Achieving long-term success after weight loss surgery involves listening to your body's hunger and satiety cues. Satiety, if you are new to this term, is the feeling of satisfaction after eating. Following surgery, tuning into the new cues that your body provides can be challenging. Some people struggle to read the feelings of satisfaction, or receive very subtle signals from their bodies that make it difficult to know when to stop eating. In these cases, relying on external rules can be helpful to guide portion control. Following are some of the common concerns we see around post-surgery portions, and some practical solutions to guide your.

WHAT IF I AM NEVER HUNGRY?

During the early post-operative period, it is common to experience a low appetite. Relying solely on your internal cues may result in undernourishing your body. In this case, we recommend following external rules until your internal cues kick in or become more noticeable. Ensure you have a minimum of three meals per day, each consisting of a maximum of half a cup of food. If your portions are smaller than half a cup, consider eating more frequently, up to six times per day.

WHAT IF I CAN CONSUME MORE THAN HALF A CUP OF FOOD?

Your stomach is a muscle, hence after surgery it is still able to stretch. While your new stomach may be able to 'fit' more than half a cup of food, it doesn't mean you need to eat until you reach its maximum capacity. Overeating risks damaging your sleeve or small stomach pouch. Instead, aim to stop eating before feeling overfull or uncomfortable. The goal is not to see how much you can 'fit', but to establish the portion that satisfies you.

Once you are through the recovery phases, set a maximum portion size of one cup per meal using external measures such as portion plates, bowls or measuring cups. This can help you to feel confident that your meal size is not excessive.

WHAT IF ONE CUP DOESN'T SATISFY ME?

If you find that one cup of food doesn't leave you feeling satisfied, try implementing the following tips to enhance satiety:

• Keep drinks separate from meals, allowing a 30-minute gap before and after eating. Consuming fluids too close to meals can speed up the rate at which food moves through your sleeve or pouch, preventing you from feeling satisfied. This means hunger can return sooner, prompting you to eat again. Not surprisingly, eating and drinking together on a regular basis is one of the 'Common Culprits' we see involved in weight regain.

• Aim for meals to last between 10 and 20 minutes. Eating too quickly can mean you miss cues that you are feeling satisfied and can stop eating. Pause between each bite, tuning into your feelings of hunger and satisfaction. Are you no longer hungry? Would you be satisfied if you stopped at this point? Avoid excessively long meals exceeding 20 minutes, as prolonging your meals allows food to empty from your pouch or sleeve, creating space for more food. This leads to larger portions being eaten.

• Prioritise adequate protein intake, ensuring it takes up around half of your meals. Protein helps us to feel satisfied for longer after eating, however when we build meals based on what we call 'Smart Food Combinations' you can reach a level of feeling satisfied soon and stay satisfied for longer.

• Minimise liquid meals and soft, sloppy foods. Opting for dense, solid meals can help control portion sizes. A small plate of steak and salad is more likely to leave you satisfied compared to a soup or smoothie, as solid meals move through your sleeve or pouch at a slower pace.

Mastering portion control after weight loss surgery is a key factor in long-term success. If you need further guidance and support in managing post-surgery portions, we're here to help. We deep dive into all things post-surgery portions, including Smart Food Combinations to maximise satiety and how to tackle those Common Culprits we see in weight regain in our signature online support program, Elevate.

We provide a 'behind the scenes' look into Elevate and the support we offer in our FREE online workshop, ‘Three Super Simple Steps to Safeguard Your Weight Loss Surgery Success’. Reserve your seat for the workshop here.