Eating too fast

I always have been and always will be a fast eater.  The first month and a half out from surgery I made sure to eat slow and chew my food 25-30 times because of the sensitive state of my stomach.  But now that I'm 2 and a half months out I can hardly tell that I've even had surgery until I get full from 2-3 ounces of food and because of this I'm back to eating fast and not chewing as well as I should.  I haven't had any problems and because I weigh my food religiously I have not had a single incident of over eating (knock on wood) and I haven't had anything get stuck either.  The only thing that tells me that I've eaten too fast is all the rumbling and gurgling sounds that my stomach makes when I'm at the end of my meal. Eating slow bores the hell out of me and over chewing turns most food into a consistency that is absolutely disgusting.  

Besides eating slow to prevent overeating and chewing till minced to avoid food getting stuck is there any other reason to eat this way? As long as I take small bites (and I do, I just don't always chew well) and measure my food am I just fine eating the way that I am?

Also I'd like to add something positive to this post.  A few days ago I made a post about hating exercise and having trouble finding the motivation.  Most of you suggested that I keep trying until I find an exercise I enjoy and one person in particular suggested the Wii since I'm a gamer.  That very night I purchased two of the "Just Dance" games for the Wii and I've had a blast using them!  They are so much fun and I hardly realize that I'm getting a workout until after a couple hours fly by and I realize how exhausted I am lol.  So things are much better in that aspect.  I've been on a bit of a stall and only lost 1 pound since the first but I'm just going to hang in there because I know after the stall is over I'll drop weight quickly ****il the next stall).

So any knowledge and advice is greatly appreciated.

I have the same problem with eating too fast...and I'm much further out than you are :-(   I have resorted to using an egg-timer (one of those little hourglass looking things with sand in it) and I take a bite, turn it over and then can't take another bite until the sand is done running out.   I've heard there are also phone apps you can get that serve the same purpose.  

Are you just fine eating the way you are?   I honestly don't know!  I measure my food, I take small to regular size bites but I certainly don't chew my food 25-30 times.   What ends up happening is I finish my tiny amount of food so fast that my head doesn't register that I've actually eaten a meal.   So for me, it's more of a head problem than a stomach problem.  

I've always eaten to fast also .. it's taken a long to figure it out i love Tracys idea...  I agree it's a head issue .. your mind has to catch up with you that you have eaten already...  make sure to put your fork down after every bite!!! :-)

♡ Kelly

I still struggle with this.  I just want to eat and get it over with sometimes.

I always try to put my fork down between bites.  It's easier for me at lunch since I'll take a bite, read a post on OH, maybe respond (like I am now), then take another bite.  

I can't answer what the physiological effects will be long term on not changing our eating patterns.  It's something to be mindful of and work on.  But since you're measuring your food and not overeating, it's not the worst thing you can do.  If something gets stuck and your stomach has a reaction, it might give you that extra mental boost to slow it down.

Good to hear that you found a form of exercise that you enjoy  

Hi Amy, I use the app Eat Slower on my phone and tablet. I set the time interval for 30 seconds and it dings every 30 seconds so that you can take the next bite.

Thanks! I'll try it out!

Hi Amy,

I think the eating slower thing is really for psychological reasons.  the only thing I can think of that would bother those who eat too fast (and talk at the same time) would be hiccups.  The taking your time and savouring your food is useful for those of us who don't notice that we have eaten because we are just moving our hands to our mouths on auto pilot.  That can make you forget how much you have eaten, make you eat without noticing, make you less satisfied because you havent taken the time to actually taste what you are eating so you are not actually enjoying the sensation of the food.

If you are sticking to your portions and not hurting yourself with consistency issues, I don't think that would be an issue.  It may become one though down the track, because your pouch will stretch naturally and you may up your portions to a point where even though you are safe physically you may be pushing the boundaries calorie wise.

Hope that makes sense.I think it's great though that you can eat the way you do and be very wary of your portion sizes. When I ate fast I really didn't do that.

Oh another reason I remember is because it can take a while for our stomachs to realise that we have had enough the other idea is that we are still eating when our tummy goes okay thanks for the food I am good now.  If you eat super fast, usually you are still waiting 10-15mins for your tummy to catch up and say it has had enough food.

:D