Back in May of 1992 I joined the local rescue squad to make a difference in the world and learn a skills. Who would have thought that while I earned my EMT certification I also earned the ability to eat fast. This is not a skill that I intended to pick up but it came out of necessity.
I didn't always eat fast but when I joined the squad I learned that sometimes the only way to get food into your system was on the run. Eating in an ambulance is a no no (especially in the box) so I learned to eat what was put in front of me quickly. You never know when the tones are going to go off again and when you will get to eat something. Food was something to be consumed, not really tasted or enjoyed in my mind. Heartburn was almost always a bonus that I got with eating. And truthfully I put eating off as long as I could because it became a challenge instead of a joy.
To add to the wonderful joy of not knowing when I'm going to be able to eat something again on shift another problem pops up. Bathroom breaks, you gotta go when you can. As a woman it is a little harder for me to use the bathroom in the great out doors with privacy, decorum and speed. So when you need to go, don't wait - just go. I've always suffered from itty bitty bladder syndrome. Mom use to limit my drinks when we traveled because I was that kid that as soon as we got a mile from the house "MOM I HAVE TO GO" would come out of my mouth. Needless to say I ran into my fair share of issues on the ambulance. OMG I thought I was going to die after a 5 hour structure fire. I made the mistake of not stopping by the bathroom on the way out the door. I'm sure my kidneys were calling me all sorts of names.
Needless to say my attitude became adding food + itty bitty bladder syndrome = who wants to eat or drink on shift?! Adding to the joy that is my body, I also suffer from an extreme case of IBS. Yes I've been to the doctor and had all the tests, so medically I have been diagnosed with IBS. I'm not going to delve deep into what IBS is (that is what Google searching is for) but it doesn't add to my desire to eat on shift. Want another fun tidbit? I'm also lactose intolerant. Again, you can do the searching and the math as to what fun it is for my digestive system. So with all this "fun" going on in my digestive system you can imagine why eating fast was a necessity. Sadly it is a habit I still have today. I'm trying to break the habit and eat slowly like the normal people do but man it is hard.
According to the New York Times article written by C. Clairborne Ray, and published May 6, 2013, "The risks of simple indigestion and gastroesophageal
reflux disease are frequently cited as reasons to follow your mother’s
advice and enjoy a leisurely meal.There is also some evidence linking speedy eating to disruption of chemical signals of fullness, leading to over consumption and obesity. In one small study, presented by Medical University of South Carolina
researchers at a digestive disease conference in 2003, 20 healthy adults
had their acid reflux levels tested after both 5-minute and 30-minute
meals of a chicken burger, french fries and a 16-ounce carbonated
beverage. The participants had 10 reflux episodes when they ate slowly
and 14 when they ate quickly. A 2008 study in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association examined the feeling
of fullness in 30 healthy women when they ate fast and slow meals on
separate days. The fast meals resulted in higher caloric intake but less
satisfaction. Long-term effects of fast eating on weight gain were examined in a 2006 Japanese study
using questionnaires filled out by 3,737 men and 1,005 women. The
faster they reported eating, the higher their reported body mass index
and the greater the increase since the age of 20."
Ugh, well needless to say I have an uphill battle but I think if I can get myself to slow down when I eat then I just may be able to lose some weight and get rid of my frequent heartburn.
I, too, am a fast eater. But I think it's because I grew up in such a large family and if you wanted a second helping of "the good stuff" you had to eat fast. (Otherwise, it was just vegetables and salad left - no meat loaf or au gratin potatoes!)
ReplyDeleteI find that when I'm eating alone (most of the time) I scoff my food quickly. But when I'm with friends I don't want to be embarrassed so I force myself to slow down by setting my fork down and taking a sip of water between bites. The problem then is that I'm the last one done.
Have you thought of how you will work to slow down your pace? It might be good to come up with a plan of action like resting between bites or using a smaller spoon/fork so that your bites are just smaller.
I hope you get things sorted soon and that your weight loss goals start to show solid progress. I'm cheering for you!!
So far I find that I have to be aware how fast I chew and to pause between bites.
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