Meet Zach

Raised by a chef and a baker, says Zach, “I landed in a perfect storm of food culture and struggled with weight for most of my life. The surgery helped me get the weight off and keep it off.” Since his sleeve gastrectomy at Providence, he’s lost 160 pounds and kept it off for two years. “The surgery did more than reduce my stomach size,” he says. “It has helped me control the less controllable things, like my metabolism and hormones, that no diet can do on its own.”

With his newfound energy, Zach is enjoying a lot more fishing, hiking, biking and kayaking. In addition, he no longer takes an antidepressant – “I attribute that, in large part, to the success of my surgery and how that improved my mental health,” he says.

In another major change, Zach recently joined the Providence Center for Weight Management team as its nurse supervisor. “It’s super rewarding to work where I had my own surgery, and to be able to talk to people, patient-to-patient,” he says. “I can tell you from my own experience that this team makes sure every patient is ready and successful – myself included.”