I am almost a month out from my surgery and my brain seems to have no clue that most of my stomach is gone. I measure all my portions but it still looks so unsatisfactory. Then I’m stuffed to death after eating half a cup. I can’t seem to find a middle ground. Does this ever change? Will eating ever feel normal again?

Are you using small plates/bowls? It does help with the visualisation. Very small meal on a big plate or in a small bowl looks miserable but put the same meal on downsized crockery it looks a whole lot more satisfying.

I am almost 10 months out and I still use small plates and bowls.

There is a new normal now, small plates/bowls, smaller meals, waiting at least 30mins after food for drinks.

It's hard. My eyes are still too big for my stomach. I am constantly reminding myself to take HALF of what I think I need on my plate. There is something way back in my history that relates to deprivation. My parents would limit our food and lock the fridge so we couldn't help ourselves to fruit. Granted, money was tight and we were taught to eat every pea and bean on our plate, but it somehow set up this emotional insecurity that I would never have enough. Now I am trying to relearn all that and be at peace with small portions, knowing that seconds are always available. However, I am usually quite full before that point. I think if it took years to learn some of these habits, it will take years to un-learn them. Just gotta keep plugging away at it.

With this, I had to train my brain. The physical restriction is coming from your stomach, but brain training is all us. I've gotten used to weighing each portion before I eat. I have set meal times. As mentioned above, I use small plates, small spoons. No liquids with meals, etc. It's become routine so I know I'm training my brain to have a new normal. I've found my routine, but I still am experimenting with foods. Best of luck to you!

I am having this issue as well, 2.5 weeks out. I think it's just going to be an adjustment to deal with. I worked on my food issues over the years, but this is a problem that only started after surgery so there was no way I could have prepared myself for it. I think I'll talk to the therapist at my surgeon's office to see if she can suggest any way to jump start the process of getting my head right, rather than waiting for it to pass on my own.