Does your actual stomach really shrink?

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lynleeg88
lynleeg88 Posts: 104 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I tried looking this up online, to not trouble you all with what may be a boring question. But I got some ads and weird diet tips instead. So...

Is it true that when you stop overeating at meals, and eating so much, that your stomach shrinks?

I ask this because I just ate dinner. Small salad, small fish, and a small mashed sweet potato, and I'm stuffed. Had to force myself to finish or be behind on calories.

Before I started eating smaller meals, and small snacks...I could eat and eat. Trust me. And now I get full over what seems like such little meals. Greek yogurt, an apple, etc.
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Replies

  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    No is the simple answer.
  • Synchronicity
    Synchronicity Posts: 82 Member
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    Your stomach is a network of smooth muscle cells that can expand to hold the food you eat. In it's "relaxed" state (empty), the lumen of the stomach (inside the 'sack') has a smaller volume than when the stomach is full of food and gastric juices.

    So... you could say that your stomach is shrinking and expanding all the time.

    HOWEVER, I suspect that you're really asking whether the total mass of the stomach changes based on your eating habits... and my best educated guess is: Nope. I seriously doubt the stomach shrinks just because you eat smaller meals. For the stomach to change size, it would have to increase or decrease total stomach muscle mass. Muscle tissue would have to die and be removed for the stomach to decrease in size.

    The changes you are experiencing regarding fullness are likely due to neuronal, hormonal, and/or phycological changes

    TLDR: I think the 'shrinking stomach' stuff is a myth. You've trained yourself to feel full with smaller meals.
  • albloomfield60
    albloomfield60 Posts: 26
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    I've been less hungry since eating less too. Whatever the reason is, I'm glad.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    Maybe you're more satisfied cause you're eating more nutritionally dense foods?
  • 000Linda000
    000Linda000 Posts: 50 Member
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    I was on a liquid diet for 2 week once (teeth issues, not fad diet) and for the week afterwards, I struggled so much to eat, I got full so quickly!!! I'm not sure if it's cuz my stomach shrank or what, but it certainly felt like it did.

    To give you an idea of how little i ended up eating, I was 14 yo, probably 5'3'' or 5'4'' and went from 105lbs to <100lbs!!!
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
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    Physically, no. But a lot of us get to the point where we need fewer calories to feel full.
  • sweetnlow30
    sweetnlow30 Posts: 497 Member
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    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.
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
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    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.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I think maybe you are just adjusting to eating less, learning to recognize the feeling of being full, being more conscious about calories having an influence on you, and maybe other factors such as the food you are eating causing fullness (maybe because of being nutrient dense or high fiber).

    I get full easily, so tend to need to eat fairly frequently because I need to time to digest before I eat more. I don't like feeling full. I just like feeling fed.

    Also are you drinking more water? Because water will fill up your belly and cause you to feel more full during a meal (temporarily).
  • sweetnlow30
    sweetnlow30 Posts: 497 Member
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    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".

    I know how to google and post links too. I was just trying to add to the conversation by mentioning something I saw and relating to the fact that cant eat as much as I used to. I didn't say that happens to everyone, hence the "anecdotal evidence". I'm sorry if you think that I'm barfing all over my keyboard by sharing some friendly conversation. This is why I don't really get involved in very many topics on the forums. :ohwell:
  • COliver416
    COliver416 Posts: 87 Member
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    No, but the stretch and density receptors in your stomach get more sensitive, because it adapts to the lesser volume, so when you're eating more, the receptors are going off, and signaling their full quicker and faster, so the body can get to work.

    The stretch and density receptors are why drinking warm water before a meal will let you naturally eat less without feeling hungry. It'll stretch your stomach.

    Also, vegetables fill up the stomach faster than protein and faster than oil, the healthier the foods you eat, the denser they are in nutrition, and the quicker you fill up.
  • tchereej
    tchereej Posts: 18 Member
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    I have no scholarly information, but my feeling is that it probably can. If your calf and hamstring muscles can shrink I don't see why your stomach can't. My doctor has me doing calf and hamstring stretches to lengthen hem back up because mine have shrunk.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    I have no scholarly information, but my feeling is that it probably can. If your calf and hamstring muscles can shrink I don't see why your stomach can't. My doctor has me doing calf and hamstring stretches to lengthen hem back up because mine have shrunk.

    Sigh
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
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    I have no scholarly information, but my feeling is that it probably can. If your calf and hamstring muscles can shrink I don't see why your stomach can't. My doctor has me doing calf and hamstring stretches to lengthen hem back up because mine have shrunk.

    Sigh

    Such restraint!

    ETA: and YES, I am trying to sabotage you.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
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    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.
  • JW2091
    JW2091 Posts: 1
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    I just read an article about this and they took a control group and another group restricted to under 1000 calories a day. Both groups were obese and they measured their stomachs with some type of ballon. After a month the restricted calorie group shrunk their stomachs 20-38%, the control group had no change. It might be because they were overstretched to begin with but the study didn't specify this. Either way it sounds good to me!!
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
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    I just read an article about this and they took a control group and another group restricted to under 1000 calories a day. Both groups were obese and they measured their stomachs with some type of ballon. After a month the restricted calorie group shrunk their stomachs 20-38%, the control group had no change. It might be because they were overstretched to begin with but the study didn't specify this. Either way it sounds good to me!!

    Please provide a post showing this study!

    As far as i know the only way to "shrink" your stomach is with surgery and staples.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I don't think your stomach physically changes its mass however I could believe that lots of overeating could distend and stretch your stomach to the point where it is looser and therefore more pliable and can hold more volume and if you start restricting your intake it tightens back up.

    Nothing to back that, just saying that much I can believe. I've certainly experienced that going from eating 2 large meals a day to smaller meals spaced throughout the day that if I do have a large meal close in portion size to what I'd used to eat I feel uncomfortably full where before I wouldn't have.
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
    Options
    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.

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