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Issues losing weight after gallbladder removal.

I started dieting in October, because I decided that I wanted to be healthy before I turned 30, and my 29th birthday was coming up in November. I got a gym membership and started eating better, and then out of nowhere at the end of October, I had to have emergency gallbladder surgery.

Since I had the surgery, I think that I've gained like 40 pounds, even though I am eating healthier and eating less. I started paying particular attention to what I was eating, and counted calories very specifically and gained 5 pounds over a week. The next week, as an experiment, I ate whatever I wanted and only gained 1.5 pounds. 

Has anyone else had this problem? When I had the surgery, they didn't say anything about how it would affect my body or anything, or how I should be eating if I wanted to get healthy and lose weight. In the follow up with the surgeon, I didn't really get a chance to ask him because he came into my hospital room at like 5am to check the incisions and talk to me and because he woke me up I was really groggy so I didn't really think to ask any questions. 

According to the calculations from Fitbit, I need to eat about 1700 calories a day to lose 2 pounds a week, but people are telling me that that's way too high and I need to cut back to 1200. Does anyone have any thoughts? 

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298 REPLIES 298

@KittyChimera,

 

Gallbladder problems are a diet related disease caused by eating animal products. Gallstones are made from cholesterol. The only place excess cholesterol can come from is animal products. The liver produces exactly the amount we need from plant sources. There are rare people whose liver produces too much.

 

Once a person gets a dietary disease, the others may not be far behind. They are likely in the early stages. Overweight is a dietary disease, so include that.

 

I don't have much time, so I'll have to cut this short.

 

Watch this video and also the rest of the videos in the series. There is no healthier way of eating in the world. 

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@KittyChimera, I had my gallbladder removed many years ago - from an injury, not a diet-related disease as alluded to in another reply - and I have never had a weight maintenance problem. I have never kept high fat, and still don't, but I never changed my diet after the gallbladder removal. I don't believe weight gain can be blamed on the gallbladder, but the quantity of food you eat. Many of us are not vegetarians, but maintain a very healthy weight. Weight gain or loss is simply calories in vs calories out (burned). If you consume 1,700 calories per day, and burn 3,000 calories per day through exercise, you will lose 2+ pounds per week.

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@USAF-LarryWhere's I'm thinking that it might be a gallbladder thing is that I've been counting calories and adding them into the app, and I am at the goal that I am supposed to be or under. Eating the specific amount of calories that were calculated for me by the information that I put into the Fitbit app, I gained five pounds in the first week. I wasn't gaining weight before my surgery. The only reason I went with that line of thought is because a coworker told me that when she had gallbladder surgery, her doctor told her that the weight gain after it was normal, and she ended up having to have weight loss surgery to correct it. 

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@GershonSurge I've never been told that gallbladder issues were linked to eating animal products before. I guess that makes sense though. As far as cholesterol levels, mine were never high, according to the results of biometric screenings every year for work. 

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@KittyChimera for what its worth.. I think the first thing you should do is consult with a medical professional to see if its possible. I remember when my friend had hers, she actually lost a bit of weight because certain foods would not stick around long enough in her belly- if you catch my drift. Of course over time that righted itself- but initially she lost a few pounds. If it is medically impossible then your next step is to track the accuracy of your weighing your food. You may be taking in more than you think because of inaccurate measurement of food. As far as 1200 calories- that is the old stand by number that gets thrown around all the time. If I were you, I would calculate your own TDEE, figure out a deficit you can live with and eat to that number. I hope you solve your mystery... much luck to you..

Elena | Pennsylvania

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KittChimera, I hate to break it to you, but humans are animals. That means we make our own cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol is only a tiny fraction of the cholesterol in your body. Some people (genetically) make more cholesterol than normal, which is why they need to be on medication.

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@KittyChimera, @GershonSurge, I meant to send the above message to GershonSurge. Humans are animals, and like other animals, we make cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol is only a tiny fraction of the cholesterol in our bodies. Some people (genetically) make more cholesterol than others, which is why they often need to be on medication.

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I realize this was written a little bit ago now but I just wanted to say that my mother is having the same issue after she had her gallbladder removed and I have found alot of info on why the gallbladder can definitely cause weight gain and make it harder to lose! Also, my mother had hers removed because she was abused and her gallbladder was pulverized beyond repair so it is not safe to assume everyone has issues with theirs for the same reason as one person suggested. 

Don't let people make you doubt yourself just because some people did not have issues with weight after removal of their gallbladder doesn't mean that is not the big factor behind issues you are having every body is different and responds to things differently. 

Sorry I can not offer any useful info or suggestions as I am looking for them also to help my mother but I just felt I should say you are not crazy because some responders seem doubtful that this could be the cause. 

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Thanks for sharing your information regarding gallbladder removal and weight issues. I really appreciate it!

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I unfortunately had a lot of issues with gallstones and learnt the hard way about how to prevent them happening again plus living a healthy lifestyle. I struggled to find information easy to understand - in the end I started www.gallstonesdiet.net to help others that are suffering with gallstones. I hope you may find it of help to you.

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YES!!  YES!!  I had to have my gallbladder removed after sleeve bariatric surgery. I lost 135 lbs, had my gallbladder surgery and almost immediately gained 30 lbs. I was devastated! I talked with my surgeon and she said, "oh yes, you will probably gain weight. The average is around 40 lbs." She said it so matter of fact. WHAT? now, I know I wasn't eating more, I couldn't because of my surgery, and I wasn't eating anything different, very strict eating. And the weight just kept going up and up. She explained it that the gallbladder is what processed the fat we eat, and now that it's gone, well, our body will absorb more of the calories. Evidently "eventually" something will adapt but it takes a long time, but losing weight will be harder for the rest of our lives.  WHY don't they tell you that up front? Gallbladder removal seems so common. You hear about it so often. But I have NEVER heard of this side effect before. 😞  So you are not alone, you can google it. There will be some that will question you, tell you you're eating more than you are admitting. But it's true. The majority, vast majority gain weight after the surgery.  I feel your pain.

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Thank you for your reply! My mother had her gallbladder removed and has had issues with losing weight ever since. It is very frustrating as I am sure you know that people are not told of these issues before the surgery. 
I have been trying to help her find a way to combat the problem and lose weight even when your body is working against you. If you have found any thing that has worked for you I would be very interested to hear it as I could pass it on to her. 
I am sorry to hear that you have had to go through this but in the very least it seems to help some times knowing we are not alone in things and as much as it discourages my mother knowing there is something stopping her from losing the weight she wants I think it has helped her knowing it wasn't something she was doing wrong as she has tried every diet under the sun. 
Thank you again! 
Sincerely,
Melissa Chapman
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
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Um. There are plenty of potential causes for developing gallstones. go To your doc and get a pamphlet that discusses the typical causes for gallstones and it doesn't mention anything about animal products. Smh. This is why you can't believe everything you read on the internet. 

 

 

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But, @Abccba, it is in the videos that are frequently advertised here, so it must true, right?  "I saw it on the Internet, so it must be true!"  Smiley Frustrated

 

I know a number of people who are very dedicated vegans that have had gallbladder stones or infections and had to have the gallbladder removed. So, can animal products cause it? Sure. So can many other things, such as genetics.

 

Keep on keeping on.....

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If you are replying to my post about the human body (and bodies of other animals) making cholesterol, that is basic biology 101. The liver makes cholesterol. Only about 20% of the cholesterol in your bloodstream comes from the food you eat. Your body makes the rest. You can read about it here, in the Harvard Medical School newsletter: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/how-its-made-cholesterol-production-in-your-body

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YES, it is because of the gallbladder being taken out.  Anyone that thinks it isn't is just plain wrong. I had my gallbladder out, because of polyps, 17 years ago.  I was 115lbs and absolutely NEVER gained weight.  I had a very fast metabolism which is the way it is for everyone in my family.  That being said, when the gallbladder came out, I immediately gained 20lbs.  I don't mean in a year, I mean immediately.  I gained more afterwards.  I have cut out salt and any items of food that can make me swell.  I eat baked chicken and vege's.  Everything else is gone!.  I still cannot get my weight down.  I have what is known, on other sites, as the no gallbladder pregnant belly.  So, unless you can help to correct this issue, do NOT assume it is not the gallbladder.  She has an actual issue.  You may not have had the problem, but there are tons of other's that have.

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Consider yourself blessed.  Other's, and there are a lot, have had a lot of weight gain, no matter what they try.  

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Gallstones (and the removal of the gall  bladder) can actually be CAUSED by rapid weight loss. This has been well documented and actually happened to me.

 

I've noticed no ill effects after having mine taken out. In fact since having it taken out I've gone on to lose a lot of weight. I don't know of any evidence that links the removal of a gall bladder to stalled weight loss, or weight gain. Theoretically if anything, the opposite should be true due to the difficulty (for some) in metabolising fat after it's been taken out.

 

If you understand what the gall bladder does, it's kind of hard to reconcile weight gain with its removal.

 

Cheers all.

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Well, as they say, certainty and arrogance are proportional to ignorance. And Kruggerand's response is a shining example.

 

Yes, extreme weight loss is associated with gallstone issues. But as I've found out, there are a number of studies in the medical literature showing that gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) is associated with post-surgical weight gain, even when patients stick to their recommended diets. Here is just one of those studies, published in 2004:

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15732228

 

Live and learn.

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