Any tips for slow eating

[Amanda2008]

It is really hard to start eating and drinking very slowly. Do you have any tips or rules you follow? Do you count a full minute between each bite, etc?

[Trav]

It is really hard to start eating and drinking very slowly. Do you have any tips or rules you follow? Do you count a full minute between each bite, etc?

what works for me, is to hold the food in my cheek and gnaw at it only swallowing a little bit at a time. It's not pretty, but it's a good tactic for me. I have a problem not taking big bites, (I have a big mouth haha)...so that's how I cope.

[Amanda2008]

I'm still on the liquid diet phase of the diet, so no food yet. It is really hard to sip slowly. I've been drinking so fast for so many years, it will be a hard habit to break.

[JazzyJude]

I'm still on the liquid diet phase of the diet, so no food yet. It is really hard to sip slowly. I've been drinking so fast for so many years, it will be a hard habit to break.

Amanda ~ I was like that too! I finally came up with something that worked for me. I always seemed to be drinking out of small openings, like a water bottle. So, my thing to get started was to get a large, oversized mug and I would pour anthing liquid in it. If you drink fast...chances are, you will spill on yourself! This helped me tremendously at first and it wasn't until after the creamy soup stage, I 'graduated' to a regular mug and noticed I am drinking slower.

ALSO, remember you may still have some gas in you, so make sure you breathe in through your nose and out the mouth. When drinking liquids, put your lips over the rim of the mug (or over the whole tip of the water bottle) and breathe in and out through your nose while drinking. This will eliminate extra air pockets in your system, which can create burping or hiccups.

Eating on a small plate, such as a dessert plate helped me a lot. Also, when I started, I used a child's fork and spoon. Since then I 'graduated' to the regular dessert fork and a teaspoon and I am doing just fine. I arrange my plate to have the proteins all together, veggie, and then carbs.

Hope this helps..

[Dontondan]

Some tips on slower eating:

Small plate--I just use the small desert plate for my meal

Small utensils--I bought mine at Ikea in the childrens section and I use a seafood fork! This really controls the size of my bite

Put the fork down between bites

Cut each bite into very small pieces

Concentrate on chewing well and thoroughly

I arrange my food in a nice way, like they do in a fancy restaurant and savor the texture and taste of each bite.

I have always been a "power eater", I grew up with older brothers and have always wolfed down the food and got very little enjoyment from the actual eating. I still struggle to slow down my eating and probably always will, but these tips seem to help the most.

Donna