Binge eating

There are a lot of people with food eating disorders that did not lose a lot of weight post op WLS, or if they did in first year post op, but they did not change their behavior, or got the therapy - in years following WLS , regained most, if not all of their weight. I personally know people like that. IRL (in real life) Sad stories.

Unfortunately they feel ashamed, blame surgery, or surgeon, and you may not find them on most WLS support forums or groups. A lot of them gave up, or deny ever having the surgery.

And they are some, who turned to other ways - alcohol or drugs.

That's why getting therapy before WLS for someone with an eating disorder may be critical.

BED - if not under control, can cause serious damage post op WLS. Early post op - when the healing is not complete- it can cause sutures raptures, sepsis and death.

And early post op- most people can't feel they are full when they overeat- nerves have been cut during surgery- so a person may never feel the damage they can cause when they overeat, until it is too late.

I, like so many others, become overconfident and in year 3-4 post op RNY I regained 35 lbs. Thankfully I caught it early enough, and started working on losing the regain. But it took me 2 years to get back to where I wanted to be.

Some are not as "lucky" or determined. Or food they eat don't make them sick enough. beside RnY, what is working for me is that I developed food allergies and sensitivity. To avoid feeling sick, unwell ,- I have to avoid a lot of food that can cause weight gain.

This post, on a revision forum can be an eye opener.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/revision/6025689/Revision-7-ye ars-after-sleeve-can-anyone-relate/

Thw issues you describe are why this is a psych screening before being cleared for surgery. Remember, you are not beinge eating because you are physically hungry, so just having stomach surgery will not resolve the issues that lead to binge eating. Therapy, changing your life style, etc do.

Best of luck on your weight loss journey Just remember - the healthier you go into WLS(physically, emotionally, mobility-wise) the healthier you come out of surgery and recovery.

My understanding of BED is that it's not related to hunger/cravings, but to impulse control. Donna will hopefully come along if she hasn't already.

This. So much this.

Impulse control/ Urges is what drives my binge eating. It is definitely psychological, very compelling and leads to obsessive thoughts around food (in my experience). This can apply across the board though - smoking, drinking, etc. Anything that gives you that "quick fix" but ultimately does more harm than good.

Getting the VSG helped with limiting the amounts I can eat in one sitting but over time I have found ways around it. I absolutely believe long term success can only come from complete lifestyle change and continued work on the psychological aspects.

There are several people on the VSG board who are dealing with this issue. Try posting over there, I'm sure they will be happy to answer your questions.

BED is a psychological disorder, not a physical one. Neither the VSG or any other procedure will cure it. They may just make you injure yourself easier.

I don't have a diagnosis of binge eating disorder, but I was an emotional eater with episodes of binging. I started therapy for those and other food issues months before my surgery, because I knew whether I had the surgery or not, those food issues needed to be sorted.

I credit therapy at least as much as the surgery in my loss so far. I have for the most part stopped the emotional eating, and haven't had any binging since a few months into therapy.

I STRONGLY suggest if you're having issues with binging, that you seek out a therapist who specializes in eating disorders before you have surgery if possible, and at the very least right after.

Thank you dear for ur advice xx

Thanks to willpower being at it's absolute peak, my BED (at the time undiagnosed) was kept under control for about a year after my VSG. However, when my dad died my BED was triggered and came back in full force. So I got a diagnosis and started taking Vyvanse. If my dad hadn't died, I'm sure something else would have triggered the disorder eventually.

While VSG definitely didn't end my BED, it helped me get to a point where I sought treatment and I'll never discount that.