Question:
eating and drinking rather fast

I am a little over a month post op and finding that I can drink water fairly quickly. Some foods go down quickly also. My doc says I need to eat a cup full of food and take one hour to eat. Sometime it seems to go faster. Foods like yogurt, etc. I do get full so I don't feel like I am overeating. Is this normal? Can anyone else out there drink water quickly?    — Gina K. (posted on October 15, 2000)

October 15, 2000
HI. I am 1 week away from being 4 mos. post op and I have always been able to drink water fast. I have to be very careful not to put water on the table with my meals or I will forget and drink while eating. I haven't found any problems from being able to drink alot of water quickly, but then I am very new to all this. I also have a very difficult time eating slowly. I have 1/2 hour for lunch, and as a teacher I rarely get that so it is not helping me. I am not sure of the reason this is so important, maybe someone else can discuss that. But good luck, and remember, if your having a problem, chances are, alot of others have had it too.
   — Jill C.

October 16, 2000
I am having problems with eating too fast and with drinking to fast. It always gives me discomfort about 4 inches above my sternum. I have experienced vomiting several times from eating too fast.
   — Nanette T.

October 16, 2000
It is hard to break eating/drinking habits we've had for our entire lives pre-op. Hard, but not impossible. I resorted to using a baby spoon and a timer. I would take a bite, set the timer for 5 minutes and wait to take the next bite. 5 minutes is a long time to wait and I would end up re-heating my food sometimes in the microwave. It helped me though. It helped me to learn that I don't have to wolf down food to enjoy it. It helped me to learn how to recognize the physical feeling of fullness and satisfaction. It helped me to learn when to stop eating. I still struggle with this sometimes, especially in social situations. I get to eating and chatting and forget to slow down. So I'm not perfect...not a big surprise to me! LOL!!! Don't be hard on yourself, we all have to learn to crawl before we learn to walk. Good luck!!!
   — Roseann M.