Issues losing weight after gallbladder removal.

[KittyChimera]

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? 

[Lissa_C]

Hi, I do not really have any update since I had asked the question for my mother, she is the one having the issues and was hopeing someone would have some helpful tips but so far it is sad to see that so many are struggling with the same issues but not many are having luck with losing weight 😟 my mother is still feeling down and not happy with her weight but I am not giving up hope or my searches for a solution. I wish everyone luck and hope one day soon we will all find some answers and solutions!
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[t56]

As bad as the weight gain is, your wedding is such a blessing. You need the love you are being given.
We have cut out all carbs. It did make a difference, although it didn’t put me back to my normal 115, I did go from 159 to 135. I struggle to keep it at 135, but no carbs and no salt do make a difference. I just can’t get below 135 and it goes back and forth between 135 - 138. Try a straight diet of no carbs and no salt and see if that helps you at all.

[t56]

I just returned two lingerie for the same reason. I also am 63 and run, in place. It with the no carbs and no salt helps. The problem is, if you don’t run, you gain it all back. The running moves the fat deposits around, but if you have a day off........

[t56]

So glad you are helping her and giving her support.

[mmsgamma3]

No change for me either!!! I have been doing Intermittent fasting walking everyday working out and I’m one great big ball of fat! I hate seeing myself in the mirror and considering bariatric surgery because this is ridiculous!

[UkuleleMama]

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. I'm running way more than I want, and way harder also. Yesterday I came up behind a couple who didn't hear me approach so when I said good morning they near jumped out of their skins. I was surprised they didn't hear me coming from a mile away, though, since I was breathing super heavy, basically gasping for breath, and felt like my feet were making huge clomping noises. All I could think was this is way too much effort. And that's coming from someone (me) who always ran and likes to. But, yeah, I think if I let up even for a day or two the weight will just creep up. Oh, well.

[Debsym]

Hi all! Seems we are all the same! I will try cut all carbs! we cant maintain this though ita terrible! I have blisters on my hands from rowing machine at gym and my feet from jogging and still the scales go up!! Ah well will let you all know if anything comes of my endocrinologist appointment on the 17th of June! Been on waiting list since February! x

[t56]

👍

[j916j916]

Will be VERY interested to see how your appt goes!!

[j916j916]

I had to have my gallbladder removed as a result of bariatric surgery and STILL the weight came on. Weight's best friend, depression, soon followed. My Dr. was so nonchalant about it..."oh yeah, that is very common", to my concern/complaint about the weight gain..."30 lbs is the norm" 😥

[Sjacks]

My daughter was just diagnosed with PCOS and after doing some research I found that is hereditary and I probably also have it. After more research, I checked into the gallbladder/PCOS connections which seems to really be a thing! I plan to reach out to my doctor for more information. Just something to check into. 

[DrDebND]

This concept of calories in and calories out is very old concep . It is not true! There is something to the quality of calorie . 

I have been in practice for 20 years and yes people who have their gallbladder removed do usually have weight gain issue . You need to replace the enzymes that your body use to make to break down ANY fat not just animal fat . Oxbile is one and beets are great for making these enzymes. 

[t56]

I have been reading about Oxbile for a while now. I have Hypoglycemia and research states that Oxbile effects glucose and that someone with Hypoglycemia cannot take it.

[UkuleleMama]

Hmmmm, I won't take ox bile because, you know, being vegan and all. I had been mixing beet powder in with water before my gallbladder surgery because I had read it was good for gallbladders, but quit once I had surgery. What exactly do beets do? Can you tell me more about the enzymes for breaking down fat?

[Dominique]

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@DrDebND wrote:

This concept of calories in and calories out is very old concep . It is not true! There is something to the quality of calorie. 

---

The notion that the Earth is a sphere is also very old. That doesn’t make it any less true today than 100 years ago.

Just because the quality of calories matters (and it certainly does) doesn’t invalidate calories in vs. calories out. Energy balance (calories in vs. calories out) is the prime factor that affects body weight. Food composition ("quality" of calories) plays a major role in health, and a much more minor one in body weight.

In other words, it’s perfectly possible to lose weight eating crappy food, it’s just a question of eating less calories than what you burn. Of course, it will come at a cost to your health, especially longer term. And it’s also perfectly possible to gain weight eating super-healthy food, all it takes is eating more calories than you burn. The "healthy" food won’t necessarily translate in good health, if body weight keeps increasing, since excess weight (especially excess fat) is in and of itself a health risk.

All this to say one should eat the right amount of calories in order to maintain a healthy weight, and it makes sense to get the majority of these calories from good quality sources. Easier said than done, I agree, but shows calories in vs. calories out and quality of calories are not mutually exclusive, they just serve different purposes.

[UkuleleMama]

That all makes sense, and you explained very clearly (thanks!), but I think a lot of us are aware of that. Or at least I am. To lose weight you need to burn off more calories than you consume. But for me anyway, I was burning more than I consumed and still not losing weight. Or at least it seemed so. I know I was running everyday and eating less than normal and still gaining weight. It was extremely frustrating. Now I'm running more than I was, putting more effort in, and still watching what I eat and weight is going down very very slowly. It's a difficult battle and a lot harder than pre-surgery when calories in/calories out not only made sense but actually worked.

But how do beets help the enzyme needed to break down fat?????

[Dominique]

@UkuleleMama : it may be obvious to you and me, but when I see statements like "this concept of calories in and calories out is very old" and "It is not true", I feel it can’t hurt to repeat it. I understand medical conditions can affect metabolism, resulting in lower energy expenditure (compared to what’s predicted by the standard equation used by Fitbit and calculators, based on size, ege etc.), but in the end, it’s still energy balance that will determine your body weight. It’s just that people with a medical condition may have to eat less and/or move more in order to achieve the same outcome as people of the same age, size etc. who don’t have the condition. 

As to beets, enzymes etc., I have no idea! I just trust energy balance to take care of fat oxidation. I’m quite skeptical about picking up specific foods to achieve specific results. The human body is such a complex machinery trying to "tweak" any individual process is futile IMO. It’s easier to focus on the fundamentals of healthy eating. I would think they would apply even if your gallbladder was removed.

[UkuleleMama]

Well, energy balance sounds wonderful and makes perfect sense, but is still highly frustrating if you were able to keep your weight down and look fit before gallbladder surgery and now all of a sudden find the same eating and exercise routine to be totally ineffectual. I tried for almost a year to maintain my weight by exercising and eating the same as pre-surgery and all that was happening was weight gain. And weight gain that was coming on quite rapidly. Now, with the nicer weather, I have increased my exercise load quite a bit and am seeing tiny decreases in weight, but as I said before, it's really not sustainable. At 63, I don't exactly have years of improvement ahead of me. I'm more on a downward slide of how much I can increase and the intensity. Not to mention I have other things I want to get done in life besides run around trying to keep my weight down. Right now I'm spending several hours a day exercising, which really cuts into the time I need to do everything else. I still feel like there should be something, I dunno, that would make my body metabolize better. What did my gallbladder do before that I can't do now without it. 

If nothing else, it's good to rant a bit about the frustration. : )

[mmsgamma3]

Ok everyone...I’m being the Guinea pig.  Last night I went to sprouts and picked up a bottle of “super enzymes” let’s see what happens

[t56]

Praying they work. Let us know.