Any suggestions to help me slow down my eating? I have never been a really fast eater, but as I heal I am finding I can eat faster than the recommended 30 minutes....

Hello! At this point you probably have little to no restriction. Believe me when I say after a fill or two you will slow down. Also don't let yourself get too hungry. You tend to eat faster when you are really hungry. Hope this helps!.........Jess

Not sure exactly what you mean here. I was told to not eat after 20 minutes, not to make my meal last 20 minutes.

Once you have a fill, trust me, you will only eat in a rush once or maybe twice if you are a slow learner.

Usa a smaller fork, this forces smaller bites and slows you down. I use one of those little crab forks, it works great

Once you get your fills, you'll be lucky to eat for 30 minutes before you know you are done..I was told 20 minutes but every doctor is different.

My nutritionalist (the one that works w/my doctor) said my meals should last from 30 minutes - 60 minutes. Thats gonna be a challenge for me b/c I inhale my food.

Wild that each Dr is different.

Yes it is, my doctor told me eating after 20 minutes defeat s the purpose of trying to fill your pouch since after 20 minutes food is slowly falling through which means it will never get full if it is emptying as you eat. The 20 minutes has worked great for me. Once your filled right eating longer then that becomes a chore, atleast for me it does.

Once your filled right eating longer then that becomes a chore, atleast for me it does.

Thats exactly what I was thinking. I'd be so frustrated I'd quit.

Come to think of it, that might not be so bad LOL. I have a 4 year old so I doubt my meals will last more than 20 minutes.

Once you have a fill, trust me, you will only eat in a rush once or maybe twice if you are a slow learner.

Egads, truer words were never spoken. Two PB's in two days.

File me under "slow learner"

I was wondering the same thing (if I was hurting anything by eating too fast). I think I eat way to fast sometimes. I feel as though there is no restriction so I forget. But I try to use this unrestricted time to chew chew chew when I do remember. Can it actually hurt the band if you eat too fast or don't chew enough? Would if you feel no pain from those few mistakes? Is it still hurting you? I alos eat more than 1/2 cup of food...it's more like 1 1/2 to 2. Is that going to hurt me this far out from surgery?

I'm hoping the fill will do it's magic and make me feel the way I did the first 3 weeks out of surgery!

It was so weird because I was doing so perfectly for 3 weeks, I was uncomfortable enough to not test any of the boundries. Then about 2 days before my 3 week marker (during mushie phase), I woke up and had an appetite and felt absolutly no more gas or tightness or anything. I was totally back to normal..... No more heating pad, no more Tylenol, no more GasX, nothing because I felt great.

If only I could have ridden the "feel like crap, don't care to eat" train a few weeks more :/

Any of you break a few of these rules (eating too fast or a little too much) later in the healing process and still do fine with fills and everything?

It is amazing, I figured I may as well start the chew chew chew, eat slowly thing right now even though I may not ever get a band. To say that it markedly reduces what you can eat is the understatement of the century. I cant eat half what I used to in one sitting.

Now, of course, I just get hungry sooner, so I'm not actually eating that much less, lol.

But I had a latte and a piece of caramel slice while out this morning, I couldnt finish the slice. It was so rich, and when you eat it slowly like I did, the richness gets to you before you've finished. I left half of it there with no compunction! It would have made me feel sick to eat anymore.

Dear mercedes,

I was banded in June, just had my first fill 2 weeks ago. I STILL eat too fast. I think I will work on that problem all my life. I have tested every boundary. I am still able to swallow whole tablets, including big vitamins.

i can eat nuts, breads, pasta....pretty much anything. I wish I had the negative reinforcement that comes to some. Even binges come at times.... but the quantity is less.....only the guilt is the same as pre surgery.

I just start each week trying to do better than I did last week. I have lost 40 but its a slow go. I hope in time my head and my stomach will be in tune and I will eat like a thin person!

ladyfox

I don't eat enough food to last for 30 minutes unless it's a slad. Even then I get tired of it and put it away. I eat a lot of soup and protein bars, shakes and little food. I don't really fix a plate, a full meal and sit down and eat very often.

Cut your food into really really small pieces-like the size of a fingernail. Then chew, chew, chew. This allows you to get in enough food but also not eat too fast.

I also recommend some kind of distraction if you are really struggling with it. Such as holding a child while eating, eating really difficult to get at food such as crab legs, etc.

A lot of it is (at least it was with me) a psychological need to get enough. A need to know the food will be there next time you want some of it and that you can really have it again. Just keep reminding yoursel you are not on a diet.

I want to know if eating more than the 1/2 cup at a time is going to hurt my band?

Because I can't stop at 1/2 cup!!!

You probably are not yet filled and after healing from surgery won't have any restriction. Just let your body heal. This is the time for it to prepare for having the band. When you get fills, you will start getting restriction. I didn't have any restriction until my second fill.

Don't worry about what is happening now. This band is a lifetime tool. This is a good time to practice good bandster habits - small sips, eat slow, take small bites, chew, chew, chew, etc. After you get the band, it will force you into the habits.

Eating shouldn't cause a problem with your band but if you are sliming or PBing alot during the healing stage you will have problems. Just follow the rules.