Friday, December 4, 2015

How losing your gallbladder destroys weight loss

Each year in the US about half a million cholecystectomies (gallbladder removals) are done, making it one of the most common surgeries performed.

But contrary to what you might have been told, it’s not “no big deal” if you lose your gallbladder! 

Not only can losing your gallbladder permanently mess up your digestion and overall health, but it can also make losing weight next to impossible!

Click through to see just exactly how important your gallbladder is, why you should hang on to yours, or what to do if you’ve already lost it.

How losing your gallbladder destroys weight loss
Your gallbladder is arguably your most under-appreciated organ and the general thinking in the medical community even up until recently has been that you really don’t need it.

Well, that’s far from true. 

Being without this pear-shaped organ has significant consequences—and that includes sabotaging your weight loss efforts!

Here’s why:

A winning team 
Your gallbladder lies just below your liver, and together they work as teammates.

About a quart of bile is secreted each day by your liver and gets stored in the gallbladder.  While the gallbladder is holding the bile, it absorbs excess water out of it, making it more concentrated and stronger—to the tune of five to 18 times more concentrated!

Then when you eat a meal, the gallbladder contracts and releases bile into the upper part of your small intestine (the duodenum). 

The bile works to emulsify the fat, cholesterol and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K in your food, and then your pancreatic lipases (fat enzymes) finish the job.

Then the bile gets absorbed through the intestinal wall and sent back to your liver to be recycled.

When trouble starts to brew
The most common form of gallbladder trouble is gallstones, and currently about one in five Americans over 65 has them.

But even though they’re common, they don’t just POOF come out of nowhere.

Instead they're created--by you.

Gallstones are most commonly the result of excess cholesterol in your bile and/or toxin buildup, which can be caused or worsened by a stressed liver, eating too many unhealthy fats (especially trans-fats) and refined carbs, and acid waste buildup from poor digestion.

So in other words, gallstones are simply a result of things going awry in your body and an unhealthy diet, and taking out your gallbladder doesn't change one iota of that.

As a matter of fact, things can get even worse. 

Life after your gallbladder

Once your gallbladder goes to gallbladder heaven, it’s more difficult for your body to digest fats. This can cause burping, gas and bloating after eating.

You’re also likely to be deficient in essential fatty acids and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. This can in turn impair your brain function and your body’s ability to make hormones as well as compromise the integrity of your cell walls.

Lacking vitamins A, D, E and K can also hamper your immune functioning, impact bone health, and affect your cardiovascular and nervous system health.

In addition, you’re also more susceptible to chronic inflammation without the protection of anti-inflammatory fatty acids.  Inflammation is a driving force behind most chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease and arthritis.

Weight loss sabotage

Being without your gallbladder can impact your ability to lose weight too.

When your fat digestion decreases dramatically, your body goes into starvation mode.  This causes your body to hang on to the fat it has (which unfortunately may be your spare tire or muffin top) to conserve it for future use. 

You in turn become frustrated at that scale number refusing to budge, so you might adopt a low-fat diet—but that only makes the situation worse by plunging you further into starvation mode!

The problem might be your liver

Sometimes gallbladder issues are not true gallbladder problems at all, but are indicators of poor bile output by the liver.

Here are some common symptoms of low bile output:
  • Constipation
  • Small, hard, difficult to pass stools
  • Gray, shiny, soft stools
  • Pain in the right side under the rib cage
  • Dry, flaky skin and/or dry, brittle hair
  • Indigestion
Give them some TLC
Although surgery is unavoidable at times, fortunately, there is SO much you can do to help keep your gallbladder and liver healthy and working like they should:

1-Get tested
A study published in The Lancet found that about half of the people with gallstones had low levels of hydrochloric acid (HCl).  Your doctor can test your level of HCl with either a Heidelberg capsule test or SmartPill test.

A liver function profile can be helpful to see if there’s a problem with your liver. 

Also, investigate food sensitivities.  Studies have shown an association between food sensitivities and gallbladder disease.  

2-Eat your way to healthy organs
This is crucial.  NOTHING can undo the domino-like, health-wrecking effects of a poor diet.

Be sure to concentrate on fruits, vegetable, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy and healthy fats.  At the same time, limit refined carbs (like bread, pasta, sweets and soda) and avoid trans-fats at all cost.

Studies show that as many as 34 percent of cases of gallstone disease in men could be prevented by increasing exercise to 30 minutes, five times per week.

Get your doctor’s OK and get moving.

4-Flush out your liver 
Every morning drink a large glass of room temperature water to which a squeeze of fresh lemon juice has been added. 

This will help flush out your liver and it will appreciate the cleansing boost.

5-Give your body enzyme support
Taking a digestive enzyme formula like Digestizol Max can be very useful in supporting the gallbladder, or helpful if you've already had surgery and are having difficulty digesting fats as a result.

Digestizol Max contains an effective blend of 15 natural, plant-derived enzymes that help your body break down all kinds of foods (fats included!) and help keep digestion more smooth and efficient.
Remember, nothing Nature gives us is by accident, and that includes your gallbladder.

Do all you can to keep it and all your organs healthy for years to come!


  1. Thank you as always for your valuable insight into our lives without our gallbladders. Hopefully this information will cause people to avoid removal of such an important organ. My gallbladder was very badly diseased and I had no gallstones. It had to be removed and my health has much improved since. You are so right about the negative consequences. Your web site is excellent!

  2. You are always 100% right, only if people would listen, i follow your diet and enjoy reading every day your advises about health and food.....Life style change is all about living healthy, i'm 56 years old and very healthy thanks to your books, and the choices i make every day.....Keep up the good work Sherry.

  3. I had my gallbladder removed in 2008. Ever since then the pounds just kept adding up and I haven't been able to lose any weight. I've plateaued at 210. I mentioned this to by gastro doctor and he said the 2 are unrelated. Thank you for the confirmation that I'm not going crazy. I wish I knew in 2008 what I know now and I would never have had it removed. A hard lesson to learn. I've been eating healtier since receiving your books. Thank you Sherry for this article.

  4. We appreciate all of your feedback! Have a wonderful day!


To order call 1-888-724-4366