Gallbladder out now need help

mrsmariharris

My gallbladder was taken out on Friday and I am using this as a chan e to really change my family's diet. I need help when it comes to snacks, breakfasts and dinners especially. Dr said low fat but I feel like I need more guidance than that!

janejellyroll

Would it be possible for you to get a referral to a registered dietitian? They're often helpful when people need to make these types of changes -- they can help you figure out meal plans that fit your needs, your budget, and your lifestyle.

ladyreva78

I second the referral to the dietitian, especially if you want to do an overall overhaul of your diet.

In the meantime, what types of dinners do you normally eat? What's your favorite thing to eat? Writing down what you eat and how your digestion reacts to those things will give you a good basis to start with. Those things that make you feel uncomfortably full or in pain, you'll have to decide if they're worth keeping in your life. What I also did was google low fat version of those recipes or try to rework them with a lower fat content.

A bit anecdotally: my mother and I both had our gallbladders removed within 6 months of each other. Nearly 2 years later, I still have to watch my fat intake or I risk being nauseated or in excruciating pain. My mother went back to eating as always the day she left the hospital without any side effects.

Good luck!

markrgeary1

I ignored the DR. Ate what I wanted, my body did a great job of telling me what it didn't want.

I'd second the RD. recommendation. Short of that, start logging and looking at your macros. You will quickly learn what low fat means.

A few quick notes:
I'd cut out most red or processed meats. Chicken and fish are your friend. Go with low fat dairy. Probably cut out nuts. Past that eat lot's of plants.

copperowl

ladyreva78 wrote: »

I second the referral to the dietitian, especially if you want to do an overall overhaul of your diet.

In the meantime, what types of dinners do you normally eat? What's your favorite thing to eat? Writing down what you eat and how your digestion reacts to those things will give you a good basis to start with. Those things that make you feel uncomfortably full or in pain, you'll have to decide if they're worth keeping in your life. What I also did was google low fat version of those recipes or try to rework them with a lower fat content.

A bit anecdotally: my mother and I both had our gallbladders removed within 6 months of each other. Nearly 2 years later, I still have to watch my fat intake or I risk being nauseated or in excruciating pain. My mother went back to eating as always the day she left the hospital without any side effects.

Good luck!

Totally agree. About 10 yrs since had it removed. My body still reacts badly to certain foods x
Def get a referral but also listen to your body x

Lizzy622

hint - coconut oil is not as dependent on bile for digestion so it is a good oil for sauteing.

lorrpb

My doc didn't give me any restrictions after taking mine out. I've been fine

mom22dogs

I had mine out years ago, and never restricted anything, and I'm fine. You might find you are ok to eat fattier foods.

mjbnj0001

Lizzy622 wrote: »

hint - coconut oil is not as dependent on bile for digestion so it is a good oil for sauteing.

As the informally-retired guy doing all the chefwork for the family, I have to stick to very moderate fat content since they all have their gallbladders out (wife and two daughters [in their 20s] - luck of the genepool - they got my wife's gallbladder and my Irish skin - no ice cream and no sunny beaches, LOL).

Cream seems to give them problems, as does a load of butter - but not most cheeses, sour cream, cream cheese, etc. (in moderation). My wife's father had his gall bladder out (a skinny guy, too!), and one Dunkin Donut would keel him over in pain for a couple of hours.

As noted in the posting above, coconut oil seems to work pretty well for them. Olive oil also seems OK.

Best advice, you'll have to feel your way to what works for you. It's late now, so I can't ask any of them for confirmation, but I get the impression that over time, there is some small adjustment to your body tolerating fats in moderation, but at first, it's a pain. Literally. Good luck.

kommodevaran

My gallbladder is out and I don't restrict fat intake, and I have no trouble with fat intake. (Trying to eat low fat made me hungry, and eating too much made me overweight.)

tiffiny_L

I had mine out at the end of March. So far, so good. I've found I can eat pretty much anything as long as I take a digestive enzyme to help me break down fats. I tend to eat a higher (good) fat/high protein diet, as too many carbs spike my blood sugar. I was worried I'd have to change what works for me. The enzymes have helped so much.

Spliner1969

It's different for everyone I believe. My daughter had hers out and the biggest side effect of eating too much fat is spending more time in the restroom than she'd like. There's no reason to go totally 'low fat' until you know how it affects you, because you still need fat in your diet. Just don't overdo it until you know how you will handle it. YMMV.

missymillmill9

I had mine out almost a year ago and don't have any issues eating anything - sometimes I wish I did so it would force me to eat better Before I had my gallbladder removed I had to be VERY careful eating fats. I love red meat but eating a steak would have killed me back then. I discovered bison steak and it changed my life. So tasty, super lean and fills the red meat void. Good luck!

allyphoe

I had my gallbladder out 10 years ago. My surgeon said I could eat whatever I wanted, and I've never had the need to avoid or restrict any particular food to avoid issues.

StarvingDiva

I had my gallbladder out 19 years ago and never had to restrict anything afterwards but everyone is different. I would say its probably trial and error to figure out what your body will tolerate after having it removed.

Ketolover71

mrsmariharris wrote: »

My gallbladder was taken out on Friday and I am using this as a chan e to really change my family's diet. I need help when it comes to snacks, breakfasts and dinners especially. Dr said low fat but I feel like I need more guidance than that!

Well I had mine out..and haven't found anything I cant eat.

apullum

I had my gallbladder removed about 12 years ago. Very greasy foods--large quantities of deep fried things, pizza with huge amounts of cheese, etc.--sometimes make me sick. Otherwise, I've been just fine since the surgery. I've had no need to follow a low fat diet.

AnnPT77

There are some lowfat meal plans out there, or websites devoted to "lighter" recipe versions of familiar foods - Google can help.

Another approach: Log your eating here for a few days (or even log what you think you ate for a few typical past days). Look that over. Where are there quantities of fat that you could reduce while still finding your eating satisfying and enjoyable? Reduce those, get it into your routine, then take another look. Rinse and repeat.

Personally, I haven't had a problem with fat since they took out my gallbladder. My doctor told me to eat lower fat for a month, but that happened in the midst of my weight loss and I was already within the guidelines they gave me at that point. Then I was supposed to gradually re-introduce more fat-containing foods if I wanted to. I didn't do it then, but now, in maintenance, I probably eat a bit more fat than when losing.

When I occasionally eat pizza, something deep-fried, a big cheese portion or some such thing, I haven't experienced any distress (pain or diarrhea). However, I know some other people do.

TheGaudyMagpie

I can get nauseated or indigestion if I eat something really high in fat but otherwise I eat a pretty normal diet. I do stay below the MFP prescribed amounts of fat, but I just kind of do that naturally at this point. Just read labels and keep tracking until you see what works for you.

FYI, some bathroom issues people have after removal are related to bile salt malabsorption, not fat intake. If you have urgency issues, ask your doctor to try a bile sequestrant/cholesterol binder like Questran. I've had issues for most of my adult life (meaning the gallbladder/bile issue has been an undiagnosed problem for a long time) and the bile sequestrant cleared them up entirely.

Recommendations: For breakfast I generally eat nonfat yogurt mixed with cereal or lowfat granola. Add fruit. Bagels are lowfat, with neufchatel instead of regular cream cheese. For dinner, we make a lot of shredded chicken in the crockpot. Put on rice or in tacos. Add beans and lowfat cheese for burritos. We make bean chili - a mix of beans, chicken stock, tomatoes, canned green chilies. Pasta (whole wheat or high protein) with tomato sauce, turkey or lowfat ground beef, skim mozzarella. For snacks - granola bars, rice crispy treats, lowfat ice cream or ice cream novelties, carrots, string cheese.

I think that you'll find that low fat is actually easier to deal with than a lot of other restrictions. I do eat more carbs, but I've had a fairly easy time losing weight after having my gallbladder removed a year ago. I had almost no appetite right after surgery, btw, so for about a month I was eating about 800-1000 calories a day. The surgeon was fine with this on a short term basis. Feel free to message me if you want any more guidance.