GERD/acid reflux and weight loss

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astrid141
astrid141 Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have acid reflux and take Prilosec. I am hoping once I lose weight, my acid reflux will go away.
When I diet, my stomach is empty often and I get a very acid stomach. It is hard to not eat because I know if I eat some bread or crackers it will almost instantly feel better.
Do you ever get problems with an acid stomach/GERD when you are dieting and if so, have you found anything that helps?

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  • abshupe69
    abshupe69 Posts: 3 Member
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    I've had a problem with Gerd/ acid reflux forever I just had surgery for it and feeling awesome!! Losing weight didn't help me I had to watch what I ate and ate small meals and no eating after 5pm it was so bad but losing for myself has been great. I think it's different for everyone but try not to stay on prilosec for to long it's not good for u.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,221 Member
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    I was having so many problems, my Dr put me on Nexium (horrible drug) and sent me for a GI endoscopy. When I came to after that procedure, the surgeon suggested that I might stay on Nexium for the rest of my life. Not long after that I started having a really bad reaction to it, and had to go through the long and painful process of going off it.

    Happily, losing 55 lbs made a big difference. :)

    As for the stomach pain with an empty stomach during the weight loss process ... I used TUMS or similar. Just one helps. Or I ate crackers. Nothing wrong with eating a couple crackers. Yogurt also seemed to help.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    astrid141 wrote: »
    When I diet, my stomach is empty often and I get a very acid stomach. It is hard to not eat because I know if I eat some bread or crackers it will almost instantly feel better.
    Plan that into your calories.

    It doesn't matter how often you eat, just how many total calories you eat compared to how many calories your body uses. You could eat once a day, 3 times a day, or 12 times a day.

    If small, frequent meals work, do that. If larger meals with some crackers between meals works, do that.

    The best thing about calorie counting is that there are no strict rules. Experiment to find what works best for you.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    I definitely had an easier time controlling my food intake once the prilosec kicked in. I always needed to munch on something to buffer the acid or else I'd be eating a dozen tums per day.

    Other than tracking calories, I haven't changed much about my diet except I don't drink quite as much soda as I used to.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I used to have very bad reflux. It pretty much went away as soon as I started MFP and started eating less fat.
  • mom22dogs
    mom22dogs Posts: 470 Member
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    I had GERD really bad before I started eating better (less sugar, fat, alcohol) and losing weight. Now that I eat better, and have lost a lot of weight, I basically don't have it anymore - unless I drink too much beer, or eat something with a lot of tomato sauce.
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
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    I had such bad GERD I was waking up coughing and vomiting almost every night. I've been taking omeprezole for about a year now. I never thought about my weight loss helping with it. Good to know.
  • Wombat468
    Wombat468 Posts: 191 Member
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    Make sure you're upright for at least 30min after eating.
  • ldowdesw
    ldowdesw Posts: 222 Member
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    My hubby is on lanzoprozole as he'd had terrible reflux since aged 15. Turns out he has a small hernia. He can stay on the tablets or have an operation. You really should go to the Dr's to rule this out, but weight loss has helped me to lose the reflux.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,224 Member
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    I have a very bad stomach. Gerd plus gastritis and have to keep full all the time just like you. I've been however successfully doing it on around 1200-1300 calories a day for 3 months now. I just eat as much low calorie food as possible and have to cut on the treats so that I have more calories to eat often. It sucks but there you go. But it is doable. I'm on lansoprazole.
  • lavrn03
    lavrn03 Posts: 235 Member
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    Protein rich foods have helped with my issues. I try to eat something every 2-3 hours. I've lost 60lbs and it is better but still around.
  • forthemovies
    forthemovies Posts: 14 Member
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    Ask your doctor about alternatives as well. Common misconception for many that reflux is the result of too much acid. You are out of balance (stomach acid is not correct pH or not producing enough acid) and staying on meds too long can make the issue worse. Find the root cause, don't simply treat the symptoms.

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