Jazzy1125 1,010 Posted December 23, 2018 My number one issue so far.. at 6 weeks post op, just started recently as i am adding new food to the plan and can now eat real foods. My issue and struggle is the time between bites. I tend to eat bite after bite and then by bite 3.. i cannot handle anymore. I have counted the bites before swallowing, and somebody recommended on one of the threads the bariastic app.. I have tried that and the timer is for chewing. I have a timer on my phone and could resort to that also. Most of the time when at work i am fine because i dont ever actually take a lunch break. I eat while working and so that helps to space out the bites. My issue is more when i am home. I sit down at the table to eat. So unless i dont do meal time and do something while having dinner.. i still eat too fast. Tonight i was here.. LOL Posting while I ate my Real Good snack Pizza.. so it was ok.. But i am looking for other ideas because if there are people around or i am in a restaurant it can be rude to constantly be on your phone or not paying attention to the people you are around. Most people in the resturant setting, eat, eat, eat LOL. This happened the other night when i went to dinner with my daughter and her new boyfriend. ( It was meet the boyfriend time) and after 3 bites (real small ones ) of the grilled chicken, i was done.. could not eat anymore. I know i will need to start to up my calories, but if i am struggling to get in 2 to 3 ounces of protein.. then how am i ever gonna get to the veggies LOL.. Anyways.. I am brainstorming here to see what i can come up with. It may take me a week or so to figure this out.. each stage seems to do that.. by the time you figure it out.. you are on to the next one lol AnyAll suggestions and Ideas are welcomed. Thanks 1 Alpaca55 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kay07 734 Posted December 23, 2018 Hi there! So I struggled with this too. My family is kind of a jump in before it's gone type of family, and I kid you not everyone is usually done eating less than 10 minutes at the table. Crazy. I could never do the whole timer thing. I felt like it forced 30 minutes of my life to be dedicated solely and completely to food. So instead of practice mindful tactics. In between each bite, I PUT DOWN my utensil. That simple thing slowed my consumption down significantly. It also gave me time to chat and talk with the people at my table. When I'm alone, it gives me a moment to think about something else. It becomes a relaxing time instead of "Did I chew 32 times for optimal time allotment?" or "Is my pouch too full, what serving size will fill the space?" I guess it seems kind of simple, but it really worked for me. 2 1 FluffyChix, Frustr8 and Kathy p reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FluffyChix 17,415 Posted December 23, 2018 ^^^This. Also, cutting your stuff up into super small bites and putting the fork down after each bite. I didn't count, just chewed until it was puree consistency. Early days, don't try to get veggies in until you are routinely getting your Protein in. If you can only do 1oz of food, then it has to be only protein. When you mature to 2oz you can choose if you want to do 1 1/2oz of protein + 1/2oz of well cooked veg. It's very simple. Also in the early days, I would use meat lube: pre-made gravies and sauces that were super low cal/low carb/low sugar. It made getting the protein in much easier. 2 Kathy p and allwet reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
notmyname 593 Posted December 23, 2018 I eat with a tiny fork and cut things into small bites. I also put my fork down between bites. I'm able to chew a lot without thinking because if I don't, I get a stomach ache. I also find that having fewer distractions helps me enjoy my food and feel the fullness sooner. But that's me. May or may not work for you. 1 Kathy p reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cmarie91 3 Posted December 24, 2018 I have the same problem, only i haven’t had the surgery yet. I found a pretty good app that has a timer for chewing each bite, its helped me so far. The app is called Baritastic. It’s pretty cool! 1 Kathy p reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MegPRN 204 Posted December 27, 2018 I have this problem, too. I eat 3 or 4 bites really quickly, I immediately feel overfull (because I'm probably not chewing enough either!), and leave the table. Then within an hour or so my stomach is empty and growling again, so I find a probably less-than-optimal snack (light swiss Laughing Cow cheese and Wheat Thins was last night). I'm continuing to lose despite this, which worries me, because developing poor habits right now will set me up for failure when I'm out of the honeymoon period. My support group is having a speaker come talk about mindful eating in January, so I'm looking forward to that! 1 1 Frustr8 and Kathy p reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndreaK. 60 Posted December 29, 2018 On 12/22/2018 at 6:36 PM, Jazzy1125 said: My number one issue so far.. at 6 weeks post op, just started recently as i am adding new food to the plan and can now eat real foods. My issue and struggle is the time between bites. I tend to eat bite after bite and then by bite 3.. i cannot handle anymore. I have counted the bites before swallowing, and somebody recommended on one of the threads the bariastic app.. I have tried that and the timer is for chewing. I have a timer on my phone and could resort to that also. Most of the time when at work i am fine because i dont ever actually take a lunch break. I eat while working and so that helps to space out the bites. My issue is more when i am home. I sit down at the table to eat. So unless i dont do meal time and do something while having dinner.. i still eat too fast. Tonight i was here.. LOL Posting while I ate my Real Good snack Pizza.. so it was ok.. But i am looking for other ideas because if there are people around or i am in a restaurant it can be rude to constantly be on your phone or not paying attention to the people you are around. Most people in the resturant setting, eat, eat, eat LOL. This happened the other night when i went to dinner with my daughter and her new boyfriend. ( It was meet the boyfriend time) and after 3 bites (real small ones ) of the grilled chicken, i was done.. could not eat anymore. I know i will need to start to up my calories, but if i am struggling to get in 2 to 3 ounces of protein.. then how am i ever gonna get to the veggies LOL.. Anyways.. I am brainstorming here to see what i can come up with. It may take me a week or so to figure this out.. each stage seems to do that.. by the time you figure it out.. you are on to the next one lol AnyAll suggestions and Ideas are welcomed. Thanks This is so me right now! My sister and wife both say I'm 3 bites and done. I know its because I am doing too big of bites, not chewing enough and then eating too fast. Its so hard for me to change this bc everyone I'm around eats super fast and here I am like well hell. So 3 bites and done! I am going to follow this to see recommendations as well! 1 Frustr8 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hrsnjs 267 Posted December 29, 2018 So seriously, it may seem stupid, but I swear...the only thing that regulates my bite size and slows me down is using baby spoons, or appetizer size utensils. Sent from my Pixel 3 using BariatricPal mobile app 1 Frustr8 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites