How long to eat each meal?

Hi!  I am 1 week post op.  The dietitian said that I should take a half hour to consume 4-6 tablespoons of food.  I was doing that easily for the first couple of days but now that I'm feeling better, I can consume it much faster, maybe like 10-15 minutes.  Is this ok?  Also, do protein drinks count as food?  Also, sometimes when I eat, there is a sharp pain on the left side of my chest going all the way through to my back.  Does this mean I'm eating too fast/too much?  I think I feel restriction because I feel pretty full after about half a cup of food but I know that I don't have any kind of fill until 5 more weeks.  I'm so sorry for all the questions, I just know that I can find some wisdom on this board from some who are more experienced.  I thank you ahead of time!  God Bless! Rebecca

Most docs advise not making meals last longer than 1/2 hour becasue if you eat for a longer time, you end up eating more food than necessary and may be likely to miss the body's natural "full" signal.  Don't worry about eating a bit faster now.  Your main job now is just to heal.  Once you start the fill process, the 1/2  hour "rule" will become more important. Good luck.

I have had 3 fills and it takes me 20-30 minutes to eat my meal.  I think this is about the right amount of time for your brain and stomach signals to meet!  Good luck!!  -Holly

It sure sounds like you have good restriction. 

I'm 2 weeks post op, and according to my Surgeon you should be still on Liquids, your Stomach is probably still swollen, and I know when mine was still swollen I could not drink anything including Water very fast. I could feel it gurggling through. As long as you're on liquids it does not matter how long it takes, because you should sip all day anyway. And if you are eating I can see why you may have sharp pains where the band is. I would stay more with liquids stuff. My pains have pretty much gone now for several days. But i'm still drinking and loosing. Inge

Every surgeon is different. My surgeon has us go onto purees/mushies on day 2...she's been banding since the beginning of the FDA trials and has an extremely low rate of slippage with her bandsters. Nancy

Being one weel post op you should be on a liquid/full liquid diet still, which means you don't have to count how long it takes you to consume the liquid. It is good not to drink too much too fast though because that could cause pain in your stomach or like you said your left side. My nutritionist told me with liquids there is no limit consumption...like tomato soup and such...that is for full liquids. I was on full liquids when sent home from the hospital. I would call your nutritionist for more info on what they prefer or your surgeons office.  I was told I didn't have to slow down on how long it took me to eat until I reached the mushy stage, which I am entering. My nut told me it should take me 20-30 min to eat mushies and at least 30min on solids, but I am sure everyone is different. I hope that helped some. I am new at this as well so I am just going by what I was told by my nutritionist.  Protein shakes are considered calories and protein, so it needs to be added to your total calorie and protein daily amounts. Tina

Thanks so much guys!  I appreciate it.  I am on full liquids but I am allowed to eat sf pudding and cream of wheat.  I think i am going to try to eat a little slower to see if that helps. Rebecca