I just had my gall bladder removed and I've been told that my body no longer digests fats. Since you have to "eat [good] fat to lose fat" on The Zone, I'm very worried that this diet will stop working for me!? Can anyone give me some reassurance on this or some science on this, please? Exactly what effect will having my gall bladder removed and the fact that my body has stopped digesting fats mean for following this diet now? Will it still work? Will the weight loss be a lot slower now? Do I need to adjust anything? Please advise! Thanks!

Hi Elaine,

I just notice no one has commented on your question. There are some people who post here who mentioned they have had their gall bladders removed and they are successfully follow the Zone diet and lifestyle. I had hoped one of them would comment here to reassure you. To my knowledge you should not have to make any adjustments other than those mentioned in the Zone guidelines for people who become hungry 4 hours after a Zone meal. Please let us know how you're doing. I'll be happy to help.

Elaine,

I have had my gallbladder out. I am still able to eat/digest fat. I will admit that if I overeat on the fat, I sometimes get some pressure/pain just like I did when I had gallbladder attacks, but I have learned to adjust for it, and I certainly don't have this problem when I eat normally in the Zone (so just have to stay away from eating too many nuts in one sitting--which is not recommended in the Zone, anyway).

Each person is different, though. Please check with your doctor, as you should follow his recommendation on how much fat you can eat after having your surgery.

I am a nurse, and some of my patients are recommended to eat a low-fat diet after surgery, but certainly not NON-fat, so you should be able to digest SOME fat.

Thanks to both of you so much for the responses!! Sue, I appreciate the reassurance! Cranberrycat, I guess I should have been a little more careful with my wording. My concern is not about whether I can actually eat fat, which I have been doing. It's more about whether or not my body will realize I'm eating 40-30-30 and respond to eating 40-30-30 in the same way as it did before, if my body is digesting the 30% fat that I eat differently now (and the fat is "going straight through me", instead of being metabolized and used by my body) since I don't have a gall bladder anymore. But, I so appreciate the responses and I do feel reassured!! Thank you!

Elaine, also remember to judge hunger to see if adjustments are needed. The goal is to find the balance that prevents hunger or about at least 4 hours after a meal. If you have significant hunger 4 hours after a Zone balanced meal and feel mentally focused with good energy levels you would add up to one more block of carbohydrate to the meal. If you have significant hunger 4 hours after the meal and lack mental clarity and /or feel lethargic, sleepy, etc., then you'd drop 1 carbohydrate block from meals. Keeping a food diary at first can be very helpful in sorting things out if needed. I'll be happy to help.

Elaine,I see what you are getting at.

the gallbladder stores bile, and in its absence, bile continues to be secreted when fat is consumed. the only concern would be an overproduction of bile after eating too much fat, which would cause discomfort because there is no place for it to be stored. to my knowledge,I am not aware of any problems related to the digestion of fat, or its storage and excretion. I would only be concerned if your surgery was more extensive or if you have some other condition not mentioned here.

some people suggest that gallbladder disease is a result of metabolic syndrome and is often affected by the surrounding visceral fat. so, gallbladder disease is an early warning signal that one's belly fat is taking its toll on the body. unfortunately, most people don't take this early warning signal seriously at all.