Anja Anđelić and her stomach-reduction surgery: what she said herself

In her own words: “Kada sam prvi put javno rekla da sam imala operaciju želuca, naišla sam na različite reakcije. Bilo je i pozitivnih i negativnih komentara... Mnogi koje mi znamo su operisali želudac, kao i mnogi koje ne znamo, svaki treći čovjek to radi. O tome rijetko ko priča, a ja nemam problem da pričam o tome.” (“When I first said publicly that I'd had stomach surgery, I got all kinds of reactions — both positive and negative comments... A lot of people we know have had stomach surgery, as have many we don't know — every third person does it. Hardly anyone talks about it, and I have no problem talking about it.”)

She was careful to add that the operation alone wasn't the whole story: “Da, ja sam trenirala, vodila sam računa o ishrani, nije to baš samo operisati želudac i bum, smršaš.” (“Yes, I trained, I watched what I ate — it's not just about having the surgery and, bang, you lose weight.”)

That is the full basis of this article. Anđelić did not name the type of operation, the clinic or the exact date of her surgery in these statements, so we do not guess at them. Where the text below explains methods and timelines, it describes bariatric surgery in general, not her treatment.

She said that without keeping up the new habits afterward, the weight can return: “Ako vi to uradite i nastavite da živite kako ste živjeli, naravno da će da vam se vrati.” (“If you do it and then keep living the way you lived before, of course it will come back.”) That is exactly how bariatric surgery is meant to work: it reduces the stomach and changes hunger signals, but the result still depends on the person.

She also pushed back on the idea that it is “the easy way out”: “Ljudi treba da znaju da operacija nije za svakoga. To nije promocija zahvata, već moje lično iskustvo.” (“People need to know the operation isn't for everyone. This isn't a promotion of the procedure, just my personal experience.”) Hearing a well-known singer describe severe, long-term obesity this way — as a health problem that she fought for years, not a question of willpower — makes it easier for others to raise the subject with a doctor instead of hiding it.

City Medical Centre also performs the mini gastric bypass and SADI-S, used for a higher BMI. Which operation fits is decided at a consultation after looking at weight history and related conditions — not from reading about a well-known person's experience.

Before surgery, patients have blood and urine tests, biochemistry, an HbA1c test and a coagulation panel, and see a GP, an endocrinologist, a psychiatrist and a cardiologist (women also a gynaecologist). It is recommended to cut fast carbohydrates and fats two to four weeks before the operation and to stop smoking a month beforehand.

On average, patients lose around 10% of their excess weight every month in the first stretch after surgery, and the final result is judged after one and a half to two years, once eating habits have settled into a stable, lasting pattern.

A personal coordinator stays in touch from the first message through recovery, and the team follows up with patients during the first year. More details are on the bariatric surgery page.

To be clear: City Medical Centre has no connection with Anja Anđelić or her treatment. Her story is simply a well-known example of a singer who talked openly about weight-loss surgery and about what it does and doesn't do on its own.