New to the site and after years of disordered eating want to get some control back.

1. Dr. Zavalza - is who I am planning to go with. Anyone with personal experience?

2. Depression and it's effects post surgery?

3. Binge eating - post surgery? I am hoping it's a positive effect.

4. Biggest struggle post surgery.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the group. I hope someone is able to answer your questions. I have surgery tomorrow. One part of my pre op testing which was required (but not required for everyone, it depends on your program) is a psychological evaluation. Which go into details regarding almost everything you said there.

Hi and welcome! I don’t have personal experience with your doctor. Which surgery are you getting? It’s a big step to a new life, and well worthwhile. I can only speak from personal experience about disordered eating, but it’s something many of us on here experience. The surgery is a tool to help combat the weird relationship to food, but only a tool. There are no magical elevators to a new life. Most of it is hard work, and as most worthwhile things in life, hard work makes the goal more precious.

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2. Depression and it's effects post surgery?

My obesity was a major cause of my depression. I was able to move from 300 mg a day of Wellbutrin to 75 mg. When I tried to drop the WB altogether, I started feeling the symptoms again. I don't have any need to up my dose at all.

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3. Binge eating - post surgery? I am hoping it's a positive effect.

You will want to find a therapist, because binge eating is in the head, not the gut. You will simply not be ABLE to binge eat for a while, but if you keep trying, you will eventually fit more food in there. I will say that I have a totally different outlook to food now. I meal prep and just eat that, and if I do snack it's not the diet-busting binges I once went on.

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4. Biggest struggle post surgery.

Initially (immediately post-surgery) the gas was painful. That lasted 2-3 days. After that, it was the loss of strength from eating so little—some of my work is physical and I was no longer able to do it for a while. That also passed. Also, the bariatric diet from my clinic was written for sedentary people, and I am most definitely not sedentary. I got in a huge fight with the bariatric nutritionist (she tried to shame me for eating 800 cal a day instead of 400-500 at three months out), fired her, and hired a nutrition coach who now has me eating 1600-2000 cal a day depending on activity level, and I'm still losing.