Since I haven't seen this mentioned at all here on r/LoseIt, I wanted to bring this very important discovery to everyone's attention.
In the last 15 years, as I've personally worked with over 4,000 cases of individuals going through extreme fat loss & body transformation, there was a big factor that was causing hidden problems that I didn't know about initially and didn't hear anybody discussing.
In those cases, I saw individuals time and time again struggle with:
- On-going craving
- Extreme hunger
- Increased appetite
- Inability to stick to their diet
- Inability to even eat some healthy foods
- Stomach pains & digestive problems
All this led to...
- Over-eating
- Compulsive Snacking
- Cheating on meals
- Feeling frustrated/upset with such cheat episodes
- Failing their diet
Which ultimately led to failure & giving up on their fat loss plan.
In worst cases, it lead to "rebound" weight gain where the individual ends up gaining even MORE weight than before.
So what was contributing to this? What was causing all these issues?
When I looked into a big sample of those that were failing their diets & those that had strong cravings I found one common factor: Digestive Problems.
Specifically, G.E.R.D (or heartburn).
The link between GERD & weight gain/obesity is very well documented. One study showed that if your BMI is above 35, your chances of developing GERD is almost 300%!
But, what has NOT been well documented is that GERD can actually be a very strong CAUSING factor for weight gain.
What I discovered from the cases that I worked with, time and time again was the following:
Heartburn (GERD) symptoms would come on in the form of:
(Any of the following symptoms)
- Stomach pains/pangs
- Upset stomach feeling
- Tingling in the stomach
- Acid feeling in the stomach
- Acid feeling in the throat
- Coughing (without any obvious cause)
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Difficulty sleeping
- Dizziness or headache
Basically, they would develop these symptoms, but what they did NEXT was the issue that led to the weight gain.
The immediate remedy was to EAT to "feel better".
Even though they weren't experiencing "hunger feelings", but they had a feeling that these symptoms would be relieved by eating.
And science shows how eating can help soak up the acid in the throat/stomach, and help provide short term relief.
Unfortunately, this is just a vicious cycle, because once again, the food is digested, and the acid levels rise again, and symptoms flare up.
All of this ends up causing CHRONIC OVER-EATING.
Which causes a "downward" spiral where the individual gets so frustrated and overwhelmed by their inability to stick to their diet, that they give up. But what they didn't know was that it wasn't their fault. It wasn't "their lack of discipline" that made them fail, they were literally being afflicted by a MEDICAL CONDITION, that others that succeeded weren't.
It's like they were running a race, but they had to wear an extra 100lb backpack. Of course they were going to fail. In fact, what was so impressive was how far they made it DESPITE the challenges they faced.
So, you can see how dangerous this is. And how it makes losing weight almost IMPOSSIBLE.
Not to mention, a lot of the clients said that the foods that brought "heart burn relief" were "comfort foods" that were very calorie dense.
Essentially, they were eating hundreds and even thousands of extra calories per day NOT BECAUSE they are hungry. Or that they "craved" the food. But because they felt PHYSICALLY in pain and needed it for pain relief.
Some of them couldn't even eat "healthy foods" like vegetables, because they noticed it would exacerbate their stomach pains.
Many of them weren't even aware that they had GERD! Because some of the GERD symptoms can be very sneaky. Sometimes the only telltale sign is a cough or tingling in the throat.
So, okay, Mike, what's the solution then?
Well, once I realized this, I set about fully researching and understanding all the causes & solutions and sharing that with the clients.
The GOOD news is that once they made the changes, they saw very dramatic positive results.
- Their appetite normalized
- Extreme hunger levels went away
- Upset stomach feelings disappeared in some cases
And now they were FINALLY able to EAT healthy, and in the proper healthy portions AND enjoy their food. They didn't feel like they had to stuff massive amounts of foods down their throat in order to "calm the stomach monster". They finally were able to set themselves up to win.
All in all, it was an extremely positive change, but sadly one that few people know about. Which is why I wanted to bring this to everyone's attention.
So what can you personally do about this?
Well, first...
1. EVALUATE your symptoms
- Do you have the symptoms above?
- Do you eat because your "stomach feels upset"?
- Do you feel like if you don't eat then "acid will build up" in your stomach?
If there are any hints of symptoms, then the next step is you can consult with your physician and get an official diagnosis.
This is important because in some cases it's not just GERD, but ulcers that require more aggressive medical treatments.
2. MODIFY your fat loss plan to help manage & cure your GERD
There are many causes of GERD. Sadly, one of the causes IS weight gain, but that's what you're working on right now.
The good news is that the more weight you lose, the less pressure there is on your stomach and GERD will improve.
GERD is also affected MASSIVELY by your stress level & negative emotions. Are there ways to better manage your stress? How can you better take care of your emotional well being?
For some people this is easier than others. BUT, you must know that this IS a clear factor that contributes to it.
Many medications contribute to GERD.
3. DIET, there are foods that actively TRIGGER GERD, either right away or after sometime.
It's too complicated to go into all of the details here, as this post is already too long.
But you must identify your own TRIGGER FOODS, and work on either eliminating or substituting these foods.
For GERD it's very important to EAT REGULARLY. As one of the most common trigger of GERD for most people is going too long without eating.
Avoiding Acidic & "Abrasive foods" like coffee & chocolate. With heartburn, certain strong flavors can be a trigger. Especially on an empty stomach.
Ensuring your intestinal digestive health is good, as poor digestion or bloating can increase the pressure and push food/acid up.
One cause of bloating is food allergies, like Lactose Intolerance, which causes bacterial growth & a lot of gas.
4. Talk with your doctor about PPI Blockers
While there has been online debate about PPI blockers, the studies have shown them to be safe for use.
But, most importantly, they are extremely effective for calming down the stomach and offering immediate relief for heart burn symptoms.
In Conclusion
When you combine as much of this into your fat loss plan, you're able to start to transition into a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, and a healthy digestive system, where you can enjoy eating healthy foods and are at your ideal weight.
Studies shows that's absolutely the best way to fully eliminate GERD and be totally healthy.
Hope this helps everyone! If you have questions let me know, I'll try to do my best to answer them.
If you think you might have GERD & see the potential impact it's causing on your weight & health, don't neglect it!
Take care of yourself. You're worth it.
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