Does your actual stomach really shrink?

lockedcj7

I don't know if if shrinks but it appears to be true that one can increase their gastric capacity by binge eating. It stands to reason that a person who is in the habit of eating large quantities of food will have their gastric capacity return to normal once they stop over eating.

I know from my own, admittedly anecdotal, experience that I cannot eat nearly the volume that I used to without feeling over-stuffed. I used to eat seconds and thirds and now I have to get a doggy bag for normal sized meals.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8561056?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=1

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11790438?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=1

SezxyStef

There is some evidence that people who have consistently overeaten (think binge eaters, competitive eaters, morbidly obese) have over time trained their stomachs past their normal elastic capacity allowing it to hold more food, and that when these behaviors are stopped, elastic capacity returns to normal (i.e. the stomach shrinks). If those specific conditions do not describe you however, what you are experiencing is a combination of negative feedback controls between your brain and hormones released from your stomach which are signaling satiation faster and with less food than what it used to take.

TL;DR Nope, your stomach hasn't shrunk.

ETA: actually I *think* the hormones get released from the duodenum region of the small intestine, but don't quote me on that.

Reposting because.

me too...

I know I am fuller on less food now too but I do not think an organ can change size in such a permanent manner...temporarily maybe it can get bigger with lots of food or Milk...(gallon contest) but it doesn't stay....

dbutcher

For your consideration:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/health/22real.html?_r=0

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8561056?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=1

yo_andi

When you measure, log and pay attention to what you're eating you're focused and I think more dialed in and conscious of your body's messages. You probably were always full long before you stopped eating but now you're paying attention to feelings of being satisfied and know that you've had enough. At least that's how it's worked for myself.

BINGO. It's not physiological, it's psychological shrinkage.

QueenBishOTUniverse

For your consideration:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/health/22real.html?_r=0

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8561056?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=1

The study was only looking at obese subjects. As I said, unless you are obese, a binge eater or a competitive eater, or have in some way done something to regularly stretch your stomach past normal capacity then, no, it does not shrink because you are eating less food. For those who have increased their stomach capacity, it is simply returning to normal size because it is an organ that has a certain amount of built in elasticity, but the overall size of the organ itself does not change, just the response of the stretch receptors in the stomach that would normally signal that the stomach is too full.

BadAgnes

GuitarJerry wrote: »

It may be possible to stretch your stomach from constantly eating large volumes of food. I was watching a show about bariatric surgery (weigh loss surgery) on morbidly obese patients and it showed how this ladies' stomach had stretched to a very large size which allowed her to eat huge volumes of food. I know that is just anecdotal evidence but I thought that was interesting. I assume if your stomach can stretch, it should be able to shrink over time. I know I can't finish a foot long sub without being in pain; however, I used to have no problem finishing a sub with a bag of chips on the side.

Maybe in an extreme case, but no, the stomach does not change size. This is an easy quick google question if you don't believe us. Here, I did it for you: http://women.webmd.com/features/stomach-problems

I wish people here would do a quick check before just barfing on their keyboard whatever comes to mind. This isn't directed at the OP, but rather at some of the "answers".

This is not the supportive environment I have come to expect on this site, Jerry. Behave yourself please, and OP - I think your stomach's ability to stretch - like any other under-used muscle - will degenerate over time if you are not eating large amounts of food. So yes and no both - total mass does not decrease, nor potential, but the ability to achieve that large size without pain will decrease.

Kalikel

Your stomach stretches and shrinks all the time. It is designed to do that.

missyme10

I really don't know the answer but if you consider a pregnant woman, her mid section increases significantly and shrinks again after birth.
So logic tells me that as the stomach is like a bag of flesh, if you over fill repeatedly it would expand, and shrink back if you only half filled it for a period of time.

I find it very hard to believe that the stomach of an 80 stone man hasn't stretched, and would not shrink back if that same person ate healthily for a prolonged period of time. The whole body would loose weight/shrink back. Does expanded skin returning to it's previous state not count as shrinking?

I know from my own personal experience, now that I am used to eating a lot less food, I get full much quicker. I physically could not eat a meal the size I used to eat, but I could eat bigger over a period of time and train myself to eat that size meal again...the question is why? Expansion and shrinkage? Or signalling to the brain?

Kalikel

missyme10 wrote: »

I really don't know the answer but if you consider a pregnant woman, her mid section increases significantly and shrinks again after birth.
So logic tells me that as the stomach is like a bag of flesh, if you over fill repeatedly it would expand, and shrink back if you only half filled it for a period of time.

I find it very hard to believe that the stomach of an 80 stone man hasn't stretched, and would not shrink back if that same person ate healthily for a prolonged period of time. The whole body would loose weight/shrink back. Does expanded skin returning to it's previous state not count as shrinking?

I know from my own personal experience, now that I am used to eating a lot less food, I get full much quicker. I physically could not eat a meal the size I used to eat, but I could eat bigger over a period of time and train myself to eat that size meal again...the question is why? Expansion and shrinkage? Or signalling to the brain?

The stomach is different than skin. Different kinds of cells that slough off and are replaced faster - they're just two totally different organs.

If you REALLY want to know how it expands and contracts, google "gastric rugae" and you'll probably find more than you ever wanted to know, lol.