Hello, my name is IcanMakeit and I am a food gobbler. I didn't practice slow eating enough while I was pre-op and so it didn't become a habit. Now I find myself taking huge bites of food (and having to spit some out) and/or chewing only my old normal amount.

But now I'm coming forward and admitting to everyone that I have a problem. I hope by making this public confession that I can turn myself around and learn to eat like Scarlett O'Hara, not like a field hand.

Buy baby spoons. Maybe that will help.

That's a great idea. I'm going to get some baby spoons. I know I'm a fast eater. I barely concentrate on om meals. I usually read and just shovel food into my mouth. I'm going to stop that.

If you think there is an emotional component to this, one book has helped me a lot: "Emotional First + Aid" (the bariatric one) by Cynthia Alexander. Best wishes!

Baby spoons...yes. They will slow you down considerably. Also, if you are not doing so, weigh and measure your food before you eat it. A long-standing business pricipal is: You cannot control that which you do not measure. I have found that if i try to guess what something weighs or measures, I get off the mark real quick. 1/3 of a cup of something quickly becomes a cup of something. Two ounces of meat becomes four. So, measure, measure, measure. Annoying, but it helps, and makes you more concious of what you are eating.

Having said that, keep that food journal going, too. I long ago tired of myfitnesspal, but I still keep a journal by my bed, where I account for things as the day goes on. If I don't track, I lose track.

Putting the fork/spoon down between bites helps me a lot. And don't pick up another forkful until you're done chewing the last bite. It just takes time and mindful practice

I'm a gobbler, too. Hello, my name is Kindle, and I scarf my food.

I was really good about taking nibble sizes for the first couple months, only because it was uncomfortable not to. After 3-4 months, though, I found myself shoveling the food into my pie hole, especially when I was hungry. The best thing I do now is what thesuse2000 described. Utensil down between bites, chew very well and swallow before picking up the next bite. If I'm eating with friends, I try to pace myself so I finish after they do.

Hello, my name is IcanMakeit and I am a food gobbler. I didn't practice slow eating enough while I was pre-op and so it didn't become a habit. Now I find myself taking huge bites of food (and having to spit some out) and/or chewing only my old normal amount.

But now I'm coming forward and admitting to everyone that I have a problem. I hope by making this public confession that I can turn myself around and learn to eat like Scarlett O'Hara, not like a field hand.

Can you give us an idea of what you are eating? Are you eating solid protien or are you eating slider food. I find I can over eat with slider food. I am one year out and I always eat Protein first. I swear by it. If I eat anything else first than I can over eat. It is as simple as that. If you ate protein first like we are sapossed to do than really it makes it hard to eat slider after that. Just want to help you. If I am craving something I say first eat the protien. If I can eat after than I can. I usually can not. So that to me is the key!

Thanks for the great advice. I will definitely use my grandson's silverware from now on and put the fork down until my food is thoroughly chewed. I already measure my food, and I don't eat off plan, but if I don't break this habit of snarfeling my food like there is no tomorrow, I fear later on, when my capacity is greater, I'll get off track.

Edited July 13, 201412 yr by IcanMakeit

I use an app called "Eat Slower"... you can set the timer for any amount of time up to three minutes. It starts a countdown and will vibrate or ding every three minutes (or whatever you set it to). I just sit it by my plate and it vibrates, I take a bite, chew, chew, chew then wait for the next ding. You still need small bites but it does help you learn just how slow you should be eating.

Ginger

I love the Scarlett O'Hara reference.

I am five weeks post-op, just starting on soft foods, and find myself doing the same thing you describe. I do use baby spoons and measure everything out. I find that if I eat BEFORE I get hungry I do much better. There have been many times I've had to spit out half of the food in my mouth because of a too big bite.

I consider these first few months to be all about the Learning. I'm learning to eat slower, learning to chew throughly, learning what my last bite feels like vs one bite too many. I can tell a big lesson for me will be learning how to eat before getting ravenously hungry.

I have always been a fast eater and I still am.

An excellent way to measure 2 oz. is to purchase plastic shot glasses from Walmart. They have been my life line. I just pour two oz. in and once I am finished those two oz. I take in two more. The added benefit - they are cheap. Less than two dollars for 8. They are also easy to transport if you have to eat out, put one in a ziplock in your purse or bag.

ICanMakeIt,

The suggestion to use baby spoons is also my advice. Since, I had Jello get stuck right after surgery I decided to use my grandsons spoons. He looks at his Nana like what are you doing....LOL Eating with a smaller spoon does help the amount that goes in however, don't forget we still need to chew chew chew....I am still working on that part....we are a work in progress. One day one step at a time!!