I am having a hard time forcing myself to slow down while eating. Was this hard for anyone else?

2.5 years out and yes, every meal is a struggle. I think I'm eating slower, but the tighter the band, the slower one must eat.

It was hard at the very beginning pre op. That is why most doctors have you meet with the nutritionist on their team to better prepare you for what's in store....

Stay strong you can do this!!!

This was hard for me in the beginning too - heck its still hard sometimes and it's my 2 year bandiversary today.

Your body will let you know to slow down and the consequences of eating too fast are not fun. Think about each bite - enjoy it. You're eating less so you have to consciously enjoy each bite more.

Good luck!

There's an app you can get for iPhone called "Eat Slower"... you can set it to beep or vibrate up to every 3 minutes. You just lay it on the table beside your plate, set it for 2 or 3 minutes and then every time it vibrates or beeps, you take a bite. It's AMAZING how long two minutes can be! lol

Maybe this will help you out. I agree -- it's very hard to eat slowly.

G

Yep. Slowing down is tough for me, too. I was given a kit that included a one minute hourglass. I can use it to time out my bites when I find myself bolting my food. That hourglass is a huge help to me. Take a bite, chew, swallow and flip. Let it run out, I can have my next bite. Best thing ever.

As you can see, you are far from alone! I had such a difficult time slowing down. In the beginning I practiced some with the clock and the hardest part for me was putting the utensil down between bites. I didn't want to let go of my little spoon or shrimp fork -- clinging to it! So funny. Anyway, I really worked on that and now I put down the utensil as a matter of course, pick it up empty, load it and put it down then finally pick it up and have my bite, then put it down, etc. It's kind of a game with me and it draws out the time between bites. I used a minute to practice and that was a long time. Now that the new habits are integrated into my life (and this took a while, I'll tell you!), I can just feel when I should have another bite, when I should wait a little longer and -- most important of all -- when I should stop completely. I also chew a lot -- keep the food in my mouth a long time which is great because it tastes so good. Think of all those years bolting my food I didn't get to savor it like I do now! Also, and this is a little weird so forgive me, if I find I have that bite of food in my mouth for a really long time and I am resisting swallowing it and sort of playing with it and feeling kind of bored, this tells me I really am done. I have even spit food out for this reason. Good luck -- you will get this!

I was told to take small bites, and put my fork/spoon down, and actually concentrate on what was already in my mouth, not what was going to be in there NEXT. Savoring my food was never anything is done before, so now it's really nice!

I am 14 days post op and am having a hard time slowing down when I eat. I am hungry so I naturally am trying to fill up to alliviate that feeling. I am post op but have not had a fill yet. Hopefully when I have a fill, I will be less hungry. Is that true?

Wow, I have been researching this and finding that it is VERY important to eat slow. Besides all the great advice here (Thank you to all the above people) the best visual info I received was on youtube called 8 golden rules. I hope we are allowed to post websites here is the url:

It is in 4 parts about 10 minutes each. A lot of great info if you are seeking it.

It discusses how eating too fast does not let the food go down correctly and give you enough signals (plus stretching your pouch) as it is going down when you stuff it in etc. Go watch it, (always listen to your own doctor) but this helped me a lot. I will probably watch a few more times.

Good luck loosing!

Colleen

Geeze, looks like it posted the video...

After three and a half years yes it's still a struggle. I have to constantly tell myself to eat slowly at every meal. Good luck on being banded and best wishes.

I am 14 days post op and am having a hard time slowing down when I eat. I am hungry so I naturally am trying to fill up to alliviate that feeling. I am post op but have not had a fill yet. Hopefully when I have a fill, I will be less hungry. Is that true?

Not necessarily. I didn't feel satisfied with less food till my 3rd fill. But everyone is different?

I was given a minute timer to use when I eat. As soon as I swallow, I flip the timer over. It has really helped!!

Wow - love the minute timer idea. Will have to buy one. Thanks all for the feedback