After nearly 2 years straight of acid reflux... it is finally GONE

[potato28]

Wow! Thats a great diet, from what I read about the 3 stage system. Im not overweight, but I know people that have bad heartburn and are overweight. They all said to have healthy foods.

 

[aphex]

or do u think losing the weight was the reason why your reflux is gone?

I think its the loss of complex carbs... The acid reflux was noticably less on the 2nd day, and pretty much gone by the 3rd. Also, i had reflux just as bad when i was 190lbs. I think its the food, not the weight.

 

[bersl2]

I had had reflux since December, but after stopping soft drinks, it mostly went away. I'm still going to get a gastroscopy---eventually, once I can meet with my psychiatrist so he can prescribe something that will put me out of my senses so I don't totally flip out when they try to put the IV in.

 

[RU482]

acid reflux is a horrible ailment to have...congrats on the riddance

 

[Legend]

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: Legend
Yeah, what you eat determines your health for the most part. Your diet could use work IMO. A lot of fruits and vegetables would help. I don't think it conflicts with the diet guidelines because while they are carbs they have soluble fiber, which slows down energy release closer to something like fats and protein.

There's also literally mountains of scientific studies showing how damn effective healthy food is at preventing just about every health problem. http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php. But people don't want listen. They want their fatty yum yums and think an all knowing magical doctor can give a pill that will fix anything.

You can't eat fruits on the 1st phase, they have too much sugar. And i do eat vegtables, just didnt list them all.

That shouldn't matter for many fruits. Sugar isn't evil in itself. It's bad for you in the absence of soluble fiber because it is quickly absorbed, and your body has to store the excess as body fat. But with soluble fiber, the rate of absorption is much lower, and with foods like blueberries and strawberries there's so much fiber and such a little load of calories.

There's really no such thing as simple or complex carbs. There's carbs alone, and then there's carbs with fiber. Surface area also is a component to the equation. Table sugar isn't that terrible. But corn syrup or flour gives an explosive release of energy, most of which makes it to becoming fat.


One thing you could do to make the diet more efficient in a healthy and cost effective way is to supplement with green tea and fish oil. Both are well documented to significantly increase body fat metabolism when combined with cardio. Especially in the ab region. As close to spot reduction as you'll get without drugs.

Promotes Fat Loss

Green tea not only promotes fat loss, but specifically, the loss of visceral fat?fat that accumulates in the tissues lining the abdominal cavity and surrounding the intestines (viscera) and internal organs. Unlike fat deposits on the hips and thighs (which result in the so-called "pear" body shape), visceral fat (which produces the "apple" body shape) is highly associated with increased risk for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Green tea contains three major components that promote fat loss: catechins, caffeine and theanine. Studies suggest that green tea compounds promote fat loss by inhibiting both gastric and pancreatic lipase, the enzymes that digest triglycerides, and fatty acid synthetase, the enzyme responsible for synthesizing fatty acids into the form in which they can be stored in the body's adipose (fat) cells.

In a study published in the January 2004 issue of In Vivo in which mice were fed diets containing 2% green tea powder for 16 weeks, visceral fat decreased by 76.8% in those receiving green tea compared to the control group. Green tea also decreased blood levels of triglycerides (the chemical form in which most fats exist in the body).

A human study, published in the January 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, confirms green tea's ability to not only reduce body fat, but damage to LDL cholesterol as well. After 12 weeks of drinking just one bottle of green tea each day, 38 normal-to-overweight men in Tokyo had a significantly lower body weight, BMI, waist circumference, body fat mass and amount of subcutaneous fat compared to men given a bottle of oolong tea each day.

After a 2 week diet run-in period, the men were divided into two groups, one of which drank a bottle of green tea containing 690 mg of catechins, while the other group drank a bottle of oolong tea containing 22 mg catechins.

Not only did the men drinking green tea lose weight and fat, but the amount of their LDL cholesterol damaged by free radicals also dropped significantly. Since atherosclerotic plaques develop when cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream is damaged or oxidized, green tea's ability to prevent these oxidation reactions may explain some of its protective effects against cardiovascular diseases.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=146

A study by Alison Hill, PhD student from the University of South Australia (abstract published in Asia pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition) showed that 6g (or 6x1g capsules) of fish oil (high DHA content) daily for 3 months reduced body fat by 5% especially from the abdominal (visceral) region, only when combined with moderate aerobic exercise for 45 minutes 3 times a week. The groups that were placed on fish oil alone or exercise alone did not lose abdominal fat.

It is known that omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil increase the expression of fat burning enzymes, but until now the implications of this in humans was not entirely clear. This study suggests that although fish oil increases the expression of fat burning enzymes taking it alone will not have a significant effect but that it needs a driver - exercise - to increase metabolic rate and lower body fat.

This is an interesting study because the subjects were not on calorie restricted diets and yet the fish oil when combined with exercise facilitated abdominal fat loss and yet the other groups did not lose body fat. The fish oil groups also reduced their blood fats (decreased triglycerides and raised HDL "good" cholesterol) and improved blood vessel elasticity.

It would be interesting to know if you can get similar results by combining exercise with fatty fish (e.g tuna) daily or by combining exercise with lower doses of fish oil (say 1-2g/day) of the standard variety (EPA/DHA).

http://www.healthyeatingclub.com/info/articles/supplements/fish-oil.htm

 

[Mikey]

it helps if you sleep on your left side, rather then your right side, i heard.

 

[montanafan]

Congratulations on the weight loss and on getting rid of the acid reflux.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

awesome job. however, the v8 can't be helping, it's loaded with sodium

keep it up, and change your diet to fit your needs, and above all, be healthy!

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: aphex
I've had fairly bad heartburn for ~ 2 years now. I can pretty much expect it everyday, unless i take some ranitidine the night before. If i don't take any medicine, i am usually burping up acid the next day, literally, into my mouth.

Now, i'm not incredibly fat or anything, i'm just overweight. Last tuesday, when i started the South Beach Diet, i weighed the most i ever have in my life, 216lbs. Such a change from college 3 years ago when i weighed 185. (I am 5' 11" for those curious).

Anyway, so its been a little over a week on the diet (low carb, not no carb like Atkins), almost at phase 2, and not only have i dropped 10lbs already, but i have 100x more energy than i used to AND my favorite part (and the part that will keep me on this), my heartburn is NON-EXISTANT.

I even had some jalapenos and hot sauce on my food the other night, which in the past, was a GUARANTEED trip to acid hell, didnt take a single thing and never felt a bit of the reflux.

I know i have a long way to go as this was only water weight, but I am determined....

Wish me luck!

:thumbsup:

 

[aphex]

thanks everybody....

and to Legend, i appreciate your taking the time to reply, but as for fruits, i am following what the book tells me for now....

I have looked into some supplements, but havent decided which route to go yet.. i've been drinking diet iced green tea, no idea how much actual green tea is in it though

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: aphex

or do u think losing the weight was the reason why your reflux is gone?

I think its the loss of complex carbs... The acid reflux was noticably less on the 2nd day, and pretty much gone by the 3rd. Also, i had reflux just as bad when i was 190lbs. I think its the food, not the weight.

ok.. what are complex carbs?

what foods should i avoid?

 

[aphex]

Update: End of Week 3

Well the acid reflux is still gone... I've moved onto phase two now...

The weight loss has definately slowed, i'm down ~15lbs at this point and maybe 3" in the waist, but i couldn't be happier. The biggest changes i notice is how loose my clothes fit now. Before the diet, Size 36 pants/shorts were tight, now they are loose to the point i need to wear a belt. Other things i notice, i never get CRAZY hungry like i used to, i can literally go 2-3 hours after a normal meal time and not feel insanely hungry, always nice. Also, now when i get cravings for food, its usually a sugar free ice pop or a cesar salad, its never candy bars and chips anymore...

Overall, very happy and sticking with it!

 

[Farbio]

good to hear aphex! i might have to give this a better look - i've got a lil gut, although the weight has nothing to do w/ my GERD, had it since i was 17 or so and i'm on twice daily dosages of nexium or aciphex, whatever i happen to get on samples that year. i'm still debating bypass to solve the hietal hernia that is a big contributor to my GERD, i'll look into this one more as well!

 

[allisolm]

Originally posted by: Farbio
good to hear aphex! i might have to give this a better look - i've got a lil gut, although the weight has nothing to do w/ my GERD, had it since i was 17 or so and i'm on twice daily dosages of nexium or aciphex, whatever i happen to get on samples that year. i'm still debating bypass to solve the hietal hernia that is a big contributor to my GERD, i'll look into this one more as well!

My husband had endoscopic Fundoplication surgery to cure his GERD and hasn't had to even look at a Tums since (about 6 years). Something to consider?

 

[Tobolo]

grats man!

 

[aphex]

One more update, been well over a month now, prolly closer to 5-6 weeks....

Still not a drop of acid reflux and i can eat anything as spicy as i want...

I've lost ~ 18lbs now (give or take 1lb depending on the day)

I can now comfortably wear size 34 pants, something i havent done since high school. As strange as it is, i'm 10lbs heaver than i was back then, but my waist is smaller... Oh well.. not complaining, ive dropped ~ 4 inches in a month

I now officially don't fit in nearly ANY of my clothes, including my suit...

I even get a cheat night once a week where i can eat ANYTHING i want, i had cake and Sonny's BBQ last week, just kills the progress for that day but i get right back on track the next day.

Thanks everyone for the support, i could NOT be happier with the results!

 

[dug777]

I had acid reflux while sleeping for a while, no heartburn but it gave me a killer sore throat & back of my mouth almost perpetually for a few weeks.

GP said i'd probably done the damage after a few heavy consecutive nights of pissing it up, as alcohol relaxes the muscle that keeps it down when you lie down...He put me on some stuff that stopped it, combined with a few weeks away from the booze and now it's like it never happened

I'm a lean bastard if you're interested, 5'11 65kg

 

[manno]

Originally posted by: Kanalua
Man...I've got to do something about my weight too. I hate the acid reflux...it's one of the worst things about being overweight.

Being overweight is a cause of acid reflux? What the heck is acid reflux anyway?

 

[eakers]

Originally posted by: aphex
One more update, been well over a month now, prolly closer to 5-6 weeks....

Still not a drop of acid reflux and i can eat anything as spicy as i want...

I've lost ~ 18lbs now (give or take 1lb depending on the day)

I can now comfortably wear size 34 pants, something i havent done since high school. As strange as it is, i'm 10lbs heaver than i was back then, but my waist is smaller... Oh well.. not complaining, ive dropped ~ 4 inches in a month

I now officially don't fit in nearly ANY of my clothes, including my suit...

I even get a cheat night once a week where i can eat ANYTHING i want, i had cake and Sonny's BBQ last week, just kills the progress for that day but i get right back on track the next day.

Thanks everyone for the support, i could NOT be happier with the results!

awesome! way to go!
I think I am going to pick up the SBD book and get started in September.