When we first started researching gastric sleeve surgery, this was the question we kept coming back to: is this really right for us? It’s a big, life-changing decision – not a quick fix, not a shortcut, and not something to arrive at lightly. So if you’re asking yourself the same thing, you’re already thinking about it the right way.
We’re now over two years post-op, both having had surgery in March 2024. Below we share what helped us decide, what we wish we’d known earlier, and what life actually looks like on the other side.
What the gastric sleeve actually does
A gastric sleeve (sleeve gastrectomy) involves removing around 75-80% of your stomach permanently. What’s left is a narrow, banana-shaped stomach that holds roughly 150-200ml – about the size of a banana. You eat much less, feel full sooner, and significantly, the surgery removes most of the stomach tissue that produces ghrelin, the hunger hormone. This means appetite is often genuinely reduced, not just physically restricted.
It’s important to understand from the start that the surgery is a tool – not a cure. It makes weight loss possible and sustainable. It doesn’t do the work for you.
Why we considered surgery
For both of us, this wasn’t about appearance. It was about health, energy, and being able to live without the daily weight of severe obesity. James was around 30 stone before surgery; Kirsten around 18. Between us we had high blood pressure, pre-diabetic markers, and James had been living with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease for over ten years – stage 2 liver failure heading towards stage 3, which was the primary reason for his surgery. Then there were the practical realities of obesity that don’t get talked about enough – the breathlessness on stairs, the embarrassment on holidays, the accumulated exhaustion of carrying that weight every day.
We’d both tried other approaches. They hadn’t worked long-term. We weren’t looking for a miracle – we were looking for something that could give us a real chance at lasting change, and we were ready to do the work to make it count.
Questions to ask yourself
Before we committed, we spent months working through questions like these. They helped us decide whether we were genuinely ready – not just keen.
Have you tried other weight loss approaches, consistently and seriously, without lasting results? Are you prepared to permanently change how you eat – smaller portions, slower eating, protein first at every meal? Can you commit to lifelong vitamin supplements and regular blood tests? Are you doing this for your own health and quality of life, not because of pressure from someone else? Are you ready for the emotional side – including the grief of losing your relationship with food, and the identity shift that comes with significant weight loss?
If your honest answers show long-term readiness rather than short-term motivation, the sleeve is worth exploring seriously.
The mental side matters more than people expect
The physical side of recovery – the food stages, the fatigue, the adjustment – is manageable. What catches people out more often is the emotional side.
We both experienced what we call food grief: genuinely missing the comfort and social role that food had played in our lives. Learning to eat slowly, stopping when full, and coping with stress in ways that don’t involve food – these take time and real effort. If you’re still emotionally entangled with food or using it to cope, it’s worth addressing that before surgery, whether with a therapist, bariatric support group, or your GP. It doesn’t disqualify you – it just shapes the preparation you need.
The physical commitment
The first few months post-op are a significant adjustment. You progress through food stages from liquids to purées to soft food to solids, learning how your new stomach works. Some days are hard. Nausea, taste changes, and fatigue are common early on.
From about three months onward, things improve considerably. Energy returns. Appetite patterns stabilise. The restriction that felt limiting starts to feel like freedom from the constant noise of hunger and overeating.
What you’ll need to commit to for life: daily vitamins and supplements (iron, B12, vitamin D, calcium at minimum), regular blood tests to monitor levels, staying hydrated, and keeping up with bariatric follow-up appointments. James hit a wall at month 11 – fatigue, brain fog, cold intolerance – that turned out to be nutritional deficiencies. We’ve written about this in detail on our supplements and vitamins page.
Who it might not be right for yet
The sleeve is probably not right for you right now if you’re looking for a short-term result rather than permanent change; if you’re not yet willing to address emotional eating patterns; if you’re not able to commit to lifelong supplements and follow-up; or if you’re going ahead primarily because of pressure from someone else rather than your own conviction. None of this means never. It means the timing or preparation might need more work first.
Our results two years on
By the one-year mark, James had lost over 12 stone and Kirsten over 8 stone. Two years on, both of us are in the maintenance phase – James continuing to build muscle, Kirsten managing her loss alongside Crohn’s disease, which shaped her journey differently but no less meaningfully.
We also know people who had surgery the same month as us and have lost only 20-30 pounds. Same surgery. Very different outcomes. The gap comes down to habits, preparation, and ongoing commitment – not the procedure itself.
Our health conditions linked to obesity resolved within three months. That’s not us selling this. That’s what happened.
The honest conclusion
Only you can decide if the gastric sleeve is right for you. But if you’re ready to make permanent changes – to food, habits, and your relationship with your own body – it can genuinely change your life.
Take your time. Talk to your GP and a bariatric team. Read experiences from people who’ve lived through it, including both the positive and the difficult parts. The more honestly you go in, the better prepared you’ll be for everything that follows.
Sources cited in this post: NICE CG189 – Obesity: identification, assessment and management (eligibility criteria for bariatric surgery)
BOMSS – Patient pathway and commissioning guidance for bariatric surgery
NHS – Weight loss surgery: who can have it
NHS – Weight loss surgery: types of surgery
- NHS, “Weight loss surgery”: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/weight-loss-surgery/
- NICE clinical guideline CG189, “Obesity: identification, assessment and management”: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg189
- British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS): https://bomss.org/
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: 10 November 2025 | Last Reviewed: 27 June 2026 | Next Planned Review: 27 December 2027