“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”