90 Day Fiance: The Other Way star Jen Boecher talked at length on the show about how she met her Indian bae, aspiring Indian model and personal trainer Rishi. However, Jen conveniently forgot to mention that she was in India in 2018… to have a weight loss procedure!?
“I met Rishi in a hotel lobby while I was on a solo trip to India,” Jen revealed on the show. Here’s the rest of the couple’s origins story, as told by Jen:
He was at the hotel for a modeling job. We just started talking and he started showing me modeling photos. And I just immediately went to “hard pass.” I was not interested in him. At all. I thought he was kind of a douchebag, for lack of a better way to say it.
But, a couple days later we started hanging out as friends. we saw each other four or five times. It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly made me fall for Rishi, but, I don’t know, I just — I knew he was the one.
And within a month of us meeting, he proposed! It was completely out of the blue. We hadn’t discussed the future. We hadn’t discussed me leaving, or staying, or anything like that. But I did not hesitate at all before saying “yes.” It just felt right.
After Rishi and I got engaged, I left India, but planned on moving there as soon as possible. Unfortunately, COVID hit, and I haven’t seen Rishi since. After waiting two years for the borders to open, I’m finally moving to India in one week!
Jen in India for weight loss procedure
On the show, Jen revealed to her brother that she and Rishi were able to spend 45 days together when she was in India. Why was she in India for that long? Perhaps it was to allow for her to recover from a medical procedure?
According to posts from a laproscopic surgeon in India, Jen underwent an intragastric balloon placement procedure in June of 2018.
According to the surgeon’s post, which included a photo of Jen, she weighed 94 kilograms and had a BMI of 33.5 at the time of the procedure. (94 kilograms is equal to just over 207 pounds.) The post also states that Jen has a “strong family history of obesity.”
The procedure took just under 20 minutes, and Jen reportedly lost 4 kilograms in 5 days. “I expect her to loose [sic] another 20 kgs in coming year!!” the surgeon added.
It’s unclear if Jen and Rishi met on the same trip that she had the intragastric balloon placement, but it does seem likely.
The hospital where Jen had the procedure done is in Udaipur, which is in the same state as Rishi’s hometown of Jaipur. However, the two cities are more than six hours apart, which doesn’t seem to line up.
But remember — the two met because Rishi was “at a hotel for a modeling job.” That could easily explain how they crossed paths.
Of course, it may be that Jen was in India at a later time for a follow up. According to The Mayo Clinic’s page about the procedure, “intragastric balloons are left in place for up to 6 months and are then removed using an endoscope. At that time, a new balloon may be placed, or not, depending on the plan determined by you and your doctor.”
What is intragastric balloon placement?
The weight loss procedure that Jen had done is a bit different than the surgeries featured on shows like My 600-Pound Life. Those are bariatric surgery procedures that involve incisions and slicing. That doesn’t appear to be the case with intragastric balloon placement.
From The Mayo Clinic:
Intragastric balloon placement is a weight-loss procedure that involves placing a saline-filled silicone balloon in your stomach. This helps you lose weight by limiting how much you can eat and making you feel fuller faster.
The intragastric balloon procedure may be an option if you have concerns about your weight, and diet and exercise haven’t worked for you.
Like other weight-loss procedures, an intragastric balloon requires commitment to a healthier lifestyle. You need to make permanent healthy changes to your diet and get regular exercise to help ensure the long-term success of the procedure.
It will be interesting to see if Jen ever mentions her weight loss procedure in India, or if that part of her story gets swept under the rug a bit to make way for all the inevitable drama with Rishi’s family.
To find out, keep tuning in for new episodes of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way airing Sunday nights at 8/7c on TLC!
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
