • Fitness Favorites
    • Kitchen Tools
    • Blogging Books

A Merry Life

Healthy Living & Budgeting Blog | Health, Wealth & Everything Else

  • Fitness
  • Food
  • Family Life

News: Aspire Assist Stomach Pump Device For Weight Loss

November 4, 2013 by Mary

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for details.

aspire assistAt this point I’ve read a few posts and news articles about the Aspire Assist device, a medical device used to suck food out of the stomach so only a third of the calories consumed are absorbed.

The AspireAssist has a tube leading from the stomach to a skin-port on the outside of the abdomen which connects to a small, handheld device that pumps 30 percent of the patients stomach contents into the toilet 20 minutes after eating.

Sounds aspirational!

The inventors says the calories from the released food are not digested so the calories are not absorbed which leads to weight loss. The trials for the product did show obese patients losing excess weight. On their website they claim dramatic results, quick recovery, and all the other things you’d want to hear if considering the device as a weight loss tool.

Maybe this is another weight loss tool that will eventually reside side by side with lap band and gastric bypass and all the other more extreme weight loss options. However, my initial reaction is that is just so wrong.

Oh, The Many Things Wrong With AspireAssist!

  • It’s gross. Yuck. Sorry, just the general idea of it is pretty gross and the reality seems quite icky. Food can get stuck in the tube, there can be infection, and those are worst case. At the best you are pulling food out of your stomach.
  • It’s basically bulimia. Bulimia is a very serious eating disorder but the mentality behind bulimia is exactly the same as this device – if calories come back up they don’t stick and they don’t count. Bulimia is not a safe weight management system and AspireAssist doesn’t seem like it either.
  • It doesn’t solve the problems that caused the weight gain. The AspireAssist device does nothing to help patients deal with the issues that caused them to gain weight in the first place.
  • It enables emotional eating. Because it doesn’t solve the reasons why a person gained weight in the first place, the stomach pump device enables people to eat emotionally because they can always “fix” the emotional overeating once it’s done. You can eat your feelings, feel better temporarily, and then eliminate the calories and guilt. It doesn’t fix your problems.
  • It promotes poor food choices. Unfortunately the AspireAssist pump does not do well with certain foods that could get stuck so many patients avoid roughage like broccoli, cauliflower, and things that are good for you. The foods that work best are smooth, soft foods like ice cream. Totally healthy.
  • It needs to be used long term. Once you go stomach pump, you never go back! Since you don’t learn how to be healthy you will pretty much always rely on this device. Sounds fun!

I’m not sure how maintenance and upkeep of the device works but it doesn’t seem like a pleasant experience. A doctor needs to reset it after so many aspirations and then you possibly need surgery for modifications.

This is not something that I can’t possibly get behind. I can’t imagine wanting this implanted in my body and having to remove food every time I ate.

Am I wrong? Am I missing some sort of upside? Would you ever use this device?

 

Filed Under: Healthy Living


« Fun: Sunday Funday Treats
20 Things Rich People Do Every Day »

Comments

  1. Traci says

    November 4, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    I completely agree with you on all points. They first thing I thought was “Isn’t that the same as bulimia?” And then I thought “Gross!!” At least with stomach surgeries you are having to deal with what you put in your mouth. With this it would seem there is no consequence because you just get rid of it in 20 minutes!! Bring on the Plate of Brownies!!!!

    • Mary says

      November 4, 2013 at 5:29 pm

      Crazy, isn’t it?

  2. Stephanie says

    November 4, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    totally agree, especially since this ‘doesn’t solve the problems that caused the weight gain’ which is really my goal.

  3. Alicia D says

    November 4, 2013 at 8:02 pm

    I agree with you. I honestly feel this way about weight loss surgery also. I was looking into gastric bypass at one point and went to some support meetings with people who had the surgery. So many of these people spent so much money and risked their lives and altered their bodies just to gain so much weight back because they didn’t address the real reasons behind why they ate or used food.

  4. Suzy says

    November 5, 2013 at 10:44 am

    Horrors! Agree with all your points, well said. This is ghastly — I like the way you have approached weight loss and good health. That’s the way I do it.

  5. Jewlz says

    November 7, 2013 at 9:21 am

    Ok, I’ve had a couple of days to think this over and I have to say, no matter which way I flip it in my mind I find this horrible. HORRIBLE. I’m not a big fan of weight loss surgery to begin with, but to me this just screams EATING DISORDER. I really REALLY hope they don’t put this out there in the mainstream and that it is only used for the most extreme of cases.

mary Welcome to my journey to improve my health, wealth, and everything in-between!
Join me as I learn and share helpful tips and tricks I find along the way.
  • Bloglovin
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • YouTube
Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

Popular Posts

weight loss gift ideas healthy chocolate protein pancake recipe how to start a blog how to make money blogging

Search

Recent Posts

  • Postpartum Mental Health Risk Factors
  • Whole30 Reflections 1 Year Later + Recipes I’m Loving
  • Fisher Price Activity Jumperoo Baby Bouncer Review
  • How To Get $100 of Baby Stuff FREE
  • Blogging, Birthdays & The Arts Weekend Vlog

Top Posts & Pages

  • Diet Tips For People With Kidney Stones
  • Advocare 24 Day Challenge Healthy Recipe Ideas
  • 2018 In Review
  • Desmond Howard on Living Healthy After Sports
  • Apartment Essentials For Single Ladies
  • 50 Fitness Motivation Quotes For Your Motivation Board
  • The Chick-fil-A Grilled Market Salad Review
  • How to Deodorize Smelly Shoes
  • 30 Day Shred - Day 1
  • Hire Me

Categories

Disclosure!

Note: Affiliate links may pop up on the site when I'm recommending something. They are free for you to use, but they help support me by giving me a small commission of any sales. It's like leaving a tip for good service while buying something you'd purchase anyway. Thank you for supporting A Merry Life!

Copyright © 2023 · A Merry Life - Healthy Living & Weight Loss Blog. Tasteful Theme by Restored 316 Designs

A Merry Life (amerrylife.com) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Copyright © 2023 · Tasteful Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in