Gall Bladder Removal and Weight Loss

On the bright side, losing the gallbladder means losing about 1/5 of a lb.

ilovebacon33 wrote: »

After an almost 2 year battle with gall bladder problems, I had it removed in April 2014. Since having my gall bladder out, it seems I gained weight, and I am having a hard time losing it.

Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, what advice can you share?

Not sure if you ever resolved your question/problem to your satisfaction, but I am looking into the same thing. I had my gallbladder removed last August, so almost a year ago. I did not have any dietary issues prior to surgery - the stones I had were due to a specific type of anemia and the resulting rapid breakdown of red blood cells, not from dietary problems. I knew I was at risk but had no symptoms, until a couple of sudden attacks of pain. My stone-filled, badly scarred gallbladder was removed, followed a few days later by a Sphincter of Oddi procedure as well. Since October, I've gained weight that seems harder than ever to get rid of. HOWEVER, I'm also in menopause as of this year so two issues at the same time.

My eating habits have always been pretty good - i'm not significantly overweight, just battling middle-age spread. I never ate a really high-fat diet or very heavy on red meats. Not perfect, I like wine and dessert but try to keep at least the dessert for birthdays and holidays. No promises on the wine. But I don't think that changed eating habits since surgery are the cause, since I ate what I wanted both before and after, right up until the two attacks of pain.

In the reading I've done recently, I found that SOME people have difficulty processing fats in foods, both the healthy kind and saturated fats after surgery. This can have an effect on how well your body processes certain fat-soluble vitamins like A, D and K. This is due to the fact that after your gallbladder is removed, bile (normally stored in the gallbladder until needed) is sort of steadily trickling into your digestive system instead of being released in a concentrated form in response to fat consumption. Again, some doctors, mostly naturopaths and functional medicine docs, think that your body stores more fat in an attempt to get more of those vitamins into your system (I'm a little uncertain of the details here). They often recommend bile salts as a supplement with meals, because it helps you to digest fats better and absorb more nutrients from your food. Some people, not all, who take them do report weight loss. My doctor has told me that I'm D3 deficient, even though I live in the south AND I take supplements. I decided to try the bile salts, and will start tomorrow. If it makes any difference, I'll let you know.

It may have nothing to do with it, but with exercise and a daily calorie intake of 1250 or under most days not really helping, I'm willing to look at other possible contributors to the issue.

Hope you got some answers!
Paula

I had my gallbladder out during the midst of my weight loss, in June of last year. I was lucky enough to avoid digestive problems afterward. I saw no effect on my calorie requirements, weight loss rate, appetite etc., before and after the surgery. (FWIW, in case it matters, I'm also menopausal & hypothyroid. Don't think those made a difference for me, either.)

The only problem I had was fatigue after a couple of weeks: In retrospect, it would've been a lot smarter to go to maintenance calories for a few weeks after surgery, rather than continuing to lose weight aggressively, in order to help my body heal more effectively.

But that's just n=1.

I was working out almost every day then BAM Gallbladder pain and surgery no working out during and then after I couldn't get in the swing of things. I did gain but due to not trying any longer. So ... no it does not make you gain weight but yes because you are not working at weight loss any more?

@Treece68 yeah I got that pain a lot afterwards. I called it "gall-hole" attacks. Eventually became less of an issue. Took a couple years to be able to eat fatty foods without worrying about pain. Still happens now but very rarely. Doctor said it was likely due to scarring or narrowing of the bile duct after surgery.

I had my gallbladder taken out in 2008. I've had ups and downs but recently I've had worse side effects with my post choly. I'm reverting back to my pre surgery diet of only a few grams of fat per day because it's impeding severely on my lifestyle. I know I don't eat the best buy after 8 years I've come to know what my body can handle. lately my body is not even accepting that. I think its time to go get my dr involved.

I initially gained wt (126 up to 138) as one of my symptoms of a diseased gallbladder (working at 27% rate). I gained wt with everything I ate (severely constipated too). To avoid more wt gain and attacks, I put myself on a strict no fat, no meat diet and lost the wt prior to surgery which was in 2010. I have been fine eating unrestricted until recently.

I gained wt rapidly over the holidays (unusual for me) and couldn't get it off. I thought it was my metabolism, but with research, I realized the effects of not having a gallbladder can occur many yrs later. I changed my diet as I did back in 2010 and finally lost that holiday wt (14 lbs). (I've always exercised)

I've also been taking ox bile or bile salts to help increase bile production. This helps increase the amount dripping into the small intestines in order to help emulsify fats (those with gallbladder bile goes into stomach). I take it with meals. If I eat something fatty I poop (which is what I used to do before my gallbladder went bad..I was very sensitive to fatty foods in my 20's and 30's). Again, I had to change my diet. Let's not talk about constipation! I have to take laxatives. Fiber makes me bloated for days! It's really too bad doctors are so quick to remove parts without informing us of the side effects!