According to some theory and research, overweight people tend to eat faster than the average. In fact the more he/she is overweight, the faster his/her eating pace as well...
I've known this theory for quite some time, but it only took my attention today. Well here's a short story, today me and some of my office mate had a free lunch at the buffet. We were given an allowance to eat whatever we like.

To make long story short, most of us ordered rice to accompany our viands. Most of them want to eat a lot so most of them ordered 3 cups of rice (almost all of them in fact). I just can't help but notice, the more overweight this person is, the faster he finish eating.
Can anyone explain the reasoning why the more a person is overweight, the faster they eat?

I know for a fact that for me I eat too fast. I have to really concentrate and eat slowly in order that I don't eat too much. I'd be interested in hearing other stories/facts about this.

I find that the better and more flavorful the food, the slower I eat and the less I eat.

Well I for one was taught to eat fast in elementary school. My mother pointed it out after a couple years of going I could inhale my lunch in about 4 minutes flat. I wasn;t a fat kid - this was a fact of life. You got 45 minutes for lunch - by the time you make it out of the classroom and to the lunch room you've burned 10 minutes - then you wait in line with the other 400 starving kids to get your lunch (anywhere from 5-10 minutes) [see where this is going?] - so you finally sit down to eat you've got maybe a total of 20 minutes on the clock - god forbid you forgot to grab a fork/spoon what have you when you went through the line - and roughly 5-10 minutes before times up - you had teachers telling you to "hurry up" cause we had to go. Average time spent eating - about 10 minutes - and you better not have been one of those kids who tried talking during lunch.

I think as Adults you subconsciously realize eating more in the same amount of time you have to eat faster - I think our society breeds in us that we're always running late and out of time - I think you taste less when you're overweight and usually its not even about taste, its about trying to "feel full".

I don't know - I'm rambling. :)

I'm not really overweight anymore and I still pound back the food as fast as I can - the biggest difference is pre-established limits. I eat for fuel and because I know I have to - not cause I want to all the time.

Eating is almost a nuisance . . . . . . did I just say that? :eek:

I dont agree. Im 290lbs and I eat very, very slow. So much that my friends bitch when we go out to eat because I'm the last one done everytime. i really like food and I like to enjoy every bite. No reason to rush it, just less flavor to enjoy.

The fastest eater in the world only weighs 130 lbs. :D

http://www.watchmeeatahotdog.com/eaters/kobayashi/

The fastest eater in the world only weighs 130 lbs. :D

http://www.watchmeeatahotdog.com/eaters/kobayashi/

Is that a joke? You have to pay 10 dollars to see pictures of people eating hot dogs?

Is that a joke? You have to pay 10 dollars to see pictures of people eating hot dogs?
Just wait till summer when ESPN broadcasts the Hot dog eating contest (How that's considered a sport i'll never know), but either way, you can have your fill of Kobayashi and the other competitors...

But he's not really the "fastest eater" in the world, he really isn't even that big in the competitive eating world as some others are, but I will say he can sure as hell stuff down hot dogs at incredible rates and the competitions he does enter, he generally wins :nod:

I think the theory is accordingly: the faster you eat, the later you notice you are actually full. I eat very very slowly, chewing every bite for many many times which I believe causes my body to absorb more nutrients than most friends' bodies do, because they chow down the lot.
My stepfather used to get angry because I ate so slowly, but now I seem to have found a pace that most people can tolerate.

Short and sweet: you should eat slower because:
- you will notice you are full sooner
- you will absorb more nutrients

Everyone agree?

"Short and sweet: you should eat slower because:
- you will notice you are full sooner
- you will absorb more nutrients"


Are you serious? So chugging my protein shakes and milk etc in like 5 seconds was not as good as drinking them like 10 times slower?

Can anyone explain the reasoning why the more a person is overweight, the faster they eat?

Because we're HUNGRY!!!!!!!!!!!! :spaz:

I dunno, I've never been overweight a day in my life and I (used to) eat faster than anyone I know. My friends used to say I would inhale my food. I've been trying to slow it down lately because it used to be I'd be done with my meal and my girlfriend will have taken two bites.

My dad has the fastest damned metabolism possible, but he eats a meal in an hour... He's the last to finish, ALWAYS, no exceptions.

If only I had inherited his superfast metabolism.... :drool:

And also, I noticed that one sign I'm about to binge is my eating pace begins to increase. It's like a sign for me, whenever I realize I'm eating too fast, I slow down by drinking a glass of water. Otherwise, I'll tend to overeat because it takes at least 20 minutes for the brain to send the signal that you're already full. Thanks to this early warning, I can somehow avoid unnecesary binge, especially since I'll be cutting :jumping:

I'm thinner than I've ever been and my meals take me about three minutes to eat. :) So I don't know that it matters unless you have 'open ended' meals and eat until full, in which case you'd probably throw down food before realizing you are full. I eat the same size meal no matter what, so if I power it down oh well. :)

In the united states, particularly in the schools - children are taught to pack it down as fast as possible. I am watching it happen now with my own daughter. She has come home from school several times upset that she is hungry because she wasn't able to eat fast enough to get enough food to last her. :d_mad:

This then carries on to our grownup lives of 20 minute lunch breaks and so on.

However - many studies have been done on the pace and amount of people's eating and what influences it. One of them is music. Some music causes people to not only eat fast, but MORE. And some music causes the reverse. Lighting also has an effect. Dim light causes you to eat more, bright light is less. Oh, and sitting in front of a mirror caused people to eat up to 30% less food... :eek:

All of this can also play directly into television, which incorpoates a shifting light scheme with musical beats that your brain can pick up on, food suggestions to eat (the not so subliminal, subliminals) and a habit to do so.

Habit of fast OVER eating can also cause a reliance on a feeling of OVER-fullness as a signal that things are where they should be - even though it's incorrect. So, when you are in a social situation instead of on your own or in front of a television, you can still seek out the pace and quantity to satisfy your internal quota. All of this plays into what someone said earlier about eating too fast and not causing the brain to register you are full when you are.

Lots of reasons, from personal preference to societal pressures, to habit. And in the end - people can eat fast or slow, it's all about how much they eat overall through the day that will determine their weight. I know a lot of fast eaters that hit anywhere on the weight range.

"Short and sweet: you should eat slower because:
- you will notice you are full sooner
- you will absorb more nutrients"

Are you serious? So chugging my protein shakes and milk etc in like 5 seconds was not as good as drinking them like 10 times slower?

Wow, if you read it like that it DOES sound like a load of bullocks, doesn't it! ;) With the absorbing of nutrients I don't mean that your body magically absorbs more nutrients when you eat slower, but that people who eat faster, chew less, and your stomach will be less able to absorb nutrients from those bigger chunks than from really small pieces. E.g. if you eat peas and don't chew them they'll come out hole, this happens on a smaller scale, as well. I thought my text was clear about that, sorry if it was not.

Or maybe you should read slower so you absorb more content! ;)

If you're planning your meals in advance, and eating a set number of calories, I wouldn't think it should matter how fast or slow you eat (someone please correct me if there's any evidence to the contrary).

If (like most non-dieters) you're not eating a pre-planned amount, I could see how eating faster might lead you to consume more calories, since it takes a while for your mind to realize your stomach is full.

For people who counts calories, since you have a plan on how much you will eat, then it matters less how fast you eat. But I'm reffereing here to the people who don't count calories. Remember, counting calories is not how the average person lives, right? But still, some of this people know how to eat properly and know when to stop eating. While on the other hand, there are some people (mostly I've noticed is the one overweight), eats too fast, without knowing how much they really need/want. These people tend to use the feeling of "overstuffed" as a sign of fullness...

PS: I'm not saying that all overweight people do, but I say "most" of them :nod:

I've noticed that restaurants tend to capitalize on the fact that people eat fast. Notice how they rush to ask if anyone wants dessert as soon as you're done eating? They know you won't be as hungry in 20 minutes so they try to get you while your mind hasn't realized you're full yet.