Eating speed?

[milti girl]

How fast or slow is the correct eating speed? I take ages to eat/drink anything and am usually the last one left at the table picking at my food. People get up and leave because they can't wait for me to finish. Admittedly, I talk a lot during the meal but even if I'm alone I just stare off into space. Eating is a chore and I hate having to get through it. As a child, I was always punished for not completing my lunch within the break, and my mother had to tell my teachers that it was okay with her if I left food over. My teachers would make me sit on the floor with all the "slow eaters" and finish my lunch, and even THEN I was the last one left! To me, it's less about chewing 32 times and more about preparing myself for the next bite, easing the food down and not gulping it down. I hate eating, and anyone forcing me to eat quickly is just going to get puked on soon!

[nightning]

Eating speed... ratio of chewing to swallowing... depends on the person. How readily you get heartburns and indigestion probably should be factored in if you want to figure out the "optimal" chewing to swallowing ratio.

It's silly to set a "correct" speed. Chew enough so that you don't choke to death or make yourself ill but still finish efficiently is about the best you can do no? Besides, who counts the number of times they chew before swallowing? :thelook:

[ptgatsby]

I love eating and am the single fastest eater I have ever met. I think that any time spent eating is wasted - but I love eating. That means, essentially, that I eat as fast as possible in order to eat as much as possible, before others leave. Always been like that, for me.

[kyuuei]

I slow down when its something small that I enjoy.. like this small bite-size pumpkin pie piece I have here. ^_^ I will stretch it out into 3 or 4 slow, chewy bites.

..Usually though, food = gone. I'm a quick eater especially when I have somewhere to be.

[Ivy]

milti girl, health-wise your way is probably better than eating too fast. From what I've read, there is some lag time between starting to eat and your brain getting the message that you're full. So the slower you go, the more likely you are to get that signal at the correct time rather than too late. Or something like that. Socially, I guess eating super-slowly could be annoying to your dinner-mates, but you could always just get whatever's left wrapped up to take away when everyone else is done if that bothers you.

[Aimahn]

Yea I would say I'm a pretty decent eater. I'm sort of impatient though and like to take advantage of those times where I can move and eat intermittently. If I'm sitting down I think I take larger chunks of food and chew it pretty quickly, I like to mix and match a lot too. I'm not the type of person thats bothered by contrasts I can pretty much eat any combination on the plate.

So even if I may not eat that quickly it looks more vicious because I have a shotgun mentality when it comes to selecting how I eat things.

[Colors]

I'm a moderate to fast eater. I hate it when people try to talk to me while I'm eating. There's plenty of time before and after the actual chewing "zone". When I'm eating, I'm eating... don't be all asking me about stuff.

[Ivy]

I'm trying to learn to slow down. But I am probably a compulsive eater to some degree--I'm only just now starting to get a handle on my constant urge TO eat in the first place, so slowing down is another step in the process. I'm probably on the opposite end of the spectrum from milti girl, and I'm sure there's a happy medium in there somewhere.

[prplchknz]

I'm a slow eater, always the last one finishing. I also tend to pick at things. For example I got a burrito for dinner thinking I wanted to eat everything at once. But then I decided to eat each topping individually. So I didn't finish it because when you seperate ingredients it takes longer to eat so you either just get bored, or realize you'e full sooner.

[GargoylesLegacy]

Oh Gee, great Thread!
That is a really tricky Thing. If you eat too slow, People won't wait for you, if you eat too fast People will complain, you won't taste much and you will be hungry pretty fast again (not to mention that you can easily get Something stuck in your Throat and half die).
I used to eat really fast, and my Dad always told me not to. So I tried to slow down. BUT it keeps coming back anyways, even after Years of practicing. And seriously, sometimes I DID almost choke on a Bite because I didn't chew it enough.
On the other Hand, I dun wanna sit at the Table and count my freaking Bites either. This is really tricky. However you do it, it's wrong. :shock:

But then I decided to eat each topping individually.
*lol* Actually I do that too. When I have a mixed Plate I would first eat all Meat-Pieces, then the Pies, then... :D

[Giggly]

I love to eat but I'm kind of a slow eater.

[Bella]

I eat quickly.

[Kyrielle]

I love eating and am the single fastest eater I have ever met. I think that any time spent eating is wasted - but I love eating. That means, essentially, that I eat as fast as possible in order to eat as much as possible, before others leave. Always been like that, for me.

I'm the same way. So is my father. I always look like I'm in a freaking hurry to go somewhere or I haven't eaten in days. But I'm not in a hurry, I just don't like my food getting cold or spending forever eating, especially since I can't eat and talk at the same time nor do I like talking while eating--I'm more than open to talking after eating, though.

[whatever]

I love to eat but I'm kind of a slow eater.

me too... I adore food, but I take forever to eat since I'm usually either talking over a meal or otherwise distracted!

I'm also an incredibly slow drinker unless I set out to get drunk- I can take an hour do drink a good glass of wine. :)

[kuranes]

I'm trying to learn to slow down. But I am probably a compulsive eater to some degree--I'm only just now starting to get a handle on my constant urge TO eat in the first place, so slowing down is another step in the process. I'm probably on the opposite end of the spectrum from milti girl, and I'm sure there's a happy medium in there somewhere.
+1.

I tend to eat quickly. Knowing this, I will sometimes eat a "real meal" ahead of time, if I know that I'm going to be going "out to lunch" with someone, where the social aspect of the occasion is going to be more important than my first impulses. That way I can slowly work my way through a light salad etc., and stop without hesitating at those awkward moments when I'm perhaps unexpectedly ( to me ) expected ( by them ) to answer, instead of chewing or swallowing. Silly of me, I know.

me too... I adore food, but I take forever to eat since I'm usually either talking over a meal or otherwise distracted!

I'm also an incredibly slow drinker unless I set out to get drunk- I can take an hour do drink a good glass of wine. :)
I've noticed that women are often experts at nursing one drink for an entire evening. Just kind of "wetting their whistle", as Lauren Bacall might say. ;) ( I attempt to emulate this when I am designated driver.)

When I saw the title of the thread I thought it was about consuming diet pills ( speed ) , which would certainly help tame an appetite. :cheese:

[Lateralus]

I'm a pretty fast eater, but I haven't always been that way. It started when I was in college, trying to grab lunch between classes. I've eaten a large pizza in under 3 minutes, before (and won $5).

The only time I eat slowly is when I'm out with other people, and even then I'm usually the first to finish.

[Silently Honest]

Eating speed varies.

[shortnsweet]

I don't even sit down.

Inhale and run!

[htb]

See: PAC-MAN.

[shortnsweet]

definately a good reference

[Jack Flak]

Hmm. I've eaten speed before, it's awesome.

[niffer]

I can eat slow if I'm in the mood, and I can also eat REALLY REALLY FAST. I can't eat much though, compared to my peers. I get hungry a lot more than they do, but when I get to the food I wolf it down and I can never finish anything. x_x

[Aimahn]

Hmm. I've eaten speed before, it's awesome.

I'm much more of a crack fan myself. That stuffs good, you can't help but inhale it.

[G-Virus]

I just wolf food down, which isn't always a good thing because I just guesstimate how much food I need and then go at it. Thus, my weight fluctuates to starting to not need a belt, to OMG eat a sandwich syndrome. I went from 140 to 160 to 138 lbs in the span of four months. It's all in my medical record at the clinic :D

[The Third Rider]

If you blink you might miss me chewing my food.:D

[cafe]

I love food, but am a pretty slow eater. I don't drink a lot between meals, but I need plenty to drink with meals because I have a hard time choking the food down if I get thirsty.

[CzeCze]

Oh mang, when I read the thread title I thought folks were discussing taking methemphetamines and other drugs like Fen/Phen to lose weight!!!

LOLOL.

I cook slow and eat fast. I wish I ate slower so I could enjoy my food, but I think I enjoy it too much to slow down. And I feel like I could be doing so much other stuff instead of eating -- like wasting time. I talk a lot as well while eating, so if I'm with friends, it takes forever for me to eat so I accept the fact I may leave hungry!

When I'm serious about eating, I shut up and focus entirely on the meal. I barely follow conversations around me. My aunt said when I eat at family functions it's the only time I get very quiet and ladylike. LOL.

[Seraph]

Get food. Eat. Clean-up. Leave.

I don't see eating as social-time. It is fuel-up time. No sooner do I get my plate before I clean it. All of it. Leaving excess food on my plate would indicate poor prior planning (punishable by death?...for me at least). I could sum up my eating habits in one word: efficient.

[Pancreas]

I wolf food down. I also enjoy eating. So I end up eating a lot. Good thing I generally hit the right balance between amount of food consumed and amount of exercise done. Every now and then when I'm eating something particularly good I try to slow down and savour it but as soon as I stop concentrating on that (i.e. within a minute) I eat quickly again.

[01011010]

I'm a moderate to fast eater. I hate it when people try to talk to me while I'm eating. There's plenty of time before and after the actual chewing "zone". When I'm eating, I'm eating... don't be all asking me about stuff.

:laugh:

[prplchknz]

I'm ridiculusly slow when it comes to eating, always the last to finish, and i usually have left overs. because i feel bad for making people wait, that and I can never eat a whole plate of food.

[runvardh]

I'm slow, but it's more because of how much I eat compared to everyone else. I can finish pretty close to other people if I don't have to talk, but each break I take to answer questions slows me down. I guess this is why I enjoy eating alone more - I don't have to care about anyone else's eating habits and what they think of mine.

[Synarch]

I eat fast. Impatient. I can grab the general idea of the taste as it goes down.

[Lateralus]

I eat fast. Impatient. I can grab the general idea of the taste as it goes down.
And if it's something you've had before, why bother with tasting it again when you already have that memory?

[Synarch]

And if it's something you've had before, why bother with tasting it again when you already have that memory?

Bingo. Screw relishing taste.

[Lady X]

i'm slow too...and sometimes i just get bored of it....unless it's really yummy.

[katzchen]

How fast or slow is the correct eating speed? I take ages to eat/drink anything and am usually the last one left at the table picking at my food. People get up and leave because they can't wait for me to finish. Admittedly, I talk a lot during the meal but even if I'm alone I just stare off into space. Eating is a chore and I hate having to get through it. ... To me, it's less about chewing 32 times and more about preparing myself for the next bite, easing the food down and not gulping it down. I hate eating, and anyone forcing me to eat quickly is just going to get puked on soon!

:laugh: I'm the exact same way. My boyfriend still makes fun of me because the first time I had dinner with his family I took half the portions of everyone else so I would finish at the same time.

[mlittrell]

your supposed to eat slowly. this is so you do not overeat. if you eat quickly your body wont feel full until you have devoured everything in sight. if you eat slowly, you feel full at the right pace and thus eat less.

then again i eat in one speed: fast.
but i portion size before i eat so im good lol

[Athenian200]

I seem to eat much more quickly and efficiently than most people I know. I think it's because they tend to talk and eat at the same time, while I try to get my food down first, and then join in the conversation or go back to work.

[Nocap]

I almost invariably finish eating in less than ten minutes.
I've never spent more than an hour at the table, and whenever it's come close it's only because I was at a restaraunt and the fuckers took forever and the bill took forvever and everythig just took forever.

I don't even like eating so I do it fast and get back to... whatever.

[Evan]

I thought this thread was about drugs.

[prplchknz]

I thought this thread was about drugs.

I did too.

[Tiltyred]

I eat slowly and steadily and everything gets chewed up well. At a restaurant, the waitress is always trying to take my plate before I'm through, or I look up and everybody is looking at me with their plates already clean and I'm still plugging away. I enjoy my food but if I try to wolf it down, I choke, and I have to cut things up small.

[FDG]

Depends on how hungry I am. If I am, I'm an extremely quick eater; otherwise, average.

[Uytuun]

How fast or slow is the correct eating speed? I take ages to eat/drink anything and am usually the last one left at the table picking at my food. People get up and leave because they can't wait for me to finish. Admittedly, I talk a lot during the meal but even if I'm alone I just stare off into space. Eating is a chore and I hate having to get through it. As a child, I was always punished for not completing my lunch within the break, and my mother had to tell my teachers that it was okay with her if I left food over. My teachers would make me sit on the floor with all the "slow eaters" and finish my lunch, and even THEN I was the last one left! To me, it's less about chewing 32 times and more about preparing myself for the next bite, easing the food down and not gulping it down. I hate eating, and anyone forcing me to eat quickly is just going to get puked on soon!

I bet I can outslow you.

[Oberon]

I learned to eat quickly in school. In the mornings, I discovered that I could pour myself a bowl of cereal, add the milk, and have the whole thing eaten in three minutes.

In high school they gave us 22 minutes to get to our lockers, go from there to the cafeteria, stand in line for our meal, take a seat, eat the meal, and return the tray. I developed the eating habits of a Russian boar.

[mlittrell]

same exact thing for me, i hardly even chewed my food

[THEANO]

I am a grazer. I don't like big meals. I'd rather have a couple of bites of different things every hour :)

[Base]

I can't eat fast enough. I will finish a feast in under 5 minutes. The faster the better. I just want to be done and get back to obsessing over whatever it is I've been obsessing about (usually art). I care not if other people are around or if it's in a restaurant or something; I get my food, and I finish eating before people realize how fast I've eaten.

[MissMurder]

It's important to actually chew your food properly. I cannot tell you how many times I heard my mother say "Digestion begins in the mouth." when I was growing up.

It's really true. The enzymes in the saliva start the digestion process and are essential for proper nutrient absorption. Plus, eating slowly allows your brain to actually send the signal that you're full when you're full, so it helps to prevent overeating.

Grazing is supposed to be absolutely fantastic for your metabolism and energy levels. I envy those who are naturally inclined to eat that way.

[Eldanen]

I can eat 3-4 plates of food in approximately 10 minutes.

[THEANO]

I can eat 3-4 plates of food in approximately 10 minutes.

I can't think of anything worse for myself. When eating fast, one ends up eating so much more food than the body requires, and actually by the time the 'satiation' reflex kicks in, you'd be already overfull.
I have a male friend who eats like that, and invariably, he feels almost sick, or at least very uncomfortable within 1/2 hour after he stops eating.
I think I'll stick with grazing :)

[laintpe]

I eat pretty fast, but the foods I eat are usually fibrous and fill me up quickly (especially broccoli and spinach).... although if the food isn't especially good and i'm making myself eat it (raw radishes and beets) it could take forever and many glasses of water.

A few years ago.. when I had an OCED/EDNOS I would eat 2000 calories once a day between 5:00 and 5:30 am. It was something like 2 cans of vegetable soup, 2 luna bars, 2 cliff bars, 2 packs of instant breakfast, 2 pieces of bread... etc.

[Lexicon]

I eat pretty fast, but the foods I eat are usually fibrous and fill me up quickly (especially broccoli and spinach).... although if the food isn't especially good and i'm making myself eat it (raw radishes and beets) it could take forever and many glasses of water.

A few years ago.. when I had an OCED/EDNOS I would eat 2000 calories once a day between 5:00 and 5:30 am. It was something like 2 cans of vegetable soup, 2 luna bars, 2 cliff bars, 2 packs of instant breakfast, 2 pieces of bread... etc.


I eat pretty slow, and kind of had/have some sort of neurosis with eating. However it was more along the lines of magically stretching 500-900 calories throughout the day. Incredibly picky. I want things certain ways & still won't eat them otherwise, unless I'm incredibly hungry. Rarely go out to restaraunts. I hate eating as a social activity. Not that I mind eating WITH people, but it's not some sort of special-fun-thing to me in the least.

I'm a lot healthier than I used to be, and overcame the issue of not wanting to eat enough to maintain a healthy weight. Yeah... 500-900 calories a day isn't nearly enough for a 5'9" adult... I probably fit most of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa a few years back.

...but I want to live for a VERY long time. Without a walker or a broken hip.

My busy schedule, lack of $, and disgusting overconsumption of coffee recently often makes me forget to eat, however. Then in the late afternoon I'm wondering why I feel terrible and my stomach hurts. :doh:

Friends keep reminding me that coffee is not food.

[Beat]

I'm a scarfer.

[Blackmail!]

It depends on the food, its taste, its consistency, its aroma and if I feel especially hungry.

There's too many variables to sum up my eating style. For instance, when I'm confronted to a tasteless, fatty food full of sugar like the one I find during a vacation in North America or even across the Channel, I tend to eat faster and it gives me far less pleasure. Even the average vegetables are a bit like rubber and plastic here. :huh:
(Although in New York and Montreal you can find decent restaurants, but not much anywhere else... mmmm... In Louisiana too, if I remember well)

But in countries where you have a real "cuisine" tradition (France, Italy, Lebanon, China for instance), I usually enjoy my dishes much more, and take the time to savor them properly.