by Shahid Iquebal, M.Pharm. Last updated on May 22, 2018,
Is Weight Loss Possible After Gallbladder Removal?
Despite having your gallbladder removed it is possible to lose weight. Individuals who had their gallbladder removed often lose weight naturally. This may be cause of:
Eliminating fatty foods
After cholecystectomy, you may experience trouble in digesting fatty foods until your body adjusts. For this reason, your doctor or dietician may instruct you to avoid high fat and fried foods until your body is not ready to tolerate them.
Eating of a balanced diet
Post gallbladder removal, you may shy away from the food that causes gas and the gastrointestinal upset such as spicy foods.
Having smaller portions of meal
You will not be able to eat large amount of foods in one sitting for a few weeks after the gallbladder surgery. Usually, you will be advised to eat more frequently but in smaller quantities.
Recovery time
In case of an open surgery, as it takes longer recovery time, pain and discomfort can affect your appetite.
Diarrhoea
One common side effect of gallbladder removal is diarrhoea. During this time, you might be taking in fewer calories which can lead to lose weight, at least temporarily.
How to lose weight after gallbladder removal?
Some of the most effective ways to lose weight after gallbladder removal are following.
Selection of diet
You should start paying close attention to your diet. You should control yourself from eating fried foods, processed food and sugary treats. You should start eating more fruits, vegetables and lean meats as these are natural foods that are low on calorie and high on fibre and other nutrients.
You should also avoid intake of junk foods and snack foods and incorporate complex carbohydrates in your diet such as legumes, beans, seeds and brown rice.
Emphasis on fibre
You should increase your daily fibre intake. It helps in improving digestive process, makes you feel fuller and help you to get through the day without consuming excess calories. It also lowers your cholesterol.
Calorie control
Loosing weight is simply a matter of consuming fewer calories than you use normally. By doing so, your body starts using your fat as a fuel source resulting in weight loss. Therefore, it is important for you to calculate the number of calories you are consuming per day. You should try to eat at least 200-500 calories less than what your body normally needs.
Exercise/Physical activity
You should do exercise at least 5 days per week in order to lose weight at a faster rate. Although the rate at which you will lose your weight depends on your current weight, metabolism and other factors.
You should do cardiovascular exercises coupled with weight training for faster weight loss.
You should increase you daily water intake in large amount if you are doing exercise on a daily basis. This not only flushes toxins out from your body but also increases your metabolism which will increase weight loss.
Can gallbladder problems cause you to gain weight?
Gallbladder problems and weight go hand in hand, since your body goes into starvation mode to conserve the fat deposited in your body, since fatty foods do not get digested and absorbed due to various problems of the gallbladder dysfunctioning.
Also, after the removal of your gallbladder, weight gain may happen, primarily due to excess fat intake, since earlier one might used to control it in fear of triggering of the symptoms of gallbladder problems. Now they start eating fat without any considerations.
