How long does it take you to eat a meal?

totaldetermination
totaldetermination Posts: 1,184 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I had 400cals worth of porridge for breakfast (made with milk).

I happened to notice the time on a clock before and after eating and it took me 7 minutes to eat the entire bowl.

It seems awfully fast.

I'm not in a hurry to do anything today, and I wasn't planning on timing myself so I think that is a pretty typical eating rate.
(I wasn't doing anything whilst eating. I was sitting at the table, focusing on my meal.)

I think meals would be more emotionally satisfying if they took longer.

How long do your meals take ?

Replies

  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,371 Member
    I would eat breakfast a whole quicker than that. I tend to be a quick eater, someone I work with can take up to 30 minutes to eat an average size meal.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    No idea

    from 30 seconds to 3 hours dependent on company and wine
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,230 Member
    Breakfast, a few minutes. Dinner, maybe 10 minutes? lunch can take me up to an hour because I eat at my desk.
  • novembersuse
    novembersuse Posts: 77 Member
    I'm always trying to slow down. By the time I get to meals, I practically inhale them, I'm so hungry. Lunchtime sandwiches are ALWAYS gone in under 5 minutes. I think you're right though, if I could pace myself it would seem to go further...
  • totaldetermination
    totaldetermination Posts: 1,184 Member
    Growing up, breakfast and dinner were always eaten together with my family (and conversation); and so meals always took much longer.

    I wonder if that is why I now find meals alone so unsatisfying ?
  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
    I am a fast eater. I teach so I am usually eating my lunch while I am doing other things. At home I am usually the last one served and the first one finished!
  • Patriciaenola
    Patriciaenola Posts: 10 Member
    Eating hastily could mean missing essential nutrients - but if you are too slow it indicates that you like cold food - unfortunately - a family connection has been broken because they like to chivvy one into "speeding up for gods-sakes" - unkind - but they are like eating in an oinkery - it is solely a matter of preference my best buddies eat heartily and enjoy their food - but not piggishly - they do not shovel it in like stoking a freaking boiler - suggestion = if you are alone - maybe THEN you eat quickly - I believe I DO - OFTEN - are you a scorpion Suse - so am I
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
    It really varies. One thing i've found with porridge is that if you eat with a teaspoon it feels as if it lasts longer! :D
  • totaldetermination
    totaldetermination Posts: 1,184 Member
    KateTii wrote: »
    It really varies. One thing i've found with porridge is that if you eat with a teaspoon it feels as if it lasts longer! :D

    I'll give that a try :smile:
  • oolou
    oolou Posts: 765 Member
    edited January 2016
    I prefer eating alone, as while I do eat slightly faster than the rest of my family - I also eat smaller portion sizes than them. It can be quite torturous watching them eat when I have finished. I've tried slowing down - taking sips of water, putting down my knife and fork inbetween bites and so on ... but it's still a rare occasion when I'm not first to finish. So really I prefer to eat alone, so I can clear up straight away and put food out of my mind until the next meal. The social aspect of the meal? Not too worried about that as I see and chat a lot with family outside of meals.
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    I had a small bowl of porridge for dinner last night (30g oats). Took me about 25 mins to eat. I have always eaten very annoyinly slowly.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    edited January 2016
    I don't know.
    I'd guess that it varies with type of food, if I'm eating alone, or if I am eating while doing something.
    I'm going to guess 10-20 minutes. I'll try to pay attention this week and see if I am right.
    ETA- Breakfast today took 15 minutes for toast, an apple, and a glass of water while reading and speaking to dh.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,213 Member
    30-45 minutes. Sometimes, I need to re-heat the food in the middle. That's ok. Eating fast causes me to overeat, so I purposefully slow down.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    Not more than 15 minutes. I seem to feel more satisfied when I eat a bit faster. I don't socialize while I eat, either. Since I'm tracking calories and portioning everything out, there's no chance of going back for seconds. I'm not looking to fill time with food.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    edited January 2016
    about twice as fast as most people and 4x as fast as a slow eater. I once ate my entire burger before my co-worker ate even 1/4 of his sandwich when we were on business travel.

    Now, if you ask me how long I sit at the table with others, the answer is until everyone leaves.

    Patriciaenola wrote: »
    Eating hastily could mean missing essential nutrients
    what? :confused:
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    nordlead2005 wrote: »
    about twice as fast as most people and 4x as fast as a slow eater. I once ate my entire burger before my co-worker ate even 1/4 of his sandwich when we were on business travel.

    Now, if you ask me how long I sit at the table with others, the answer is until everyone leaves.

    Patriciaenola wrote: »
    Eating hastily could mean missing essential nutrients
    what? :confused:

    if you eat so quick you miss your mouth? perhaps?
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I depends on many factors. Anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours or more. I can't even begin to guess what the average time would be.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    I prefer to eat fast, personally.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    It would take me an age to eat 400 calories of porridge! (My serving is usually 200-250). But generally I think I'm probably an average eater. Bit slower if in company and chatting. I'm not slow though, reheating mid way?! Nope! I just couldn't stand sitting staring at a plate of food for ages while I slowly worked my way through it. Eat and done.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Lunch is close to 2 hours sometimes but most of that is just drinking coffee while browsing the Web lol. Otherwise, the meal itself is eaten in 5 minutes typically, unless it's soup or salad, then it takes longer, obviously (and oatmeal probably takes 10 minutes). Really depends on how hungry and distracted I am though.
  • spilledmilk
    spilledmilk Posts: 83 Member
    Breakfast 10-15 mins (at my desk)
    Lunch 10-20 mins
    Dinner 20-30 mins

    I'm a pretty slow eater.
  • wrenak
    wrenak Posts: 144 Member
    Depends on the food/situation. I am almost always slower than my kids & husband (they're often done by the time I'm settling in with my own food), but I am faster than other people I know. When I was a kid I had a friend who would take 30 minutes to eat a freaking sandwich. Like, pb&j. Mine was gone in 5 minutes or less. Might be one reason why she was always underweight and I was always overweight.
  • mygnsac
    mygnsac Posts: 13,413 Member
    I'm usually the last one at the table. I find if I eat too quickly I tend to want to eat more. By slowing it down its easier for me to judge when I've had enough. It usually takes me 20-30 minutes to eat a meal. I had a bowl of chicken tortilla soup for lunch today and it took me nearly 30 minutes to finish it.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    I have always been a slower eater, lunch and dinner take anywhere from 20-40 minutes.

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