Difficulty losing weight after cholecystectomy

Before I had my gallbladder removed I was overweight. This was weight that had slowly crept on over the years, yet I'd not changed my diet. I've always eaten relatively healthily, avoiding fats, sugar and salt. I was even vegetarian for fifteen years.

People, especially doctors, assume that because you're overweight you spend your days sitting on a sofa eating pies, chips, chocolate, pizza, cakes etc. This was not the case for me. I ate these things rarely or not at all. I see people tucking into huge fried breakfasts and wonder how they haven't got gallstones?

I first took ill in July 2016 but was misdiagnosed. Over the summer I determined to get to a healthy weight following watching a TV documentary on diabetes. I was losing weight at a steady 1-1.5 lbs a week, eating 1300 calories. In September I was finally diagnosed with gallstones and recommended by the surgeon to eat low fat. I continued to lose weight steadily eating around 1300 calories a day.

I had my gallbladder out in February followed by a liver resection five weeks later because they found cancer in my gallbladder (T1, N0, M0). The weight loss since the resection has slowed (only about 5 lbs and I am now 12 weeks post op). Bear in mind I spent some of this time nil by mouth and with a considerably reduced appetite. My daughter (nurse) has a theory that the liver makes the body hang onto calories in order to recover. Could this be the case?

I also am wondering, and I know doctors refute this, if a sick gallbladder can actually be the cause of weight gain? It just seems odd that the gallbladder aids the digestion of fat, so does a sick gallbladder cause fat to be stored? It would explain so much in my case.

I should also say I am a 67 year old female and generally otherwise healthy. I have mild asthma for which I have inhalers and I take Omeprazole which was prescribed by the hospital. I no longer need to take my meds for high BP. This is probably due to having lost 3.5 stones. I am reasonabley active and able to walk long distances and do housework, gardening etc with no problems, other than having to avoid lifting heavy things due to my surgery.

I would be interested to hear the experience of other sufferers.

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