Eating Slowly

stephanniehall

I've been a fast eater my entire life, I think. Lately I've been trying to eat much slower. I'm not entirely sure if you will lose more weight eating slowly compared to someone who eats quickly or if you just feel full faster so you don't eat as much. I'm also not sure if I'm doing it right. Any tips? I've been putting my fork/spoon down between bites and drinking a lot more water while eating. Is this really all there is to it or should I be focusing on something else to eat more slowly?

Holly_Wood_888

I do the same! I have never been a fast eater... a lot of the time - eating is a social thing for me and I find that if I have company its even easier to take my time eating... I feel fuller and I enjoy my food more!
It also gives your body more time to digest !

lemon629

Eating slowly can help a lot. I'm trying to eat more slowly myself. When I was a child, I was very thin and also a VERY slow eater. I don't know when or how I came to be such a fast eater.

Anyway, putting down your fork between bites is good. Also be sure to chew thoroughly (some people say to count the number of times you chew, but I think that is obsessive. I don't remember how many times they say to chew a bite of food-- maybe 30?) Anyway, savor your food while you eat slowly. Aim for a meal to last at least 20 minutes because it takes at least that long for the brain to register that the stomach is full. Sometimes I use a timer. I am trying to get where I can do it naturally on my own.

lauren3101

I think you are making too big a deal of it if I'm honest - no offence meant. Apparently, it takes a while for your brain to recognise it's full, so eating slowly gives it time to register this and therefore you eat less. How true this is, I do not know. But I've never known anyone to put on weight just because they eat 'too fast' - only 'too much'.

trogalicious

If you eat 10,000 calories over the course of 8 hours, you'll gain weight. There's no inherent problem with eating slow, or fast.. as long as the amount you're eating is appropriate.

katorihanzo

It is true that it takes time for your stomach to tell your brain that it feels full. Which is why people who eat fast eat more and often end up stuffing themselves to a point where they aren't comfortable. But the root of that problem still isn't how fast you're eating, it's how much.

Don't worry too much about how long it takes you to eat, just make sure you're eating regular portions. If you're staying within your calorie goal, you're going to lose weight no matter how fast you eat. If you find you end up eating more because you eat too quickly, just eat your portion and then let your stomach sit for ten or 20 minutes before allowing yourself to go back for seconds. Chances are, you'll realize you're actually full. My mother always taught us to "let our stomachs sit" before going back for seconds and she was right - 90% of the time we'd actually eaten enough and only wanted more because it tasted good and hadn't realized we were actually already full.

stephanniehall

I did worry I was being too obsessive! LOL. I'm definitely not eating more than my calories allow, I'm just eating them slower. Thanks for the replies, MFP, you guys are so helpful.

KarenBoehlke

I use to be the slowest eater in my family, now I'm one of the fastest. When I ate slowly I was thin, now I'm fat so I'm trying to go back to the old ways. What changed? Adulthood or parenthood, you pick. If I didn't eat fast my food would get too cold before I could eat it or I'd have to woof down my food before getting to meetings, appointments, or the many other quests of life. Then because I was raised to not waste food I'd finish my kids food if they didn't eat it. Now I have learned to throw food away (though it still pains me to see it go to waste) and I'm trying to drink a glass of water before each meal and put down my utensil between bites. you are doing fine, don't stress it, and savor the taste. Enjoy.

Jruzer

I think there is something to this idea. Not that eating slowly itself helps you lose any weight -- only an energy deficit will do that.

To my mind there is some idea that I like to spend some time eating. If I eat quickly, then I eat more. If I eat more slowly I enjoy the food more and feel satisfied with a smaller amount.

It's a tool in your toolbox.