Can a stomach shrink? If you can't eat more...

yirara
yirara Posts: 9,984 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
At the moment I'm having difficulties eating above my base metabolic rate as my stomach is overfull after a small portion only. I'm eating nuts and other high calorie food to get enough calories, but it's not really easy to eat so much for me at the moment.

I've been sick and on prednisolone, a protonpump inhibitor, antibiotics and a lot of other stuff since an emergency three weeks ago, which all had various side effects. Now I'm only taking a glucocorticoide/beta2-something spray and a Rennie every now and then, plus Vitamin B1,6,12 and magnesium supplements as per a doctor.

I guess a stomach can't shrink, but does it get used to eating less? Or could this be a side effect from all the medication? I think it's getting a little bit better, but extremely slowly. I don't want to go to a doctor yet as my bank account is rather empty from all the medical bills I had recently. I eventually get all the money back, but I'd rather keep some reserves for emergencies. When would be the moment to go see a doctor?

Replies

  • glenelliott5872
    glenelliott5872 Posts: 150 Member
    Prednisone made me want to eat loads. I put on loads of weight for the year that I was on that. Now I have lost the weight I can't eat as much as a used to so I think a stomach can get less stretched
  • keefmac
    keefmac Posts: 313 Member
    My stomach definitely shrinks (or goes back to normal size!), after a good few months of dieting.

    That's why you feel full on less food..
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,984 Member
    glenelliott, I read that everywhere on the net. All Prednisolon did for me was to me make completely spaced out, shivery and not hungry. Mind you, the steroid-inhalers I'm having (and Pred?) seem to be causing a certain fat loss: my muscles are still there and work as ever but the tape measure and scale say I'm losing. That should not be happening either. But at least I found something now that doesn't have any apparent side effects.

    Ok, thus it's possible that my stomach got used to eating less. I'm still a bit afraid that I got an infection from all those medications, but as I'm not having any pain or other problems that's probably not the case.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    My stomach definitely shrinks (or goes back to normal size!), after a good few months of dieting.

    That's why you feel full on less food..
    No your stomach does not shrink it's a medical impossibility without surgery
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,984 Member
    What's happening then, Zardoz?
  • CharlottesDK
    CharlottesDK Posts: 55
    My stomach definitely shrinks (or goes back to normal size!), after a good few months of dieting.

    That's why you feel full on less food..

    My stomach has been shrinking too. Im feeling full with a lot less food than I ate 6 months ago. :smile:
  • arnoldjudas
    arnoldjudas Posts: 1 Member
    My stomach definitely shrinks (or goes back to normal size!), after a good few months of dieting.

    That's why you feel full on less food..
    No your stomach does not shrink it's a medical impossibility without surgery

    I'm not sure why people take this phrase so literally on MFP - it doesn't make the slightest difference to what point people are making if they mean they're getting fuller on less food and not that their stomach is losing mass.
  • ZaCkOX
    ZaCkOX Posts: 115
    My stomach definitely shrinks (or goes back to normal size!), after a good few months of dieting.

    That's why you feel full on less food..
    No your stomach does not shrink it's a medical impossibility without surgery

    Are we talking about the fat around your stomach and the appearance of it shrinking or your actual organs inside the body? Because the appearance of your stomach can definitely shrink a ton and varies from person to person.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,984 Member
    My stomach definitely shrinks (or goes back to normal size!), after a good few months of dieting.

    That's why you feel full on less food..
    No your stomach does not shrink it's a medical impossibility without surgery

    I'm not sure why people take this phrase so literally on MFP - it doesn't make the slightest difference to what point people are making if they mean they're getting fuller on less food and not that their stomach is losing mass.

    Thanks. That's probably a better wording. But it does happen, apparently?
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It doesn't shrink. Typically you just eat more nutritious foods when you're watching what you eat, so you feel full longer.

    And there's hormones. I guarantee you that my stomach doesn't shrink or gets bigger from one day to another... but some days I won't be hungry at all and some days I'll be ravenous.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    At the moment I'm having difficulties eating above my base metabolic rate as my stomach is overfull after a small portion only. I'm eating nuts and other high calorie food to get enough calories, but it's not really easy to eat so much for me at the moment.

    I've been sick and on prednisolone, a protonpump inhibitor, antibiotics and a lot of other stuff since an emergency three weeks ago, which all had various side effects. Now I'm only taking a glucocorticoide/beta2-something spray and a Rennie every now and then, plus Vitamin B1,6,12 and magnesium supplements as per a doctor.

    I guess a stomach can't shrink, but does it get used to eating less? Or could this be a side effect from all the medication? I think it's getting a little bit better, but extremely slowly. I don't want to go to a doctor yet as my bank account is rather empty from all the medical bills I had recently. I eventually get all the money back, but I'd rather keep some reserves for emergencies. When would be the moment to go see a doctor?
    Your stomach does expand and shrink. It has folds in it to allow for this. If it couldn't do that, everyone would die on Thanksgiving, lol. All those exploding stomachs. It doesn't have to get used to more; it just expands. (Google "gastric rugae" to read all about it.)

    I don't know what's wrong with you, why they gave you a PPI, etc, so disregard this if you can't eat it, but Peanut Butter on Toast is easy to eat, doesn't make you feel stuffed and has a lot of calories. You could try it, if you want.

    It is a good idea to see a doctor if they've told you to come back, if you have a pain/question something going on or at least once a year for a physical.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    It doesn't literally shrink but many things can make you more sensitive to feelings of fullness, including just dieting and medication.
  • glenelliott5872
    glenelliott5872 Posts: 150 Member
    I think I said my stomach stretches less
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    I think I said my stomach stretches less
    Wouldn't it make more sense that you became more sensitive to fullness than that your stomach tissue physically changed and is now less versatile than it was before?
  • Fit_Jesus
    Fit_Jesus Posts: 27
    Maybe you're not digesting food well. Take some probiotics if that's the case. I eat kimchi for my digestive needs. Easiest way to take in calories is in liquid form. Whole milk, heavy cream, protein powder, whole eggs, peanut butter, bananas blended up makes for a very high calorie shake that's pretty easy to take in.
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
    From everything I've ever studied - your stomach can't physically shrink in size (without surgery). However, I do believe that our bodies (and minds) learn to get by on, and be satisfied with, less food.

    I don't know what your medical issue is or what the drugs you are on will do to your appetite. It seems like you are on the right track trying to maintain calories by including calorie dense food.

    Best of luck for a complete recovery!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    I think I said my stomach stretches less
    It will stretch if you send extra food down. Unless you have some unique medical issue, dieting will not cause the stomach to lose it's ability to stretch and shrink.

    Very few cases of people eating so much that their stomach literally couldn't accommodate it.
  • shoust59
    shoust59 Posts: 9 Member
    My stomach has definitely shrunk - took about 2 months for me to notice this.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,984 Member
    Whatever it is, things are getting ridiculous. I've been out eating with my colleagues yesterday.
    Starter was a simple salmon tartar with a bit of gaspachio sauce
    Then deep fried octopus and vegetables (didn't eat those as I'm having some problems with deep fried food at the moment)
    Grilled sea bass filet on spinach with young vegetables. Again nothing heavy. I only managed to eat the few veggies and half of the rather small fish. Didn't even try to eat the spinach.
    Pineapple carpacchio with a small serving of lemon sorbet. Only ate the ice and a tiny bit of the pineapple.

    The food was extremely yummy, but my stomach just decided enough is enough very early on. :(
  • stillhere1981
    stillhere1981 Posts: 119 Member
    If you're sick, you should go to the doctor. Money isn't as important as your health.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    If you're sick, you should go to the doctor. Money isn't as important as your health.

    this... if its bothering you that much, which it obviously is.
  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
    I understand that you don't want to pay to see a doctor, but what most people don't know is that if you have concerns about the fact that maybe a medication is affecting you in a certain way, such as diminishing your appetite, you can actually go and talk to a pharmacist about that, at no cost. If you back to where your prescription was filled and just ask to talk to the pharmacist about how your medications interact you'll get a much better idea than us trying to help you here.

    Steroids especially are a tricky thing because different people have very different reactions to them; while they often give people energy and make them want to eat more, when I was on them I slept 14 hours a day and wasn't eating enough. There might be a different medication that they could call the doctor and have you switched to, or at least give you the peace of mind that what you're going through has to do with the medication you're on and if it doesn't, they'll give you firm advice about returning to the doc.
  • c_aw
    c_aw Posts: 128 Member
    your PPIs are to prevent ulcers from the side effects of the steroid which destroy the natural stomach lining, that protects it from the acid environment. the quick satiety could be due to the fact they are meant to lower the acidity of the stomach.
    the stomach can shrink or expand, depending on the amount of food you eat.
    it has to all do with change of lifestyle.

    maybe your accident also plays a role in your appetite., could have been a lot of stress on the body.
    keep on doing what you doing, I'm sure everything is okay.
    but if you will be concerned about your health please go see a family physician, since no one can truly answer your question online :)


    -medical student.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Your stomach can temporarily expand to accommodate a large meal. It will go back to normal afterwards. Once you are an adult, your stomach's size does not change (apart from temporary stretching for extremely large volume). The only way to shrink a stomach is through surgery. Think about it: if it were possible to shrink a stomach without surgery, doctors would put morbidly obese people on very low calorie diets/fasts to shrink their stomachs instead of using surgery.

    http://www.webmd.com/women/features/stomach-problems

    And the myfitnesspal results:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/792621-how-long-before-stomach-the-organ-shrinks
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1187553-does-your-actual-stomach-really-shrink
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1070678-can-your-stomach-shrink-by-reducing-portions
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/522777-such-a-thing-as-a-shrinking-stomach

    As for the specifics of your case, the MFP forums cannot provide you with medical advice. I recommend reading all of your prescription information and consulting with the doctor who prescribed your regimen.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    At the moment I'm having difficulties eating above my base metabolic rate as my stomach is overfull after a small portion only. I'm eating nuts and other high calorie food to get enough calories, but it's not really easy to eat so much for me at the moment.

    I've been sick and on prednisolone, a protonpump inhibitor, antibiotics and a lot of other stuff since an emergency three weeks ago, which all had various side effects. Now I'm only taking a glucocorticoide/beta2-something spray and a Rennie every now and then, plus Vitamin B1,6,12 and magnesium supplements as per a doctor.

    I guess a stomach can't shrink, but does it get used to eating less? Or could this be a side effect from all the medication? I think it's getting a little bit better, but extremely slowly. I don't want to go to a doctor yet as my bank account is rather empty from all the medical bills I had recently. I eventually get all the money back, but I'd rather keep some reserves for emergencies. When would be the moment to go see a doctor?
    peanut butter, ice cream, olive oil. You won't have problems any more. You are welcome.

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