Weight loss and terrible acid reflux!

redhead91
redhead91 Posts: 251
in Health and Weight Loss
I have noticed that every time I have tried to lose weight especially now, I constantly have terrible acid reflux. I get that burpy feeling and everything tastes sour. Is there anything I can do?
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Replies

  • lunchgirlie
    lunchgirlie Posts: 101 Member
    I've been having the same problem! I've just been taking (off-brand) Zantac. It helps some.
  • pittsblue99
    pittsblue99 Posts: 277 Member
    don't eat too late at night, that is what helped me :)
  • redhead91
    redhead91 Posts: 251
    don't eat too late at night, that is what helped me :)

    It's currently 6pm. I haven't eaten dinner yet and I feel like puking because of the acid taste in my mouth : /
  • hecallsmeroses
    hecallsmeroses Posts: 47
    I am starting to notice it when I've done my exercise video the last two days in a row, I just assumed it was from the vigorous activity and its really unpleasant, so glad you brought this subject up. I don't know why its happening.
  • j_courter
    j_courter Posts: 999 Member
    be sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. the water reduces some of the acid... zantac and pepcid a/c are both decent meds, but you don't want to take them for too long. maybe try to eat smaller, more frequent meals, to keep from having an empty stomach. hope you get it figured out, but if not, see a doctor.
  • mstankowski
    mstankowski Posts: 32 Member
    my husband swears by pickle juice....it's worth a shot
  • redhead91
    redhead91 Posts: 251
    I am starting to notice it when I've done my exercise video the last two days in a row, I just assumed it was from the vigorous activity and its really unpleasant, so glad you brought this subject up. I don't know why its happening.

    At least I'm not the only one! I think that exercising might have something to do with it
  • BrewerGeorge
    BrewerGeorge Posts: 397 Member
    I've had reflux since I was a kid and been on some treatment or another since high school.

    Your stomach may be overproducing acid based on the expectation that you're still eating a lot, then has nothing to do with the extra acid.

    Try a 14 day course of OTC Omeprazole (generic Prilosec). It's very, very important to follow directions and take it on an empty stomach then don't eat for at least 30 minutes after. (I take mine immediately after waking, then by the time I shower and get ready I'm good to eat.) It will reduce the amount of acid your stomach produces.

    If it doesn't work or comes back after you stop the omeprazole, see a doctor.

    ETA: If you're drinking tons of water the way this site recommends, that could be aggravating the problem. Dilute acid in an otherwise empty stomach is still acid, and it's higher volume so it has a better chance of splashing out of the cardiac sphincter at the top of the stomach.
  • Zeromilediet
    Zeromilediet Posts: 787 Member
    What are you eating? Look to eliminating things from your diet for a week and observing, even recording, how you feel. Then add back in to see what happens. Acid reflux is unacceptable and long term can be harmful to your esophagus. Medications are not a lifetime solution. You can figure out what is causing this with a little detective work.
    Edit for stupid spelling errors
  • redhead91
    redhead91 Posts: 251
    What are you eating? Look to eliminating things from your diet for a week and observing, even recording, how you feel. Then add back in to see what happens. Acid reflux is unacceptable and long term can be harmful to your esophagus. Medications are not a lifetime solution. You can figure out what is causing this with a little detective work.
    Edit for stupid spelling errors

    There isn't a single thing that I eat every single day. I'm not sure that it's a specific food that's causing it. I may go see the doctor, but I really don't want to be on a med forever. I might try a short term med.
  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
    You actually get less acid reflux if you are not overweight. I am very familiar with this problem, because I have a major case of it. If you do get a lot of acid reflux, see a doctor, because serious cases can lead to erosion of the esophagus. When this happens, the acid destroys the lining of the esophagus, scar tissue grows in, and prevents you from swallowing.

    What to do about it?
    Certain foods exacerbate reflux: mint, acid fruits like tomato, orange strawberrry, coffee, tea, alcohol.
    Eat small meals, but more frequently. Instead of 3 meals a day, eat six.
    Don't over-eat
    Don't exercise right after eating.
    Wait at least 3 hours to go to bed after eating.
    Raise the head of your bed by six inches by putting bricks below the head of the bed. Pillows won't work.
    Lose weight

    There is a lot of information out there, and good advice. Do a google search using the terms GERD, or Gastro-Esophagal Reflux Disease to find it.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    my husband swears by pickle juice....it's worth a shot

    I believe there is actually some scientific truth to that. Doctors have been known perscribe vinegar for acid reflux disease.
  • BrewerGeorge
    BrewerGeorge Posts: 397 Member
    FWIW, meds have been a lifetime solution for me. Through the years I've been on xantac, then prevacid, then nexium, now omeprazole which I've been on since it went generic.

    I have a malformed cardiac sphincter that never closes fully. It's a birth defect, essentially, and only surgery would actually fix it. I've been fine with meds for all these years, though.

    You definitely want to see a doc for long-term treatment, and not just keep using the OTC stuff, though.
  • stephanie_88
    stephanie_88 Posts: 29
    I used to get reflux so bad it would burn like it was eating a hole in my esophagus. It would make me cough until I threw up. I now drink 2 tablespoons of Bragg's apple cider vinegar with 1 tablespoon of honey and 6 oz of water every night before I go to bed. No more reflux and the vinegar helps level out the ph in your body. You can just drink it straight but the honey makes it tolerable for me.
  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
    I tried the vinegar solution and got the worse acid reflux from it. Combining acid with acid does not reduce Ph. That is basic chemistry. It might trigger the placebo effect in some people, I would recommend staying away from it.
  • ColoradoRobin
    ColoradoRobin Posts: 510 Member
    I found that low fat high carb diets cause acid reflux for me. I do great on balanced macronutrient or low carb diets. Too much bread or pasta gives me reflux. Everyone is different, so try changing things up a bit to see how you do. I keep my ratios of protein carbs and fat around 35: 35: 30. Meds are good for the short term.
  • shelly650
    shelly650 Posts: 319
    I seem to be the opposite! Ever since joining MFP mine has all but disappeared!!
  • epoint
    epoint Posts: 88
    I seem to be the opposite! Ever since joining MFP mine has all but disappeared!!

    Me, too. Once I lost the extra weight, I had no more trouble with it. I had a terrible time with it before, though. I carried my fat right around my midsection -- I wonder if that makes a difference.
  • stephanie_88
    stephanie_88 Posts: 29
    Actually, vinegar (as well as lemon) becomes alkaline in the body and will raise your ph. Ph lower than 7 is acidic.

    http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/531375-does-drinking-apple-cider-vinegar-affect-your-bodys-ph/

    http://victoria-anisman-reiner.suite101.com/tips-to-balance-ph-a24438
  • BrewerGeorge
    BrewerGeorge Posts: 397 Member
    Actually, vinegar (as well as lemon) becomes alkaline in the body and will raise your ph. Ph lower than 7 is acidic.

    http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/531375-does-drinking-apple-cider-vinegar-affect-your-bodys-ph/

    http://victoria-anisman-reiner.suite101.com/tips-to-balance-ph-a24438
    Aw, Come on! My quirky old maiden aunt is always send me links to this kind of stuff. I didn't expect to see that level of quackery here.

    The idea that an acid "becomes" an alkaline through some magic process in ridiculous. Even if it did, the pH of the food you eat has NOTHING to do with the pH of your body.

    http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/coral2.html

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