Trouble losing weight after gallbladder removal?

Dimples1974
Dimples1974 Posts: 5
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
Hiya,

I was just wondering if anyone else had trouble losing weight after having their gallbladder removed? I had mine taken out about 6 years ago, just after sucessfully losing 2 1/2 stone with weight watchers. After my surgery i didn't change anything, still kept to the same diet and exercise but couldn't shift any more weight at all. Eventually i just gave up, until this Christmas when i joined the gym. I have now lost almost a stone and a half but the last two weeks my weight loss has completely stopped again despite working out really hard almost every day.

I'm beginning to wonder if i will ever lose the weight i want to :(
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Replies

  • Dimples1974
    Dimples1974 Posts: 5
    Just me then? lol
  • areber07
    areber07 Posts: 38 Member
    Hav you noticed a difference in your BM's? You may need to eat more fiber to help keep things moving. This has been my before and after my GB surgery but has been worse since the surgery 10 years ago.
  • Zicon
    Zicon Posts: 27
    Not just you.

    I wasn't worried much about my weight before I had my gallbladder removed, even if it was above my comfort level then.

    After the removal, I just ballooned, putting on 15kg in half a year. It's coming off now, but so, so slowly...
  • leahbhollifield
    leahbhollifield Posts: 30
    I had my gallbladder removed a little over two years ago, but I haven't noticed any impact on my weight loss. Have you had any blood work done lately to see if there's a potential issue with your thyroid or some other metabolic issue? I know my body had some trouble adjusting to certain foods post-op (i.e. fatty or hard to digest foods made me sick), but I don't have those same issues now.
  • GeekMom17
    GeekMom17 Posts: 51
    I had mine out last year and my body has gone haywire. I was about 165 pounds and now I am 145 pounds. Its been difficult. I had to lower the heck out of my fat. I try to eat very very low fat which makes it hard to feel full. My diet has had to change big time since then.
  • 1_Slick_Chick
    1_Slick_Chick Posts: 199 Member
    Luckily for me....with the change in my diet, I got to keep my gallbladder. Attacks have gone away since I started eating better.
    My brother had his gall bladder removed and just complained that he has to go right to the little boys room after he eats :blushing:
  • DerekG79
    DerekG79 Posts: 116 Member
    It seems like after I had mine removed, my weight loss stalled too. I have lost like 80 pounds before hand and just gained after. I am back at it again, but the loss has been slow compared to my track record. I also noticed more extreme hunger. I asked my doctor about it and he just looked at me like I was crazy.
  • Dimples1974
    Dimples1974 Posts: 5
    Thanks for your replies, seems im not alone after all! lol

    When i was consented for my surgery the doctor explained that your gall bladder didn't really do much so i wouldn't miss it. Since then i have started working in the surgery unit and have learnt that it is very important and helps to break down fats in your body :(

    I think i have a very slow metabolism anyway, not to be too graphic but i only go for number 2's once a week if that. Have also had my thyroid tested a couple of times and the tests always come back fine.

    I'm going to make an appointment to see my GP, maybe get a referral to a dietition for some more help, failing that i'm going to apply to go on embarrassing fat bodies and get their help lol
  • opal721
    opal721 Posts: 8
    No, you are not the only one! I had mine removed two yrs ago and put on about 40 lbs after and was overweight before. I just now began trying to shed the excess weight and I too am having a hard time losing weight. But, my philosophy is: if I eat right and exercise long enough eventually it will pay off. It is only logical that no matter the health problems if you eat less and exercise more you will eventually lose it albeit slowly. I am on day 58 and have lost 14 lbs. I also have a severe thyroid problem which prevents weight loss as well.
    Don't get discouraged... your good habits WILL catch up with you!!
  • audreyem
    audreyem Posts: 1
    Hi, Dimples1974
    I don't know if your still having this problem. I recently had my gall bladder out. and I've noticed I've been gaining about a pound a week! I recently had a baby, so I'm heavier them my norm to begin with. I also have thyroid and hormone issues, so I'm expecting this to be a long journey.
    I have seen ppl have success with bile salts. So that may be something you could try or talk to your nutritionist about.
    Also taking fish oil and probiotics can really help with the slow metabolism issue. Remember getting healthy is always a step in the right direction! :flowerforyou:
  • gandydancer
    gandydancer Posts: 171 Member
    No, you are not alone as I am having the same problem...I had lost weight several years ago and was doing just great, then last July I had my gallbladder out and have been slowly gaining weight and nothing seems to help. I went to a chiropractor and he gave me digestive enzymes that are supposed to help with the breakdown of fats etc well they have done nothing and I am getting so depressed with it also.
  • gandydancer
    gandydancer Posts: 171 Member
    This is so depressing, I was hoping someone would say they had no problem, but I have yet to see this.Apparently the bile is constantly running into intestines and storing fat and not breaking anything down, whereas with the gallbladder a much stronger bile breaks down everything and uses some and eliminates the rest. I hate to say it but I think days of losing weight are over, have researched this extensively and this is the wind up.
  • gandydancer
    gandydancer Posts: 171 Member
    Hi, I see you have tried digestive enzymes also and no luck, same here, they did nothing...I have even tried diet pills and nothing, so this is a big problem, feel like throwing the towel in...I actually have little fat pads on my stomach and hips which I never had, the doctors think I am crazy but they don't want to admit it is a hige money maker for them as they do around 800,000 surgeries a year...so wish I would have taken care of it when I had it.
  • gandydancer
    gandydancer Posts: 171 Member
    Wow glad to see you had a weight loss, you are about the only one...I eat low fat all of the time and can't imagine what I can cut out, even tried Weight Watchers, nothing!!.....Glad you had success tho, good luck.
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
    I had mine removed in '95 while I was on WW, and I continued to lose weight. (Gained all that back and then some when I quit smoking and moved two states away). So maybe I was exception to the rule? I had lost about 40 pounds prior to the surgery and another 20 or after....
  • BIW2012
    BIW2012 Posts: 97 Member
    I've lost 3 kilos since I had my gall bladder removed in Feb 2013. Some of that 3 kilos was water weight from eating ice cream while in the hospital though.

    I've actually had quite a stall since then though... the scales just dance around the same few pounds, up and down which is disheartening. Not sure if it's to do with my gall bladdar as it wasn't working anyway...
  • gandydancer
    gandydancer Posts: 171 Member
    Even tho it wasn't working it actually was working, maybe not as it should, but it was helping.
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
    The dreaded word exercise and no mamby pamby exercise either. I got my gall bladder out July of 2011. I too, thought I'll never lose the weight. Decided to do something completely different. I dedicated myself to exercise. First to prove it didn't work for me, but then I was proved wrong it did work.
  • JJTGPBL
    JJTGPBL Posts: 1
    I am so glad I am not the only one. Ever since I had my gallbladder out I have been gaining weight. I had it out in 2009 after my daughter was born. I went from 135 lbs pre-surgery to 175lbs within 10 months. I then got pregnant with twins and delivered at 187lbs. I was able to lose 5 lbs but now I am 212lbs! I eat healthy and exercise. I am scared to death because nothing works.
  • kimstwin
    kimstwin Posts: 136 Member
    This is weird. I haven't really had any trouble without my gallbladder. Had it out 2/2012. The gallbladder stores the bile, in its absence the liver will continue to make the bile, without the bladder, you just don't store as much bile.
  • christyh79
    christyh79 Posts: 25 Member
    I had my gallbladder out 2 years ago, just started really trying to lose weight 6 months ago. In 6 months of bootcamp at my gym, personal training, becoming a runner, and using MFP, I've only lost 9 pounds. My doctor checked my thyroid, but that was ok, I never thought it could be related to my surgery until I started reading this thread! All we can do is keep working hard, it may be coming off slow, but at least we're making progress!
  • redhotbeads
    redhotbeads Posts: 62 Member
    Looks like I can join the club - I had mine out six weeks ago. Promptly put on five pounds and am having a really difficult time losing them - despite tracking diligently on MFP and now wearing a Jawbone UP. Truthfully, I had NO idea that gallbladder removal would have any impact on weight loss! So I'm still doing what I can, eating right and exercising, but that scale is not budging.
  • AmyMalley77
    AmyMalley77 Posts: 72 Member
    This is weird. I haven't really had any trouble without my gallbladder. Had it out 2/2012. The gallbladder stores the bile, in its absence the liver will continue to make the bile, without the bladder, you just don't store as much bile.

    Exactly! The gallbladder stores extra bile so that if the liver can't make enough to help digest the food (my surgeon said this happens in the case if you eat a high fat food) the gallbladder will excrete some extra bile.

    I had my gallbladder out almost exactly a year ago and I haven't gained any weight that can't be explained...I mean, I gained about 8 pounds over the Christmas holiday but it wasn't due to not having my gallbladder...it was due to drinking too many Rum Chata drinks and eating all the crazy Christmas cookies and desserts.
  • gandydancer
    gandydancer Posts: 171 Member
    Still at it and not much luck, ask any Dr. and they will say it has nothing with weight gain HA!!! Al you need to do is understand the function of the gallbladder and the liver and now the constant storage of what you eat and there you have it. :(
  • CherylP67
    CherylP67 Posts: 772 Member
    I was born without a gallbladder and it hasn't impacted my weight loss.
  • AnnaMarieDinVa
    AnnaMarieDinVa Posts: 162 Member
    I weigh more now than before my gallbladder was removed, but that is because I can eat anything I want now. Prior to having it removed, if I ate much fat, I would be in excruciating pain for hours. Hence, I ate limited amount of items, and they were very low in fat. Now that I can eat anything I want to, and not suffer, sadly, I have done so more than I should. When I follow a healthy diet and exercise, I can lose, just like before. :)
  • Whodatgirl77
    Whodatgirl77 Posts: 238 Member
    Had my gall bladder out Sept 2012. Despite the normal advice of lowering fats, I went low carb and higher fat in Feb and have felt so much better since then. I've steadily lost weight and my digestive issues post surgery are greatly improved. Basically I've been doing the exact opposite of what is normally instructed post surgically and it is working for me. Moral of the story is that you will have to find what works for you now but don't necessarily count out fats just bc we are told we should go low fat. That isn't always the case.
  • reankanesmom
    reankanesmom Posts: 132 Member
    Have not had much issue with losing weight after having it removed but I am sick on a drop of a dime depending on how my body wants to act when I eat and I was never like that before. Sometimes I wonder how I even manage to get what nutrients I need
  • hladams8110
    hladams8110 Posts: 27 Member
    Luckily for me....with the change in my diet, I got to keep my gallbladder. Attacks have gone away since I started eating better.
    My brother had his gall bladder removed and just complained that he has to go right to the little boys room after he eats :blushing:

    I had mine out when i was 18, and i will be 25next week, and i thought this was going to be my life too. I was told by about a million doctors that it was because i needed to eat healthier/less and i blew them all off. However, it turns out, now that im doing the healthy eating and exercising thing its like 95% better. If your brother isnt a healthy eater that could be why, if he really is genuinely eating healthy he should get checked out by a doctor.
  • dayanas1977
    dayanas1977 Posts: 1
    I had my gallbladder taken out about 11 years ago and ever since then my weight is like a yoyo. It is VERY difficult to lose even five pounds, I gain weight faster then losing it! I have done everything , excrise had a personal trainer, diet eat healthly but still it's so hard to lose it fast like before. I am glad to see that I am not the only one out there dealing with this issue. I hope that one day I will be at my goal weight!
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