Most people think that the stomach gets bigger by eating a lot of food. Contrary to popular opinion, the stomach does not become bigger because of eating more food and it does not get smaller by staying empty.
In fact, this muscular organ naturally stretches during food digestion, followed by returning to its original state after this process.
However, you can control your fat and appetite through lifestyle changes such as reducing calorie intake, choosing healthy high-fiber foods, and increasing physical activity.
Can you shrink your stomach?
Many people are looking for a way to shrink their stomach and get rid of its excess fat. Meanwhile, a question may arise in their mind “Can the stomach shrink?”
To answer this question, we should consider the anatomy and function of the stomach. The stomach acts like a balloon, which stretches and fills by eating food and drinking, as well as returning to its original state after food digestion.
Constant stomach volume
In contrast to popular belief, adult individuals have stomachs of roughly the same size, regardless of their weight. Regarding an empty stomach, the length and width are 30 and 15cm, respectively, the volume of which equals one liter of food.
Stretching and contraction of the stomach
As you eat food, your stomach expands to accommodate it although this stretching is not permanent. Following food digestion, the stomach returns to its original size. In fact, the stomach constantly contracts and expands to digest food.
Diet does not change stomach size
Contrary to popular belief, not eating food or eating small amount of food over time fails to shrink the stomach. Surgery is known as the only sure and permanent way to shrink the stomach.
Fat loss by adhering to a healthy diet
Following a healthy and balanced diet can cause body fat to lose over time although it fails to make your stomach smaller.
Stomach stretching and appetite
Some people think that the stomach shrinking can help decrease appetite, and consequently lead to thinness, while this idea is not entirely true.
Stomach stretching can send signals to the brain, which indicate satiety or hunger. Along with these signals, other factors such as hormones, emotions, and eating habits play a role in regulating appetite.
Effect of stomach size on appetite
The brain and stomach work together in different ways to regulate appetite. For example, the nerves send messages when the stomach stretches to a certain size.
- Vagus nerve: Vagus is considered a main nerve, which sends the information related to the stomach to the brain. The vagus nerve cells send signals about how full the stomach is and what are the types of nutrients in the food to the brain.
- Satiety signal: When your stomach is full of food, the vagus nerve signals to the brain to tell you it is time to eat less or stop eating altogether.
The permanent reduction in the stomach size is impossible although you can get used to eat less food and feel full with a smaller amount of food over time.
In the case of empty stomach, stomach nerves can send messages to the brain, which influence hormones like ghrelin. Ghrelin is known as a hunger hormone because of stimulating the sense of hunger.
Along with the stomach size, other factors affect appetite, some of which are as follows.
- Low blood sugar
- Seeing, smelling or thinking about food
- Emotions
- …
Appetite control is more effective in maintaining a healthy weight than trying to shrink the stomach permanently.
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How to decrease your appetite?
Ghrelin hormone can act against us when dieting. The previous studies have reported that weight loss is associated with an increase in the level of ghrelin to maintain body balance.
Do not despair! There are proven scientific ways to control appetite:
- Eat several small meals a day instead of large meals. Following this approach, your stomach will get used to feel full with little food. Further, this way results in keeping blood sugar stable and preventing cravings for sweets and carbohydrates.
- Drink water before meals. Pre-meal hydration fills your stomach and causes you to feel full.
- Eat healthy and nutritious foods. Include low-fat proteins and healthy fats like nuts and avocados in your diet. The stomach cells recognize these foods as useful and lead to the less secretion of hunger hormones such as ghrelin.
- Wait 10-15 minutes when you get a craving. Sometimes, waiting before giving in to a craving is all you need to get rid of it.
Appetite is not a bad thing and tells that it is time to eat. However, you must talk to your doctor if you have appetite control problems and eat a lot.
| Solution | Explanations |
| Small frequent meals | Instead of three main meals, eat 5-6 smaller meals during the day, which helps your stomach to feel full with a smaller amount of food. |
| Pre-meal hydration | Drinking a glass of water before a meal can make you feel full earlier and prevent overeating. |
| Healthy and nutritious foods | Low-fat proteins, healthy fats such as nuts and avocados, and fibers in fruits and vegetables send satiety signals to the brain and control appetite. |
| Patience to overcome craving | As you get craving for something, wait for 10-15 minutes. In many cases, this craving is transient and goes away with a little patience. |
How does the brain know the stomach satiety?
The individuals who overeat do not experience the satiety signals received by others.
Andrey, a nutritionist, believes that the brain of these people does not tell them that they are full. They can keep eating, while others feel full by eating a small amount of food.
Refer to your doctor if you have problems with overeating or not feeling full.
How to get rid of the heaviness of a heavy meal?
- Small frequent meals: Instead of three heavy meals, eat five small meals, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two healthy snacks. This solution dose not overfill the stomach along with keeping you full at the same time.
- Slow chewing: It takes 20 minutes for your brain to know you are full. Following each bite, put down your spoon or fork and try to feel the taste of food. According to Andrey, if you finish eating within five minutes, you may eat three plates full of food before your brain knows you are full!
- Drinking water: Drink water before, during, and after meals. This approach assists in digesting food and increases your sense of satiety.
- Fiber-containing food: Fiber makes you feel full and helps with food digestion. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are considered good sources of fiber.
- Physical activity: Take a short walk or do a light exercise after meals.
This way assists in digesting and reducing the sense of heaviness. - Avoiding unhealthy food: Fatty, salty, and sweet foods can result in feeling more heaviness and bloating.
Summary
As already mentioned, the stomach can be shrunk through surgery, while this method is not the only way to get rid of stomach fat. Adherence to a healthy diet and regular exercise can enable you to generally lose body fat and stay fit.