I am still in the liquids stage, will be able to move to mushies on Monday and I still can't seem to drink/eat slow enough. I figure it's tea or juice or water, why drink slow but then when I am finished I feel so full almost to the point of being nauseous. Is there some kind of trick I can do, like sing happy birthday inbetween sips or something that will help me slow my pace?

Thanks in advance!

when you go on to mushy foods chew between 100-200 times.. this really helps to slow you down & makes you feel fuller for longer, thats what i do, & i havnt yet manage to eat all my required food on the plate..im on the mushy stage for 1 more week then solids.. good luck

In the early stage, before the fills get you to your sweet spot, and even after, the only trick is the same thing as before the band... just make yourself do it.

That sounds harsh, but it is the truth. The band is on your stomach, not your brain. You've still got to commit to using the tool correctly.

That said, I am the worlds worst at drinking too fast. And 7 months into it, I have to say, it is not a big problem. Once you hit solid foods, don't drink too soon after meals and it won't be a big deal. I still drink Crystal Lite out of litre bottles, drinking 5 or 6 a day, it doesn't matter, except that I wake up during the night to pee.

Eating, there are some tricks that help. My favorite is putting down my fork during the chewing (don't be anticipating your next bite until the last one is swollowed). It helps.

But as far as drinking, I wouldn't worry.

Congratulations on joining the ranks of the banded. Now what? I too still have to remind myself to just breath, relax and focus on what I'm doing while eating. No more mindless consumption while the TV is on. No drinking any fluids till at least 1/2 hour after eating which is hard since I always drank water with my meals. Try holding the liquid in your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing and this might help remind you to take it easy. Good Luck!

I haven't be banded yet, but I've had a few people tell me that they used the lid to the Water bottle to drink. I've also heard to use a little eye dropper type of thing, and a shot glass. Maybe that will help?

Good luck.

Spud

I also put down my glass between sips. That seemed to help, too.

Good luck!

Debbie

Hi:

I had an issue with eating too fast too, and sometimes I drink too fast. When I figured out that I was eating too fast I decided to get some 1 minute sand timers from www.unclesgames.com They only cost $1.99 each. I bought a half dozen and keep them everywhere that I am often. I take a bite and then wait until the sand timer empties and then take another bite, tip the timer, and start over again. Be careful eating too fast on mushies. I got stuck on tuna salad when I was on mushies because I ate too fast. I think it compacted in my pouch and that's what started the stuck feeling.

Best wishes to you. I love my band.

Sue

I have read here that some use 3 ounce Dixie cups and space their drinking or broth sipping to one 3 ounce every 15 to 30 minutes. This is what I did to slow down.

Wow, you all have alot of great ideas! I will definitly incorperate these into making new habits and see which one works best for me. I finally had cream of wheat today...oh the joy!!! lol.

It is hard to force yourself to slow down. I think the majority of us have learned to do it by practice, practice, practice and more of a stick than carrot approach.

Going too fast makes you feel physically ill or even causes you to get stuck or PB. A few bad episodes makes you start consciously slowing down on a regular basis. Drinking is more difficult to slow down because you are used to drinking normally. At least with eating you can set down your fork between bites.

This might sound cheesy, but perhaps a tiny little 1, 2 or 3 minute mini-hourglass might help. Once you get used to eating/drinking slower, it becomes habit and isn't so difficult.