Indigestion has a number of different causes, but it's rarely due to a serious, underlying condition.It's normal for your stomach to produce acid, but sometimes this acid can irritate the lining of your stomach, the top part of your bowel (duodenum) or your gullet (oesophagus). This irritation can be painful and often causes a burning sensation. Indigestion may also be due to the lining of your digestive system being overly sensitive to acid, or the "stretching" caused by eating.Indigestion can also be triggered or made worse by other factors. Some of these are explained below.You may have indigestion if you take certain types of medication. Some medicines, such as nitrates (taken to widen your blood vessels) relax the oesophageal sphincter (ring of muscle between your oesophagus and your stomach), which allows acid to leak back up.Other medicines, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), can affect your digestive tract and cause indigestion. Do not take NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, if you have stomach problems, such as a stomach ulcer, or have had this in the past.

Children under 16 years of age should not take aspirin.Never stop taking a prescribed medication unless you are told to do so by your GP or another qualified healthcare professional who is responsible for your care.Pine Bedroom Furniture UsedIf you are very overweight, you are more likely to experience indigestion because of increased pressure inside your stomach (abdomen). Patio Furniture In Red DeerThe increased pressure, particularly after a large meal, may lead to acid reflux into the oesophagus.Bedroom Furniture Under 500 DollarsIf you regularly experience feelings of stress or anxiety, this can contribute to symptoms of indigestion.Read some relaxation tips to relieve stress.A hernia occurs when an internal part of the body, such as an organ, pushes through a weakness in the surrounding muscle or tissue wall.

A hiatus hernia occurs when part of your stomach pushes up into your diaphragm (the sheet of muscle under your lungs). It may partially block refluxed stomach acid clearing from your oesophagus, leading to heartburn.Helicobacter infection is very common. It may lead to stomach ulcers or, rarely, stomach cancer. In most cases, however, it does not cause any symptoms at all. Some people may get bouts of indigestion from helicobacter infection and, in these cases, getting rid of the bug with antibiotics (eradication) will help. However, many cases of indigestion are not caused by helicobacter, and in these cases eradication will not get rid of symptoms.Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a common condition and one of the main causes of recurring indigestion. It's caused by acid reflux, which occurs when the oesophageal sphincter fails to prevent stomach acid from moving back up into your oesophagus.A little bit of acid reflux is normal and rarely cause any symptoms. It becomes GORD when large amounts of reflux occur, and the sensitive lining of your oesophagus may get inflamed by repeated irritation from stomach acid.

This can lead to heartburn, the sensation of regurgitation or painful swallowing.A stomach ulcer is an open sore that develops on the inside lining of your stomach (a gastric ulcer) or small intestine (a duodenal ulcer). If you have a stomach ulcer, you may have indigestion as a symptom. Stomach ulcers form when stomach acid damages the lining in your stomach or duodenum wall. In most cases, the lining is damaged as a result of an H pylori infection (see above).In rare cases, recurring bouts of indigestion can be a symptom of stomach cancer.Cancer cells in your stomach break down the protective lining, allowing acid to come into contact with your stomach wall. Digestive healthFind out how to beat common digestive problems like bloating and indigestion Page last reviewed: 03/09/2014 Next review due: 03/09/2016HomeSearch My SitesFree Updates Breaking a Weight Loss Plateau I know all about how annoying a low carb diet weight loss plateau can be.In 2008, I began to change my eating habits in order to address some serious health problems. 

I also wanted to lose the excess weight I had accumulated over the years while eating a poor diet full of processed junk food. It took several years and I still struggle with my weight, but I have lost over 70 pounds and I'm still moving in the right direction. The Most Common Causes of a Weight Loss Plateau Here is my opinion, born of my individual experience, on the most common causes of a weight loss plateau. If you are following a ketogenic diet, and not losing weight, or the weight loss is inconsistent (going down one week and up the next), here are some of the most common causes:Eating more carbohydrate than you think (fruit, nuts, and yogurt are the particular culprits here). I call this carb creep.Eating more calories than your body can handle without storing (this is usually the result of a very high fat intake - for me, too much dairy).   You want to be burning your stored fat, not excess fat from your diet.  Eating large amounts of low carb foods that elevate insulin. 

Dairy protein (hard cheeses, yogurt and whey protein in particular), sugar alcohols, and other artificial sweeteners are culprits here. Eating lots of coconut, coconut oil or MCT oil.  Coconut oil has a lot of medium chain triglycerides in it.  This type of fat can't be stored, so your body has to burn it first. Again, the goal is to burn your stored fat, not fat from your diet.  Not exercising in a way that increases insulin sensitivity to the muscles.  (The problem is that for people with a broken metabolism, long, slow exercise doesn't work well - it has to be high intensity exercise, which uses all the glycogen stored in the muscles, and makes them more insulin sensitive.  This would be once or twice a week bouts of heavy weight lifting, sprints, etc.  Not every day walking on a treadmill.) In addition, these issues can also be at work, alone or in combination: There's a food sensitivity which is not being addressed. For instance, many people find that dairy products stall weight loss, or perhaps gluten in some form is being eaten (low carb pasta, protein bars or some other processed low carb food). 

Some people find that nightshade vegetables like tomatoes are a problem.The person has a very broken metabolism, and it will take time, and a commitment to do whatever it takes to fix the metabolic issues, especially when it comes to improving insulin sensitivity. This includes keeping the amount of carbohydrate consumed very low (I have to stay below 16 grams of carb per day to maximize weight loss), and avoiding foods and other substances which are known to spike insulin without necessarily increasing blood sugar. These include gluten, aspirin, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, casein protein from dairy products and MCT oil. The person is not being as consistent on the program as they think they are. Consistency over time is key, because it takes about 1-2 weeks to get into ketosis. If you kick yourself out with a cheat day, it will take that long to get back into ketosis. Now, at that point, a good chunk of time has passed where no fat burning was occurring. If you are weighing yourself once a week, this can be disheartening, as that cheat day will have put 4 pounds of water back on, and it will be another 3-4 days before weight loss starts again.

What seems like a weight loss plateau is really just a delay because of the time it takes to get back to ketosis.Consistency, I think, is helped if you have a way to be accountable to someone, and you track your food intake and results each day to help you stay on course. I measure and track everything, (food intake, exercise, blood sugars) in a program called Fitday and on an Excel spreadsheet. If you don't do this, it is just too easy to let the carbs and calories creep up. It's a pain, but if you really want to make your weight goal, I think it's necessary to record what you are eating, and use this information to stay on plan.Be aware of the markers you are using to chart your progress.  I personally think that weight scales are the devil. Using the scale as a marker is a daily crap shoot, because there are so many variables over which you have no control involved.  Are you dehydrated, did you exercise, is gluconeogenesis kicking your blood sugar up, are you retaining water because of hormone fluctuations?

These are all factors which are outside of your control, and using the scale as a marker will be a daily frustration.  However, if you set a calorie limit or some other goal over which you have total control, frustration levels drop and weight loss plateaus are less psychologically battering. Sometimes, the body may just be adjusting itself after a period of intense weight loss. I've read in several articles that the body will replace lost fat with water, as it adjusts to weight loss. Then all of sudden, it will release the extra water, and the dieter will experience a "whoosh" in weight loss - say 5 pounds in two days.Protein intake may be too high. Too much excess protein, say in excess of 1.5 grams per kilogram of lean body mass, can have the same effect on blood glucose as carbohydrates, and this can be a "hidden" factor for a weight loss plateau. A higher protein intake is encouraged during the first 3-4 weeks of a ketogenic diet. But after the body becomes keto-adapted and is burning mostly ketones for fuel, protein intake should be lowered to between .8 - 1.5 grams per kilogram of .

(If you exercise a lot, you can go to the higher end of the range.) Try cutting back on protein and adding a little more fat to your diet, while staying at a calorie deficit. For more info, see my page.Paradoxically, you may not be eating ENOUGH calories or you are exercising too much. The body slows down its metabolism in response to a lack of food or excessive amounts of exercise. Dr. Steve Phinney did which showed that when people exercised more than an hour a day, their resting metabolic rate dropped by as much as 15%. There are at least two other papers which report the same outcome to a regimen of excessive exercise.This doesn't seem to fit the logic of breaking a weight loss plateau, but you could try adding 300-500 calories of fat and protein to your daily count for a few days, and see what happens. And if you are exercising hard every day, reduce the amount of time you spend exercising and give yourself permission to rest a day or two during the week.  You may be eating too often.

Try going for longer periods without eating. This "intermittent fasting" works well for some people, as it allows the blood sugar and insulin to return to baseline levels before the next meal. For instance, instead of having 5 small meals a day spaced out over 8-10 hours, have most of your calories in a 6 hour window, say from noon until 6pm, and then don't eat again until the next day at noon. There may be a lack of a micronutrient, especially if you aren't taking any supplements. Try taking a balanced multivitamin once a day. Have your vitamin D levels checked and bring them up if they are low.Finally, and this is most important, the success of losing weight and improving health is about learning new habits and sticking with them. If you decide that your new eating habits are a permanent change, it makes it easier to weather the occasional weight loss plateau. I know that I can never go back to eating my "old" way because when I do, I gain weight and my old symptoms return. After all the work I've done to fix my broken metabolism, it's just not a smart thing to do. 

But being smart all the time isn't likely either.  They have happened to me, and they can happen to anyone.  Just take them in stride as part of the journey and do better next time.  : )If you are experiencing a weight loss plateau, just hang in there. Honestly evaluate your diet and exercise program, tweak where you can, and try to wait it out.Introducing My  Keto Plan, A Ketogenic Meal Planning Tool My colleague Austin Voss and I have created a web based tool called My  Keto Plan to make it easier for people to implement a ketogenic diet for weight loss and health improvements.  We are so excited to finally make it available to our clients and readers!In working with others, we saw they had trouble figuring out how much and what to eat when creating ketogenic meals. Problems included either eating too much protein, the wrong carbohydrates or too little fat. Often, there was a combination of these issues, and it caused our clients to become frustrated with this new way of eating and fall short of their weight loss and health goals.

My  Keto Plan went through multiple trial and error tests while we figured out what worked and what didn’t, and the result was a steady stream of success stories. Our tool is simple, powerful and effective and it takes the guesswork out of implementing a ketogenic diet. Most importantly, it works!My Keto Plan is the first and only tool available for achieving fast, healthy weight loss with a low carb, high fat ketogenic diet. The plan is based on healthy whole foods, and includes an easy-to-use, step-by-step ketogenic food guide and the unique "KetoMeter" for quickly and easily choosing the right foods in the right amounts. Check out our case studies and see how our unique approach helped one couple see amazing results in just 21 days! You can also sign up for My Keto Plan now.  The program is guaranteed and we think you will love this tool. Enter Your E-mail Address Enter Your First Name (optional) Don't worry — your e-mail address is totally secure. I promise to use it only to send you Ketogenic Diet Newsletter.