What We Would Tell Our Pre-Op Selves
If we could sit down with the versions of ourselves that were in that first consultation in early 2024 – nervous, uncertain, quietly hoping this would be the thing that finally worked – here is what we would say.
We had our surgery at Weight Loss Riga in Latvia in March 2024. James was around 30 stone at that point. Kirsten was around 18 stone and managing Crohn’s disease alongside everything else. Both of us were at a point where something had to change. For James, the urgency was not just about weight – he had been dealing with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease for over ten years and was in stage 2 liver failure, heading towards stage 3. The surgery was as much about preventing that progression as anything else. This is the advice we wish we had walked in with.
It Is Going to Work – Trust That
The doubt in those early weeks is normal, and it is wrong. The worry that you might be one of the people it does not work for, that you will go through all of this and nothing will change – set that aside. It works. Not in a magic, effortless way. But it works, and the life on the other side of it is genuinely different. Two years on, James has lost over 12 stone. Kirsten has lost over 8 stone. Both of us feel better than we have at any point in our adult lives.
The Hard Parts Are Harder Than You Expect
The recovery is more physically demanding than the information leaflets convey. The emotional adjustment takes longer than you would think. The constipation will become a whole thing in the first weeks – get ahead of it with the guidance your team gives you and do not wait until it is a problem. The hair loss is real and it is alarming when it starts around month three or four, and it passes. The nutritional deficiency risk is real – do not skip supplements or blood tests. James went through a deficiency crisis at month eleven that was exhausting and avoidable. Take the supplement schedule seriously from day one.
Prepare for these things rather than hoping you will be the exception.
The Emotional Adjustment Is Its Own Journey
Nobody told us how strange it would feel to have your relationship with food change this significantly. Food had been comfort, celebration, routine, and reward for most of our lives. Losing access to that – not being able to eat the way you used to, not being able to participate in meals the same way – is a grief of sorts. It is worth acknowledging that rather than pushing through it.
Head hunger is real too. The physical sensation of hunger reduces significantly, but the psychological pull towards food – the habit of eating at certain times, in certain situations, in response to certain emotions – stays. That part requires its own work.
The Community Matters More Than You Think
Find your people early. The bariatric community – in forums, in support groups, in the comments sections of people who are sharing honestly – contains a level of practical, experiential knowledge that no clinic appointment can replicate. People who are twelve months ahead of you have been through exactly what you are about to go through. They remember it clearly. They are generally generous with what they know.
We built connections in the bariatric community early and they have been one of the most valuable parts of the whole experience.
You Will Not Regret It
Within three weeks of surgery, James’s liver function tests had returned to normal. After more than ten years of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, stage 2 failure, and a trajectory heading towards stage 3, the liver had essentially reset. That was not a slow improvement – it happened within weeks, and it was the result the surgery had always been most urgently needed to achieve.
Within three months, his pre-diabetic markers had cleared and his blood pressure had normalised. The health improvements that came with the surgery happened faster and more completely than either of us had dared to expect.
The surgery changes the context of your life. What you do with that context is still up to you. But having that context available – having a body that cooperates with the life you want to build – makes everything else more possible.
Go in with realistic expectations and an open mind. It is worth it.
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 Liver Trust – Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
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: 6 March 2026 | Last Reviewed: 7 June 2026 | Next Planned Review: 7 December 2027