Does anyone else have really bad acid reflux? Does anyone out there have any stories about how their acid reflux got a lot better or went away once they lost weight?

I always have heartburn and the doctor's keep saying it will get better when the weight goes down. I had lost a lot of weight once before and it didn't get any better. I hope it does once I hit goal.

I have very bad reflux and I am not overweight, I don't smoke, I exercise, I basically do everything right and its so frustrating!! Although I was always a breakfast skipper and drank coffee on an empty stomach which is a big no no. Once I started eating breakfast and ate smaller more frequent meals throughout the day (instead of going hrs w/o eating), my heartburn got significantly less. I also get it BAD when I'm stressed so I'm working on stress relieving techniques. So anyway, to wrap it up, its not always weight, there may be something else going on with you that's causing it. Do you notice it after a specific food? Garlic KILLS me! Do you eat large meals at night and then lay down? Do you chew peppermint gum? Peppermint relaxes the esophageal sphincter making it easier for acid to go back up your esophagus. Just some things to think about!

Thanks for the response Elicia. You made some very good points. I think one of the things that gets to me is the stress. I am always stressed and often times don't really have a reason to be. For some reason I just get stressed about the smallest things. That probably plays a huge role.

Surprisingly, when I eat my acid reflux feels better. It is weird. I think I need to work on stress relief.

I sooooooooo can relate...when I was pregnant with both kids, I had heartburn 24/7 and NOTHING worked..the Ob said it was the pregnancy hormones relaxing the stomach muscles etc..BUT you're not pregnant i hope hehe....

Not in a long while now since I have started eating healthier and exercising and losing weight have I had acid...I used to wake in the night, with the taste of acid in the back of my throat, coughing etc HORRIBLE...

Try to not eat spicy foods, don't eat to close to bed time...alcohol is a killer and yes, peppermint too...

If all else fails - Zantac is a good help..it doesn't work like regular antacids instead it works by making your stomach produce less digestive acids...and it gives 24 hour relief...

I am actually on prescription meds for this. They still don't always work though. It sucks. Oh well, perhaps it will get better with time.

I'm a big believer in the power of the mind and the whole "laws of attraction" thing that's all the rage now because of The Secret (although I was already pushing these ideas on my friend long before Oprah ever "discovered" it!) although they tend to make it sound more mystical and whatever.

Just focus on yourself being happy, healthy and not having to deal with this anymore and you'll gravitate towards behaviors that will help relieve the problem. If you don't accept the possibility that you'll be dealing with this, then you won't be, but the opposite is true too, so force yourself to focus on what you want and not what you don't want.

I have a similar issue with sleep apnea and I friggin' hate using my CPAP. It's not the main motivating factor behind my lifestyle change and exercise regimen, but knowing that I'll be done using it in less than a year is certainly helping me stay motivated. I've already seen pretty phenominal results from my weight loss in terms of apnea reductions, well above the average that my new doctor told me about (my old doctor told me that I'd never get off the CPAP and that there was basically nothing I could do, so I ditched him... who needs that kind of negativity?) I honestly believe that my apnea improvements are a direct result of my mindset; I refused to believe my old doctor and only allow positive thoughts to stay in my head.

Yaknow what's neat? When I was overweight, I had heartburn almost daily. Bubbled right up into what felt like my ears at times, and
I'd go through the Malox like milk.

Soon after I lost the weight and got back in shape, the heartburn became a distant memory.

It'll be interesting to see if, (hopefully), you see the same effect, Rob.

I think another thing that might help me out is the smaller portion sizes.

I will experiment with a few things while I lose the weight to see what works and what doesn't.