Weight gain after gallbladder removal

I had my gallbladder removed in June of '08. I had three years of intense pain with many ER visits prior to getting it removed. I started gaining weight after a couple months. I also was frequently ill from everything I ate. I got to a point that I just didn't want to eat at all anymore. I did so much research on the web and I think I have finally gotten to a point where I understand what is going on with my body and why I gained weight from it all. I hope this helps. With no gallbladder my body ( and yours, if you don't have one) can no longer digest fat. Eating healthy is a good start, but does not fix it. Any fat put in will do two things- turn to fat, and turn to diarrhea. This is a hard one since we have all been taught that some kinds of fat are necessary, like omega 3's. The thing is though, our bodies can not digest any fat. I now eat a low- fat diet with no more than 30 grams of fat a day. Everyt time I cheat, even just a little bit, I get diarrhea, and cramps, and gas, and you know the rest. It is a very hard diet to stick to. In just under two months time I have lost eight pounds. The best way of eating this low amount of fat is to spread it out some, a little bit with each meal. That is definitely the hardest part for me. Here is a sample of my daily food intake:

Breakfast:
2 cups coffee w/ nonfat creamer
Nonfat egg substitute w/ 1 Tbls cheese

Lunch:
Apple slices
Lunch meat sandwich- no cheese or mayo

Snack:
Nonfat pudding cup

Dinner:
Fish filet
1 cup seasoned rice
1/2 cup corn

Snack:
Popcorn

There are many websites that will help you figure out fat content of things- and keep in mind some fruit and veggies have fat too. After sticking to the diet strictly for a few weeks you should be able to estimate pretty well what you are eating and how it will effect you. When eating out most restaurants have nutrition facts available now. Always keep in mind that you can still have a small amount of your favorites, just keep it really small, and make sure the other foods you are eating with it will fill you up with no fat. The most important part of this diet is a large consumption of water. Start the day off with a cup of water as soon as you wake up. Have a cup of water before you eat all of your meals. Look for nonfat varieties of the stuff you always buy. There is a nonfat version of every dairy product. Eat more fish, chicken and turkey than all other meats. If you love cheeseburgers, try a veggie burger. There are lots of alternatives for all the foods that are staples in most homes.

Good luck!! I hope this helps all of you as much as it has helped me.

I just found these posts on here. A lot of people talking about the weight gain after GB surgery. I have not experienced this. I started getting what was thought to be acid reflux and a milk allergy. The symptoms eventually turned to pain. Extreme pain. And I was rushed to the emergency room. My doctor referred me to a specialist. And scheduled my surgery. I was extremely overweight. I had no idea by how much at the time as I hated scales. I knew I was big but I would rather just not know. I was scared because my weight along with the surgery could have killed me. It was the first time I had to face my weight problem. I could no longer push it under the rug. I weighed 450 pounds at the time of my surgery in Feb 2007. I was scared when I heard it could make me gain weight. But my health and my life was more important. I was immobile for two weeks. I gained a little during those two weeks due to that fact alone. I have been doing just fine after the surgery and had no major issues to deal with from it. As of July 22nd, 2009 I now weigh 299 pounds. I did not have gastric bypass or lapband or any of that. I do not take diet supplements. I do not "kill" myself with diet and exercise. I just changed my eating habits at first, then eventually adding in some exercising. (mostly walking) I have not taken any of the fish oils or any stuff that is supposed to help you after GB surgery. Not that they don't work, I just wouldn't know because I have never had the need to try them. I stopped drinking soda. I drink lots of water. I eat low or no fat foods. I stay away from salty foods. I eat a lot of raw foods. No more white bread. Simple things I over looked for years. I have found that my GB surgery was the best thing that ever happened to me. It made me face my weight issues and it made me change my life for the better. I'm still not at "goal", but I feel fantastic and I love myself everyday for what I have went through to get here.

Congrats to those that have had GB removal with no problems.

I had mine taken out in August of 2008. Afterward I felt great for a while since the constant pain was gone, but then started to have a lot of acid reflux and frequent burning stomach pains and diarrhea. My doctor put me on a generic Zantac 300mg that I take every night before I go to bed, and another medication called Colestid which is a large white pill that absorbs the bile that is just sitting in the small intestine all day. I started off having to take 2 pills 3 times a day but now I just take 1 pill in the morning and 1 at night and my stomach has been working better than ever before.

My only problems now are that I still get pains every now and then where my gall bladder used to be - sometimes all the way down the right side of my belly button to my inner thigh leading me to believe that my appendix is going to go out on me. But then it does away and there's no problem, so who knows. My biggest concern is that since I recovered from the surgery and have gotten my stomach issues straightened out, my stomach has done nothing but get bigger. I have gained weight ONLY in my abdominal area for the last year. I'm 5'8 and am currently 173lbs and it looks like I'm 6 months pregnant. It's affected my posture even, which has been rough lately because I also have 2 herniated discs in my back (one thoracic and one lumbar) and the extra weight sticking out is pulling on both. Before I found out about the disc problems, I tried all kinds of different things but had no luck. It's like my body forgot how to digest things and just packs on fat to burn later for energy. I have really lowered my sugar intake to just natural fruits and the occasional soda/beer. I've also gone to eating a lot of chicken, vegetables, lean beef, and other healthy foods. I eat organic egg whites for breakfast instead of cereal. I've been eating better than I ever have in my life, and before my back problems took me away from working out, I was 45 days into the "P90X" workout program and had felt stronger than ever, but my gut just continued to grow. It's unbearably frustrating. I have always been so skinny it's been tough trying different things to eat right and maintain a healthy weight. I can't afford to pay cash for cosmetic surgery or I would definitely do it just to give my body a head start so when my back is healed I can get back to working out and hopefully keep the weight off. Any suggestions?

I had my gall bladder and spleen removed Sept. 2007. I have a blood disorder that affected my spleen and caused the gall stones, which required the removal. After the surgery I lost weight. I weighed around 180's before surgery and got down to 170. By Christmas I started gaining weight. I had a thyroid test done which was negative. My doctor suggested Weight Watchers (I lost weight through the program prior to surgery) but I only lost 5 lbs in 10 weeks. I do not eat any differently than I did before gall bladder surgery, I didn't even know that I had gall stones until I had a blood attack. I did weigh as much as 215 but am now at 200-205. I am trying the South Beach diet and taking digestive enzymes. I also got the the gym regularly but it doesn't seem to be helping much. It is very depressing! My doctor thinks I am crazy but I know it is not only me having these problems!! What else can we do?

People please do your research, and research true medical sites and talk with your doctor. The gallbladder releases the bile to digest the fat so it can be absorbed into the body. You generally lose weight if it is removed since the fat can no longer be absorbed into the body. If you gain weight after the surgery it means there may be other things wrong, for example your thyroid. Many cases if you get checked up will show other symptoms rather than gaining weight from having the gallbladder removed.

People please do your research, and research true medical sites. The gallbladder releases bile to break down the fat, it then gets absorbed back into the system, without the gallbladder the fat cannot be broken down, so you essentially lose weight rather than gain it because the fat is passed thru your system quicker. The reason why we have the gallbladder, years ago when people ate mostly fatty meat they needed the gallbladder to break down and store the fat, to help with warmth. If you are gaining weight after gallbladder removal, it generally is another symptom such as a problem with your thyroid. Most cases if checked with a doctor will show that the weight gain has nothing to do with the gallbladder removal if you are now living a normal healthy lifestyle, along with normal healthy eating habits.

Mystemae37- Have you even had your gall bladder out? Do you think that we all have some problem with weight gain due to a thyroid issue? I have had mine checked and it was functioning fine. This is a site for help. We have all been told the sames things you are telling us by our docors. You are not being helpful.
I have done research and have visited many sites where people are experiencing weight gain AFTER gall bladder surgery! The liver makes the bile and the gall bladder is the storage house for it. Without your gall bladder there is not always enough bile to break down your food. If the fat can't be broken down then the fat is absorbed in your body as fat not flushed out. Hence the weight gain.
I didn't eat bad before, my eating never changed after surgery but I was desperate. I tried Weight Watchers and the South Beach diet. Now I eat a low fat-high fiber diet. I am also taking digestive enzymes. I have lost 10lbs. Weight loss is extremely slow but at least I am no longer gaining.

Yes, and I did not say it was only contributed to the thyroid, there could be several reasons why the weight gain, being lactose intolerant as I am can cause weight gain. The issue is, people need to understand that most cases are not contributed to the gallbladder removal. Most people here believe that is going to be the reason. If you ate "normal" before the surgery, you have to be extra careful after. Yes some fat is still going to be stored, I said if you live a healthy lifestyle and eat healthy, truely eat healthy, small meals, getting the correct fiber, correct amount of fat then weight gain will be minimal if any at all. You cannot just maintain your normal eating habits after it happened even if it was considered "healthy". I said please do research, there are many contributing factors to weight gain, one of mine is the worst because my body cannot break down the sugars from milk so I also had to change my eating habits from "careful" to "very careful" mindful eating. The gallbladder releases the bile so it can digest the food and absorb the fat. Otherwise the fat is not broken down completey by digesting and could cause diarrhea, also causes weight loss. I am trying to help, by telling the facts. Not all fats are bad fats and the good fats should still be absorbed, but may not be no matter what.

All of the information below is pulled from medical sites. If your doctors are telling you there is another reason, I would trust them, they are the trained physcians. It may not be for what you are being tested for, but there would be a reason.

Some Causes of Diarrhea?
Eating foods that upset the digestive system
Malabsorption (where the body is unable to adequately absorb certain nutrients from the diet)
Digestive tract surgery

Usually after gallbladder removal patients cannot digest high fat, large meals, and certain types of foods. More often, removal of the gallbladder causes weight loss. Bile still flows into the intestine, but fat digestion may be less efficient.

My recommendations are:

1. Consult a dietician to help you look at your food intake and food choices. (People who eat excessive amounts of starch are prone to gain weight. The foods such as bread, pasta, rice, and beans contain an excess of starch). A healthy diet should include foods such as adequate protein, fruit, and organic vegetables.

With no gall bladder, there is little bile to regulate fat digestion. Therefore the body cannot absorb fatty foods and certain types of foods efficiently. Thus you lose weight.

The information I am supplying is to help.

Thank you

AERANDALL

Thank you for your post. Do not listen to people like mystemae37 . I too have had signifigant weight gain after gallbladder removal. I have never had a weight problem in my life and have eaten a low fat diet all my life. None of the medical sites that I have visited, and there have been many, have recongnized our problem. Did we all develop thyroid disease during recovery from gallbladder removal ? I think not.

I noticed a lot of people post their symptoms on here but not a lot of answers to your questions. Why? because not many health practitioners care!

You are gaining weight because you removed your gallbladder and that my friends is your body's "FAT FILTER". You need to take digestive enzymes and stick to a bland diet otherwise you will continue to be overweight and uncomfortable.

I'm not a doctor! I am a normal person who was stupid enough to let some jackass remove my gallbladder 11 yrs ago. My Dad warned me not to do it but I didn't listen. My Father was very wise to the health industry...

i had my gall bladder removed 2years ago and in that time ive gained over 50pds.. i eat healthy and get plenty of exersize.. but i dont know what else to do.. i just keep gaining no matter what..

I hear you are going to use Bile Salts where can I buy these in the UK

does anyone have any suggestions on eating yogurt? i used to hate it and couldn't even look at it and now since my surgery i am crazy about it and can't stop eating it and crackers. do you think this is bad? i've not gained any weight, but i have been fighting a problem of droping quite a few pounds in just a week for quite sometime. i had a not so good recocery. but i am concerned because of these posting of everynoe gaining weight. i've not really carved any foods since the surgery, i still have complicantions such as pain and vomiting. but i wonder why and is it normal to start liking and carving all these foods i use to hate??

I had mine removed in June 2005. After the surgery I lost a lot of weight and could not gain any for about 2 years. Then I started gaining quickly and in massive amounts. I have gained it all where women tend to Hips and Abdomen. Since I had the surgery I have also had massive bouts with IBS, something I did not have before. Earlier in 2009 I was getting really sick of gaining the weight despite how active I was. I looked to foods that would be good to aid in the digestive track and then started losing weight again. I also started taking the Bile salts; I found it in a food enzyme supplement that my mum sent me. I began to eat Okra (broiled not fried, I rely dont like Okra but it works) 3 times a week and the other four days I eat food that contains spinach. The spinach which I like raw but not cooked has to be cooked to allow the nutrients to be released otherwise human digestive system will not break it down properly, so I eat it with pasta like chicken Florentine or in a Sag like sag ghost . I also take a Psyllium based fiber product about 1/2 hour before eating I take that with soy lecithin if im not eating soy that day. Once a day usually about lunch I take 1/4 teaspoon of capsicum I put in a capsule since it’s hard to take it in pepper form. I also eat salmon 2-3 times a week if when can’t afford fresh salmon I take an omega 3 from flax supplement. The tinned salmon is bad for you.

Sine I made these adjustments the weight has been coming off like it should a healthy 2-4 pounds per week. I hope it helps some of you here it sure helped me.

I had my gallbladder removed when I was 26 years old after my 4th pregnancy d/t stones. My son is 19 years old now and over the years the weight has slowly crept up. I am now 100 lbs over weight. The weight gain seems to be in certain spots like my abdomin, inner thighs, and upper arms. It looks like big FAT deposits.
I don't understand... if we don't have a gallbladder to give us the enzymes we need to break down fat we eat... what happens? I wonder if the fat just gets deposited on our body?