When Real Life Gets in the Way
There are periods after gastric sleeve surgery when the journey takes a back seat – not because you have given up, but because life intervenes with things that are bigger, more urgent, or simply more exhausting. We have had several of those periods in the two years since our surgery at Weight Loss Riga in March 2024. This post is an honest account of what stepping back has looked like for us, and what we have learned from it.
The bariatric community sometimes talks about the post-surgery journey as though it is a linear progression – loss, then maintenance, with consistent effort throughout. The reality for most people is messier. There are months of strong focus followed by months where just getting through the day is the priority. Both are normal.
What Stepping Back Looks Like
Stepping back does not necessarily mean dramatic regression. For us it has meant periods where tracking stopped, where exercise became less consistent, where the mental energy available for thinking carefully about food simply was not there. It has meant relying more on the sleeve’s restriction and less on active habit management – which works in the short term but is not a sustainable long-term strategy.
What it has not meant is abandoning the fundamentals entirely. Protein-first eating is now habitual enough that it persists even during difficult periods. Supplements – having learned the hard way when James went through his deficiency crisis at month eleven – are non-negotiable regardless of what else is happening. Some things are too important to deprioritise, and over time you learn which ones those are.
The Permission to Step Back
One of the things that makes stepping back harder than it needs to be is the guilt that accompanies it. The bariatric community can be motivating and supportive, but it can also create pressure to perform the journey in a particular way – visible progress, regular updates, consistent metrics. That pressure is not always helpful, particularly during periods when life genuinely does not allow for much bandwidth.
Giving yourself permission to step back without catastrophising is a skill that takes time to develop. The surgery is permanent. The restriction exists regardless of whether you are actively thinking about it. The habits that were built in the first year do not disappear entirely during a difficult month. The question is not whether you can step back – you can, and sometimes you need to – but whether you have a clear and realistic plan for returning to your normal approach when the difficult period eases.
Coming Back
Returning to active engagement after a period of stepping back does not require drama or punishment. The most effective approach we have found is simply returning to the basics: protein-first, consistent supplements, regular blood tests, some form of movement. Not a new programme or a fresh start with fanfare – just quietly picking up the habits that work, and doing so with as little self-criticism as possible.
Two years on, we are both still here, still managing this, still making it work even when work is imperfect. That is the honest version of long-term post-surgery life.
Sources
NICE CG189 – Obesity: identification, assessment and management
British Psychological Society – Psychological aspects of obesity
NHS – Weight loss surgery: what to expect afterwards
About this content
This blog is written by James and Kirsten, a couple from the UK who had gastric sleeve surgery together in March 2024.
We started this blog because we couldn't find any sources of content that details before surgery, the surgery and then life post surgery - so we decided to write one ourselves.
Everything on this site is based on our own experience and the research we have done along the way. It is not medical advice. Gastric sleeve surgery is a serious procedure and every patient's journey is different. Please always consult your own bariatric team or GP before making any decisions about your health or treatment.
Some posts on this site may contain featured or sponsored content, or affiliate links. Where this is the case, it will always be clearly stated at the top of the article. Our opinions are always our own.
Publish Date: 28 September 2024 | Last Reviewed: 7 June 2026 | Next Planned Review: 7 December 2027