I am looking forward to surgery in April! I'm super excited but also a bit worried because I take HUGE bites, eat fast and hardly chew. I try to change this behavior but I always go back to the huge bites and barely chew it.. even when I'm telling myself to CHEW, my body is just swallowing it.

Has anyone been able to overcome this behavior with the help of the sleeve?

I had my surgery on 10-21 and I still eat too fast sometimes. I take very small bites and I will put my fork down and will actually push my plate away!! I haven't thrown up lately, which is awesome!! I hate throwing up. If you do too, you will learn to slow down.....

Once you are sleeved... you will be forced to slow down or else... I have not yet experienced the consequences of eating too fast or too much other than a little discomfort when I'm almost past my full mark. I think getting sleeved helps you realize and understand portion control. Had I understood portion control before I wouldn't be where I am today.

I wish you the best of luck!!

Yeah, you will not have the choice but to slow down and take smaller bites, the sleeve just will not let you inhale food anymore. I was always the same way and now if I try to eat to fast, I am full in like 2-3 bites and if I continue, I will be sick. Havent been sick yet but as I type this, I am eating a very small chicken breast and it has taken me 15 min to eat not even 1/2 of it, and it was only like 4-5 oz to begin with....

I once heard of a guy who lost a whole bunch of weight by making one small change in his eating habits. He didn't change WHAT he ate, but HOW: he started eating using chopsticks. Maybe try that?

TRUST ME, YOU'LL CHANGE AND REALLY FAST!!!!! I used to be like you, never chewed my food, ate like there was no tomorrow, drank huge amounts in one glup. After you have the surgery, you have NO CHOICE but to change. . . you'll see, it's hard to explain. I'm out 3 + years now and still watch that i don't overdo and that i chew right or else the sliming starts and i really hate that and the accompanying pain and discomfort for the next 30 minutes. . . .NO THANKYOU!

The Gas you get if you do not chew will change you fast. It is surprising how much I do chew now. I fuss at my kids now because they inhale thier food and I never noticed it before. I must have done it too. It's a good change!

I'm in the same boat, been that way since childhood. Getting sleeved slowed me down for a while but as I advanced post-op I am returning to my old ways again. Caused me some grief at first as the sleeve didn't appreciate the huge chunks of food being thrown at it, but after about 1 to 1.5 years it's grown tolerant. I quite frankly just gave up and don't worry about it. I DO however stick to precise food portions and try to not vary so as to eat MORE since I eat so fast. I finish up and stop.

I'm slightly guilty! I'm terrible about chewing most of the time because... FOOD. Seriously. So I try to smoosh up my meat or whatever it is I'm eating so that I'm not tempted to just rip chunks of it off or anything. I've eaten too fast a few times and it's a bit uncomfortable. Sliming is icky.

Eating slowly is the hardest thing to accomplish. I am 5 weeks out and there are times when I think I will never be able to eat regular food. I did nibble some cheese which my sleeve liked, but it hates vegetables meat, and coffee. If death by cauliflower was possible my funeral would have been a few days ago. I am a professional food writer and am 66 years old. I have spent a lifetime and a career eating lots of food fast...it is scary to change.

Thanks everyone... I have a feeling that I may have some painful lessons coming my way.

I can so relate! I have successfully lost 70 and 80 pounds twice in my life, and I can control, what I eat, but its the portion control and the speed of which I eat, has always been an issue.. I have worried about that, but am leaning more towards looking forward to that tool of being unable to eat like that anymore, and hopefully will retrain myself