How did you teach yourself to slow down your eating?

fatguy_fitness
fatguy_fitness Posts: 195 Member
edited May 2023 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm almost 43 and I'm not getting any younger. I've been struggling to get to a healthy weight since I was a child and I'm not sure why I can't stay with it for longer than a few months. I've always known I ate too fast, but I guess I never tried to think of ways to slow down. My wife will say things like "did you even taste that"? It annoys me, but she isn't wrong. I noticed the other day that I chugged nearly half a bottle of soda and didn't even taste it until I set the bottle down. I'm sure there are others that have struggled with eating too fast. I told my therapist that I think sometimes I eat fast when I'm alone in the room so I can eat more without getting caught. Anyone successfully surpass this hurdle?
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Replies

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,225 Member
    Yep. Same here. You have to consciously slow down. Some food is so damn good though that you just want to INHALE it where actually going slow and savoring it would be the correct path. I think it's our animal instincts that drive us to ravage our food.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 871 Member
    edited May 2023
    This is a really interesting topic. The only time I used to eat fast was when I was binging. Like you, I didn’t want to get caught. I also think deep down I was still recovering from not having consistent food or meals when I was a kid. I no longer binge or eat fast but I also (finally) trust when and where my next meal will be. Making peace with this also lead to finding meal plans that work for me and getting most of the weight off. I still have those last annoying 8-10 lbs but I’ll get there. I’m glad you’re talking to your therapist about this and I hope you get some helpful tips as well.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,848 Member
    edited May 2023
    I've always been a fast eater, the fastest I know, and I've never been worried about it. My wife is the slowest eater I know. I can finish my entire plate and have put it in the dishwasher and made a coffee while she's still waiting for her meal to cool down, lol.

    In a post-apocalypse situation, I'll be fine.

    For me anyway, I don't see the connection of fast eating to over-eating or binging. Typically when I binge it's due to cravings or boredom, not because of hunger.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    I became a fast-eater out of necessity. I often have to eat both lunch and dinner at work, and usually there's not a lot of time to eat. If you only have 10-15 minutes to eat your dinner, you develop some bad habits. This is still my situation at work, but I have had to actively try to slow down when I am not at work and have no time constraints.

    It feels really weird at first, but to slow myself down, I started putting the utensils down between bites. If it's a handheld like a sandwich, I put the sandwich down on the plate between bites. I'm trying to take smaller bites and chew more slowly. Also trying to take more frequent sips of my beverage between bites.

    This works if I am thinking about it. If I'm distracted, I'll still eat way too fast.

    On the flip side, my sister is the slowest eater I've ever seen. When I eat with her, I try even harder to slow down so that I'm not sitting there with an empty plate for an eternity while she eats. I can't compete with her pace, though.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,221 Member
    I'm a fairly fast eater, not crazy but I can hold my own and I love food. I have it seems two modes, make food for myself at home and wolf it down, unless it's a dinner gathering with other people in the room, basically. My partner is an average paced eater and I'm generally well finished if we're eating at different locations for whatever reason but if we're eating together I pace myself consciously and it's not a bother or a problem. I do have a very good friend that has had 2 heart attacks, use to drink expresso's x4 at a time working a high pressure finance position that deals in the stratosphere in dollars and clients, anyway he's embraced qi gong a Chinese discipline full tilt, and he's been instructed to chew his food I forget but each bite takes a while and I consciously has to slow way down or it's a lonely wait until dessert. Being in the restaurant business, eating quick is par for the course.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,743 Member
    I am a very fast eater while my husband is very very slow. I have not been very successful at slowing down. I do know it helps if you turn off distractions like TV or computer and focus on what you are eating. Putting the fork or spoon down between bites also helps. Since I had surgery on my hand and now have to use my non-dominant hand for most things, I am eating more slowly. It's hard to shovel it in when you can barely lift your fork without spilling. One trick I read a long time ago was to eat with chopsticks as it forces you to eat more slowly (unless that is how you normally eat) and to take smaller bites. I tend to cut my meat first and then eat it after it is all cut up. It would be slower to cut a bite, set down knife and fork while chewing, then cut the next bite. Smaller bites will slow you down as well.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,282 Member
    I have eaten some things with a teaspoon - makes them last longer and seem more food.
  • fatguy_fitness
    fatguy_fitness Posts: 195 Member




    These are all really great ideas! Thank you so much!



    BrightEyedAgain wrote: »
    Do you actually WANT to slow down? I'm not trying to be obnoxious by asking that. I read your post, and you're obviously asking for help slowing down. I just wonder if maybe this is more of a thing where you think you SHOULD want to slow down but deep down you don't really WANT to. Like, you hear your wife's comments and maybe your therapist, but you yourself don't really see what the big deal is. If that's the case, you may be subconsciously resisting the slowdown. I've run into all kinds of little roadblocks like that in my journey. There were so many "shoulds" around my eating habits and so much internal resistance to being "should-ed" that it helped to stop and think about WHY I might genuinely want to make specific changes. And, if I couldn't think of something positive that I wanted out of the deal, I set that change aside and focused on other changes. Usually, if it's actually a healthy change, it'll come back around. Meanwhile, maybe there are other things you need to focus on first. If you follow your own motivations, maybe you can avoid the internal roadblocks better.

    However, if you truly want to slow down, here are some things that have worked for me that I haven't seen mentioned yet in the thread:

    1.) Serve yourself mini-portions so you have to go back for seconds and thirds to get your full meal. It's easy to do that by filling a big plate with your full (logged) portion, setting it on the kitchen counter, and then eating from a small plate at the table. Even if you still inhale what's on the small plate, you'll still have to pause and get up for the next batch.

    2.) Have coffee halfway through your meal. That is, deliberately stop eating like the meal is over, drink some of your coffee and then pick up your fork and eat the rest. Make sure you pause long enough for your body to register fullness.

    3.) Eat with all your senses. Have a bite, stop and smell what's on the fork. Have a bite, take a moment to look at your plate and notice the colors. Have a bite and think about how you'd describe the texture of what you just ate. Take a bite, stop and ask your wife a question about her day. Figure out things to DO mentally during your pauses. That way you won't feel as weird eating slowly. For me, part of my rapid eating was that I tend to like being efficient, and I tend to do EVERYTHING fast. So it felt really awkward to me to just sit there eating slowly. Slowing down genuinely wasn't enjoyable to me. But, once I found things to notice with my mind during a meal, I began to enjoy the whole experience more and THAT made me slow down because I wanted the whole experience.

    4.) (Related to #3) Change your definition of what the PURPOSE of a meal is. If you're a focused personality, it may be your nature to hone in on ONE task and do it as quickly as possible before moving onto the next task. So, if your focus at a meal is to get the food eaten, that's what you do. If this sounds like you, then you need to replace your old purpose with a new one. For example, try thinking of the meal time as a time of REST when you can RELAX. It's not just a time to refuel but a time to gear down and connect with the people around you. This is how some cultures end up spending hours on each meal. Mediterranean cultures are famous for this, so you might try reading up on their approach. Shifting your attitude towards what a meal should be may naturally slow down the eating part of it for you. To get yourself into this new mindset, take a few minutes before the meal to take some deep breaths and deliberately gear down like you do when you get home from work.

    However you decide to move forward, good for you for being willing to examine yourself and consider changes. Good luck!

  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Here's a counterintuitive thought. How well can you cook? I have friends who found that cooking was a great way to celebrate their love of food. "Don't just hork it down," as they say. Learn how to taste and savor food.

    Here's an interesting test: how many spices can you identify just by smell? Where does each spice come from? Have you tried every fruit and vegetable in the supermarket?

    Best of luck!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Here's a counterintuitive thought. How well can you cook? I have friends who found that cooking was a great way to celebrate their love of food. "Don't just hork it down," as they say. Learn how to taste and savor food.

    Here's an interesting test: how many spices can you identify just by smell? Where does each spice come from? Have you tried every fruit and vegetable in the supermarket?

    Best of luck!

    Yes...I became a "foodie" in many respects when I learned to cook. It wasn't intentional, I was in college and broke and could rarely afford to take my dates out so I learned to cook for them which I also discovered that most of them found that pretty impressive. Being a foodie comes with it's own issues where weight management is concerned, but I definitely eat pretty slow and enjoy the flavors, particularly if they're complex.
  • angel2846
    angel2846 Posts: 5 Member
    Hi!
    I could really use some new motivation, and more importantly, a little reassurance that im on the right track 💪

    36 year old mother, 1.62/63kg and been doing 3x weight training and daily dogwalks for 3 months now. No big results, so time to ditch the 1200 calories a day (which did include atleast 120g protein, lots of veggies and low carb).

    And tips what my target calories/macros would be to still lose fat, but gain lean muscle?

    Looking forward to hearing your experiences. Feel free to add me!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    angel2846 wrote: »
    Hi!
    I could really use some new motivation, and more importantly, a little reassurance that im on the right track 💪

    36 year old mother, 1.62/63kg and been doing 3x weight training and daily dogwalks for 3 months now. No big results, so time to ditch the 1200 calories a day (which did include atleast 120g protein, lots of veggies and low carb).

    And tips what my target calories/macros would be to still lose fat, but gain lean muscle?

    Looking forward to hearing your experiences. Feel free to add me!

    You're right at the high end of a healthy weight for your height so any weight loss is going to be pretty slow...you just don't have the fat stores. Upping your calories some probably isn't a bad idea. Nobody is building muscle on 1200 calories per day and in really, that kind of calorie deficit just invites loss of muscle.

    In terms of "big results"...three months isn't very much time for big results and you need to clearly identify what those results are that you want. A lot will depend on your nutrition, but also on your training plan. Are you following any kind of program? Willy nilly just lifting some weights is going to be pretty inefficient where results are concerned. Following some kind of structured programming that is geared towards whatever your goal is will be far more productive...but it'll still take time. People work on their physiques for years.

    Unfortunately, leaning out and building muscle are conflicting goals. The primary benefit of resistance training while you diet is to maintain the lean mass that you have because building muscle is hard, so the more you can preserve the better off you are. We can't really build much in the way of muscle mass while in a deficit because we're in a catabolic state whereas building muscle is an anabolic function. That said, the smaller your deficit and closer to maintenance you are, the better off you will be in this regard and you can build some muscle, but losing weight will be quite slow.

    Even in maintenance, building muscle is very slow...I spent about 3 years seriously re-comping (getting into shape) and was at maintenance and put on maybe 5-8 Lbs of muscle in 3 years. Conversely, someone eating in a surplus with very good programming (and genetics) can put on about 8-10 Lbs in a single year. This is even more difficult as a female due to less testosterone.

    If I were you I'd probably cut a bit more and do it slowly and then work on re-comp with the understanding that it takes much longer than a handful of months to really see big changes in physique.

  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    I always say ‘what gets measured gets done.’ Translate your question into a smart goal, then measure your progress.
    Eg., let’s say currently you eat a typical meal in 10 minutes and you want to start eating more slowly, so you say in six months I want to eat an average meal in 30 minutes. Then build a plan of smaller milestones and strategies on how to get there. Such as:
    1) every meal I’ll use my phone and set a stop watch and record how long I spent at that meal.
    2) after two weeks change the stop watch to a count down timer that is one minute longer than the average stop watch and remain at the meal until the timer has finished.
    3) then two weeks later add another minute.

    Other strategies you find find helpful:
    - put your fork down after each bite
    - Drink water between bites

    Good luck
  • BeautyNBriefcase
    BeautyNBriefcase Posts: 38 Member
    I'm sure it been posted above however have a glass of water with every meal even if you're have another beverage such as iced tea, wine, beer, etc.

    Also chew each bite until it feels like applesauce in your mouth then swallow.

    Last but not least, or your fork down after every bite...

    Bon appetite
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,630 Member
    astengo1 wrote: »
    Eat with your opposite hand

    This is actually how I discovered I was ambidextrous. A college buddy broke his arm, had to do everything lefty for several weeks. In a show of solidarity, several of us all agreed to also go lefty, at least when around our injured brother. Got several sour looks when I proved just as proficient with my left hand as my right, which surprised me until I thought about how my mother's a righty, my dad's a lefty. My handwriting with my left hand looks like an elementary school kid's, but I attribute that more to lack of practice than lack of ability.
  • fatguy_fitness
    fatguy_fitness Posts: 195 Member
    astengo1 wrote: »
    Eat with your opposite hand

    That's actually a pretty good idea!
  • BeanieBean93
    BeanieBean93 Posts: 55 Member
    I'm a really slow eater by nature. My fiance on the other hand is a speedy eater. Some differences I've noticed -
    he stands while he eats / I always sit at the table and don't walk around while I eat
    he'll eat out of containers or boxes / I put my food on a plate, or at least a napkin/papertowel
    he eats with his hands if needed / I don't like touching food with my fingers (unless it's chips or crackers or something) so I usually have a utensil or two
    he doesn't drink with meals / I literally require at least two drinks to have with meals and I take regular breaks to take sips
    he'll mix a bunch of stuff together on a fork / I'm iffy on mixed food so I tend to break things apart and taste all components separately
    he eats and talks (gross!)/ I make it a point to chew, swallow, then talk. So if we're having a conversation and I'm talking a lot, I usually end up with a cold plate of food.

    Some of the above are results of having an eating disorder(working on that!) but some of them are just preferences from childhood. I've never been a really fast eater but I'm also working on picking up the pace and meeting my fiance somewhere in the middle.

    Maybe set a timer goal for yourself and see if you can make the meal last for the timer. Start slow, adding a couple minutes at a time. You got this!
  • noodlesno
    noodlesno Posts: 113 Member
    Not sure if it has been mentioned above but a standard way to slow your eating down is to eat without distractions, such as tv or phone. Then put your knife and fork down between every bite so when you are chewing there is nothing else going on with your hands or your eyes.

  • Jmatievich
    Jmatievich Posts: 38 Member
    My partner eats super fast and I notice that she’ll take another bite while she still has food in her mouth whereas I chew and swallow before taking another. We eat about the same amount but she finishes way faster.
  • Kait_Dee
    Kait_Dee Posts: 176 Member
    I’m a fast eater as well. My hacks include:

    I use the smallest cutlery I can find. The fork has three prongs and the spoon is something designed for high tea I’m sure. Lol!

    I put my cutlery down every so often.

    I cut my food smaller.

    I walk away for a second if the meal is large.

    Mindful practices such as thinking about the texture of the food, appreciating the tastes, assessing the spices. :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Chew each bite 20 times. Not only will you taste it more, it WILL digest easier instead of big chunks that don't. Not to go on TMI, but my stools showed less chunky pieces when I did this.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • carolinepowell885
    carolinepowell885 Posts: 29 Member
    I use toddler cutlery and plates. You can't get a lot of food on the fork or spoon so you eat slower and since the plate/bowl is smaller there's less to eat
  • PAPYRUS3
    PAPYRUS3 Posts: 13,259 Member
    I use to be a slow/thoughtful eater. Then I became a teacher and quickly turned into a 'stuff-it-in-as-fast-as-you-can' eater. I was lucky to have a minute some days to even go to the bathroom...let alone eat something lol!
    Perhaps you could use chop sticks? However, if you are proficient in using them, it might not help you out lol!
  • emmaprocopiou
    emmaprocopiou Posts: 246 Member
    All I can add in is chew lots - cut smaller bites and chew each bite thoroughly. Don’t eat distracted , like on a phone or watching tv.

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