success loosing after having gallbladder removed?

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I had my gallbladder removed almost 5 years ago. Before I started having issues with it I had lost 19 pounds after having my 2nd child. Now, 5 years later I am still struggling to lose the weight. I just keep going up and down. I can lose 10 pounds, but then I gain 8 back. It is very discouraging to try so hard with no results.

When I had my gallbladder removed I wasn't told that I would need to be on any sort of special diet or not eat certain things like I have seen random articles about. I have been trying to take digest enzymes when I eat as I've read that they help take up some of the slack from the missing gallbladder.

Have you been able to loose after having gallbladder removed?
Are there food that should be avoided because of not having a gallbladder?

Replies

  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
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    I had my gallbladder removed over 15 years ago. I have been able to lose (and gain) weight since then.

    The only thing I was told is that I might have more difficulty digesting fatty foods, but I have not really noticed that. However as I'm trying to eat healthier I am limiting my fatty foods anyway.
  • grubb1019
    grubb1019 Posts: 371 Member
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    I've had my gallbladder removed without any issues. It hasn't hindered weight loss and I eat what I want.
  • Luv2Smile55
    Luv2Smile55 Posts: 133 Member
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    I can't speak from personal experience but my brother had his removed. He gets horrible stomach pain if he eats a "fatty diet." He has even ended up in the hospital because of it. If you aren't having any issues with particular foods I would say that you are one of the lucky ones and won't have to restrict anything. As far as losing weight goes, the older we get the more difficult weight loss becomes. My advice is to be honest with yourself about what you are eating and make sure to exercise and do some strength training as well. Great luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • mistyblu13
    mistyblu13 Posts: 71 Member
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    my mom had hers out and had issues losing but I think it was more because she kept eating crappy foods than anything lol rule of thumb is alcohol and high fat foods are a stay away from area....I still have mine and notice these things are an issue now soooo not sure that the lack of gallbladder has anything to do really with wtloss but would love to hear more if that is the case since I am close to getting mine removed :(
  • AmayaJo1
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    Yes, you can lose weight even though you've had your gallbladder removed...as long as your eating at a deficit, you will lose weight.
    I had my gallbladder removed 2 years ago and I've lost 65 lbs so far.:bigsmile:

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  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    I certainly don't miss mine or the pain. I had it taken out and had no problems except for having to run to the bathroom after eating any type of big meal or even drinking a big glass of water. I couldn't even eat dinner out, for fear that I wouldn't make it to a bathroom before I got home! I was miserable. All of that stopped when I went on blood pressure meds that constipates people. It just made me 'normal' again. Weight loss/gain was no different.

    Edited to add: You shouldn't need supplemental enzymes. Most of those come from your pancreas. And, just because you don't have a gallbladder, doesn't meant you don't have bile. It just dumps into your intestines constantly rather than being 'dumped' in only after a meal.

    Good luck!
  • PandaCustard
    PandaCustard Posts: 204 Member
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    I've lost, albeit very, very slowly. After I had mine taken out, I developed some nasty GI problems (IBS and celiac disease), which makes it very hard for me to digest vitamins and nutrients from food. Keep in mind if anything like that develops, because if you're malnourished, it may make you want to eat more to make up for the nutrients you're not getting.
  • AnnaMarieDinVa
    AnnaMarieDinVa Posts: 162 Member
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    I've had my gallbladder removed without any issues. It hasn't hindered weight loss and I eat what I want.

    I have the same experience. Before I had it removed, I couldn't eat fatty foods without immense pain, but now I can eat whatever I want and gain/lose like expected.
  • smanning1982
    smanning1982 Posts: 210 Member
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    I had mine removed 9 years ago. It hasn't made losing weight any harder. I can lose when I focus and try, and when I get unfocused I gain it back again. I can eat anything and haven't noticed any difference in my body from before it was removed.
  • Synamin
    Synamin Posts: 80 Member
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    The gallbladder stores and concentrates bile which helps with fat digestion. It should have no real bearing on weight loss. However, people who have had a cholecystecomy may have trouble digesting certain kinds of fats. Coconut oil is a great fat for people with no gallbladder because it does not require bile salts for digestion.

    If you aren't losing weight, it is because you are eating too many calories compared to your activity level.
  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
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    I've lost, albeit very, very slowly. After I had mine taken out, I developed some nasty GI problems (IBS and celiac disease), which makes it very hard for me to digest vitamins and nutrients from food. Keep in mind if anything like that develops, because if you're malnourished, it may make you want to eat more to make up for the nutrients you're not getting.

    well this is interesting. I know i had some issues right after having it removed (january of this year) but things seem to have leveled out. I wonder why some people develop these issues. Guess I will keep an closer eye on things.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I had my gall bladder removed many years ago. I think that the extensive recovery period did more to cause loss of lean body mass and was responsible for much of my subsequent weight gain (along with the growing problem of arthritis). I saw no appreciable deleterious effect from the loss of my gall bladder in terms of digestion--except that I tended to avoid eating a lot of fat at one time. The low fat diet/high carb diet that I was advised to follow after was the worst part of it I think because low fat diets also tend to be low protein diets and can also wreak havoc with blood sugar and lead to the gain of body fat and loss of lean tissue (both of which I experienced). Over the last three years I have been on a program designed to reverse the loss of lean body mass and you can see the results in my ticker. For me, cutting out added sugar and wheat starch was an essential part of the process (I had moderate "metabolic syndrome" that was reversed by just eliminating added sugar and wheat from my diet). There are two supplements you might want to consider: alpha lipoic acid which is a great aid to restoring the liver, which is usually damaged to some degree or another by gall bladder disease. If your liver is not in tip-top shape, it is more difficult to lose body fat. Another aid to the liver is eating lots of vegetables. If you have no blood sugar issues, you can eat normal amounts of fruit. But most obese folk have some blood sugar issues--and the older they are, the more likely it is that they will have them. My doc says that obesity does not cause blood sugar issues but it is glaring evidence that there a likelihood that blood sugar problems exist or will exist in the future. Diabetes researchers are now coming around to the notion that the same process is in place for both obesity and Type II diabetes--calling it "diabesity". A diet full of processed food, added sugars and wheat starch keep the "diabesity" wheel turning. Because of my blood sugar issues, I limit my fruit to one or two servings per day.

    ETA: The other supplement you might want to consider is milk thistle (it should be standardized for the silymarin content). It is a liver tonic and is very helpful for restoring damaged liver tissue. The health of the liver cannot be overemphasized as it is extremely important to endocrine function.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    Maybe talk to a GI specialist to come up with a diet plan