I’ve never really gotten much heart burn before despite being obese. Now my SO and I have started losing weight and as the pounds come off the heart burn seems to be showing up in spades for both of us. I have always been told that weight loss is supposed to ease heart burn, not cause it, so I am really confused! It doesn’t seem to be related to diet (we aren’t on an all-chili diet or anything) and my SO has never had heartburn before at all so he was more than a little freaked out over having it show up seemingly out of nowhere. Also when I wake up in the morning I am extremely nauseated and I stay that way until I eat something. (I’m not pregnant so that isn’t the problem!)
We have a bottle of tums in the medicine cabinet and it seems to be helping but it doesn’t make any sense to us to have this come out of the blue. We will both make a doctor’s appointment if it continues but if we can avoid the copays and the poking and the wearing a paper dress and socks in front of strangers thing we’d be much happier. I’ve started the diet thing through MyPlate Calorie Counter and it is full of awesome but this seems like an odd side effect to have with weight loss. Has this ever happened to anyone else here and can anyone explain why this might be happening?
Let me just offer that if you guys are drinking in a lot of extra water, especially after dinner, this could contribute to poor digestion and heartburn.
It would have to be pretty bad before I’d spend any time and money at a doctor.
Both of you getting it? That makes me think it is something you’re eating or how you’re eating it - it seems unlikely that both of you would develop a medical condition at the same time. You could try an acid-reducer like Zantac for the heartburn and nausea; see how that goes.
Some diets can cause nausea and/or worsen/trigger reflux. For example someone who follows an Adkins style diet to the point of ketosis may find that ketosis is a reflux trigger. Alternatively someone suddenly eating lots of tomatoes as part of their newer healthier diet may discover that they are a strong trigger as well. Even vigorous exercise can trigger heartburn in some people (although one does want to be sure that “heartburn” with exercise isn’t actually something to do with the heart.)
(Obviously this is not intended as medical advice, just general information.)
I found that happening this week - I was doing a couple of gardening jobs, so I spent five hours or so each day weeding and digging. My heartburn in the evening both days was pretty bad.
I would be astonished to find that an Atkins style diet triggers reflux. Most researchers find the opposite, that lowering carbohydrate intake reduces GERD. Of course, everyone’s unique, just like everybody else, so someone may find gastro symptoms worse on Atkins, but two in the same household? Probably not.
Bill Door … be astonished then. My statement again was very specific - “to the point of ketosis” - a ketogenic diet very much causes reflux. That does not mean just lowering carbohydrate intake (which can help with GERD), but doing so in a way that significant ketosis ensues, which usually means higher fat.
Two in the same household? Would surprise not at all since they are likely approaching their diets in similar ways. A very high fat low carb diet could do it.
Now here’sa study that says they examined 35 patients before they began a ketogenic diet, and that there was a relationship between existing abnormal endoscopic findings and prior use of antiepileptic drugs and subsequent gastrointestinal problems on a ketogenic diet, the same findings as in the article you posted. Assuming neither the OP or the SO is a pediatric epilectic I don’t see the connection.
So if there was pre-exisiting GERD (albeit asymptomatic) then 85% became symptomatic on a ketogenic diet and 1/3 who did not have pre-exisiting asymptomatic GERD developed symptomatic GERD on that diet.
Yes, these were children put on a ketogenic diet for management of seizures but the connection is real. Significant ketosis can trigger GERD. Significant ketosis causes nausea and vomiting. That’s the vicious cycle once someone gets somewhat dehydrated: the dehydration causes ketosis which cause protracted nausea and vomiting that prevents adequate oral rehydration. Get too ketotic by going a bit too far with the fat, too low on the carb and overall calories and fluids and you will get nausea, heartburn, and even vomiting.
Heck. Use some common sense - nausea is common during an Adkins diet (not universal but common) - how could urping up a little not occur in some fraction of those who are nauseous?
Nausea occasionally occurs during the initial days on an Atkins diet, but does not persist past the two week induction stage, and in the cases where it does appear cases is gone within five days. It is not common by any stretch, and if you have evidence that it is I’d like to see it.
I don’t quite get why some of those who have had success with the Atkins diet are so defensive about it; it’s almost a religious fervor.
Again, I am not saying that the diet will cause dyspepsia, but that depending on how one implemets it that it may. Another cite.
I am glad that you have had good results with the Atkins plan and there is much to be said for it and for a variety of other approaches as well. My comment was not a snipe at that diet plan in general but merely the basic medical fact that certain ways of implementing it may cause dyspepsia. In particular high fat intake especially with inadequate hydration may cause dyspepsia. As can lots of tomatoes.
Neither of these may apply to our op, or might, but both are diet changes that may be implemented for weight loss that can cause dyspepsia.