Hi...I'm 6 week banded and doing fine...except....

I still find myself eating my entire meal in 10-15 minutes. I know it is supposed to take 30 mins or more, but I don't seem to slow down. I eat w/ a little fork or spoon, chew 20 times and put the fork down between bites.

And I'm still uncertain as to WHY we are supposed to eat slowly. Wouldn't it make sense to "load up" the pouch so it wouldn't empty quickly?

I'm getting my first fill in a week and that should help...but have had this problem for week one....

How long do you take to eat? Any suggestions to slowing down?

Thanks! :hungry:

Slowing down was my biggest problem, too. You're not alone. Restriction will help you immensely! When you feel things actually stopping on their way down you will realize quite dramatically that you MUST leave substantial time between bites. Put the utensils DOWN between bites. Take a deep breath. Chew thoroughly and swallow completely before you even think about taking another bite. These are hard things to do with no incentive, but just wait until you have restriction. THEN you'll have incentive!

Good luck, and don't worry about it too much for now. You'll have motivation soon enough.

I too am Pre Band, and I've being made VERY aware of just how fast I eat, how big my bites are and how little time between bites I leave.

I am trying to get into the 'habit' of chew, chew, chew before the Band, and I'm trying not to drink with meals. I figure that if I start the habit now; I'll be much better off than doing this all 'cold turkey' the day after surgery.

I did the whole chew chew thing (I thought) before I was banded ...yet, the time RIGHT NOW just after my first fill, is when I've realised I truly don't eat slowly, doin't chew thoroughly, and am having to learn this with the constant pb threat and PAINFUL trial and error...!! Three bites and I'm done...

Usually dr. Rumbaut Recommends chewing 30 times at each bite. So you eat slower, avoid PB, and get that full sensation with less food.

Me too, TrueBlue. Had my first sliming episode today, was stuck and PB'd, but instead of coughing "it" out, it went back down. Thank goodness it only lasted for about 10 minutes, but it hurt! I have restriction with my first fill which was on Monday. I will never make that mistake again, eating too fast, too big bites and not chewing enough. OUCH!

Since I got my band filled to 4.5 cc (the Swedish band), I have had to really slow down eating. Tonight I had a pork chop, mashed potatoes and some apple sauce and it took me nearly an hour to eat it. However, it went down with no PB. I chew until the food is pretty much liquid. My problem is eating too fast if I'm hungry. So I'll work on putting the fork down. Maybe I can stop these PBs.

30 - 45 minutes usually for lunch, but thats when I'm eating my heaviest of Protein (tuna & salad) my friends are usually tapping their fingers by then LOL.

It varies from meal to meal depending on what I eat.