A Year Unlike Any Other
It is hard to believe a full year passed since we had surgery. In some ways it feels much longer – so much changed that life before the sleeve feels like a different chapter entirely. In other ways it feels recent, because the learning and adjusting never really stops.
We had our surgery in March 2024 at Weight Loss Riga in Latvia. James came in at around 30 stone; Kirsten at around 18 stone. By the time we hit the one-year mark, James had lost over 12 stone and Kirsten had lost over 8. Both of us had comorbidities that resolved faster than we expected – blood pressure and pre-diabetic markers within three months. James’s NAFLD, which had been stage 2 for more than a decade and was heading towards stage 3, returned to normal liver function within three weeks of surgery. That alone made the decision worthwhile.
What Changed That We Expected
The weight loss was real and significant. The way we eat fundamentally changed – smaller portions, slower eating, more focus on protein, less grazing. We feel physically better: more energy, better sleep, less strain on our joints. These were the things we hoped for going in, and they happened.
What Changed That We Did Not Expect
The emotional and psychological changes were bigger and stranger than we anticipated. The loss of food as a comfort mechanism was felt as a genuine loss, not just an inconvenience. The identity shift that comes with looking dramatically different is disorienting in ways that are hard to explain to someone who has not experienced it. The way other people treat you changes, and that is its own complicated thing to process.
James also went through a significant nutritional deficiency crisis at month eleven – fatigue, brain fog, cold intolerance – that required medical attention and a proper re-assessment of supplementation. It was a reminder that the surgery is not finished when the weight comes off. The ongoing maintenance of nutrition, supplementation, and monitoring matters just as much.
What We Would Do Differently
We would take the psychological support more seriously from the start. Both of us underestimated how much of this journey happens in the mind rather than the stomach. More intentional work on the emotional relationship with food, earlier rather than later, would have helped.
We would also have worried less about the scale in the middle months. The body does what it does in its own time, and trusting the process – while keeping habits consistent – is more productive than obsessing over weekly numbers.
Where We Are Now
In a genuinely good place. Not a perfect place – there are still challenges, still adjustments, still days that are harder than others. But healthier, more confident, and more ourselves than we have been in a long time.
James entered a bodybuilding competition post-op, which neither of us would have predicted when we boarded the plane to Riga. That still feels remarkable.
Sources
NICE CG189 – Obesity: identification, assessment and management
BOMSS – Guidelines on the peri-operative nutritional management of bariatric patients
NHS – Weight loss surgery: what to expect afterwards
British Psychological Society – Psychological aspects of obesity
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: 20 December 2025 | Last Reviewed: 7 June 2026 | Next Planned Review: 7 December 2027