So why exactly do we have to eat so slow with a VSG

You need to eat slowly so you don't end up in total pain like I did tonight.

I ate dinner at a restaurant, and I am notoriously bad at portions in restaurants. I thought I did a pretty good job, and when I finished eating I felt pretty good. Then 10 minutes later- BAM- a brick in my chest.

I was SO uncomfortable for an hour until it wore off. Not fun.

It takes about 10 minutes for the signal to get to me that I'm full, so I just need to eat slower and chew more.

People without a sleeve should also eat slow and chew well.  It is true that it takes a moment for the signal to get to your brain that you are full so if you are "wolfing" down you meal you could...and most likely will be stuff before you get the signal to stop eating.

VSGer having a small capacity and little to no stretch end up painfully sick as opposed to your "old tummy" that would just stretch to accomidate the excess food.

Up until about week 9 or so I ate slowly....I didnt know what I could handle and Im sure it was still swollen. All of a sudden it was like my restriction lifted...I think my swelling went down. Ive found that if I eat slow, say taking 20 to 25 minutes...I eat more cuz at that point Im grazing and stuffs starting to pass thru my stomach and I have more room. So I am back to eating at a regular pace. Takes maybe 10 minutes per meal.

Ive taken one bite too many a couple times....it only takes one bite over for the pain. Now I can tell about 2 bites before Im done...my stomach makes like a noise, or Ill feel a small little churn. I take one or two more bites and stop. I ignored it the first few times...dont do that. lol. Never puked or had foamies either.

This made me remember how afraid I was that I couldn't do well with the surgery because I couldn't imagine a life where I had to chew my food for 20 minutes until it was like baby food...tried it pre surgery and thought that would be a miserable way to eat for the rest of someone's life.  Luckily that is not the case - my first few months I had to get used to everything in the stages you are supposed to but I never had to do the very very slow chewing - just had to get used to how my stomach would react to different foods at different times - I can easily tell now - it just starts to feel uncomfortable and I pu**** away...so easy and no problem with slimey or vomiting..and no need for lengthy chewing!

Everyone else has answered well, but its like I told somebody the other day - look, I can only fit so much in.  Its MUCH more satisfying if I can eat for a while with yall, instead of 3 gulps and then I am filled to gills and get to watch everyone else eat!

You will get very, very sick to your stomach if you eat too fast or eat too much.  You will feel nauseasus, you will begin to have a lot of spit (foamy spit) that you simply can't stop, and after several hours of misery, you will finally vomit up the food.

It is called the "foamies", and usually once or twice is more than enough to cure you of the habit of eating fast.

Once you get well into it, you CAN eat faster, but that is a bad habit to get into.  The faster you eat, on the average, the more you eat.  Isn't that partially how we all got to the point where we needed surgery?

Of course you can do it your own way if you choose.  It's as good a way to waste thousands of dollars as i can think of (besides undergoing a major surgery for nothing.)

Well, Old Medic, I don't get sick to my stomach when I eat quickly, I stop when I am full, so I don't get the foamies, and, for the same reason, I do not vomit. I found I could eat more when I tried, as advised, to eat slowly and chew to mush - which is disgusting. And I have simply read too many posts on this board from people worried about being "able to eat too much" or having "not enough restriction" because they had the time and sheer determination to spend an hour or more of their lives to eat a fast-food sandwich of some kind, or the equivalent. I cannot imagine doing that - no crappy fast food is worth that kind of time and effort, and I would be hard pressed to think even the most fabulous gourmet meal was, but then I really don't love food all that much. 

I have been maintaining at goal for almost a year now, so I don't think I have wasted thousands of dollars. The thing is, people and their bodies are different, and not everyone should or must do it your way to succeed.  

Old Medic, I don't get the foamies and I have never vomited since surgery, sorry to hear that happens to you.

Thank you everyone. I'm working on eating more slowly now pre-op and am realizing how terribly fast I eat. It's a shame how fast I used to eat.