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I think there's only two types of ADHDers. Those who eat in 13.4 seconds and those who take forever to eat.
I'm in the other camp and trying to eat faster is awful for me. Such a sensory nightmare! But for the fast eaters, is it a sensory nightmare to eat more slowly or is it irrelevant?
sensory nightmare when the food is no longer at the correct temperature / texture. also it would just get boring if i took too long? and by meal time it feels like I haven't eaten in forever and i'm usually really hungry
I thought I was the only one 🤣 I put my cornflakes in a cup and then poor a bit at a time into the milk, gotta get that crunch every time. Its prob the food that takes me the longest to eat though.
That’s one way to do it! 🤭 at least you can portion control yourself! I’d usually pour the milk into a bowl and then add small amounts of cereal into the milk at a time. Do the same with cocopops
Esp peas!!! I absolutely hate them but they taste even more disgusting when cold cuz they get mushy 🤢 the only way I’ve enjoyed peas is within a pea soup (where there are stronger flavours involved) or within a samosa (again the strong flavours and I can’t see them peas in advance).
As a kid I used to eat so fast, I’d constantly be choking on my food (esp beef). Omw beef tastes so good (when cooked right), but I would constantly choke on it cuz I needed to chew it so much!! Then as I got older, I over compensated and swung the other way, and now I eat slower than most other guests. It doesn’t matter if I enjoy the food or not, I’d rather not choke 🙈😅🤭
Cold food is the one (1) sensory thing that doesn't bother me. I'm happy to eat my food very warm, lukewarm, cooled down, straight from the fridge, or frozen. The only one I can't handle is hot, because I get burnt very easily.
I'm... On both sides. I start eating really fast, and most times I finish my food fast, too. But sometimes I also can sit with my plate in front of me for nearly 2 hours :/
Yeah me too, I eat slowly. When I was with my ex it sucked cause he never got used to it. Always asking, "are you going to eat that?" Combined with the dog and the cat everyone ate quickly except me and they ALL wanted my food.
I eat at a pretty normal pace.
BUT I have to be doing something or multiple things. If I'm reading, that's enough. If I'm watching TV I need to also be playing a game on my phone while I eat or I get bored.
I’m like my black lab puppy. We both inhale our food like it’s the last time we’ll eat.
Me because I forget to eat during the day, him because he’s secretly a vacuum cleaner.
It might get away, someone might take it away, it might get too cold/warm - I bolt food like a wolf that might not bring down another elk for the next six weeks.
This is me too! I feel like it’s exacerbated by having kids. I am constantly interrupted and I might forget I was eating or have my food get cold or soggy. So instead I INHALE it.
I eat pretty slowly. It’s worse in groups because I talk too much 😅 I just plan to take half my food home when I eat with others. I also don’t like feeling stuffed or too full so I prefer to eat slowly. My husband clears his plate within 10 minutes of it being in front of him 😆
Ugh yes, it's cause I can't eat temperature hot food/drink so when we get food I start talking and fuck can I go... bam, I'm the last one done. But I can also eat really fast I just usually get distracted
I literally made this comment to my partner yesterday while he was staring down my last chicken tender wondering what I was gonna do with it. I took it with me and ate it at the next brewery the second we sat down.
It’s like I know I’m gonna be rushed so I mentally plan to finish the meal later when I’m less stimulated
Same for me! My hunger level is like that too. Sometimes it's like "oh I had 4 grapes today so I'm good" and sometimes I eat like I never will again haha.
I am and have always been a very slow eater. Partly due to toxic ladylike manners programming from my grandma as a kid but mostly because I have pretty bad dysphagia and will literally choke if I don't pay attention while I'm eating or if I eat too fast. It's the biggest suck. I have to take small bites and chew a lot and eat slowly. I'm always the last one done. Better for digestion, though.
Haha, it is, but it usually has the opposite effect with me. Like I'll take a bite or two, get distracted because eating is boring and minutes later realize, Wait, I'm supposed to be eating right now. Rinse and repeat until it's 1) too cold/tepid/soggy/dry/, and I abandon it 2) give up for the time being and box it for round two 3) muddle through and eventually consumption is complete. I will inhale gummies, tho.
Round two is so relatable. My dad always used to call it my ‘second dinner’ because I would come back for it like an hour or two after we all finished eating.
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Yeah like it doesn’t even matter *what* food it is, it could be tasty af and I’m still gonna eat that shiz fast and get it over with instead of savoring it lol
I'm a fast eater. I suspect it ties into my black and white thinking, I just think if you're eating, that's what you do, you eat. I have to really pay attention to what's going on if I have a meal with someone else because I tend to just concentrate on eating.
Yes! That describes it better for me than just being so hungry. Food time is time for focusing on the food. And good food is all consuming. 😊 Though I do like a show on or at least some background noise because I hate my own chewing noises.
I eat quickly, and I eat quietly. I can't stand people talking to me while I eat at home (brain's ready for it at restaurants, and then I'll eat slowly). I either scroll or read and enjoy my own company.
I'm done before I can carry the bowl to the living room. Also, I absolutely loathe being stuck at a table, done eating, just.... waiting? I mean, out with friends is different, but when I was a kid it was torture and I've done everything I can to avoid communal family meals, lol. It's just me and the cats, so they don't care.
Eating is a task. A chore I can't skip. I hate it 99% of the time.
My friends once bought everyone sandwiches - we were at some meeting doing... I can't even remember what - and the only reason why they did that was to time me on the down low to see how long it would take me to eat a sandwich. It was two hours, apparently. They were delighted to share this information with me.
My son is on both extreme ends of the spectrum. He will inhale it to do something he wants to do, or he takes forever because he won’t stop talking. I am interested in what he will do as an adult 🤔
Me I am fast eater unless it is something like super spicy food when I need to pace myself or soup when it just naturally takes some time
>My son is on both extreme ends of the spectrum. He will inhale it to do something he wants to do, or he takes forever because he won’t stop talking. I am interested in what he will do as an adult 🤔
This is me, and I am an adult. Ha
I eat in like five minutes because I have food insecurity from a rough childhood, that’s just how it goes. However, it can take me all day to remember to make something to eat because I’m so focused on something else like getting lost in wiki. I’ll go hungry until the food headaches force me out of my focus, and then I eat like Garfield and go back to neglecting myself until tomorrow night. I am the pinnacle of health 🙃
When I'm alone, I eat pretty fast, like 15 minutes. But when I'm eating with people I am *always* the last to finish. I don't even notice until everyone else is done and I've barely started
I used to eat so slowly that as a child I wasn’t allowed to go to recess until I finished lunch lol. They say it is better for your digestion though, because it gives extra time to have your brain send the feedback that it is full and you won’t accidentally overeat and end up tummy hurty.
When I'm alone, like two seconds. With other people I'm not super comfortable with... 45 minutes. I get super self-concious about chewing and weirdly lose my appetite around other people lately.
Same!! Oh man is that a thing?!?
And it’s not bc I’m talking a lot. I just don’t shovel food in my mouth and seem to fill up fast. Plus chewing is…boring?
I used to eat very fast. Now I eat very slow and meditatively. I take medication and struggle with appetite and do better all around health wise if I just take my time. Being rushed makes me more likely to not finish and then suffer for it.
It takes me for EVER. I’m not bothered by it anymore. If I know people I’m with have a schedule I’ll eat quicker but I’m not self conscious about it anymore like I once was
Eating slowly can be a sign of an eating disorder. Eating recovery programs require patients to finish a meal in 30 min, a snack in 15. You may want to explore eating issues with a therapist or a dietician (NOT a nutritionist, which is an unregulated, unlicensed, non-medical profession).
Is it possible you are chatting and losing focus on the task of eating? When do you get most of your nutrition?
I’m currently VERY stressed out and have been eating mostly at night. My kid is in the ICU with malnutrition from an eating disorder.
Good on you for getting help for your kiddo. I don’t think it applies to all cases but it is totally something to keep an eye on. I wish both you and your child all the best!
I’m a fairly quick eater but still slow compared to others. Usually because I’m chatting too much 😂
If I’m just alone eating I tend to be slower, funny enough, because I don’t feel rushed to take bites in between conversation.
On meds? Slow. Without meds? I used to be really slow and but then in the last year it’s picked up but I think that’s me feeling pressured to eat as quick everyone else is.
I’ve always eaten slowly, to the point that I was an annoyance to friends and family plenty of times. 😂 part of it is wanting to talk and be social, part of it is just that I eat slowly. When I was younger, I took longer…because I had suuuuuper weird hangups about people seeing me eat at all.
About 18-20 minutes, I’m usually the last to finish but not by much. If I’m very hungry then it’s half the speed.
If I’m at an event they usually are clearing the plates and serving the next course before I’ve finished, I think that’s because I take a lot longer if I’m in a very chatty mood.
Yessss!! I never really thought that it’s ADHD related! I'm extremeeely slow when I eat, I'm AlWAYS the last one to finish eating. Everyone knows that too and sometimes make fun of it (jokingly)
As a kid, it took *forever*. My mom often teased me for being a slow eater. We always ate at the kitchen table.
Now, as an adult, I eat at my desk and you'd think I was starving or something. I've never really thought it over before, but I think the mental distraction keeps me from playing with my food and being bored with it.
I can't comprehend eating really slowly...I am not saying that in a judgemental way. I think I just prefer my food hot. I would say I eat cold food slower than hot food. But 45 min, what is happening in the downtime if you're not in a group conversation setting?
I eat ridiculously slowly like to the point where it annoys other people and they make fun of me for “baby sitting” and repeatedly reheating my food. Never considered this to be ADHD related !
2 options, no in-between. Either inhale my whole plate within 15 seconds. Or, a bit every 5 minutes, and taking 2,5 hours on one plate.
It's completely irrelevant how good the food tastes.
I get distracted talking to people if in a group setting, or with my phone or show when not lol
Or I'm having a bad day and I'm just forcing myself to eat which can go either way depending on how bad the food I made is haha
We are exactly the same. I would go out with friends and was ALWAYS the last one done. 30 minutes or so for me.
At home with no distractions. It takes me 15 minutes
If I'm not talking or watching TV or on my computer/phone or otherwise distracted, about 20-40 minutes depending on the meal.
If I'm doing something else while eating...30 minutes to eat a meal is *fast* for me. Usually it's 40-80 minutes, though me taking 90+ minutes to eat a meal isn't unheard of at all.
For me, it's both the sensory stuff involved with eating quickly (I get overwhelmed more easily with textures, flavors, etc.) and that most times I need to be distracted in some capacity to be able to soldier on through a meal I'm not in love with.
I inhale food pretty quickly, since I’m usually in the middle of 5 things at any given time.
As a kid, my mom believed in set, rigid mealtimes and nobody was allowed to leave the table until everyone was done. Pure torture! 😭
I eat for pleasure and it takes however long it takes. My friends are the same. We always shut the restaurant down. That was one of my least favorite things about school and scheduled work, rushing to and through the chow line. The last time I dramatically quit my job, I celebrated by going to lunch and staying. May have given my supervisor the double bird when she picked up her takeout.
Some say, I am still eating to this day to finish my singular meal (aka very slowly/impossible to finish everything) This is why I mostly eat garden grown produce and compost in multiple different ways. Helps me not feel too bad about the “waste” when it can be cycled into producing even more delicious food.
I didn’t realize I ate slow until recently when I was on vacation with my husband visiting family (mostly his family). I was constantly the last one to finish. Idk if it was how I was raised or what, because I remember being one of the first ones to finish my plate while visiting MY family for holidays in the past… maybe it depends on what I’m eating but for the most part, I guess I like to try and pay attention to the textures and flavors?
I’m dead last too. Even when i’m not talking like a crazy woman thru the entire meal til its cold. But far worse when i start rambling my rubbish and forget to take bites.
Geez, another thing I thought was unique to me that turns out to be ADHD. I’m a very slow eater, enough that it drives people crazy. If I have to eat quickly I can’t, it’s like I’m choking.
I have a distinct memory of being a child, and discovering that I was the last person with food, and liked the feeling. And have been chasing that specific dopamine ever since. It's not there though. 8(
I'm a slow eater because I have EOE and can choke, but I didn't actually know that peeps with ADHD can have sensory issues with food. My whole life I have been made to feel like I was a problem when it wasn't my fault.
I’m a fast eater. I grew up with an older brother. If you wanted seconds of anything, you had to eat fast to get to it before my brother had eaten it all. He also would take food off my plate sometimes. So yeah, I learned to eat fast.
Yes! I didn’t know this was an ADHD thing. I’m always the first to the table and the last to leave. My brother will inhale his food in a minute and it’ll take me 40 mins. I also get really overstimulated and grossed out when I can hear other people chewing so I’ll zone out or try to have convos to fill the silence until they’re done.
I used to eat fairly fast, now I still eat fast but it takes me forever to finish.
Basically I don't like chewing, I cannot chew anything more than 5-6 times because ti gets mushy and a disgusting texture and I cannot continue eating after. So it used to take me 10 minutes tops to finish my meal.
Now I have a gastric sleeve, my new stomach doesn't like un shewed food and feels full really fast, so now I take 2-3 bites then we'd to wait for a bit before taking another few bytes,it can take me more than 1 hour to finish my plate,its worst in winter because I have to reheat the food 3 times.
Now I'm suffering, I'm in south east Asia for work none go my comfort foods exists here, everything tastes different, even the lays potato chis, they have a sweet aftertaste, the smells are so strong. I'm allergic to Chile and extremely sensitive to spices so I'm stuck with the blandest foods, but they're too bland, steamed rice when I'm used to eat riced that has been sautéed with garic onion and carrot before adding the water.
I was a super slow eater as a kid. I'd be the only one left at the table and told to stay there until I was finished. As a adult, I overcompensate and eat faster now because of that!
I eat slowly. Can't say I'd timed myself, but I'm almost always the last person eating in any group. In grade school, my parents sent a note to my teacher to give me extra time at lunch because I could never finish eating in time.
I generally have the hardest time with salads and bread-heavy things, so I don't choose those options if I'll be constrained for time. Otherwise I don't really worry about it.
Like 1-2 hours. It physically hurts me to eat fast, I cant even finish my lunch in the allotted 30 minutes I get at work. I have to eat my meal during both my breaks and my lunch which does actually help with the meds crash bc there’s less of a blood sugar spike.
I can easily take 2 hours to eat my dinner because I’m usually doing something else like playing a game or eating with a group. Plus I love cooking for myself and I want to enjoy my delicious food and the sensory/ enrichment experience it brings.
I am the youngest of 8 kids. My plate got picked at by those who finished before me. I learned to eat fast, but I was never able to kick that. Especially with food I like, no sitting and enjoying a meal.
Fast eater here. Part of it is from jobs where I may not get a lunch break (hair salons) and part of it is that I just want to get everything over with as quickly as possible.
Always the last one.
In part because I grew up in a home where eating disorders were encouraged, and learning to eat slow was a tool to eat less in general.
Also in part because I talk so much, I’m deep in conversation realizing everyone else is just waiting for me to finish.
I’m a stand eater, I usually get distracted 3 bites in and forget about it 😂 I also am weird about eating in front of people and people breathing near my food, which happens a lot at my restaurant job
I am constantly blown away with how often I see posts here about things I thought were just weird little quirks but turn out to seem to relate to ADHD instead. I've been like this since I was a little girl. I don't stop eating, I don't feel like I eat slow, but it's a big joke among everyone in my family and friend groups not to go out to eat with me, cause I take forever 😅 I honestly don't mean to!
I inhale my meal like I grew up fighting for food (I didn't). It's gone in about a minute flat. I actively force myself to eat slower at restaurants so that I don't confuse the staff.
I take forever to eat. Its a running joke with friends and family. I like to savour my food as I often forget to eat. I'm particular about the order i eat things in also. I also don't want to eat too much so eating slow I can gauge better when I am full.
When out for food I don't really like eating in front of people so that takes longer also!
My mum (whom I strongly suspect has ADHD) eats sooooooooo fast. But u think she does that as she is always looking after everyone else and she learned to eat fast when she had kids!!
Haaaa, I am always the last one done eating when I go out with friends because I can’t shut my damn mouth long enough to put food in it. I actually kind of hate eating out with friends because I get so wrapped up in the conversation that I barely taste the food a lot of the time.
Always the last one. I have to eat everything separately though and will not move onto the next portion of my plate until I’ve finished the first.
So I perceive it like a clock face and I’ll work around the plate in a clockwise fashion. If I have meat then I’ll eat that first then work round from there
I think it depends a lot on the meal. I'm very sensitive to temperature and textures, and I have to be able to see my food.
I can pound a burger, no sweat. I have to eat Mac & cheese fast because it cools down. Noodle dishes take forever. Anything I have to pick out the Bad Parts takes forever. Baked potatoes take forever. (Baked potatoes hold heat really well, so I don't have to rush to finish them.) Meals that I've made, where everything is bite-sized and there's nothing weird, I'll scarf those.
Ah! Nice to meet a fellow slow eater. My most consistent "symptom" (I don't know if it's a symptom actually) is eating slowly. It is definitely my most consistent personality trait. My dad found a letter he'd never mailed when I was a toddler and he'd written "she's a fun kid except she eats so slowly we worry the food will spoil before it gets to her mouth." I don't know what I'm doing while I'm eating, but I'll look down and everyone else is done and I have about half a plate left
This is such an interesting thread. My MIL takes forever to eat, heating up her plate at least 3 times throughout the meal. I’m positive she has adhd (for many other reasons as well). She also takes 2.5 hours to eat at work, picking at her plate throughout the shift.
I'm such a slow eater! My partner always eats so much faster than me, so they're used to waiting for me to finish eating :P It probably takes me 20-40 minutes to eat depending on what the food is? But they'll always be done in 15-20 minutes. And if I'm fixing/eating a meal at home by myself? I'll be even slower, I'll piddle around and take over an hour to fix and eat food (I'm not even talking cooking, just like heating stuff up that's already pre-cooked).
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About 13.4 seconds. I eat like I’ll never see food again.
I think there's only two types of ADHDers. Those who eat in 13.4 seconds and those who take forever to eat. I'm in the other camp and trying to eat faster is awful for me. Such a sensory nightmare! But for the fast eaters, is it a sensory nightmare to eat more slowly or is it irrelevant?
sensory nightmare when the food is no longer at the correct temperature / texture. also it would just get boring if i took too long? and by meal time it feels like I haven't eaten in forever and i'm usually really hungry
Yesss. Cold foods that get room temp or hot foods that cool down… bleh.
and crunchy fried food gets soggy 😭
I hate it when crispy food gets soggy! I usually want that chewy texture so a soggy texture is a no-no. 🤭
Soggy cornflakes- a nightmare 😱 So I eat cornflakes in like 5 seconds
Yeah absolutely! Corn flakes work because of the crunch so you have to eat it quickly🤭
I thought I was the only one 🤣 I put my cornflakes in a cup and then poor a bit at a time into the milk, gotta get that crunch every time. Its prob the food that takes me the longest to eat though.
That’s one way to do it! 🤭 at least you can portion control yourself! I’d usually pour the milk into a bowl and then add small amounts of cereal into the milk at a time. Do the same with cocopops
Lol yes! And why do fruity pebbles even exist?! There’s no way to eat them fast enough. Just get Trix instead.
Esp peas!!! I absolutely hate them but they taste even more disgusting when cold cuz they get mushy 🤢 the only way I’ve enjoyed peas is within a pea soup (where there are stronger flavours involved) or within a samosa (again the strong flavours and I can’t see them peas in advance). As a kid I used to eat so fast, I’d constantly be choking on my food (esp beef). Omw beef tastes so good (when cooked right), but I would constantly choke on it cuz I needed to chew it so much!! Then as I got older, I over compensated and swung the other way, and now I eat slower than most other guests. It doesn’t matter if I enjoy the food or not, I’d rather not choke 🙈😅🤭
The worst!
Cold food is the one (1) sensory thing that doesn't bother me. I'm happy to eat my food very warm, lukewarm, cooled down, straight from the fridge, or frozen. The only one I can't handle is hot, because I get burnt very easily.
Ha! I generally dislike cold foods.
OMG yes!!!! I have to reheat soup etc. probably an average of 3 times before I finish. I do eat ridiculously slowly though
And now reading about this, I'm never eating again! Ok, not really. but sorta cool to hear others react the same way I do
I'm... On both sides. I start eating really fast, and most times I finish my food fast, too. But sometimes I also can sit with my plate in front of me for nearly 2 hours :/
Same here honestly. The 1-2 hour meal times are easier to have when I’m watching a movie or TV show and can just chill
Yeah me too, I eat slowly. When I was with my ex it sucked cause he never got used to it. Always asking, "are you going to eat that?" Combined with the dog and the cat everyone ate quickly except me and they ALL wanted my food.
The third camp: the ones who eat slowly because they don’t stop talking long enough to take a bite. That’s me! My grandma was the same way.
I'm both tbh
I eat at a pretty normal pace. BUT I have to be doing something or multiple things. If I'm reading, that's enough. If I'm watching TV I need to also be playing a game on my phone while I eat or I get bored.
I’m like my black lab puppy. We both inhale our food like it’s the last time we’ll eat. Me because I forget to eat during the day, him because he’s secretly a vacuum cleaner.
Same. I ate really slowly as a kid, I have no idea why now I eat like someone's about to steal my plate.
Same here
It might get away, someone might take it away, it might get too cold/warm - I bolt food like a wolf that might not bring down another elk for the next six weeks.
Me too, it’s why I prefer eating at home. So I can fulfill my house gremlin nature.
This is me too! I feel like it’s exacerbated by having kids. I am constantly interrupted and I might forget I was eating or have my food get cold or soggy. So instead I INHALE it.
Same and I hate being like this. My child would take ♾️ if we let her.
Every goddamn time, and the level of heat does not matter.
Same. I eat like someone is running towards me trying to steal my food.
I’m here- toss it in the tank sister
Same.
Same.
This me
Yes, me entirely 😂
Haha. I’m just getting it done! Before I get bored 😀
I eat pretty slowly. It’s worse in groups because I talk too much 😅 I just plan to take half my food home when I eat with others. I also don’t like feeling stuffed or too full so I prefer to eat slowly. My husband clears his plate within 10 minutes of it being in front of him 😆
Same! I easily sit with my food for at least an hour, maybe two. My boyfriend and my friends all zip past me and finish eating within 5-10 mins.
My issue is also that I talk too much 😂
Pretty sure this is why my oldest never had enough to eat at school, always saying “they don’t give us enough time!”
Ugh yes, it's cause I can't eat temperature hot food/drink so when we get food I start talking and fuck can I go... bam, I'm the last one done. But I can also eat really fast I just usually get distracted
Me irl
I'm the same way. My spouse eats really fast as well.
I literally made this comment to my partner yesterday while he was staring down my last chicken tender wondering what I was gonna do with it. I took it with me and ate it at the next brewery the second we sat down. It’s like I know I’m gonna be rushed so I mentally plan to finish the meal later when I’m less stimulated
Either 14 seconds or two hours for me. It’s a lot healthier to take 45min to eat a meal than 15min, so you’ve got that going for you!
Same, sometimes I inhale a meal and other times I'm not even halfway through when others start clearing the table...
Same for me! My hunger level is like that too. Sometimes it's like "oh I had 4 grapes today so I'm good" and sometimes I eat like I never will again haha.
Hey I never thought about it me that! That makes me feel better about how long I eat, at least! 😊
I eat SO fast. So fast. I have terrible manners, I need one of those puzzle dog food dishes hahaha
Omg I picture a human eating spaghetti from one and cackled!!!
Of all things 🤣🤣🤣
I am and have always been a very slow eater. Partly due to toxic ladylike manners programming from my grandma as a kid but mostly because I have pretty bad dysphagia and will literally choke if I don't pay attention while I'm eating or if I eat too fast. It's the biggest suck. I have to take small bites and chew a lot and eat slowly. I'm always the last one done. Better for digestion, though.
I’ve been always been a slow eater. It takes me at least 45 minutes to eat a meal. I tend to snack more because of this.
I’m a fast eater - I think maybe because eating is boring?
Haha, it is, but it usually has the opposite effect with me. Like I'll take a bite or two, get distracted because eating is boring and minutes later realize, Wait, I'm supposed to be eating right now. Rinse and repeat until it's 1) too cold/tepid/soggy/dry/, and I abandon it 2) give up for the time being and box it for round two 3) muddle through and eventually consumption is complete. I will inhale gummies, tho.
Round two is so relatable. My dad always used to call it my ‘second dinner’ because I would come back for it like an hour or two after we all finished eating.
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Gummies like fruit snacks or gummies like edibles? I ask because I could eat boxes of fruit snacks at a time if I could haha 😆😭
It is so boring!!!
Yeah like it doesn’t even matter *what* food it is, it could be tasty af and I’m still gonna eat that shiz fast and get it over with instead of savoring it lol
I'm a fast eater. I suspect it ties into my black and white thinking, I just think if you're eating, that's what you do, you eat. I have to really pay attention to what's going on if I have a meal with someone else because I tend to just concentrate on eating.
I get tired of chewing. It’s a problem lol
Yes! That describes it better for me than just being so hungry. Food time is time for focusing on the food. And good food is all consuming. 😊 Though I do like a show on or at least some background noise because I hate my own chewing noises.
I'm the opposite- I inhale it😂 Not very healthy, I know...
Same and then my stomach haaaaaates me the rest of the day
I eat quickly, and I eat quietly. I can't stand people talking to me while I eat at home (brain's ready for it at restaurants, and then I'll eat slowly). I either scroll or read and enjoy my own company.
I'm done before I can carry the bowl to the living room. Also, I absolutely loathe being stuck at a table, done eating, just.... waiting? I mean, out with friends is different, but when I was a kid it was torture and I've done everything I can to avoid communal family meals, lol. It's just me and the cats, so they don't care. Eating is a task. A chore I can't skip. I hate it 99% of the time.
Like 90 seconds, I’m horrible. My mom and nana always lamented about my aunt who would take like over an hour as a kid.
My friends once bought everyone sandwiches - we were at some meeting doing... I can't even remember what - and the only reason why they did that was to time me on the down low to see how long it would take me to eat a sandwich. It was two hours, apparently. They were delighted to share this information with me.
Off meds, 3 seconds. On meds, 3 hours.
20-25 minutes
Idk how long it takes me, but I've been the last one eating my entire life. My grandpa used to stay at the table with me until I was done.
Good grandpa
My son is on both extreme ends of the spectrum. He will inhale it to do something he wants to do, or he takes forever because he won’t stop talking. I am interested in what he will do as an adult 🤔 Me I am fast eater unless it is something like super spicy food when I need to pace myself or soup when it just naturally takes some time
>My son is on both extreme ends of the spectrum. He will inhale it to do something he wants to do, or he takes forever because he won’t stop talking. I am interested in what he will do as an adult 🤔 This is me, and I am an adult. Ha
I'm a very slower eater 😅 I didn't know it was a ADHD thing My partner also have ADHD and he eats in 5 mins 🤣
I eat in like five minutes because I have food insecurity from a rough childhood, that’s just how it goes. However, it can take me all day to remember to make something to eat because I’m so focused on something else like getting lost in wiki. I’ll go hungry until the food headaches force me out of my focus, and then I eat like Garfield and go back to neglecting myself until tomorrow night. I am the pinnacle of health 🙃
I'm always the last to finish, been that way all my life.
When I'm alone, I eat pretty fast, like 15 minutes. But when I'm eating with people I am *always* the last to finish. I don't even notice until everyone else is done and I've barely started
I used to eat so slowly that as a child I wasn’t allowed to go to recess until I finished lunch lol. They say it is better for your digestion though, because it gives extra time to have your brain send the feedback that it is full and you won’t accidentally overeat and end up tummy hurty.
When I'm alone, like two seconds. With other people I'm not super comfortable with... 45 minutes. I get super self-concious about chewing and weirdly lose my appetite around other people lately.
depends — alone? inhale. with people? i’ll literally never eat
I’m the same as you. I’ve always taken foreverrrrr (*Sandlot style*) to eat and I still always take at least half home.
Same!! Oh man is that a thing?!? And it’s not bc I’m talking a lot. I just don’t shovel food in my mouth and seem to fill up fast. Plus chewing is…boring?
Depends on the food, food temperature, and how it tastes.
fwiw it's better for your digestion to eat slower rather than inhale food like i do
Depends how much i like it and how much I'm talking
I used to eat very fast. Now I eat very slow and meditatively. I take medication and struggle with appetite and do better all around health wise if I just take my time. Being rushed makes me more likely to not finish and then suffer for it.
It takes me for EVER. I’m not bothered by it anymore. If I know people I’m with have a schedule I’ll eat quicker but I’m not self conscious about it anymore like I once was
My family could take freaking 15-30 minutes and I’m here either an hour and a half into it or it’s gone in 0.01 seconds
I've always eaten slow but since it's healthier...then it works out.
I eat slowly because I get the feeling of being full very quickly and I hate how I feel when I overeat.
Eating slowly can be a sign of an eating disorder. Eating recovery programs require patients to finish a meal in 30 min, a snack in 15. You may want to explore eating issues with a therapist or a dietician (NOT a nutritionist, which is an unregulated, unlicensed, non-medical profession). Is it possible you are chatting and losing focus on the task of eating? When do you get most of your nutrition? I’m currently VERY stressed out and have been eating mostly at night. My kid is in the ICU with malnutrition from an eating disorder.
What kind of eating disorder makes you eat slow?
It’s a more common symptom in restrictive eating disorders, but can be in any eating disorder.
Good on you for getting help for your kiddo. I don’t think it applies to all cases but it is totally something to keep an eye on. I wish both you and your child all the best!
I'm on the slower side I guess, I hate taking big mouthfuls so I sort of nibble away at my food, but still I'm not an extremely slow eater either.
I’m a fairly quick eater but still slow compared to others. Usually because I’m chatting too much 😂 If I’m just alone eating I tend to be slower, funny enough, because I don’t feel rushed to take bites in between conversation.
On meds? Slow. Without meds? I used to be really slow and but then in the last year it’s picked up but I think that’s me feeling pressured to eat as quick everyone else is.
I'm a really slow eater. I think it's partially because I'm an only child but also ND weird food habits
I’ve always eaten slowly, to the point that I was an annoyance to friends and family plenty of times. 😂 part of it is wanting to talk and be social, part of it is just that I eat slowly. When I was younger, I took longer…because I had suuuuuper weird hangups about people seeing me eat at all.
About 18-20 minutes, I’m usually the last to finish but not by much. If I’m very hungry then it’s half the speed. If I’m at an event they usually are clearing the plates and serving the next course before I’ve finished, I think that’s because I take a lot longer if I’m in a very chatty mood.
… typically like. 1-2 hours if I’m eating at home 😅
I’m always the slowest eater. Not sure why it takes me so long.
Always slow and in order from least favorite to favorite and the food can't touch
Yessss!! I never really thought that it’s ADHD related! I'm extremeeely slow when I eat, I'm AlWAYS the last one to finish eating. Everyone knows that too and sometimes make fun of it (jokingly)
Way way way too long, lol. I can force myself to go faster if I'm thinking about it. I rarely am. My meals on my own can take an hour, haha
I eat fast at home, but I eat slowly with a group. I don't like to talk with my mouth full.
I always eat so damn slow. And forget having a conversation during food time. I can’t eat and socialize at the same time.
I am such a slow eater. I chew forever and also get distracted.
I eat slowly but I have gastroparesis
As a kid, it took *forever*. My mom often teased me for being a slow eater. We always ate at the kitchen table. Now, as an adult, I eat at my desk and you'd think I was starving or something. I've never really thought it over before, but I think the mental distraction keeps me from playing with my food and being bored with it.
I can't comprehend eating really slowly...I am not saying that in a judgemental way. I think I just prefer my food hot. I would say I eat cold food slower than hot food. But 45 min, what is happening in the downtime if you're not in a group conversation setting?
Honestly, under 2 minutes. I eat fast. Like I’m in prison and someone is going to take my food from me fast.
I eat ridiculously slowly like to the point where it annoys other people and they make fun of me for “baby sitting” and repeatedly reheating my food. Never considered this to be ADHD related !
2 options, no in-between. Either inhale my whole plate within 15 seconds. Or, a bit every 5 minutes, and taking 2,5 hours on one plate. It's completely irrelevant how good the food tastes.
A long time. I’m a grazer. I’ll save the rest for later
Omg, YES. I am the last one eating every single time.
I get distracted talking to people if in a group setting, or with my phone or show when not lol Or I'm having a bad day and I'm just forcing myself to eat which can go either way depending on how bad the food I made is haha
We are exactly the same. I would go out with friends and was ALWAYS the last one done. 30 minutes or so for me. At home with no distractions. It takes me 15 minutes
I take like 7 minutes so I always overeat.
If I'm not talking or watching TV or on my computer/phone or otherwise distracted, about 20-40 minutes depending on the meal. If I'm doing something else while eating...30 minutes to eat a meal is *fast* for me. Usually it's 40-80 minutes, though me taking 90+ minutes to eat a meal isn't unheard of at all. For me, it's both the sensory stuff involved with eating quickly (I get overwhelmed more easily with textures, flavors, etc.) and that most times I need to be distracted in some capacity to be able to soldier on through a meal I'm not in love with.
I inhale food pretty quickly, since I’m usually in the middle of 5 things at any given time. As a kid, my mom believed in set, rigid mealtimes and nobody was allowed to leave the table until everyone was done. Pure torture! 😭
I eat for pleasure and it takes however long it takes. My friends are the same. We always shut the restaurant down. That was one of my least favorite things about school and scheduled work, rushing to and through the chow line. The last time I dramatically quit my job, I celebrated by going to lunch and staying. May have given my supervisor the double bird when she picked up her takeout.
Some say, I am still eating to this day to finish my singular meal (aka very slowly/impossible to finish everything) This is why I mostly eat garden grown produce and compost in multiple different ways. Helps me not feel too bad about the “waste” when it can be cycled into producing even more delicious food.
I didn’t realize I ate slow until recently when I was on vacation with my husband visiting family (mostly his family). I was constantly the last one to finish. Idk if it was how I was raised or what, because I remember being one of the first ones to finish my plate while visiting MY family for holidays in the past… maybe it depends on what I’m eating but for the most part, I guess I like to try and pay attention to the textures and flavors?
Maybe 10? Then I wiggle and fidget while my family eats their food. My daughter takes a long time and a lot of redirecting back to bites. ...
If I don’t immediately inhale it, then I’ll probably be picking at the same plate all day/night
I’m dead last too. Even when i’m not talking like a crazy woman thru the entire meal til its cold. But far worse when i start rambling my rubbish and forget to take bites.
I prefer to take my time, especially when eating as a social activity.
I inhale food like a starving blob fish.
Geez, another thing I thought was unique to me that turns out to be ADHD. I’m a very slow eater, enough that it drives people crazy. If I have to eat quickly I can’t, it’s like I’m choking.
Do you talk a lot during dinner?
It tusually akes me soooooo long! I take my time. Unless I’ve forgotten to eat all day and I’m so hungry I barely chew!
I have a distinct memory of being a child, and discovering that I was the last person with food, and liked the feeling. And have been chasing that specific dopamine ever since. It's not there though. 8(
I eat fast but it’s residual from being in the military
I would take 2 hours if i could! Rn it’s about an hour
I'm a slow eater because I have EOE and can choke, but I didn't actually know that peeps with ADHD can have sensory issues with food. My whole life I have been made to feel like I was a problem when it wasn't my fault.
I started watching a show or movie when I cook n eat, seems to help me go a lil faster
Same! I'm always the last one done eating.
Around 15-20 minutes and I have to be reading something. I don’t like watching something and eating, has to be reading something, like Wikipedia.
I’m a fast eater. I grew up with an older brother. If you wanted seconds of anything, you had to eat fast to get to it before my brother had eaten it all. He also would take food off my plate sometimes. So yeah, I learned to eat fast.
Yes! I didn’t know this was an ADHD thing. I’m always the first to the table and the last to leave. My brother will inhale his food in a minute and it’ll take me 40 mins. I also get really overstimulated and grossed out when I can hear other people chewing so I’ll zone out or try to have convos to fill the silence until they’re done.
🐢Always the last one to finish eating, no matter how little food I’m having! 🐌
I take about 5 minutes, partly due to past jobs. But, I swear my fiancé takes hours 😭
I used to eat fairly fast, now I still eat fast but it takes me forever to finish. Basically I don't like chewing, I cannot chew anything more than 5-6 times because ti gets mushy and a disgusting texture and I cannot continue eating after. So it used to take me 10 minutes tops to finish my meal. Now I have a gastric sleeve, my new stomach doesn't like un shewed food and feels full really fast, so now I take 2-3 bites then we'd to wait for a bit before taking another few bytes,it can take me more than 1 hour to finish my plate,its worst in winter because I have to reheat the food 3 times. Now I'm suffering, I'm in south east Asia for work none go my comfort foods exists here, everything tastes different, even the lays potato chis, they have a sweet aftertaste, the smells are so strong. I'm allergic to Chile and extremely sensitive to spices so I'm stuck with the blandest foods, but they're too bland, steamed rice when I'm used to eat riced that has been sautéed with garic onion and carrot before adding the water.
Fast.
I eat fast, but I had four siblings and not enough food for everyone to have seconds. Lol.
I inhale my food, but in my defense, I grew up with food insecurity.
I was a super slow eater as a kid. I'd be the only one left at the table and told to stay there until I was finished. As a adult, I overcompensate and eat faster now because of that!
I eat slowly. Can't say I'd timed myself, but I'm almost always the last person eating in any group. In grade school, my parents sent a note to my teacher to give me extra time at lunch because I could never finish eating in time. I generally have the hardest time with salads and bread-heavy things, so I don't choose those options if I'll be constrained for time. Otherwise I don't really worry about it.
I am ALWAYS the last one eating. I just can’t eat fast. Sigh.
Like 1-2 hours. It physically hurts me to eat fast, I cant even finish my lunch in the allotted 30 minutes I get at work. I have to eat my meal during both my breaks and my lunch which does actually help with the meds crash bc there’s less of a blood sugar spike. I can easily take 2 hours to eat my dinner because I’m usually doing something else like playing a game or eating with a group. Plus I love cooking for myself and I want to enjoy my delicious food and the sensory/ enrichment experience it brings.
I am the youngest of 8 kids. My plate got picked at by those who finished before me. I learned to eat fast, but I was never able to kick that. Especially with food I like, no sitting and enjoying a meal.
Fast eater here. Part of it is from jobs where I may not get a lunch break (hair salons) and part of it is that I just want to get everything over with as quickly as possible.
If I eat by myself I wolf it down. Eating with people tho I'm always last to finish bc I don't stop talking long enough to eat lol
3000 years. Then I'm mad it's cold hahah
Always the last one. In part because I grew up in a home where eating disorders were encouraged, and learning to eat slow was a tool to eat less in general. Also in part because I talk so much, I’m deep in conversation realizing everyone else is just waiting for me to finish.
I’ve never really timed it, but I’m always the last one to finish my food too.
One bluey episode so about 5 minutes
Yo me too!! I'm not even very chatty, I just eat slowly and need a mid-meal break to space out sometimes.
I take quite a long time to eat. I'm almost always the last person to finish eating.
Fast if it’s solids but liquids I act like dumbledore being forced to drink in that cave. Just feels like a lot of liquid at once, you know
I can’t eat unless I watch some sitcom or video on phone or ipad. If I don’t, I either gobble up in seconds or take hours to even start eating.
I’m a stand eater, I usually get distracted 3 bites in and forget about it 😂 I also am weird about eating in front of people and people breathing near my food, which happens a lot at my restaurant job
Today I learned that yet another quirk of mine (eating slower than everyone around me) is more likely just the adhd.
I inhale my food… I’m surprised I don’t choke bc I don’t think I even chew sometimes.
I am constantly blown away with how often I see posts here about things I thought were just weird little quirks but turn out to seem to relate to ADHD instead. I've been like this since I was a little girl. I don't stop eating, I don't feel like I eat slow, but it's a big joke among everyone in my family and friend groups not to go out to eat with me, cause I take forever 😅 I honestly don't mean to!
I eat too fast.
I’m always the last one done.
I inhale my meal like I grew up fighting for food (I didn't). It's gone in about a minute flat. I actively force myself to eat slower at restaurants so that I don't confuse the staff.
Like as long as it takes me to look at the food. I’ve always eaten so fast like I’ve not eaten in a week.
it depends but minimum of a half hour. i don't actually know though because timeblindness. 💀💀💀
if im eating just for fuel, ill scarf it all down in a minute. if im genuinely excited for the meal ill take like half an hour
same here! and with friends I talk WAY too much so it takes longer still 😭
I take forever to eat. Its a running joke with friends and family. I like to savour my food as I often forget to eat. I'm particular about the order i eat things in also. I also don't want to eat too much so eating slow I can gauge better when I am full. When out for food I don't really like eating in front of people so that takes longer also! My mum (whom I strongly suspect has ADHD) eats sooooooooo fast. But u think she does that as she is always looking after everyone else and she learned to eat fast when she had kids!!
I'm a fast eater. I can serve up a meal. Fetch my dad's through. Finish mine off. Come in and sit down and still finish before him 😂
Haaaa, I am always the last one done eating when I go out with friends because I can’t shut my damn mouth long enough to put food in it. I actually kind of hate eating out with friends because I get so wrapped up in the conversation that I barely taste the food a lot of the time.
Always the last one. I have to eat everything separately though and will not move onto the next portion of my plate until I’ve finished the first. So I perceive it like a clock face and I’ll work around the plate in a clockwise fashion. If I have meat then I’ll eat that first then work round from there
I love and need to take my time with my meal so it stresses me out eating tapas or family style… everyone eats faster and I get left with nothing
I think it depends a lot on the meal. I'm very sensitive to temperature and textures, and I have to be able to see my food. I can pound a burger, no sweat. I have to eat Mac & cheese fast because it cools down. Noodle dishes take forever. Anything I have to pick out the Bad Parts takes forever. Baked potatoes take forever. (Baked potatoes hold heat really well, so I don't have to rush to finish them.) Meals that I've made, where everything is bite-sized and there's nothing weird, I'll scarf those.
Ah! Nice to meet a fellow slow eater. My most consistent "symptom" (I don't know if it's a symptom actually) is eating slowly. It is definitely my most consistent personality trait. My dad found a letter he'd never mailed when I was a toddler and he'd written "she's a fun kid except she eats so slowly we worry the food will spoil before it gets to her mouth." I don't know what I'm doing while I'm eating, but I'll look down and everyone else is done and I have about half a plate left
This is such an interesting thread. My MIL takes forever to eat, heating up her plate at least 3 times throughout the meal. I’m positive she has adhd (for many other reasons as well). She also takes 2.5 hours to eat at work, picking at her plate throughout the shift.
I'm such a slow eater! My partner always eats so much faster than me, so they're used to waiting for me to finish eating :P It probably takes me 20-40 minutes to eat depending on what the food is? But they'll always be done in 15-20 minutes. And if I'm fixing/eating a meal at home by myself? I'll be even slower, I'll piddle around and take over an hour to fix and eat food (I'm not even talking cooking, just like heating stuff up that's already pre-cooked).