I eat too fast. This was also a problem before surgery. I eat so fast, I don't know I'm full till I get up from eating and then I'm stuffed! I need advice. I am terrified of stretching out my nice, new tummy. What tricks do y'all use to SLOW DOWN???? Are there any? I have tried to follow everything and do it right but I am still having trouble with this!!

I have the same problem and deal with it everyday. I'm 5 months post op. I always eat with a fork and knife and cut everything very small and take each bite at a time. I TRY to chew 20 times before swallowing. Very often I use chop sticks to eat and that has really helped with slowing down. I chop what I'm gonna eat small then use the chop sticks to eat it. I got the chop sticks at the dollar store they had a four pack for a dollar.I also bought a scale on walmart.com the weight watchers one 18 dollars , its awesome. I weight my food and try to keep the total at 4 ounces so if I eat fast I'm not over stuffing. hope this helps

It takes a while to learn to slow down, i mean, think about it all our lives we've been taught to hurry up and eat; now the slower the better. Set a timer, allow 2 min between each bite. It's a bit of a pain at first, but eventually it will become second nature to you.

How about cutting everything into small pieces (no bigger than a dice)... try giving it a try, my NUT suggested it and it definitely helped me to slow down.

I eat with a shrimp fork, and a baby spoon. It helps me a lot. Before I used to eat really fast too. I swear someone would have thought that I served time in prison (never did). Using the smaller utensils helps a lot. I also eat off of smaller plates too.

Using a small plate and fork, I eat half what's on my plate then stop for a few minutes to see how that feels. If that's ok, I eat half of what's left on the plate - then stop again for a few minutes. If I can eat more, I eat half of what is still on my plate, then stop again.... You get the idea. Depending on heat I am eating, sometimes I clear my plate, sometimes I leave some but I don't get the stuffed feeling.

Lots of good ideas in the answers, hope they help.

My favorite way to slow my eating is to play Bloons tower defense. It's a free online game. I take a bite, play one wave of bloons. Take another bite, play another wave.

I try to incorporate activities in my meal that require my attention. I basically live at my computer, so it's easy to do things like read part of a blog, take a bite, read some more, take a bite.

I use to use a rocks glass ,,i new that if i ate it all even when i ate too fast it was never more than my tummy could fit...so i would never overeat..

My favorite way to slow my eating is to play Bloons tower defense. It's a free online game. I take a bite, play one wave of bloons. Take another bite, play another wave.

I try to incorporate activities in my meal that require my attention. I basically live at my computer, so it's easy to do things like read part of a blog, take a bite, read some more, take a bite.

That is exactly what I do. I get on the computer or play Work with Friends or even come on here. It distracts me and before I know it, its time to take another bite.

find a book or class on mindful eating. It is really helpful. The tenets are basically that you never easy while doing anything else - no Facebook, no television, etc. No eating while standing up or driving or at your desk at work. Sit down and enjoy every meal or snack. East everything of a plate or bowl instead of out of a bag or box. It really helps you enjoy your food more and realize how much you're eating.

When I took the class the dietitian said she was intentionally not mentioning portion control because intentional eating will eventually cause you to limit your portions.

I highly recommend learning about it, even if you don't follow all the tenets it really gets you thinking more about what you are putting in your mouth.

THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH! There are some incredable tips in here! Going to try them all and see which works best for me!

Cutting your food into small bites and chewing at least 30-40 times helps a lot. You should also put your fork down between bites and during chewing.

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I used a clock with a second hand. Chew for 30 seconds, swallow, wait 30 seconds and then take another bite.

Lynda

I pretty much just measure everything. But if I am out to eat, I just really think about how fast I'm eating and try to talk in between bites.

I TRY to focus on chewing my food well.. then I play on the the internet for a minute.. take another bite..chew.. internet... wash, rinse, repeat.

I am a SUPER fast eater.. I NEVER even chewed my food previously.. even meats would receive maybe two or three chomps and get swallowed. It's been the hardest thing to get used to!

My program wanted us to wait 10 minutes between each bite. I failed at this. But I use a small desert size plate and only use the center of it. I also put the fork down in between bite.