Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Time between each bite 1 month post-Op?



Recommended Posts

So I am almost at my phase 3 (starts Dec 28th) that includes eating soft to regular food. I tried a soft food meal today, just a trial lol.

Anyhow, question is how long do you wait between each bite? I went back to my instructions that mentions chewing 25 yikes before swallowing but doesn't mention the wait on between except that put your utensils down while chewing.

So how long should I wait between each bite?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you are slowly chewing the 25 chews I would start with that. Swallow, pick up small amount of food, put in mouth, chew slowly for 25 chews. If it feels stuck, take a break for a few minutes. Then start again take 30 secs to 1 minute from time of swallowing before taking the next bite. Some people need longer initially, It won't be long before you determine the timing that works for you.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest

Exciting times ahead :) As a bypass patient, be very curious about the satiation your bypass will induce. Best case scenario is you learn to recognize what 'satiated' means in a way we didn't before. This will come in handy for the longer term.

"I know when I'm full", say most. Yet for most, especially for those of us who've been on a million diets, there are two problems with this statement:

1. We're experts in not listening to our body's signals (every single statement like 'I just gotta get back on track' actually simply means 'I just have to start ignoring my emotional and/or physical needs')

2. Being 'full' isn't the same as being satiated

I can't, obviously, speak to the specifics of RNY. Your pouch is (quite a lot) smaller than mine. I will say though: it comes completely naturally to me now to stop eating when I'm satisfied, satiated; that feeling of my body having gotten what it needed. It took at least 6 months to really get to know those signals.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It varies from person to person how much time you will have to wait to avoid any pain. I actually can eat pretty fast without pain but try not to. It is better to eat slow to feel satisfied with the tiny meal you are eating. It’s most important that you chew well. In the beginning I used the clock and waited one minute between bites. Some people on here have said they waited five minutes. But, In the beginning I say go as slow as you can. Better safe than sorry. Many people have to eat much slower than they did pre surgery or they regret it. Your body will tell you though. I think the main reason for this is so you don’t overeat so if I find myself having eaten faster than I should I take a break to let my full feeling catch up and then go back to my food if I am still hungry. Usually I realize I was actually satisfied already. It’s best to measure our food to track it, but I find it’s also important to measure it so that i don’t overeat in cases like this.

Edited by ShoppGirl

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thankfully I never had to do that excessive chewing thing. If your food is soft & moist enough & you take small bites (use a teaspoon) you shouldn’t need to chew 20+ times before swallowing. But most certainly your body will tell you what you need to do.

Personally I wait 2-5 minutes between bites. That is between swallowing & taking the next bite. Sometimes I go longer. I often distract myself between bites. Wait for an ad break. Read a couple of pages. Check social media. Read this forum 😉. Have a conversation. Play a game on a device… Not only put your cutlery down between bites, but also sit back from the table. It takes time for the message to get through to tell you you’ve had enough hence us being told to eat slowly. I still do - anywhere from 30-60+ minutes.

It will take time to work out all your signals & cues & what strategy will work for you.

All the best.

Edited by Arabesque

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest

8 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Thankfully I never had to do that excessive chewing thing. If your food is soft & moist enough & you take small bites (use a teaspoon) you shouldn’t need to chew 20+ times before swallowing. But most certainly your body will tell you what you need to do.

Personally I wait 2-5 minutes between bites. That is between swallowing & taking the next bite. Sometimes I go longer. I often distract myself between bites. Wait for an ad break. Read a couple of pages. Check social media. Read this forum 😉. Have a conversation. Play a game on a device… Not only put your cutlery down between bites, but also sit back from the table. It takes time for the message to get through to tell you you’ve had enough hence us being told to eat slowly. I still do - anywhere from 30-60+ minutes.

It will take time to work out all your signals & cues & what strategy will work for you.

All the best.

All of this. Listen to this clever woman.

... in the lighter department:

I've always put in my meals in MFP before I eat them. That way it's 'this is my food, now I can enjoy it' and then I've kinda made it ... last? ... for a while. I figured that was a way to motivate me to eat slower (big meal eater previously, and boy could I finish a plate).

More often than not, this has resulted in me re-weighing food that I was about to throw out, so I could subtract the damn calories again from MFP. This was more of an issue in the last month of 1400 cals/day, 80 calories mattered, darn it!

Edited by Guest

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×