I tend to inhale food in front of the tv & not taste what I am eating.

Is anyone else trying to slow down how fast they eat & reduce the amount they put in their mouth at one time, before surgery? I have started cutting my food very small & eating it with chop sticks.

What I am having trouble with is not taking a sip of liquid after almost every bite.

I too am a fast eater. My entire life people constantly say, "slow down!". Grrr. I hate that.

I've been trying to take smaller bites and to slow down. I haven't mastered the not drinking while eating task though.

I think I just need to not pour myself a glass of Water or iced tea when it's time to eat. That may cure it. Also, I guess I'll have to ask the waiter/waitress to remove my water glass before the meal.

Remove all temptation.

My INTENTIONS are to practice but reality is that I'm still eating too fast and too much. I just don't think about it. Doesn't help that I have a 22 month old DD that is on the run all the time. I make a too big plate of food and then inhale it without even thinking about it til AFTER it's gone. Too late then! UGH!

I've really got to start working on this. I'm also supposed to be losing weight too and I'm having a hard time with that. I know that if I could just start taking smaller portions and eating slower, it would help with the weight.

Something to keep working on.

I had this problem too pre-banding. I'm sure there are so many of us who have.

The best thing to do, I've found was to take it one step at a time. First, go buy some small plates. I mean maybe one inch larger than a coffee saucer. Fill it with maybe 6 oz of meat, one scoop of your side and fill the rest with your veggies.

Then after you acclimate that, move on to taking tiny bites. Next maybe remove any and all drinks from the eating table. Then try getting away from eating in front of the TV.

I mean, it's up to you. Cold turkey has NEVER worked for me. I've always made my achievements in small bits.

Good luck all! You can do this!!

Practicing before surgery....especially NOT drinking....is very helpful. I suggest you keep at it!

In preparation for getting onto solid foods again, I have bought myself a lovely smaller sized plate, and a fruit fork and spoon (they are kiddie sized). It is my best intention to leave the TV off, and eat at the table. Also, at work - no more eating lunch at my desk in front of the computer.

Good idea, practicing for post surgery! I had the same problem with eating, big bites, too fast, etc. I had my surgery March 20, and I will tell you that the first time you eat too fast or too much in one bite, you will know and you will not do it again. When I finally got to eat real food, that first "overfill" felt like the worst case of heartburn ever. All I could do was sit and wait for it to finally go down, although I've since found that getting up and walking around help move things quicker. I felt like if I took even a sip of water, it would all come back up. I have two more weeks before my first fill, and I worry that if I am having trouble now, what will happen after the first fill. I have no restriction now, except for the swelling after surgery. Drinking with food results in a gurgling kind of mini burping as the food and drink try to go through a constricted opening. Doesn't sound pleasant. I think you'll find that not drinking while you eat, and taking smaller bites will come much easier after surgery. My hard part is drinking enough before I start eating, so I'm not dying of thirst before the hour I need to wait after I eat before drinking again. Even without my first fill, I've lost 12 pounds so far. Good luck to you.

Slowing down, taking small bites, chew chew chew, and no drinking with meals was difficult for me as well. But keep at it. Don't even put a glass on the table for yourself. I use a small saucer size plate, small fork, and no glass. Even the kids know how to "set" my place when they set the table. I still eat too fast sometimes, or take a bite that is a bit too much, and trust me, it bites me back! But I do not drink during meals anymore. This doesn't even bother me now. I would never have guessed that back then! I make sure I stop at least a half hour before a meal, and usually I don't have anything until about an hour after. It's been working great so hang in there and it will become second nature to you soon enough! Best of Luck!

Couple of solutions...

Don't eat in front of the tv if that is something you have problems with.

Turn the TV off, enjoy the company with you, or just focus on eating what you need to be satiated.

Put the portion on your plate ahead of time, of how much you should be eating. Don't put all the food on there and trust yourself to stop 'when you should'.

As for drinking after eating, when I got decent restriction, drinking with eating was bad for me. I would spit up. So make a conscious effort post-op to wean yourself out of drinking w/eating, and maybe eventually you'll have a reinforcement not to!

I find that if i eat next to my family(and thus see them eating fast) i tend to try and eat fast also for some reason. So usually i just sat in the sofa watching something on tv and that helped me relax and eat very slowly.

I believe that as time passes a person gets used to eating slow all the time, without even needing to think about it.Now i eat with my family and don't have that problem(maybe sometimes, but i get back to normal pace quickly) I know that after 3 years i rarely have trouble with eating too fast.

Not to get all woo-woo and therapy-like on ya'll...but here's what I finally figured out in my almost three year band journey.

Yes, I too ate way too fast pre-banding. And post-banding. It's been hard.

What I finally figured out is that eating fast is part of "going numb" that eating gives me. Eating is a way to cope with all the crap. And I found I *like* to just turn off and eat...and eat...and eat.

Eating slower forces me to stay present when I eat. And staying present means I eat slower, enjoy my food more, eat less and am more satisfied.

Now, easy for me to say, eh? Harder to do.

Here's what I do. Put a bite of food in. Put the fork/spoon/chopsticks/whatever down. Chew. And chew. And chew. Let it SLOWLY go down the ol' gullet. When it is TOTALLY gone, then pick up your utensil of choice and have another bite.

Another problem I have is I start slow then start to pick up speed. What I'll do then when I notice it is put down my utensil....take a deeeep breath. Then another. Then start again.

Chew and chew and chew.

:rolleyes2:

hey guys,

i'm from australia and I had lap band just over a yr ago. it has been great my confidence has built up heaps and i've learnt to love myself a little more. I still struggle though, my biggest problem is that even though i'm full i'll wait a little longer and then i'll eat some more...so yeah i'm eating slower but probably still eating the same amounts it is really important to get used to eating these really small amounts because once you make it a habit it will seem normal its just that our bodies are so used to eating such large quantities we still feel hungry even though we are full. it still takes a lot of mind power to lose the weight whoever is considering lap band dont think its an easy way out coz its not i'm sure a lot of people who have had lap band would agree with me

bobbie

I am 3 months post op and I also was a fast eater. That being said I practiced, practiced, practiced before surgery and it helped me a great deal. I also used a small plate and kiddie fork, and sat my utensil down between each bite.

With the drinking part I had a hard time with that also, but my Doc suggested having a sugar-free mint after you are finished eating and it gets all of the left over food out of your mouth and it will be a lot easier for you to go without drinking after a meal..The mints were a life saver for me!

I too have been trying to practice taking smaller bites & chew & chew. I have 2 young children the youngest will be one next month. I have found it a little easier to give him a bite of dinner and then give myself a bite and i chew & chew till he's had about 3 spoonfuls. Seems to help me eat slowly because if I'm trying to eat to fast he yells and wants his before i get to eat. I look at his mushy food though, and think... can I really handle eating food at that consistency post op??

I agree with babs. I was banded on March 24. I have had no fill and they installed the band with no fill. If I eat too fast I know it, if I eat too big of a bite I know it. It hurts! I work at a culinary school so sometimes its pretty hard not to go taste this or that. Yesterday they made sugar free cupcakes and brought me one. It was nice and warm, right out of the oven (no frosting, just plain white cupcake). It was so delicious that I gobbled it right down and seconds later... i felt it coming back up. I had my head hanging over the trash can for about 5 minutes! I forget about the band occasionally and that is my punishment!!! I have only done it twice now and the first time was because I took too big of a bite and did not chew well enough.

Good luck!

I agree with babs. I was banded on March 24. I have had no fill and they installed the band with no fill. If I eat too fast I know it, if I eat too big of a bite I know it. It hurts! I work at a culinary school so sometimes its pretty hard not to go taste this or that. Yesterday they made sugar free cupcakes and brought me one. It was nice and warm, right out of the oven (no frosting, just plain white cupcake). It was so delicious that I gobbled it right down and seconds later... i felt it coming back up. I had my head hanging over the trash can for about 5 minutes! I forget about the band occasionally and that is my punishment!!! I have only done it twice now and the first time was because I took too big of a bite and did not chew well enough.

Good luck!

I am certain if you had eaten your cup cake slow would have been ok, now i eat slowly i basically can eat anything.