Did the atkins diet cause my gallstones?

My friend convinced me to try the atkins diet because she had lost some weight on it. I tried it for 2 months and lost weight but also developed gallstones and ended up needing gallbladder removal surgery. I quit the diet at that point thinking that the diet was to blame for it. My friend says no, that any time you lose alot of weight fast you can get gallstones. So she is trying to get me to try it again but I guess I am a little afraid of it now. Was the high protein and fat in the diet to blame for my gallstones or was the weight loss to blame?

From what I've read on a low carb messageboard, after years of eating low fat, your gallbladder doesn't work as much as it should and then you suddenly start eating high protein and fats, and it kicks into normal gear.

I've read story after story of people who had their gallbladder taken out BEFORE going on Atkin's. Some believe that the damage was already done during the low-fat diet, and changing your eating habits just jarred the gallstones.

My step mother, who is a strict low-fat eater and always was, just had to get her gallbladder out.

You were only doing Atkin's for two months...I don't believe it was the diet's fault. You can go to this low-carb board and do a search on "gallbladder. (click on 'search this forum' on the far right).

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/forumd...

yes i just lookied it up on google and it happened to some other people

Atkins could very well be the cause of it. Your body is simply not made to process that much protein and/or fat. I have had many friends try the diet and all have ended up with one or more complications with their bodies, gall stones and kidney stones being the most likely. Moderation in all things is the key to good weight loss. There are programs out there that balance the foods so much better in a healthy way that also leads to permanent weight loss. Body-For-Life has a great program to lose fat and get into great shape. If you have the time and really want to get to know your body and what does & doesn't work for it, try Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle by Tom Venuto. He has you do a lot of work, but boy does his program work! You also find out more about your own body than with most other programs I've seen. I hope this helps and please...stay healthy!

i don't know about the diet but i tried to lose weight and i just started running like a dog everyday and lost more than 30 pounds in 6 months which resulted in gallstone but still i have my gallbladder though.it has not given me much of a pain.
i think the quick weight lose makes it happen.be very careful because you have removed the gallbladder and there is good chance of gaining weight for you.

Could be from Atkins, but could be from something else.

"The Shape Up America! study also shows that most people really don't know about the possible risks and side effects from a low-carb diet, including constipation, fatigue and headaches. There was even less awareness of more serious risks, such as bone loss and gallstones."

I've used Atkins before, and am on it now actually...it's only good for weight loss, but not a diet to attempt to stay on long-term, and the % of people who put weight back on after getting off the diet, is very high. I lost 35 lbs, gained back 20 of them, and am re-losing that 20...at that point I will go on a more sensible, healthy eating plan and not stop exercising (like I did last time).

Take care of you!