I'm about 5 years out and I can in my experience, I can definitely eat more than I could 6 months after surgery, but if I eat "correctly", the amount I eat is much closer to that 6-month amount. When I start eating junk food, I notice I can eat quite a bit more of it. My "tool" still works if I let it. But I can easily navigate around it if I want to.
My doctor gave almost the exact same instructions. I do have to say it may have been the most eye opening part of the whole process for me. Seeing how ingrained meals were in my daily routine blew my mind. I lost almost 30 in that two weeks and it was a good kickstart. It's extremely hard...but you will learn a lot.