If you’re reading this you may be wondering “What should my gastric sleeve meal size be?”
Hi! I’m Jamie! I’m a bariatric dietitian who also had weight loss surgery! I had the gastric sleeve back in 2017. Now, I help other bariatric patients navigate their nutrition post-op so they can hit their weight loss goals!
In today’s blog post we are going to talk all about what gastric sleeve meal sizes should look like. And the answer might surprise you!
Myths about meal size after gastric sleeve
I think there is this huge misconception that after gastric sleeve surgery. THere’s this idea that your meals are going to be super teeny tiny for the rest of your lives. There is so much pressure after weight loss surgery to keep your intake as little as possible.
I see so many bariatric patients obsessing over how much they’re eating. And I also see the sheer panic that ensues when they eat more than they think they “should” be eating.
The truth is your meal size is going to change as you move farther away from your surgery date. While it’s highly unlikely you will ever be able to eat as much as you did before surgery, you should be eating more as time passes.
Why can I eat more the further post op I get?
Your stomach is a muscle, and muscles are meant to stretch. And while it’s highly unlikely that you will ever stretch your pouch out after surgery, as time goes on and your body heals, your stomach does regain that elasticity and ability to “stretch” some.
Right after surgery is when your restriction will be the tightest. Immediately post op, not only do you have internal sutures and incisions keeping things extra tight, your body is also inflamed. But as that inflammation reduces and you fully heal, that elasticity comes back.
To my understanding, the only way you can truly stretch your pouch back out is if your surgery was performed incorrectly to begin with. So that extra bite here or there, while not the best habit to engage in, is not going to cause your stomach to stretch.
But it is important to pay attention to your fullness and hunger cues, because you don’t want to continually be pushing that restriction you feel. Not because you’ll stretch your stomach, but long term, you need to really use your tool and keep your portions in check to make sure you’re sustaining all your hard work.
What your meal size should be after gastric sleeve
Contrary to popular belief, not all gastric sleeve patients’ meal size is the same. The amount of food you can eat will always be a bit different from other bariatric patients. Not only is everyone’s body different, but each surgeon performs the surgery differently too.
How the gastric sleeve procedure is preformed
During the gastric sleeve procedure approximately 80-85% of the stomach is removed. What remains of the stomach is the new “sleeve” or pouch.
When it comes to creating that pouch, surgeons use the “French” unit of measurement, often abbreviated as “F” or “Fr.” The French unit of measurement is approximately ⅓ of a millimeter.
In order to create the size of the new stomach space a tool called a “bougie” is used. Bougie sizes typically range from 32F – 60F for creating gastric sleeve size. The size of the bougie has a direct impact on how much food the new pouch can hold. And as you can see, there is variability with sizing, and it’s up to the surgeon to use the sizing they feel comfortable with.
So remember, if you are able to eat more (or less) than someone else who has had the same procedure, keep in mind, the sizing of your stomach post gastric sleeve is likely different. Which is one of the reasons meal size will vary.
In the following breakdown of meal sizes after gastric sleeve, just note that these ranges are based on common averages, and aren’t definitive.
Meal size immediately post op
Right after surgery you’ll likely be put on a post op liquid diet that will soon progress to purees, soft foods, and eventually back to solid foods. During this transitional period it may be challenging to even get a few sips of protein shake in. During this time, your main focus should be hydration. Read this article for 6 tips on staying hydrated after gastric sleeve.
Once you are back on solid foods your intakes will likely be very small ranging from 2-4 oz or approximately ¼ – ½ cup of food at a time. This can feel like such a huge change, and it is! Make sure to go slow and give yourself lots of grace as you’re learning the ins and outs of your new stomach.
Meal size 6+ months post op
Once you reach 6 months or so post op it’s common for some of that tight restriction to subside and be able to eat a bit more. It’s common for gastric sleeve patients to be able to eat 4-6 oz or about ½ – ¾ cup of food (give or take) around this time.
Meal size 1 year and beyond
Between the 6 – 12 month post op mark your portions will continue to slowly expand, and by 1 year post op many patients find they can eat around 8oz or a cup or so of food. And believe it or not, many people will be able to eat even a bit more as time goes on. Typically people tend to land somewhere between 1 -1.5 cups or 8-12 oz of food long term.
Measuring your meals in weight vs. volume
You’ve probably noticed I’ve referred to gastric sleeve meal sizes in both ounces and cups. I think it’s important to note that you can measure your meals post op in two different ways.
- Volume: this is like using a measuring cup to measure flour for a recipe. This is a measure of how much space the food takes up.
- Weight: weight is another way to measure the portions of your food. You can use a food scale to measure the weight of your food.
There isn’t really a right or wrong way, it all boils down to preference. Personally, I prefer using a food scale. But there is some debate over which is more accurate, and many surgeons and dietitians might argue the measuring cups are more beneficial.
The reason some argue that measuring cups should be used is because the volume of food is what matters when it comes to making sure your portions are in check after gastric sleeve.
For example: whether you put a cup of popcorn or a cup of chicken in a measuring cup both are being fit into that one cup size. Whereas if you were to measure out 8oz of chicken on a food scale vs 8oz of popcorn, those measurements will look very different because the chicken is more dense than the popcorn.
Personally, I say use the method that works best for you, and just be mindful of how your constructing your meals so that you know you’re making the most out of your surgery.
It’s not just the size of your meals, but what they’re made up of that matters
Remember, this is all just an average range of what your meal size should look like after gastric sleeve. Some may be able to eat more, and some may get full on less. What’s most important is that you are eating the proper amounts that work for YOU.
It’s not so much about the quantity of food you eat as it is about the quality of the food you eat. It’s completely okay to eat more food after weight loss surgery, and how much you eat isn’t the only thing that will determine your weight loss outcomes.
It is SO important that you are not just focusing on the volume of food, but what that food is made up us. Eating high protein, high fiber meals is going to be the best way to truly utilize your tool long term.
If you feel like you need more support with creating meals that are going to taste good, keep you full, and help you hit your weight loss goals after surgery, I would love to invite you to join me in my T.R.I.B.E.® Membership!
This is my signature membership program that has supported thousands of bariatric patients in hitting their goals on their journeys. In the program I teach you step by step exactly how to create meals that work for you, and I even teach you how to find your exact Ideal portions.
In addition, you also have access to our live community where I answer questions, offer support, and you have the ability to join dozens of live support groups every month!
Be sure to check it out! And if you decide to join us I’d love to offer you $10 off your first month! CODE: TRIBE10 for $10 off!
That’s all for now!
