Eating Fast vs Slow Question

djbrink21

I have a question for all the people that understand this stuff better than me (most of you).

I've always been told that eating fast can contribute to being overweight. I understand that this is because it takes time for your brain to register "fullness" (like an hour I think?) and if you eat fast you have time to stuff your face before you think you are full.

So I here's the question: Assuming I've portioned out my food so there it is a healthy portion of a health meal and is how much I'd eat, does it matter at all if I eat it fast or slow? Like does it have any impact on blood sugars or some other kind of nutrition voodoo that matters? Or does it not matter at all?

Thanks!

thavoice

I have a question for all the people that understand this stuff better than me (most of you).

I've always been told that eating fast can contribute to being overweight. I understand that this is because it takes time for your brain to register "fullness" (like an hour I think?) and if you eat fast you have time to stuff your face before you think you are full.

So I here's the question: Assuming I've portioned out my food so there it is a healthy portion of a health meal and is how much I'd eat, does it matter at all if I eat it fast or slow? Like does it have any impact on blood sugars or some other kind of nutrition voodoo that matters? Or does it not matter at all?

Thanks!

All things being equal, it wont matter how fast you eat your meals.

The thinking is that thsoe who eat very fast could be piling in more calories before the body reacts and tells the brain he/she is full.

So if you eat your calories at a deficit it doesnt quite matter if you eat them fast, or eat them slow.

I ate 3 meals a day in 3 minutes each for 10 weeks, got lots of calories, and lost quite a bit of weight....

martinel2099

This is where self control comes in. There's no difference if I eat a chipotle burrito bowl fast or slow and it will have the same amount of calories either way. If you eat more calories than you burned for that day that's when the extra calories will increase your weight.

However, if you eat the burrito bowl slowly, you might not finish off the entire thing in that sitting and maybe save the rest for later. That's about the only benefit of eating slowly in my opinion, that and maybe you won't choke on your food as easily.

seltzermint555

This is where self control comes in. There's no difference if I eat a chipotle burrito bowl fast or slow and it will have the same amount of calories either way. If you eat more calories than you burned for that day that's when the extra calories will increase your weight.

However, if you eat the burrito bowl slowly, you might not finish off the entire thing in that sitting and maybe save the rest for later. That's about the only benefit of eating slowly in my opinion, that and maybe you won't choke on your food as easily.

Agreed.

I have always eaten kind of fast compared to others, and have not really slowed down during my loss of over 120 lb so far. My husband eats SUPER crazy-fast and is a healthy weight and hasn't had trouble losing when necessary, either. We're talking about a guy who will devour a large plate of pad Thai in under 5 minutes.

Purely anecdotal comments, of course...I do not know the "science" of this and would be interested in others' opinions to the contrary.

SandraJN

The slower you eat the more saliva you produce. Saliva is essential for digestion. It may not make a difference in weight loss but it does make a difference for digestion.

ItsCasey

No. I eat once a day. I eat everything I put on my plate. And I eat it very quickly because I'm hungry, damnit, and I don't see the point in prolonging the inevitable.

SonicDeathMonkey80

I eat like someone is going to take my food away from me. Then again, I did go through basic military training and it's kinda how things were.

likitisplit

I eat like an average American. Which is roughly 10 X faster than the average French person.

_Waffle_

The slower you eat the more saliva you produce. Saliva is essential for digestion. It may not make a difference in weight loss but it does make a difference for digestion.

Do I need to log the extra saliva?

Francl27

I eat like an average American. Which is roughly 10 X faster than the average French person.

I'm French and I eat very fast :laugh:

thavoice

I eat like someone is going to take my food away from me. Then again, I did go through basic military training and it's kinda how things were.

That is where I got it from.
"taste it on the way up"!

Holly_Roman_Empire

I eat like someone is going to take my food away from me. Then again, I did go through basic military training and it's kinda how things were.

This was my thought. Eat your food in 2 minutes and drink all that water!

djbrink21

Thanks for all the quick replies. I figured as much, but wanted to make sure everyone else was on the same page.

AglaeaC

The stomach sends signals to the brain that food has arrived and you register consciously those signals within 10-20 minutes, depending on the source. The point of eating slowly is not to overeat before the brain has had a chance to decide whether you need more still or are satisfied.

ETA
Some sources claim 10 minutes, others 20.

KyraConsiders

I find that if I eat my meal more slowly, I feel full by the end of the meal and keep feeling full until the next mealtime.

If I eat it too fast, I'll feel hungry later and need a snack, even if I had eaten a good amount of food.

SandraJN

The slower you eat the more saliva you produce. Saliva is essential for digestion. It may not make a difference in weight loss but it does make a difference for digestion.

Do I need to log the extra saliva?

Go ahead

KhatLady

I prefer to eat slower. I'm a pretty good cook and like to savor my food. Like martinel2099 mentions, the slower I eat, the more likely I am to be unable to finish everything in one sitting. I also drink more water when I eat slow.

Then there's days like yesterday were I was ravenous and was like "All the food, in my face, down my throat, in the stomach RIGHT NOW!" I hate those days because my food is gone faster and then I feel like a slug. A great big, burping slug. But, man, that was good. *burp*

FunkyTobias

Given the same number of calories there is no difference.

However, the satiety response takes time (10-15 min IIRC), so if one is just eating ad libitum they will usually consume less if they eat shower.

xsmilexforxmex

I eat like someone is going to take my food away from me. Then again, I did go through basic military training and it's kinda how things were.

That is where I got it from.
"taste it on the way up"!

Pretty much. I ate incredibly slow before... years later and I still inhale my food.