Lewk: I have been on the low carb diet for GERD for a full month. I am 5'7" and weighed about 115. I initially lost about 4 lbs., but have regained it and maintain a 115 weight. I was diagnosed early this year with GERD. I was put on two 40 mg. Nexium a day. The 2nd day on the low carb diet I stopped one of the Nexium, after two more weeks I stopped the other 40 mg. Nexium and went to a 20 mg. Aciphex. In another couple weeks I will drop the Aciphex as well. I'm so thrilled to be off the Nexium! I have felt better and more normal than I've felt in 8 months after going on the low carb diet. Here's what I eat most days; for breakfast I have two low carb yogurts. For lunch I have a big Romaine and Spinach salad with hard boiled egg, cucumber, Portabella mushrooms and either cooked chicken or salmon in the salad. I make my own salad dressing. I use 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 4 little teensy spoons of Kal Stevia (it's the only non-chemical, non-calorie, non-carb sweetener out there), ground pepper and 1/8th teaspoon salt. It's delicious on salads with meat. I also sometimes have an Italian mean dish that has tenderized sirloin, ham, cheese and spinach in it. For dinner we have a meat, asparagus, broccoli, green beans (sometimes) and another big salad. Because I'm also fructose intolerant I can't have any products with sugar but occasionally cheat without any problems. For snacks I have slices of sharp cheddar cheese or a handful of mixed nuts. I also occasionally have some berries, but I have to watch the sugar in fruits.
I cannot express to you how much better I feel. I no longer have an elevated bed, no longer have two pillows under my head, no longer fear eating or having to eat all those little meals. I also have a glass of red wine every night before dinner and I have a diet coke every day. I also drink 5 cups of coffee every morning with Kal Stevia as my sweetener. It's not ideal as I am a fantastic cook and owned a bakery for 15 years, but I feel good and that's what's important. Before I went on this diet, I couldn't travel or be comfortable even going out to dinner with anyone...now I'm okay....and I don't have bad days. I feel pretty normal. I know you'd feel even better than I do if you don't have fructose intolerance or Celiac Disease. Those two things really can make your life miserable when added to GERD, but the low carb diet works for them too.
Please try it. Do a google search and put in "GERD" + "low carb diet" You'll find tons of info. My initial info was the article in Alternative mag that told about the GERD study at Duke University with the low carb diet. When I read that, I knew they were on to something. Dr. Norm Robillard also has a book out that has helped a lot of people understand why the diet works for us. It really really works...give it a try!