How long does it take you to eat snack?

Just wondering how long i'm supposed to take to eat my snack. I usually finish within 5 mins. I'm full after and i do chew thoroughly. Snack is usually a piece of cheese,  1oz of chicken etc. My main meal last up to 40 mins but, i can't seem to make my snacks longer than 5 mins.

I ate my meals normally, why are they supposed to last so long.  I chew until the food is totally liquidified and slides down my throat.  I never had any meal last 40 minutes.

Well for me, i've had quite a bit of pouch issues after surgery so, i take it slow when eating main meals. If i eat at normal pace, i get full too quick and i won't get to eat much of my measured out portion at all. Snacks not as much as they are small. I'm now just starting to try and eat normally for all meals, slowly but surely, i'll get there.

If it is truly just a snack (an ounce of cheese or a half serving of almonds, for example), it takes me about 5 minutes as well.  If it is a bit larger (e.g., two ounces of cheese and a couple of whole grain crackers or a couple of apple slices) it probably takes about 10 minutes.  I have never had a problem with eating too fast, so I eat at what is a normal pace for me.  I still chew everything well, but not quite to the point of being liquified as Heidi does.

FWIW, my surgeon indicated that our meals should be finished in no more than 20 minutes -- even when we were first post-op and were measuring portions (even if just with the visual "measurements" of protein the size of a deck of cards, etc.) -- because it takes about 30 minutes for food to exit the pouch into the intestines (assuming you don't drink with your meals), so if it takes you 30 minutes or more to eat a meal, you start filling pouch space that has been vacated by the food from the very beginning of your meal. This can lead to not feeling full (since you don't ever fill the pouch completely) and can lead to overeating down the road when you stop measuring your food.

Lora

That's nice to be reassured i'm not harming my pouch by eating my snack in 5 mins, lol. Although my surgery centre told me that main meals are supposed to last that long, for me, i do take my time due to having issues with my pouch.

I'm usually pretty stuffed after meals until i start drinking an hour later and then i'm stuffed from drinking and then before i know it, it time to eat and i'm stuffed once more. It's a full time job taking care of my pouch, lol. So, i'm just wondering, if the pouch empties in 30 mins and it takes me up to 40 mins to finish a measured portion(i never drink with meals), does it only become a problem if i'm still hungry during that time or is it ok to do so as long as you don't eat more? Thanks 

As long as you don't eat more food because the first part of your meal has already started to exit your pouch, it is not a problem to take that long to eat.  

You just have to make sure that you stay on top of your portion control once you are further down the line and can eat more.  It is easy to be less diligent about portion control once you are no longer completely focused on what and how you are eating.  Some people find, for example, that if they are out to dinner where a "normal" portion size is served and they get caught up in the conversation with family/friends and still allow themselves to take 40 minutes to eat, they end up eating too much because they don't feel full sine the early part of the meal has existed the pouch already.

Thanks for the sound advise. Right now i'm still a newbie and scared to overeat or gain weight so, i'm very diligent when it comes to measuring and not drinking with meals. Hopefully i'm able to stay focused down the road.