On January 14, 2021, Alan and Tiffany Abela-Wadge travelled to Turkey to undergo gastric surgery bypass. The surgery was the first step of the journey to their new lives. 

Looking at photographs today, the couple are unrecognisable. At the beginning of last year, Alan weighed 200kg and his wife, close to 140kg. 

A year on since the surgery, and by maintaining diet and exercise, Tiffany lost 58kg, and weighs 81kg, while Alan lost an incredible 95kg. 

“We were always happy in our bodies, even when we were bigger. We were both confident before, our weight didn’t hold us back,” Alan said. 

“But now I see myself and I can say I did not use to enjoy life as much as I do now.”

Growing up, the couple always struggled with obesity, despite trying out several diets. 

“When I had my Confirmation, my mother had to buy me a size 18 dress. That is big even for an adult, let alone when you are 11 years old,” Tiffany said. 

“At a point I lost 10kg, but then I put on another 15… Alan managed to lose around 60kg at a point, but then in the space of two years he put on 75kg.”

After trying different fad diets, the couple started to research about gastric bypass, a type of weight-loss surgery that involves dividing the stomach into a small upper pouch and a much larger ‘lower’ remnant pouch, with the small intestine rearranged to connect to both.

For Alan, the final straw was when his doctor informed him he was suffering from high blood pressure. The doctor had even worse news. 

“He said if I didn’t do something about my weight, I will not live to see my 40th birthday.”

His goal was to do the surgery in Malta, but after waiting for over two years on the waiting list, he began to search for surgeries carried out abroad. 

“We started seeing the prices in Turkey, and with what we were saving up to do just one operation, we could afford two abroad,” Tiffany said. 

Getting mentally prepared for surgery

They booked the surgery in September 2020 and had three months to prepare for the life-changing operation. 

The process started two months before the surgery. For two weeks they ate a liver-reducing diet to prepare the body. After the surgery, they had to go through three weeks of liquid diet, following three weeks of puree food and then another three weeks of soft foods.

“In total it takes around three months before you can have a proper meal,” Tiffany said. 

While the couple had to completely switch their diet, nothing could prepare them for the mental changes they would face. 

“Nothing prepares you for what you feel after,” she explained.

“In the beginning I was very emotional, and my hormones fluctuated quite a bit. There were mornings I would cry because I thought Alan would not come back from his morning walks with our dogs.”

Alan also struggled sometimes.

“While I now weigh 105kg, 20kg of which is excess skin, in my own eyes I still see myself as a huge person. It will take time for my mind to settle with the body I have today.”

Tiffany echoes his thoughts, saying that even while clothes shopping, she finds herself looking for the biggest size.

“I used to wear size 28, so now I find myself walking out the door thinking the shop doesn’t have my size, only to remember that now I am a size 12.”

'This is anything but easy'

Both denied the surgery is the easy way out to cut the weight.

“What we did after the operation is anything but easy. I have seen people who lost weight, only to put it all back on again because they did not take care of themselves,” Alan said. 

Apart from eating more healthier and smaller portions, the couple also train four to five times a week. 

“Not eating a lot of food makes you lose weight, but it is the training that helps you remain lean and gain muscle. 

The two former Nationalist Party candidates say they always felt very confident, despite their weight.

“Our weight didn’t hold us back. I was involved in politics and did many house visits and spoke in front of crowds,” Alan said. 

He now wishes to lose 15 more kilos, and at the end of the year undergo more surgery to remove his excess skin. 

The couple do not have an ‘end goal’ with their weight and health. 

“The only end goal in life is when you pass away. You continuously evolve throughout, and you always work to be better than you were yesterday.”

Their advice to anyone considering weight loss surgery is to always seek medical advice.

“But I say go for it, don’t wait before you reach a certain weight. And always compare yourself to yourself and be happy with your progress.”

Both feel they have changes as individuals and as a couple. 

“It is important to have an open mind and to be accepting. The person I married has changed, but so have I and to be honest this journey has also made us much closer,” Tiffany said. 

Weight loss surgery carries a risk of complications, some of which can be serious. Before having surgery, always speak to your surgeon about the possible benefits and risks of the procedure.