Stomach pain during night

[Tessica]

I have just started a plan to lose about a stone on LCHF. As usual I woke up at about 4 pm with burning stomach pain. It feels as if my stomach acid is burning stomach because there is little food there to line it. I did take Lansparasole a few years ago but want to avoid this because they also create an acid problem.

Does anyone have any tips on something I could eat near bedtime that would help. I’ve had this problem before and it sabotaged my diet attempt because I gave up and started eating lots of carbs again. Thanks for any help.

[Cosmo501]

Ouch... really sorry to hear that! I've not suffered from it for a long time now - but mum swears by natural yoghurt, before she goes to bed. That would still work with LCHF way of eating! Years back I used to eat banana to soothe my stomach acid, during pregnancy - but that's not so LCHF!

Take care of your tum. Hope you find a solution soon!

[Cosmo501]

I just remembered another tip.. and it's actually on the NHS website too! Raise your bed up at one end by about 100 - 200mm so you're sleeping on an angle, and your head is higher than your stomach. nhs.uk/conditions/heartburn...

[Tessica in reply to Cosmo501]

Thanks for this 🙂

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador]

Persistent ("as usual") stomach pain is probably not diet-related. Have you been checked out for ulcers or GERD? If you already know for certain you have acid reflux, I second the suggestion to raise your head a bit - my mum has it, and she reckons this really helps.

You can eat anything you like before bedtime (well, as long as it's LCHF-compatible, of course!). Yoghurt would certainly be a good choice, as per Cosmo's suggestion; I make my own Greek yoghurt and sometimes have a few spoonfuls if I'm feeling peckish around 9-10pm. Basically, if you're hungry, just eat. Don't worry about "overeating" - your body will eventually downregulate your appetite as weightloss kicks in.

Reading between the lines here, I'm wondering if you're attempting to combine calorie-counting with LCHF? Restricting your food intake is pointless at best and can actually be counterproductive.

Do remember that LCHF isn't a diet as such; it's a lifelong healthy-eating plan. Once you've fixed these little hiccups, you should be able to stick to it long-term so that the weight stays off.