What does Restriction mean and how does it feel?

Your sleeve or pouch should have far less capacity for good than your previous stomach did. Hence you are “restricted” in how much you can eat.

but how come people keep on talking about restriction starting after liquids. Cant you only drink certain amounts too?

My Md had guidelines that I could only eat strained creamed soups and liquids the first 1-2 weeks. That included yogurt, protein shakes 2 days after surgery and then cottage cheese and refined beans began at week 2/3. However it is hard to drink or eat much initially. I used a shot glass to get 2 ounces at a time and a timer so every 15 minutes I would drink 2 ounces. Once I was on soft foods like 1 egg or tuna it initially took 45 minutes to eat that then a week or so later 30 minutes, then eventually 20 minutes etc.

Food wasn't appealing and after a few bites I felt like I just ate a Thanksgiving dinner. It wasn't painful but just that blah I'm done feeling. I think around 3/4 months I could drink a 11 oz. protein shake in 30-45 minutes, eat a 5oz cup of yogurt or 1 egg in 20 minutes but not much more in one sitting. Suddenly at 6 months I could comfortably eat about a half cup of food total if some of it was soft. Not a half cup of chicken, but a 1/4 cup of protein and a 1/4 cup of soft veggies. Now at 9 months sometimes I can eat almost a cup in one sitting in a normal amount of time like 10-15 minutes but usually it's closer to 1/2 to 3/4. I don't feel deprived or over full.

liquids go through your stomach a lot faster than something dense like a chicken breast will.

I can drink pretty much any quantity I want, but food is another story. I can drink a 20 oz bottle of water in 15 minutes, but barely 1/2 cup of food over the course of an hour. I’m 3 months out from VSG.

Yea liquids are easy for me to but soon as I started yoghurt I felt full for a few hours.. Solid stuff takes longer to go through than liquids...

We're all so different. Each of us has our own unique experience with restriction. I never really felt restricted from liquids until I started "water loading" about 6 months out from surgery. Then I finally felt fullness from drinking quickly. If I sip though, it goes right through without registering that I'm full. Doesn't matter if it's water, or protein drinks, or cream soups.

I had more restriction with my sleeve for fluids, so I would just sip a lot. Since my bypass I can drink everything just fine... just not at the same time as eating. I get the foamies. I'm 9 months out from Bypass.