shrinking stomache

I was wondering if it is true that when you diet your stomache shrinks?

As in, if you are an overeater that normally has huge portions, and then begins eating smaller portions, your stomache shrinks and thus its easier to get full.

thanks!

p.s. I do already know that when your stomache is filled with food it expands and when it is empty it shrinks, but i was talking about something different then that.

I have been limiting my calories to under 300 per meal for 6 consistent months now (5 meals a day) and I do physically feel stomach pain if I try to eat a bigger portion now.  So I don't have any health studies I can site for you but I personally believe that my stomach has physically shrunk as an organ.

Same here.


I defently vcouldnt eat like i use to.

Yes, your stomach in an incredibly stretchy organ - which is a good thing for us rehabilitated over eaters - and it does accostom itself to the amount you typically eat.  Some people who get their stomachs stapled gain the weight back because they just stretch their stomach out again by continuing to overeat.

I know from experience that it does indeed shrink.  Before I started dieting and eat really unhealthily I could eat two double quarter pounders in on sitting and not be really full.  Now that I've been dieting for a little over a week I noticed that my hunger went away and I'm actually full with 5 oz of chicken.  There's no way I could even finish on double quarter pounder now, lol.  I was only hungry for about 2-3 days after I started dieting and then my stomach shrank and I'm not hungry all the time anymore, yea!

Your stomach is a muscular organ and like any muscle it expands and contracts according to usage. So it stretches when it's full and returns to it's initial size when empty.

However, it's not possible to permanently enlarge or reduce the size of your stomach by eating.

There are various types of weight loss surgery that can reduce the size of the stomach, but these methods of weight control require close consultation with your doctor.

http://www.annecollins.com/weight-loss/reduce -stomach.htm

I read somewhere, that it is actually your hunger signals to your brain that changes, not your stomach size. Like asha said, you can not permanently change the size without surgery, but you can "retrain" it's signals. I can't remember where I read it, but I am sure you could google it.

I don't know if it shrinks or not but I know I am not able to eat nearly as much as I used to or I feel sick.