Anyone else a fast eater?
 

It's extremely embarrassing. I am the fastest eater I know besides my older brother (maybe---I may even have him beat). I'm not exaggerating when I say that I can polish off a full meal in less than five minutes.

I have tried all the tricks---putting my fork down between bites (even though that feels so asinine to me for some reason), chewing slowly, taking sips of water in-between, but none of those habits stick. When I think about why this is, a few things come to mind:

1) I like my food HOT. I've heard chefs say that most food tastes better eaten at room temperature, but I like it hot. So, if I take my time to eat my food, it gets lukewarm, and it doesn't taste as good to me.

2) It's like I cannot really TASTE the food as well if I don't have a big mouthful of it. Somehow, when I eat small bites, it's like I don't get a good taste of the food. I know this goes against all common wisdom that says if we eat slowly we "savor" food and enjoy it more, but I suppose I'm the anomaly.

Does anyone else have this problem? I sometimes feel like such a freak (and unladylike, a hog, ---you name it).

I remember wolfing down a BLT sandwich in my dad's hospital room at age 11 and having a family friend say, "you're eating too fast."

I think there's something to be said for trying to slow down a little, for the simple reason that it stretches out the meal. Just by becoming more mindful of eating pace, I seem to have slowed down fairly effortlessly over the years. At the same time I suspect that we all have a natural eating pace, and trying to deviate TOO far from it won't help us enjoy our food more. I've never bought into the idea of X number of chews per forkful.

Freelance

I have that problem PLUS standing up in the kitchen to scarf my food. Horrible, horrible habit. However, despite having a very lovely dining room table, we rarely use it and instead plant ourselves either in front of the TV or the computer. I will say that doing that (even as bad as it's said to be) does provide a distraction enough that I don't eat as quickly.

I am usually finished eating in 5 minutes. It doesn't really affect me much because I let the food digest for 20 minutes and I'm usually full and don't want more.

I eat really fast too. I'm always the first one done.

I'm with you, I just don't enjoy it when I try to drag it out.

Pretty much my family/friends know that I'm going to be done way before them, and that I'm just going to chill and talk to them while they finish eating.

I have slooooowly become a tad slower at eating, but I'm with the others in that, I'm not really into making it totally change.

How fast I eat doesn't effect the calories I take in, and as long as I'm not swallowing food whole, I don't see the issue.

I'm a very fast eater, but that's usually because if I don't finish my food, my cat or dog will get to it. Lately I've been putting them out so I can eat at my leisure.

Yep, and it doesn't help that I serve myself half portion of what I give my beau so it's even more obvious.

Sadly the only way I can seem to eat slowly is to distract myself by reading, computer, or watching TV. All also considered "bad" for developing healthy eating habits.

I'm a fast eater too...I work in kitchens and you liderely only have a minute to shove food down your throat xD Even eating fast, I can taste my food fine and I still have time to savor it. And I don't overeat most of the time so I know I won't end up to full ^_^

It is a horrible habit & one I am most certainly guilty of. I eat WAY too fast. It's also a very hard habit to break. And OMG, I feel like SUCH A PIGGIE because of it!!! It's embarrassing, really. I, too, have tried all those "tricks". And that thing about putting your fork down between bites is just SO STUPID. I feel like a complete moron doing that! (esp in public!!!) And "sipping water" between bites doesn't really work for me, because hey - I sip fast too!! So what're we to do?

For me, the only thing that works is WATCHING MYSELF EAT. When I'm at home, I eat in front of a mirror. I know, crazy right? But seeing me shovel it in like that kinda grosses me out!! I can only imagine what other people see if they're forced to watch me eat, LOL.

When not at home, I try to just remind myself... "hey! Beach Patrol! - chew slowly!!" I try to consciously eat slower, sometimes I get up & go to the bathroom (even if I don't have to "go") or some other excuse to walk away from the meal for just a moment. It takes constant practice! I'm still not good at it - but the more I practice it, the more I am reminded to actually do it, if that makes any sense.

And yesterday, I had the privilege of a slice of cheesecake... my FAV dessert in all the world... I rarely have it because it's so calorie-laden & I know I'd really pig out on it if nobody was watching!! But I was DETERMINED to make that one slice of cheesecake last as long as possible! I ate it VERY slowly. I let each bite just kinda melt in my mouth. Oh dear Goddess, it was pure heaven!!

I guess us fast eaters will just have to continually "watch ourselves" for eternity. ~sigh! - seems daunting!!! - but I can't just let myself eat like that with no accounting for it. It's a large part of why I ate my way to 192 lbs. :(

Yes! I got really good at eating very slowly last time I lost weight, but with two very small kids, if I don't scarf I don't eat.

Another uber fast eater here.

A lot of my family members are fast eaters too. We're usually done with a meal in less than half an hour after it has arrived (my mother being the exception.) Admittedly I am trying to consciously slow down as well; I find if I distract myself with conversation or other things I rarely end up finishing my meal, which is rather amazing for me. By eating too fast I know I end up overeating because I don't give my body a chance to send out the 'I'm satisfied' signal.

Admittedly I used to think laying down the fork was rubbish as well but then I started doing it every second or third bite (instead of after every single bite.) After I lay it down I try to do something else that doesn't involve eating at all (continue conversations, check my phone, take a few sips of water, etc.) This has slowed me down quite a bit without it feeling forced or making it too obvious what I'm doing.

I completely understand the love of 'hot' food as opposed to 'lukewarm', a way around that is by making your food a little too hot at first if possible. That way you're forced to take it slow or risk burning your tongue and by the time you're done it would still be 'warm'.

My family is the same way. We all bolt our food and finish in no time, and there's Mom, just looking at us all like we're barn animals while she savors her food.

I actually felt a lot better when my sister got married; her husband still eats like he's in basic training, so I'm never the first one finished at holiday dinners anymore.

I used to be fast eater too until I got out of highshool. I met my DF and he BOLTS his food. Like if the plate isn't clean in 3 minutes it'll be 24 hours before you eat again. It bugged the crap outta me so much that I started having us eat with chopsticks.
Yeah I had to make sure our meals were the kind that could be eaten with chopsticks (everything had to be bite sized) but it worked great! Now we're so good at it that they don't even slow us down anymore and we've switched to the other hand to slow us back down.

I also love my food HOT, but I'm not picky, if it cools down, 30 seconds in the microwave makes it all better.

Yeap, I've always been a fast eater, mostly for your reason 1) - I like my food hot and fear that my food will cool off before I finish it!

....not that this explains why I eat my cold food quickly too >__>;;

Guilty, but only when I eat by myself. In public I on purpose take my time and go wicked slow because I hate when people comment on it!

Same here. It doesn't help that my husband is the slowest eater on the planet.

Three things that have helped (but not totally fixed) the issue:

1) A glass of water right before I eat. I chug it down at home, sip regularly at restaurants.

2) I halve my portions so I can go back for seconds ... I always eat the second plate more slowly. Plus it's not as deliciously hot as the first.

3) Volumetrics. I can't scarf a salad.

Another fast eater here! My entire family is too. I have just recently started to eat more slowly. I try to count my chews, lol. It's annoying at first and sometimes I forget but you get used to it. And I also like my food hot! Once it starts get cool, I nuke it for 20-30 secs.

Thank to you ALL for letting me know I am not alone in this struggle!

As some of you mentioned, I, too, eat a bit more slowly in public because I guess I'm more aware of how horrific I must look scarfing all that food down.

Kudos to those of you who have made peace with your fast-eating habit :) and haven't allowed it to affect your calorie count. I am that way sometimes, but I realized a while back that I probably would eat less if I ate more slowly. I say that because I tend to get REALLY full on restaurant meals, even if I order something that isn't high in calories. It's mainly because the courses are paced. So, for instance, I will pour 1 glass of wine and sip it while I'm eating my first course---a salad, for example. (I'm not one to guzzle wine--at least that's a blessing). Then, by the time my entree comes, I actually feel comfortable. I'll still eat my entree, but I might leave some of it because I'm actually full. (Of course, that doesn't always prevent me from ordering some dessert----but that's an issue for another thread!).

I thank you all for the tips, and I plan on trying the following after reading this thread:

1) I will microwave my food and/or serve it really hot so that I won't have to worry about shoveling it down because it cools down. This is such common sense, why haven't I thought of it before (a "DUH" moment).

2) BP, I am definitely going to try your suggestion of eating in front of a mirror. Actually, I've often wished that someone would secretly videotape me while eating and play it back. As hard as it would be to see myself in full pig mode, I think I need to see that to make a change.

3) I like what one poster suggested of putting the fork down every three-four bites. That's a sensible compromise to putting it down after every bite.

Thanks to you all, again, for the tips and encouragement!

I hear ya, I love food and I eat super fast. I do like my food hot too, and hate it when it cools off...

But I have gotten better, what I do is eat with my left hand (my non writing hand). I have also started using a knife more too. I have always been a "cut with your fork" gal if I cut it at all. It takes me twice as long to eat when I do it that way!

There's still times I lose track and scarf down...but lately I have been very good at preportioning my food so I at least do not overeat!

I find that way to be the easiest way to eat slower, give it a shot!

I used to eat really fast, but like shanhat81 mentioned, I started drinking a full glass of water before each meal. I find it's easier to slow down when my stomach already feels kind of full.

I will---thanks!

I'm a fast eater but it's hard to tell usually because I like my food room temperature.. so it seems like I eat slowly, but once it's the right temperature I can't help but practically inhale it.. my fiance is a fast eater too. I haven't really done anything to try to get myself to stop, though. I probably should..

This is definitely me! I know they say it takes 20 minutes for food to register with the brain, but My dinner is finished in 5 minutes! I cant eat slower, I cant eat small bite sizes, unless my mouth is full (People joke its the only time I am quiet lol) It feels strange! Ive tried letting my fork or knife down, or not have a drink with me, so I have to stop during eating to get a glass of water but it doesnt slow me enough lol! I also have to drink while I am eating!

Im like that too. I eat too fast. Seems like its something we all have in common. I just CANT eat slowly, and enjoy the food, like people tend to say you should. If I eat too slowly I get bored, and then start eating fast again...

Yes. I find that "savoring" my food just isn't as satisfying! Apparently I just like to shovel like an oinker and that brings me some kind of strange satisfaction. However, not all foods have the potential to be scarfed, as someone mentioned- salads are slow, for instance- but honestly, all the tricks and tips in the world have no impact on my feeding speed, which is just ridiculously embarrassing. So no ideas, but solidarity!

If I'm at home and not busy, I tend to eat really quickly. At work I multitask so much that it takes me a long time to eat my snacks or lunch. Since I pre-measure all of my meals, I don't have to worry about the amount of time it takes for me to eat it.

I already know that I've served myself an appropriate amount of food, so I don't go back for seconds.

I'm not, I'm an incredibly slow eater, but my bf is very fast. It's annoying cos I have always been taught not to get up till everyone has finished eating but he just can't sit there for that long and he will hover around until I have finished my last bite and will grab my plate away before I have even swallowed, something he learned from his grandmother, which I find not only annoying but incredibly rude.

Do you know what may have caused you to eat food quickly may be from a young age? Maybe if you work this out you could make some changes and teach yourself to eat slower. My bf things it comes from school, when at his school the first people to finish were the people who got seconds when it was the opposite way round at my school they could only serve seconds from a certain time so we would eat slowly and wait.

A friend once watched me and claims I managed to make an apple last 20 mins, I was doing other stuff so I would put it down and do stuff between bites but that's a really long time to eat one apple even for a slow eater like me

I envy you!!

I'm sure you and my husband could have a nice gripe session: I tend to fidget and/or get up and start cleaning the dishes while he's in the last part of his meal. It's so rude, I know! I think I'm just A.D.D. or something when it comes to eating. I think someone else on here mentioned getting bored as a reason for eating fast, and I had never thought of that, but I think that's part of the reason I eat fast as well.

I don't think it comes from any childhood thing because other than my older brother, my other siblings don't have this problem. I think I would have slowed down a long time ago if not for the aforementioned lack-of-enjoyment factor, i.e., not enjoying my food as much if I eat it slowly. Besides trying some of the tips that have been given here, I may just have to make the sacrifice of having less enjoyable meals for a while to see if, eventually, I'll enjoy them as much when they're eaten slowly.

I have that same habit. Done it my whole life (even when I was "skinny")

I'll pop in that part of my eating fast actually comes from the stomach problems I have had over the years.

Food used to make me sick (before being on stomach pills routinely) and I got into the habit of trying to 'enjoy' my food before my tunny started hurting and put a damper on the evening.

Also it doesn't help that I've been in the restaurant industry for 15 years and it's always a 'wolf that food down' and keep busy mentality. I worked at one place that gave you a 10 minute break (and they timed it to the second!) to eat for the whole day. They were 10 hours shifts, so you needed to eat a meal on your break . . .

I worked there for years.

I should now go back and sue them! :p

I am glad I am not alone! I was brought up to eat your food before it gets cold, so I have always eaten fast. Now I don't like my food cold, so I still eat fast. It's not a problem because my boyfriend eats fast too. He just eats more than me so I am still usually done first.

It has been embarrassing on occasion though. Once I was having dinner with a new friend. Our food came and I began to eat. After about a minute she looked at me and said "Would you mind putting down your fork for a minute and talking to me?" I was confused and also embarrassed. I looked at dinner as something to eat. She looked at dinner as an event - a time to eat, talk, and enjoy each others company. We have been friends for close to 30 years. I still eat fast, but not when I'm with her.:)

ive never been a super fast eater, but i have trained myself to eat even slower. eating the food slower---mainly by eating teeeny bites, helps me feel like it is lasting longer and im eating more than i actually am

I'm a fast eater and I don't really see it as a problem. It's not what makes me overeat. I like hot food hot and cold food cold and I'm generally an impatient person, so I like to eat quickly. If I'm eating with others, I eat more slowly because I participate in the conversation but, if I'm eating alone, I just eat at my pace.

I had to stop eating out with a friend because she would talk and talk and talk while taking tiny bites of her food, so that I was finished while she had barely started and I had to sit there for another half hour and watch her eat.