How to stop eating so fast? Overeating...the worst feeling ever!!

[lemonpoppyseed]

Hi all,
I was sleeved on March 22 this year. So far I have lost 33 pounds.
Everything was going well portion wise...until I went on vacation.
I just got back from 10 days in Hawaii and for the first time I over ate at a buffet.
I'm still trying to adjust my mind set to match my stomach size.
I still don't have anything to drink 30 mins either side of a meal...so there was no lovely cocktails before or after any meals.
I aways have my protein first and in this case I had some baked fish ...I had two small pieces..I guess.I picked at some veggies and because I have a sweet tooth,I thought I'd try the desserts..and I had 2 mouthfuls of two different desserts...and only 2 mouthfuls.
BIG MISTAKE!!!!!!
I had to excuse myself from the table..by the time I got back to my hotel room I felt like I was about to explode.
My mouth filled up with saliva so much so that I couldn't swallow.I had to take my bra off as I felt like it was making the matter worse,pressing on my chest.
I also seem to break out in a sweat and my nose runs if my portion is bigger than usual...and most times I can't eat more than about 3/4 of a cup of food.
I know one little overeat is not going to affect my surgery..I'm sure it takes more than one overeat to stretch the sleeve.
I haven't done it since...though I have noticed lately I've been more hungry than usual.
On my return from holidays I have gained 1 pound...which of course I'm not going to beat myself up about..LOL.
Prior to my holiday I was having about 60 grs of protein a day(my dietician's recommendation),but since returning home I haven't been as strict with the protein...could this be why I've been hungry?
Has anyone got tips on how to eat slowly...Ive always been a fast eater and it feels odd taking 30 mins to eat 4 spoons of food...I'd love to hear how everyone else if finding the slow eating?

[tealee]

I lwill be interested in the responses here!

[babypom]

I have issues with being able to eat slowly as well. I do fine if I am home and alone and eating, but it is much more difficult with people around during a meal. Good thing I am home alone much of the time and only have meals with people on weekends. Will be interesting to see if anyone has any tips for dealing with this

[KimReed]

I was sleeved December 19 and have lost 53 pounds and still have issues slowing down! I have only gotten sick once but I just don't seem to be able to eat as slow as I should! I, literally, just get up and walk away from my food to take a break which is fine at home but when dining with others I jut really have to focus on slow, slow, slow. I think it's just an old habit that will take time but it is frustrating. Good luck! You are doing great!

[Healthiernewme]

I think it takes some real thought to eat as slowly as we should. This is one habit that will be hard to form, but will be very beneficial if we manage to develop it. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. Set yourself up for a challenge. Use a timer or whatever to keep yourself on track. Chew your food until its pulverized and wait a couple of minutes between each bite. Make sure you're eating your protein first. This stuff is all new to us, so it will take some very conscious discipline to form this habit. Good luck to all of us

[Lea]

I also have issues with eating slow. So many years of eating too much and eating too quickly. I often use a small spoon...it helps a bit. Dense protein definitely fills me quickly ....much more than any other food. That's why they tell us protein first..We'll that and they want us to get our protein in before we fill up. I am happy with my weight loss(90lbs) but disappointed with my laziness in walking as of late. I walked when it was frigid and now I am walking at best...once a week. I can't figure myself out

[cbridges1962]

I too had been a fast eater and took huge bites. After surgery I was still eating too fast. My solution was I started timing my bites to a small bite every minute. I have a timer on my phone and use it with every meal. I even use it when I go out to eat, I just put it on vibrate. I can't tell you how this has helped me. I just started eating real meat very finely chopped. I noticed I needed longer chewing time for this so I started setting my timer for 2 minutes apart. I notice I get full with a lot less food when I do this.

[blessedahf]

Oh dido dido dido...everyone lol I struggle so hard with this. I think my mind thinks the faster I eat the more I will be able to eat because I miss eating so bad. But in reality I get fuller quicker by doing this. Its a mind trick. My mom says what helps her is to take a bite and then just simply put the fork down (between bites). Because then you're more conscious of every time you pick up the fork. I love the idea of setting a vibration timer. I need to find an app that will just vibrate every minute or so. Anyone know of one?

But I totally understand this subject. It's still a struggle for me, probably even moreso now at a year and a half because I've entered maintenance mode where its even more important to not eat too fast or too much because you may actually gain. The sleeve is not so gracious once you've entered maintenance mode

[mlrisser]

I was always in hyper drive when it came time to eat. I would shove it down my throat as fast as I could. I think I still eat too fast, but measuring my food ensures I don't overeat. Last night I had about 1/2 cup of soup and 2 crackers and it took me about 10 minutes is all. But mostly I eat faster than that. As long as you consume the right amount of food you won't overeat, you might get gas tho I know I do... BTW I was sleeved on 3/22 as well We have the same birthday haha

[jerri2913]

I hope you enjoyed your vacation....
I would have been surprised if you didn't have at least one incident with food.
Just get back on track and you will be fine.

[Risty]

Protein takes much longer for us to digest which is why we will feel fuller longer after we eat it. its also one of the main things that helps us build muscle and when we are loosing weight thats one of the worst things to loose, is muscle it tends to shed off like the fat too. bigger protein intakes help prevent that even if its a little it all adds up.
Stretching your new tummy, this is how my doc told it to me. when you over eat it stretches out a bit he said to picture a balloon. when you blow it up with air and release it (simulation of the food releasing from the tummy ) it is a noticeable stretch, doing this occasionally will in time wear it down and make it a bigger pouch or if you REALLY stretch it out ( blowing up the balloon massively a few times ) but he said just like a tummy can be stretched out it can also be trained ( early stages more effectively ) to shrink, a small amount too. he said if i find myself uncomfortably full it wouldnt be a bad idea to do liquids or protein shakes the following day just to give tummy the time it needs to heal and make sure its not going to stay to stretched out. once you over eat and stretch it out the next time you eat you may notice you can eat a bit more before feeling full... these are the walkways to having a bigger tummy and the things we want to avoid.

Im not sure if this is what you were looking for , for an answer but it helped me visualize what he ment when i was worried about re-stretching my new tummy over time.

also.. we all will push our limits at some point so dont knock yourself to hard about it no matter how bad you mess up it cant be as bad as any of us were eating before .
Making the effort to get yourself back on track with proteins first is the important part of your success!
You have this you can do it!

[triedeverything]

I ate my meal too quickly this evening for the first time (9 days post op) and I have been in a lot of discomfort since then. I probably had 1 or 2 spoons more of dinner than I should have.. I really didn't listen to my tummy and didn't know I was full.. now it feels horrible and I ate my dinner 4 hours ago and still feel uncomfortable. So much so I have only managed about 350 cals today as I load my cals at the end of the day and now I can't eat anything else.

Haven't had a BM for 3 days either, I hope that's normal?

[Risty]

I think it goes to show everyones different you said you ate 1-2 spoons more of dinner then you should have .. when i started eating I was only eating 1-2 spoonfuls at a meal total. you guys gotta eat slow so you haev time to listen to your new tummy.

[lemonpoppyseed]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts...I guess I just have to slow down.
Thanks CBridges1972 for the tip with the timer...great idea.
We have been told for years to put your fork down between mouthfuls...if only I'd learnt to do that then!!
Mlrisser...my birthday buddy...you've done really well with your weight loss as we were done on the same day...yay you!!!

Good luck everyone in slowing down....any more tips for others would be appreciated..