The brand names include Abiliti, which is already used in Europe and works to send electrical pulses to the stomach and brain to curtail eating; ValenTX, which uses a plastic sleeve in the esophagus to bypass the stomach and send food into the small intestine; and TransPyloric Shuttle, which is put in the bottom of the stomach endoscopically and stretches the stomach to slow down emptying so you feel fuller for a longer period.

There’s also Endobarrier, which is a temporary barrier that stops food from engaging with digestive juices until it’s further along in the small intestine. Another method is Satisphere, an endoscopically implanted device that regulates feelings of fullness.

Finally, there’s i2MOVE, a tiny implant that goes into the vagus nerve in the abdominal cavity, suppressing appetite.

3)    Gastric Banding – This is sometimes called a Lap Band. A band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to limit the amount of food you can eat, thereby causing you to feel full with less food.

4)    Sleeve Gastrectomy – This places a balloon using an endoscope into your stomach. Once in place, a  saline solution is injected, thereby taking up space and limiting the amount of food you can consume before feeling full.

5)    Transarterial Embolization – Tiny beads or coils are inserted into a blood vessel known as the left gastric artery. It is used to stop bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract but has the side effect of causing weight loss.