At my 1 wk postoperative checkup I was cleared to move to puréed/soft foods. My Dr doesn't actually require us to purée our food in a blender, he says that what teeth are for. I've been doing pretty well, I think. NUT has a goal of 40 g of protein and 48 oz of water right now, with working up to 60 g protein and 64oz water. But, tonight I ate a small turkey meatball and a couple of bites of potatoes and OMG, I felt like I was gonna die. I know that I'm doing well with the chewing really well, but I'm having a problem with eating too fast. Doing okay with the not drinking while eating. So, all in all I think I'm doing pretty well. Just got to SLOW down.

Slowing down is a hard habit to break but we have our trusty sleeves now to help remind us

You could use a timer

Eating slower was by far the hardest thing for me. I downloaded the app "Eat Slower" And use it to time my bites. It's still frustrating, but if I eat when I'm really hungry without a timer I tend to eat a few bites too many and get uncomfortable.

I know this may sound corny, but one way I'm training myself to eat slower is by taking a little bite of food, and chew it like crazy while listening to one of my favorite country music tunes. When the song is over, I take another bite. It's like I chew to the rhythm of the song. Each song is between 2-4 minutes long, so it helps me spread the little bit of food we're allowed into the 20-25 minute mark for the meal.

I did find that app. I will try it out. What is good amount of time to shoot for between bites? Anybody know?

Eating slow is hard for me as well but you get used to it. I just wish I could keep my food warm while I eat. By the time I'm half way through it's cold and I have to reheat it.

Eating slow is hard for me as well but you get used to it. I just wish I could keep my food warm while I eat. By the time I'm half way through it's cold and I have to reheat it.

Hey! Lots of people use mug warmers or you can eat out of an insulated container.