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Whole30 without a Gallbladder...


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Hi All!

Not so much a medical condition as such I know, but I was wondering if anyone else with has had their Gallbladder removed has had any problems with their Whole30?

I did my first Whole30 throughout February and it was fantastic - i'm so glad I stumbled across it. I relaxed slightly for about 3 weeks and am now back on board, say at least 95% compliant - couldnt fight the sugar demons over easter, had a bad day on the scales and took it out on chocolate!

I found after my whole30 aside from the obvious benefits of loosing a few extra kilos, I have so much more energy and recover so much better from my workouts. I'm definately in for the long haul!

The downside however, is I find i'm suffering in the digestion department.. I initially thought it may be due to not drinking enough water or getting enough fibre, but my veggie/fruit intake is relatively high. I get constipated for days, and feel heavy and full, its an awful feeling.. The only way to solve it is to depend on laxatives, but this is not a viable long term solution.

It only occured to me recently that my lack of gallbladder may be effecting this, as I dont have the ability to break down fats and proteins as easily.. Im about to start taking digestive enzymes plus a magnesium supplement..

Has anyone else suffered similar symptoms? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Many thanks

Sarah

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I just joined the forum, and had had my gallbladder removed 6 yrs ago. I had the same question - especially since the fat content of this approach is so much higher than I'm used too. I had digestive issues earlier this week, but it was the opposite problem as Sarah's :(

I'll check out the Robb Wolf info, but would also love to hear from others who have been successful here without a gallbladder!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I know this topic is kinda old, but I wanted to add my two cents in too. Chris Kresser mentioned a bit in his podcast about paleo without a gall bladder. Coconut oil is the easiest fat for those of us without a gall bladder to digest without digestive troubles, and he suggests dandelion root pills to aid digestion as well.

http://chriskresser.com/rhr-could-copper-zinc-imbalance-be-making-you-sick

I really only have trouble if I overdue it on the animal fat (like bacon and eggs swimming in bacon fat) in one meal.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi All! Would just like to update you - the Digestive Enzymes have been working a treat!

Merange98 although you are suffering in the opposite deparment to me, I definately recommend giving it a try. Fingers crossed it is successful for you too

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  • 2 weeks later...

HI everyone!

I also had my gallbladder removed in 2007, any specific digestive enzymes you'd recommend? I'm 3 days away from completing my first whole30 and I'm going to do another one in June, I want to add the digestive enzymes this time. Thanks!

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  • 4 months later...

Shaunna, I'd try Now Foods Super Enzymes.

Where can you find the Now Foods Super Enzymes? I tried looking online and while I could find the actual product, it kept saying it was not available in my location (I even tried several different cities and nothing?)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just remembered that I had my gall bladder removed too - maybe a sign that I have so many health probs that I forget some of them! I found the Now Foods Super Enzymes on Amazon. But wondering if I should consider ox bile or similar instead? I'm only on day 10, but my IBS symptoms have continued. I'm hoping this kind of supplement might keep me from having to restrict my diet further.

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The enzymes have ox bile in them along with some other stuff, so if you are looking for a broad spectrum kinda thing, it would be fine.

If you have other IBS stuff going on, I'd throw the whole range of enzymes at it, try to remedy and then see if you can scale back to just the ox bile. Just my two cents!

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Another gallbladder-less person here, and I've been experiencing the same issue as Sarah. At first it surprised me as things are definitely different than they were pre-paleo/W30 (which overall I find better than what I had experienced as typical post-removal state of things, which was that one minute I'm minding my business and next thing I know I gotta go NOW). I certainly wouldn't mind finding a happy medium though. I'ts interesting that I would've expected fat-laden meals to go right through me, but that hasn't been the case. I seem to be going a lot less (volume wise) than pre-paleo/W30 too (sorry if TMI), perhaps that is because my body can actually use what I'm putting into it?

Anyhow it's nice to see others have found solutions, perhaps I may try some digestive enzymes as well.

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Update: it's occurred to me over the past couple of days that my recent increase in sweet potato consumption may be improving this situation quite a bit. Just something to keep in mind. I am starting to believe that sweet potatoes are an all-around miraculous food.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I was taking a Standard Process ox bile before Whole30, but it had honey in it so I dropped it when starting.

I feel like I need more ox bile but cannot locate a stand alone. When I upped my Now enzymes, it was too much HCL-LOL. I almost found a combo without HCL but it said, contains dairy" on the label- ugh.

Anyone know of a compliant ox bile stand alone?

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  • 3 months later...
  • 4 months later...

Thankful to find this thread. If I only knew 12 years ago what I know now, I'd have fought the gallbladder surgery!  Yes, technically we can live without them, BUT digestion is screwed up. I'm going to research some of these enzymes. I can tolerate coconut oil, avocados and nuts, but not butter or lard. I still tend to choose lean cuts of meat because the animal fats just zip straight thru me.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 years later...

Bumping this thread rather than start a new one. I've had my gallbladder out for around a year - it had significant sludge build up, but didn't turn out to be the main root of my digestive problems.

I'm currently on Day 8 of Whole 30, and am doing alright - very solid meal prepping, am not really snacking much at all anymore. However, I'm having pretty bad right side abdominal pain under my ribcage that radiates up under my shoulder. It feels very similar to what I had before my gallbladder surgery. It's often accompanied by headaches, gas/bloating, and sometimes a bad taste in my mouth,

After reading some of the forum posts, I ordered the Now enzymes, and have been taking them with meals. The pain actually seems to be getting worse, rather than better. I have an appointment scheduled next week to see my doctor, and might try to move it up, but I'm wondering if there's anything about Whole 30 I should be doing/changing to help this. Or could Whole 30 be causing it due to the increased fats? I also was diagnosed with SIBO and treated a few month's ago, and believe I relapsed, which is what led me to try Whole 30. Please help!

 

A typical day's meals are below:

Breakfast - 2 egg muffins with some combo of spinach, peppers, onions, chicken sausage, prosciutto; banana, larabar

Lunch - Mixed greens with chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, avocado, green goddess dressing, pineapple chunks/berries

Dinner - Roasted chicken (skin on) with asparagus, cauliflower rice

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No, I've always loved onions, cooked and raw. Honestly I might not even be eating as many peppers as usual, either. The only thing I can point to is the significantly increased fats. Had a whole avocado the other day with a lunch salad, and felt bad after. Have felt bad a couple times after eating delicious roast chicken quarters, including the skin.

Maybe my system, with the previous gallbladder issue and SIBO is just having a really hard time adjusting. Not going to quit unless my doctor tells me to!

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4 minutes ago, millpc6 said:

No, I've always loved onions, cooked and raw. Honestly I might not even be eating as many peppers as usual, either. The only thing I can point to is the significantly increased fats. Had a whole avocado the other day with a lunch salad, and felt bad after. Have felt bad a couple times after eating delicious roast chicken quarters, including the skin.

Maybe my system, with the previous gallbladder issue and SIBO is just having a really hard time adjusting. Not going to quit unless my doctor tells me to!

OK, well I won't pretend to know anything about how fats are processed by someone without a gallbladder or how the absence of one might help, hurt or hinder you. Sorry! I hope you feel better though and as always, check in with a doctor if you're concerned.  Having said that, maybe try cutting fats back or trying different kinds? Avo is high volume plus high fat. Maybe something denser like a home made mayo would be better? I really have no idea...........but I would hate for you to keep feeling terrible. Try altering your fat intake (types & amounts) for a few meals and see if that helps.

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