Best way to eat for GERD to lose weight

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crackon20
crackon20 Posts: 20 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have GERD. There is no diet that will cure GERD but i want to get off omeprazole, 20 mg. I weigh 168 and i want to lose 20 pounds. The weight loss will be good for my health and heal the GERD. I dont know if i should try a low carb diet, high protein with meats or plant based. I have been at this 168 stuck point for over 1 year. Anyone have success in taming GERD through diet?

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  • YellowD0gs
    YellowD0gs Posts: 693 Member
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    So I met with an RD this week, and a light bout of GERD was one of the topics. Her advice was foods to avoid that set off GERD. Chocolate, fatty foods, fried foods, alcohol, coffee, acidic (citrus, tomatoes), artificial sweeteners, garlic and onion, caffeine, carbonated rinks, and mint (even in toothpaste). A magnesium supplement might also help. I've only been working at this for a couple for days, so I can't vouch for it yet.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
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    Don't drink or eat anything at all after dinner.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    You need to figure out what kind of food is worst for you, then avoid it. For some people it's the actual list of foods to ignore, for others it might be really odd things. For me, I can eat All The Spicy Food. I drink masses of green tea every day, carbonated drinks, lemon, chocolate, etc. What causes a flareup are eggs. They are the worst! Anything with egg, like mayonnaise. Too much protein. Rooibos tea (but not redbush), any tea from Clipper, a too sweet thyroid or contraceptive pill, and having a too low dose of thyroid meds.

    Thus if you've not done so already run a food diary where you note down how you feel. Narrow down to single ingredients or combinations of ingredients what is the cause. Ignore those foods. Other than that you can eat everything you like. You just need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. Simples.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited May 2021
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    My wife had it years ago. Really bad. Food combining helped her tremendously. She eliminated coffee first.

    Food combining is fairly simple and worked amazingly for her. You can eat starchy carbs with vegetables. You can eat (non starchy) vegetables with animal products. You absolutely have to stay away from starchy carbs and animal products/proteins (so no pizza, no sandwiches, no hamburgers for instance).

    Fruit eat by itself.

    Cleared hers up in no time.

    So a salad with meat would be OK. A Cheeseburger a big no no. Pizza would be out. You could eat a meat and green beans or greens or any non-starchy vegetable. Steak and potatoes -- no.

    Sounds simple, and it is, but it also takes a huge amount of discipline.
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,039 Member
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    Since losing 75 lbs. my GERD is completely GONE! I don't eat after 6PM and that has surely helped - but I believe the weight loss is the reason I no longer suffer. I can even eat chocolate, tomato-based sauces and pizza without any symptoms. I still take 1000 mg. of calcium carbonate most days mid-afternoon or after dinner- but haven't taken omeprazole or ranatidine in ages.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    I agree that what bothers YOU is important. I can’t eat sugary things late at night, but cheese or veg is fine. I don’t drink coffee, cola, or alcohol. I really don’t like or eat fried foods much. Spicy foods, onion and garlic are fine any time for me. You really have to figure out what works for you. @YellowD0gs gave you a good list of foods to test first.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    edited May 2021
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    MsCzar wrote: »
    Since losing 75 lbs. my GERD is completely GONE! I don't eat after 6PM and that has surely helped - but I believe the weight loss is the reason I no longer suffer. I can even eat chocolate, tomato-based sauces and pizza without any symptoms. I still take 1000 mg. of calcium carbonate most days mid-afternoon or after dinner- but haven't taken omeprazole or ranatidine in ages.

    This is pretty much what my personal experience was.

    I will say that when it was at its worst the best solution was avoiding clear triggers (they vary by person) and eating NOTHING at least 4 hours before bed.
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,039 Member
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    wunderkindking wrote: »

    I will say that when it was at its worst the best solution was avoiding clear triggers (they vary by person) and eating NOTHINg at least 4 hours before bed.

    Very true. Twice - at my heaviest weight, I ate before bed and aspirated in my sleep. Very scary! Plus, you can get a lung infection from aspiration, so GERD is nothing to mess with.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
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    MsCzar wrote: »
    wunderkindking wrote: »

    I will say that when it was at its worst the best solution was avoiding clear triggers (they vary by person) and eating NOTHINg at least 4 hours before bed.

    Very true. Twice - at my heaviest weight, I ate before bed and aspirated in my sleep. Very scary! Plus, you can get a lung infection from aspiration, so GERD is nothing to mess with.

    Yep, that aspiration in your sleep thing can be deadly, even.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    Mine is controlled very effectively by eating my biggest meal at lunch and limiting fat and fiber after about 4 pm. If I eat a big treat meal or it is a holiday or vacation I just take the pill.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
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    Like others have said, losing weight and just eating better/less overall is what really helped my GERD. Having said that, I still experience (usually) mild bouts of it. Strangely, I had really bad heartburn-type reflux during my period after my 2nd Moderna shot.

    For me, just eating too much and/or too much fatty/heavy foods seem to trigger it. Carbonated drinks seem to trigger at times as well. It seems to come and go and depends on what else is going on with my gut.
  • crackon20
    crackon20 Posts: 20 Member
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    Thanks to all for your insights. I do agree that if i lose the weight the GERD will be lessened. I will try to figure out trigger foods. I have been studying the low FODMAP Approach. I dont eat anything on the hit list for GERD, eg coffee, soda, chocolate, etc.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
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    If you have reflux during the day you have a dietary problem. If you have reflux only at night or upon reclining you have a plumbing problem. Don't think for a minute you can solve a plumbing problem with dietary choices.You can only solve this problem by avoiding food and drink at least 3 hours prior to bedtime.

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