Gallbladder Surgery Weight Loss

Shakiraj22
Shakiraj22 Posts: 9 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering if anyone, especially in their 20s, is on a weight loss journey that has had their gallbladder removed. I wanted to know was losing weight going to be harder or easier? Any thing else that you could share is definitely helpful.

Replies

  • eissacf25
    eissacf25 Posts: 151 Member
    edited December 2016
    Losing weight has always been hard for me, but the gallbladder being removed has no impact other than I'm way more comfortable and less bloated all the time lol. Good luck!!
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    Not in my 20s anymore but I don't have a gallbladder. I did lose weight and didn't even try.

    I ignored the surgeon's advice on eating less fatty foods and yep I lost weight. It wasn't very pretty, unless urgent bathroom breaks are your thing.

    Don't do what I did as the weight loss was temporary. Seriously tell the doc what you are doing, they'll probably suggest lower fat for a while. CICO still works fine.
  • Shakiraj22
    Shakiraj22 Posts: 9 Member
    eissacf25 wrote: »
    Losing weight has always been hard for me, but the gallbladder being removed has no impact other than I'm way more comfortable and less bloated all the time lol. Good luck!!

    Yes, the bloating is definitely gone! I even saw a weight drop after the surgery. Did that happen to you? Thanks!

  • Shakiraj22
    Shakiraj22 Posts: 9 Member
    markrgeary1 wrote: »
    Not in my 20s anymore but I don't have a gallbladder. I did lose weight and didn't even try.

    I ignored the surgeon's advice on eating less fatty foods and yep I lost weight. It wasn't very pretty, unless urgent bathroom breaks are your thing.

    Don't do what I did as the weight loss was temporary. Seriously tell the doc what you are doing, they'll probably suggest lower fat for a while. CICO still works fine.

    Yeah, I definitely notice the natural decrease in weight. And I know exactly why you mean with the bathroom thing lol. I hate it lol. My doctor actually didn't tell me to modify my diet, which surprised me. But I learned that I can't eat everything the hard way lol. So I try not too eat certain things, I feared the weight loss would be temporary. So I'm working on healthier living. Thanks for the advice! What is CICO?
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited December 2016
    Shakiraj22 wrote: »
    eissacf25 wrote: »
    Losing weight has always been hard for me, but the gallbladder being removed has no impact other than I'm way more comfortable and less bloated all the time lol. Good luck!!

    Yes, the bloating is definitely gone! I even saw a weight drop after the surgery. Did that happen to you? Thanks!

    How much does a gallbladder weigh?

    Just kidding, just kidding. :)

    Have a friend without a gallbladder. He has to go right back to work/home after sushi, or there is a problem.
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    Not quite in my 20s anymore...

    Had it taken out a year ago because it was chronically inflamed and on top of that a stone had gotten stuck in the bile duct. I still have to be careful with eating too high fat, so I guess it made weightloss a tad bit easier as I tend to avoid some of my former high fat favorites. Not to mention the anesthesia messed with my sense of taste and I can't stomach alcohol anymore (all tastes like badly corked red wine...)

    Gained about 2kg after the surgery and it took nearly a month for that to leave, but it was mostly due to the water retention. All in all, I lost 19kg since having it removed, thanks to a large degree to my logging. :smile:
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I had mine removed a couple of years before I ever tried to lose weight, in my mid-20s. I never noticed any particular weight loss issues after losing it. If anything, having to keep a better eye on my butter & oil intake helped cut some calories.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    I do not have a gallbladder and it has not impacted my ability to lose weight at all.
  • Shakiraj22
    Shakiraj22 Posts: 9 Member
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Shakiraj22 wrote: »
    eissacf25 wrote: »
    Losing weight has always been hard for me, but the gallbladder being removed has no impact other than I'm way more comfortable and less bloated all the time lol. Good luck!!

    Yes, the bloating is definitely gone! I even saw a weight drop after the surgery. Did that happen to you? Thanks!

    How much does a gallbladder weigh?

    Just kidding, just kidding. :)

    Have a friend without a gallbladder. He has to go right back to work/home after sushi, or there is a problem.

    That's a thing lol. An awful thing. I hate it.
  • eissacf25
    eissacf25 Posts: 151 Member
    Shakiraj22 wrote: »
    eissacf25 wrote: »
    Losing weight has always been hard for me, but the gallbladder being removed has no impact other than I'm way more comfortable and less bloated all the time lol. Good luck!!

    Yes, the bloating is definitely gone! I even saw a weight drop after the surgery. Did that happen to you? Thanks!

    I was mid weight-loss before my surgery anyway, so I just continued on plan but didn't see any difference. Would have been nice though! lol my gallbladder was bad, I'd have attacks after eating a salad. No matter what I tried to change in my eating habits, there was no rhyme or reason so that SOB came out! I wish I didn't wait as long as I had, could have been less bloated much faster haha.
  • TheGaudyMagpie
    TheGaudyMagpie Posts: 282 Member
    edited December 2016
    If you're having bathroom troubles after gallbladder removal, look into trying a bile salts/cholesterol binder like cholestyramine (Questran). It's pretty common to have problems reabsorbing the bile that now drips freely into the digestive system instead of being stored in the gallbladder, and that can cause things like loose bowels and urgency after eating. I started on one shortly after surgery after having those issues and I have absolutely no issues with it now. People mistakenly believe that the issues are due to fat malabsorption but usually the issue is actually bile salts malabsorption. I get indigestion if I eat too much fat, but not the bathroom issues. As I've had problems all of my adult life, it's been life changing and it's really disheartening that more doctors don't know about this easy fix and their patients suffer. I was lucky in that I had an excellent surgeon, and she knew exactly what was happening.

    As to weight, I had my surgery in May, and I lost 15 lbs over the next month or so. I am still slowly losing despite not eating at much of a deficit (if any). It's still early, but so far weight loss has been easier, although I'm quite a bit from my 20s at this point.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,269 Member
    I also had the surgery mid-weight-loss, and - after the water-weight/healing effects sorted out, which took a couple of weeks for me - it didn't affect my weight loss one way or the other. Same rate for the same calorie level, before & after. Felt lots better, though!

    One caveat, not for you, since you're well post-surgery now, but for others who may read: I stuck with my same deficit while recovering from surgery, and that turned out to be kind of stupid. I'm now pretty confident I would've recovered faster and felt better if I'd gone to (or near) maintenance calories for a couple of weeks after surgery. I got fatigued.

    Of course, I'm not in my 20s; I was 59 at the time of surgery (but a pretty fit 59, gotta say).
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Shakiraj22 wrote: »
    eissacf25 wrote: »
    Losing weight has always been hard for me, but the gallbladder being removed has no impact other than I'm way more comfortable and less bloated all the time lol. Good luck!!

    Yes, the bloating is definitely gone! I even saw a weight drop after the surgery. Did that happen to you? Thanks!

    How much does a gallbladder weigh?

    Just kidding, just kidding. :)

    Have a friend without a gallbladder. He has to go right back to work/home after sushi, or there is a problem.

    I actually asked my surgeon that question (not out of wishful thinking, as she believed, but because I wanted to understand if it was enough that it would affect how I was thinking about my maximum healthy weight loss rate).

    I can't remember the precise answer, but it was trivial - low ounces.

    FWIW, I don't have any . . . umm, digestive disturbances post-surgery, though I was conscientious about the low-fat eating for a month or so. (Why not? I was trying to lose weight anyway, so eating deep-fried stuff wasn't high on my agenda at the time. I did try to eat at least a little healthy fat with each meal, though, 'cause micronutrient absorption.)
  • gladius173
    gladius173 Posts: 20 Member
    Had my gallbladder removed two days ago.. Not hungry at all. I suffer with sugar issues..not a diabetic .
    However I am a health freak and never ever ate junk food..occasional indulgence -yes.
    That would intail once in two months-pizza a beer night.
    I work out and I'm 53 yr old female.
    I live a very active life style.
    All that I've read was people gaining weight and just horrible stories.
    I am thinking that they never lived a healthy life prior. How can one just think and or assume they can eat rap and expect to lose weight. Well not I.

    So my question is, had you had any weight issues-if you life a healthy and I mean a real healthy lifestyle. Advise is always welcomed and of course I take all information with a grain of salt. thank you in advance. :smile:
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  • Shakiraj22
    Shakiraj22 Posts: 9 Member
    gladius173 wrote: »
    Had my gallbladder removed two days ago.. Not hungry at all. I suffer with sugar issues..not a diabetic .
    However I am a health freak and never ever ate junk food..occasional indulgence -yes.
    That would intail once in two months-pizza a beer night.
    I work out and I'm 53 yr old female.
    I live a very active life style.
    All that I've read was people gaining weight and just horrible stories.
    I am thinking that they never lived a healthy life prior. How can one just think and or assume they can eat rap and expect to lose weight. Well not I.

    So my question is, had you had any weight issues-if you life a healthy and I mean a real healthy lifestyle. Advise is always welcomed and of course I take all information with a grain of salt. thank you in advance. :smile:

    My experience taught me that gallbladder issues start long before we realize. I was very overweight a few years ago and had began to change my lifestyle way before my surgery. I had lost a lot of weight when I had my surgery. But the damage was already done. And luckily I caught it just in time. So sometimes it’s not so bad but just bad enough. And taking it out made me feel free from pain and I just continue to watch what and how I eat.
  • 30kgin2017
    30kgin2017 Posts: 228 Member
    Personally my gall bladder or now lack thereof had nothing to do with weight, my gall bladder issues also seemed to be hereditary triggered by preg hormones. Not sure if that's why I dont have any issues with any food/fat etc commonly experienced by others. I lost weight after the surgery due to changes in diet as advised by my surgeon during the recovery period but once I went back to my old eating habits the weight returned.

    My sister who had the same preg related trigger also had her gall bladder removed. She's always been slim and remains so afterwards so no affect on weight for her either.
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