Weight loss after gallbladder removed

BuceesNana

I had my gallbladder taken out several years ago. Over the years I have tried to lose weight, but not as consistently and seriously as this time. I feel like I am eating right, definitley moving more, and not much success on the scale. I was wondering if this could be related to not having a gallbladder. Any opinions?

odditblue

I don't know. Had mine out a few years back too.
Feels like i'm in the same boat.
I'll be checking for any answers you get.
Wish I knew.
=|

Kelleinna

I had my gall bladder removed in 2002, and I've lost 17 pounds since January 1st. In my personal opinion it's unrelated, but I guess you'd have to check with your doctor to know for sure.

*EDIT: I had the year wrong... it was longer ago than I thought!*

reddcat

Interesting. I had mine out last year. Waiting to see what everyone thinks.

joalee

I think this is interesting. I had mine out about 3 years ago.. when I was sick with the gallbladder I had lost 27 pounds, but since I've had it out I cannot lose weight for the life of me. I've never had a weight problem before.

HMKan

interesting question. I had mine out in Oct, 2009. I hadn't had much success in losing but figured I wasn't trying hard enough. Since becoming committed to this site at the beginning of this year, I've only lost 2 lbs in the last 45 or so days.

But, I'd still say it's likely unrelated. I did the HCG diet last summer and lost about 25 lbs without any sort of delay or weirdness.

I'd be interested to hear everyone else's experiences.

carrie145

I had mine taken out two weeks ago. I have lost four pounds, though some of that is probably due to the fact I was so sick. The first few days I was home, I ate like a pig! I haven't gotten back into my exercise routine either. I have managed to maintain the weight I did lose though. I guess only time will tell.

cessnaholly

I had mine out in '98 and picked up a ton of weight. The doctor says it isn't related but I beg to disagree. However, I've been doing myfitnesspal since January and i've been losing .5 to 1 lbs a week. I think it is a factor but probably not the only thing going on. Good luck.

JenniferAutumn

gallbladder stores bile from the liver which breaks fat down during digestion. Since the digestive system no longer has this "storage tank" after the surgery, if there is more fat than the liver alone can break down the fat will go through the digestion process unprocessed. This is why most people get diarrhea (undigested fat makes excrement slick).
Ever notice when you eat something really greasy , it gives you the worst belly ache? Not having a gallbladder and the fatty food that is being eaten is causing it. More reason to eat healthy!

I had my gallbladder out 10 years, when I was at my heaviest. I lost 40 pounds and managed to keep it off till this past year since I
was injured most of last year and could not work out and comforted myself with food.

TrinityPixie4

I had mine taken out in 2007. I did gain weight (from 2007-2009), also I had my daughter (in 2010). But I am slowly but surely losing weight now.

akgrl1020

I had my gallbladder removed in 2001, and promptly lost 50 pounds in the 4 months following the surgery. I actually maintained for a full year, but then after my son was in the hospital, then I got married, it all crept back on. To be honest, I was not eating enough, and that changed when I started cooking for my husband. I would try here and there to lose weight, but without much luck, until October last year, when I decided I had to change my attitude towards food, to get the victory. I picked up the book Eat This, Not That, and the way I thought about cooking and eating were completely changed.

I was already cooking healthy, just eating too much, and not drinking enough water. I have found not drinking enough water puts me at a standstill. Who would have thought? I am not sure if that has anything to do with my missing gallbladder. I have also found that I do better if I graze through breakfast and lunch, consuming half of my days calories spread out over a three to four hour time period. I think because my body does not have the extra stuff stored for digestion when I eat a larger meal, it does much better when I slowly feed it, rather then sit down to three full meals a day. I also use a smaller plate for my dinner. I have several of the salad sized plates that I started using, after reading articles on how much the dinner plate size has grown.

So in my experience, I think that because I don't have my gallbladder to assist my digestion, I have to be careful how much I eat at
a meal, and be careful that what I chose to eat is natural, and something my body can digest, without extra help. I do avoid fried foods, and only use canola, olive oil, or real butter when I cook. I try to avoid all the hydrogenated products...I figure if they can keep a loaf of bread "fresh" on my counter, what are they doing to my tummy? So that is what is working for me. Smaller meals, spread out over the day, getting at least 64 ounces of water a day, and natural products.

jesswarn2

The gallbladder's main function in the human body is the storage of bile (that is produced by the liver) in between meals. When a person begins eating, the bile contained within the gallbladder is released into the small intestine where the bile is used to help digest fats. With the removal of a gallbladder, fat digestion is still possible, however the person will have to eat less fat in one sitting because the bile available will be much smaller in quantity. If someone without a gallbladder eats a lot of fat in one sitting, only a small portion of that fat will be digested and absorbed into the body, while the rest of it will most likely end up being excreted as waste. Hope this helps you understand a more biological point of view on the effects of the absence of a gallbladder.