Hello,
Be careful! I am recovering from gall bladder removal surgery after being on the 800 calorie diet for 5 weeks. Met the criteria, was feeling good, then had a terrible attack and had to have my gb removed.
I was not aware of any previous condition. Had just moved and wasn’t so fond of new doctor, and did not get doctor’s approval to go on diet, as i believe the book “8 Week ..” advises. I didn’t think this doctor would have approved, or investigated my gb for the sake of this diet, so just went ahead.
Now I am researching effects of living without gb. Any tips regarding weight loss going forward in this condition, once I heal, would be appreciated.
Eat smart …

Sorry, you must have been in such pain. When my dad had his gall bladder removed from gall stones he was in total agony and this the man who had dental work with no pain relief as didn’t like feeling numb all day, so a pretty high pain threshold.

You seem to imply, or are concerned that, the BSD was involved in the attack – did the doctor’s suggest there was a link? Or was it just an accident of timing – which also happens?

Take care and concentrate on healing from the op – hopefully your research should be helpful. I don’t recall my dad having any huge differences in life, eating etc as a result of losing his gallbladder.

Get well soon LIZEE..so sorry this has happened to you x
No idea if its linked to 800 cal diet or not. Whichever,its rotten luck x
I wonder what MM wd say?

Hi Liz

Not sure how helpful I can be but I had my gallbladder out 10 years ago and never really had any problems since other than when I went really OTT on eating fatty foods. I wouldn’t have thought the amount of fat you eat on the 800 would be a problem but everyone is different.

I’m not sure how related to the diet the gallstones would be after just 5 weeks. Mine came on suddenly with one nutmeg size stone suddenly blocking the bile duck. However I have heard of people developing gallstones when they lose a vast amount of weight very quickly such as after weight loss surgery.

Having suffered the pain and the surgery I don’t blame you for being cautious I would ask your Dr for advice

Good luck with it you have my sympathy!

Ps I was told the diagnosis was fat female fair and 40 ….not flattering but true in my case! Hopefully not for too much longer the fat anyway.

I would be very interested to know if there is a link. I have started the plan because I am in constant pain with gallstones and have been for a few years. I am waiting for keyhole surgery but find that when I follow the plan I have no pain at all. I hope you start to feel better soon

The book does say you should have doctor’s approval and that a small percentage of test subjects had this problem. i think it is to do with the flushing of the existing fat that leads to this problem. When I feel better I will try to find that info in the book. I highly expect it is just a problem for people who have this existing condition and do not know it – versus the diet causing the problem, but there was definitely a mention of this. Thanks for the encouragement. Never had surgery before. It’s not for wimps! Glad to be heading in the right direction, and still thankful that this diet reminded me that I have control over the shape I’m in.

The book does say you should have doctor’s approval and that a small percentage of test subjects had this problem. i think it is to do with the flushing of the existing fat that leads to this problem. When I feel better I will try to find that info in the book. I highly expect it is just a problem for people who have this existing condition and do not know it – versus the diet causing the problem, but there was definitely a mention of this. Thanks for the encouragement. Never had surgery before. It’s not for wimps!
I do think you should be careful if you have gallstones, though. Look for the info in the book, or maybe google. I am pretty active and not bad shape for being on the low end of obese, only lost 15 lbs in 5 weeks, and it might not be related, but did come out of the blue for me, suddenly. Ended up in hospital for five days before surgery as Liver Function Test results were so high, due to blocked bile duct, from stone or sludge. This definitely may have happened with or without the diet.
Day 5, Post Op and on the mend!
Glad to be heading in the right direction, and still thankful that this diet reminded me that I have control over the shape I’m in. I will get Dr advice before proceeding again. Definitely glad to be 19 lbs lighter.

Hi LizEE,

Hope you recover fully and soon! 💐🌻💐

Hi LizEE, I hope you are feeling better. I had my gallbladder removed 7 weeks ago so I feel your pain! I started the BSD back in May and after 3 weeks (and a 12lb weight loss) I had an acute gallbladder attack that resulted in a trip to the hospital and a speedy gallbladder removal in July. My Consultant said that losing weight rapidly can lead to gallbladder attacks and he believes that this is what happened in my case. I already had gallstones (found by chance on a scan 3 years ago) but I was asymptomatic. To be fair, I think this could’ve happened with any weight loss plan I followed, so I re-started the BSD plan 10 days ago and it is all going well – have lost another 8lbs and feel fit and well!

Angiebabe – I also fit the Four F’s – Female, Fat, Fair and Forties … I’m hoping to be less ‘Fat’ shortly though 🙂

I have just finished my first 8 weeks and have to be honest it has been a bumpy ride with the gallstones, I had two sets of anti-inflamatory meds during the 8 weeks but my gallstone problem is ongoing and I am getting my gallbladder removed as soon as I get off the neverending waiting list. Just an interesting note, my specialist told me that the real problem with the plan and gallstones is the veggies, if we avoid veggies with high pigmentation in the skin, like peppers, etc, we should be ok. I don’t understand the science behind it but it has worked for me

I had my gallbladder removed 20 years ago. At the time I was thin, but my mother also had her’s removed, so maybe it runs in the family. I would have terrible attacks when I ate anything with fat. In the days approaching my surgery, I lived on veggies and fruit. If I ate meat or dairy, I would end up in emerg for pain relief. Even plain toast eventually triggered it. I’m not surprised that if you have gallstones developing that the BSD affected it. I couldn’t have eaten this diet when I was sick. The good news is that I have had no problems since the surgery. I hope you feel better soon.

You poor thing LizEE. I have read elsewhere in a few places that gallstones can be activated as a result of a rapid weight loss. It’s to do with the fat burning: when you lose a certain amount of fat over a certain short space of time, the liver reacts by making excess cholesterol which then goes into the bile, which (in excess) turns into crystallised stones, and this is how the gall bladder gets blocked. Anyone losing consistently over 1.5kgs a week is at risk. It’s not to say that everyone on the BSD is going to get gallstones of course but low-cal diets are definitely a known trigger for it. I’m not a medic but I find it unlikely that you developed the entire problem in the 5 weeks: it was probably there before and your weight loss then was the final straw. However it IS entirely possible that the BSD would trigger gallstones in someone who did not have the issue previously, due to the rapid weight loss. This is true of any diet where weight loss is rapid however, not just the BSD. In terms of management going forward, you need to watch your saturated fat intake (avocados etc should be fine). Best of luck.

There was a small statement in the book referring to possible gall bladder problems if you didn’t get enough fat….. I only noted this because prior to the diet I’ve had an obstructed gallstone and I was concerned. Honestly I’ve made sure I’ve had plenty of fat within my diet and so far this has not been a problem for me although I feel your pain as had them previously…. Good luck recovering xxx

I read your post Cassandra and wanted to share an alternative to GB surgery. I have a tendency to gallstones, as my mother had her GB removed by age 35yrs. I had the classic weight around the middle & trouble losing weight (which is why I’m loving the BSD now). A few years ago I found the “Liver and Gallbladder Miracle Cleanse”, which really helped me get rid of a huge amount of gallstones. We all have them and they can be size of a small lentil ranging up to popcorn size (I found). I lost hundreds of them each time, but didn’t continue until they were completely gone b/c I found taking large quanitites of epsom salts hard on my system. You have to do it between 8-12 times I seem to remember to flush them out completely. It’s worth a consideration, as anything one can do without surgery is worth a try. Good luck whatever happens!

As Gallstones are made up of excess cholesterol and bilirubin and lack of bile salts it is possible that something like Epsom Salts would have an effect. Just remember, if they block the bile duct and you are in a lot of pain (I mean a lot) seek medical help as the blockage can cause back flow on bile etc., and lead to liver damage. Generally gallstones are just uncomfortable to painful and surgery is usually the last resort so I dont think you would be pushed into unnecessary surgery.

I dont want to be overly alarmist & its not everyone who ends up this way, but my ex-husband had gallstones grumbling away for years and decided he didnt want surgery (he was a nurse) so lived with it. But one day a gallstone shot out of his gallbladder and got stuck in the duct of his pancreas. Result: 4 weeks in critical condition in hospital, a 2 litre cyst on his pancreas, acute pancreatitis and a few year’s on is diabetic as a result of the damage done. Another guy admitted to the same ward with pancreatitis a few days later died. Its a very dangerous condition.
So whatever action you decide to take please seek medical advice?
I had my gallbaldder out. No real choice, the pain was excrutiating. And it appears I am still producing gallstones which is a bit miserable.