Tip: Can you really shrink your stomach?

People who diet successfully and end up with a flat tummy and good muscle tone often talk about 'shrinking their stomach' as part of what happened. They hint at the idea that eating less food for a period of time makes the stomach physically smaller and thus requires less food to feel full.

So, does this work? Can you really make your stomach smaller by eating less?

While I acknowledge that gastric bypass surgery is performed to shrink the size of the stomach, and even bypasses the small intestine, this is not the type of ‘stomach shrinking’ I’m talking about here. Gastric bypass restricts the stomach to around one cup of food, while a normal stomach (like yours and mine) holds around four cups at a time.

So can a ‘normal’ person’s stomach ‘shrink’?

Your stomach, when empty, is only about the size of your fist. It stretches to accommodate food, but once empty, it goes back to its original size.

Your stomach, when empty, is only about the size of your fist.

What has really happened to people who say they have managed to shrink their stomach, is that they have trained their BRAIN to feel full sooner than it used to.

So how does this help you?

Well, you need to start by eating less. Calculate how many calories your body needs in a day, and stick to that. Use a side plate instead of a large plate for your meals. This will help you cut down on excess portion size.

You MAY feel a little ‘hungry’ after your meals, but this will decrease over time. Allow your brain and your stomach to communicate, and eventually you will train yourself to feel satisfied with less food.

You will not literally shrink your stomach, but it will appear smaller and smaller as you go along because you will look less bloated and you will get rid of the fat covering your stomach-area. THIS is what gets you to where you want to be.

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