My grandma always said "don't eat so fast! maybe you would lose weight if you didn't eat so fast!"

I do kinda eat fast... Comes from being in the medical profession, eat fast and get back to work. There has been many times when we all manage to stuff down a cheeseburger between ended one call and arriving at the next one on the ambulance.

Does eating slowly really help? I mean, whether you eat fast or slow, the same amount of calories are on your plate, so... ?

I'm confused.

Eating more slowly gives your body time to process and send the message to your brain that you are full...also makes digestion better when the food isn't in big hunks!

Yes it does help- you need to start taking out more time for yourself to have a better lunch and take the time to eat it- I used to do this at my old job- bolt down my lunch then run back to work- I don't know if you can do this- but I started preparing better lunches (yeah definitely healthier than a cheeseburger) and taking the time to eat it.

Ugh. I just typed out an long answer and hit back. >.<

Eating slowly does help. It takes your body 20 minutes to say it's full. When you are home, put your average meal on your plate. Close your eyes and eat slowly. Drink a bit after each bite. When you feel full, (here is the key) STOP. When you open your eyes, there should be a distinct difference with how much you ate.

Also, are you an EMT? I'm a trained EMT and am taking national next month. I took my CNA boards today.

Also, my mom suggestion to me when I was having my ride time was to have my school book/lunch with me in the front of the ambulance. You can have some nice finger veggies in your lunch and chow on those before you next call. Her theory was "you never know when you'll be in the ambulance for hours."

I'm soooo bad for this!! I seriously just chomp my bite in half so it won't choke me and I'm barely finished swallowing when I eat the next bite. It's ridiculous! I'm trying to make an effort to stop that.

~CGH~

Well, if you're "free-eating", for lack of a better word, it'll make a difference, because as the others said, it takes about 20 minutes for your body to really register "full".

I pre-plan and portion my meals, and eat only what I've dished myself out. So to me, it doesn't matter whether I eat fast or slow....calories are the same either way.

I find I've naturally sort of slowed down, but it was nothing intentional or necessary.

Agreed with mandalinn. I preportion everything on Sundays to save time during the week and eat what I have planned. If in full before I'm done I stop, if after a half hour 45 minutes ish I'm still hungry I'll think of something else I could have. Be patient eventually you will get the hang of it

I preplan and measure all of my foods so I eat the same amount either way. I have noticed that with measuring my portions I am NEVER stuffed. It's awesome. Oh and NO HEARTBURN!

Agree. I stopped having heart burn. I love the feeling of being satisfied but not "I'm gonna burst."

If you're counting calories and eating under those calories I don't think eating slowly will make one bit of difference in your weight loss efforts.

It's a good habit though to learn to enjoy your food and it helps you to not overeat if you let yourself feel full (when you're not counting calories) but if you're sticking to your caloric goals I don't see why it would matter.

Eating slowly is going to make you eat less, because you're body will have time to find satisfaction in what you're giving it. People who eat faster will most likely eat more and want more no matter who they are.

I am still pretty new at this eating slowly idea, but this is what I am discovering: I have done a lot of eating and other things at the same time like eating and reading, eating and grading papers, eating and driving, etc. I have also wolfed down the food ( I had to compete with 3 brothers!)Sometimes I'll look down and find the remains (crumbs, wrappers etc.) and wonder where the heck my delicious treat went! So now I am trying to make an effort to slow down, savor the food, and chew everything about 20 times (a trick I learned here at 3fc). My weight loss is slow, so I can't say it's been a big help in that department, but at least now I am concious of every bite. Sometimes I have discovered that I didn't like the food nearly as much as I thought I did, so I have thrown out a few french fries, etc. I think it does help some.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daimere

Also, are you an EMT? I'm a trained EMT and am taking national next month. I took my CNA boards today.

Yep. Been an EMT for a little more than 4 years. I'm an Advanced Life Support EMT now (I LOVE IT!), if I ever get the money to go back to school I have one more semiester before I'll be a Paramedic.

Also been a CNA for about 6 1/2 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diamere

Also, my mom suggestion to me when I was having my ride time was to have my school book/lunch with me in the front of the ambulance. You can have some nice finger veggies in your lunch and chow on those before you next call. Her theory was "you never know when you'll be in the ambulance for hours."

Thats very true, there have been many times when we're out for well over 12 hours. And with little time between shifts.

Thanks everyone!
I understand now why she always said that!

My personal opinion on the subject is that when you eat slowly, you have time to enjoy your food and feel more satisfied. I always try to get up during a meal so that when I come back to it, it's like a second helping, even if it's just one plate of food