When the Habits Slip
We talk a lot on this site about the routines that have worked for us post-surgery. So it feels only right that when those habits slip – as they did over the past couple of months – we are honest about it too. That is kind of the whole point of this blog.
The honest version is this: somewhere over winter, the snacking crept back in. Not dramatically, not obviously at first – but gradually, the structure around eating loosened and the gaps started filling with things that had not previously been part of the routine. Chocolate bars. Crisps. The easy, grab-and-go snacks that are fine occasionally but were appearing more regularly than they should have been. Not the chicken and Babybels that work well for us as protein-forward snacks – the other stuff. The slider foods that pass straight through without triggering fullness and do not contribute much nutritionally but are very easy to reach for when you are tired.
To be clear – the weight did not pile back on. The sleeve still works. But we noticed the drift, and we have learned enough by now to know that small drifts compound if you do not catch them.
What Actually Shifted
Looking back, there were a few things happening at once. James had a difficult stretch health-wise earlier in the year, and when your energy is low and your focus is elsewhere, food structure is often the first thing to slide. Kirsten was managing a Crohn’s flare that made certain higher-fibre foods difficult, which meant falling back on softer, easier options that were not always the best choices.
Neither of us was tracking as consistently as we had been. The habit of logging meals had quietly disappeared, and without it, it is easy to underestimate what is actually going in throughout the day.
Two years post-op, we are well into the maintenance phase. We are not losing weight rapidly anymore, which means there is less of a visible signal when habits slip. In the first year, the scale moved every week and provided constant feedback. In maintenance, you can drift for a month before the numbers reflect it clearly.
The Reset
The reset was not dramatic. We did not do a detox or a restart week or anything that felt like punishment. We just went back to basics. Protein first at every meal. No snacking between meals unless it is a planned, protein-led snack. Logging again. Getting the meal prep back in place so that convenient options at home are the right ones rather than whatever is quickest.
James also went back to tracking his gym sessions more deliberately. Exercise had become less consistent over the difficult months, and rebuilding that routine made a noticeable difference to how both of us felt within a week or two.
Why We Are Sharing This
Because the narrative around weight loss surgery sometimes implies that once you are past the first year and maintaining, the hard work is behind you. That is not quite right. The surgery changes what you can eat, not the environment you live in or the habits you have built over a lifetime. Maintenance requires the same deliberate choices as recovery – just with less urgency attached to them, which ironically makes it slightly easier to let things slide.
If you are two years out and finding things have drifted a little, that is normal. It does not mean the surgery has failed or that you have failed. It means you are human and you are maintaining a major lifestyle change in a world that is not particularly set up to support it. The reset is always available.
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
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: 14 March 2026 | Last Reviewed: 7 June 2026 | Next Planned Review: 7 December 2027