And for the past 18 months I've been getting severe abdominal pain every 6 months, that was back last night, so I'm off tomorrow to get an Ultrasound on my gallbladder, and a few blood tests done too. Dr suspects I have gallstones, but i can tell you now, this gallbladder ain't going nowhere,i'm gong to do whatever I can to avoid surgery. Actually, Cohen's is the perfect diet for "fixing" gallstones, cos it's so low in fat (but i'm no doctor, so that statement isn't based on fact). The person from the ultrasound place said i had to have a no fat diet for 24 hours before the scan, so no cheese for me today or tomorrow
Well 1 week into the program lessfatty also got the same problem. Sorry I think it has a lot to do with Cohen's diet. Actually there is LOTS AND LOTS of evidence (real science) that this occurs, . Basically there is a strong link between low calorie diets (and Cohens IS a very low calorie diet) and gallstone formation.
Gallstones are basically Cholesterol that becomes crystalized in your gallbladder over time. The more you loss weight the more cholesterol is released by your liver. I am not sure why but my guess is that the more fat you are burning the more cholestrol is "left over" in your body which your liver then dumps into your bile (gall) causing your bile to become very heavy with cholestrol ...causing crystals in the form of gallstones.
Now in my case and in Slinkee's case, we clear HAD gallstones already before the diet...the low calorie diet just made our condition worse quickly!!! Slinkee' I drank a blended (with my bamix) some virgin olive oil (150mls) mixed with lemon juice ...not Cohens, but it helped relieve the pain.
My doctor put me on (chemical name is ursodeoxycholic acid ) you can see the trail results at . I believe taking Urso is the best and smartest move to prevent gallstones for anyone on Cohens, particularly if you have had gallbladder like symptoms (for me this was occassional sharp pains near my right diaphram), it may actually be a good idea to start taking it before Cohens.
Once you complete the diet the gallstones
I believe offers some hint that Cohens rapid weight loss may be unsafe for gallstone formation
CONCLUSION: Risk of gallstone formation in obese persons during active weight loss seems to increase in an exponential fashion. The data suggest that rates of weight loss should not exceed an average of 1.5 kg per week.
I asked my consultant about this after saying I was visiting a doctor and I got the reply :
"These symptoms are unfamiliar to us and we suggest that you consult your doctor." Sorry this to me means either the Cohen consultants on the internet plan are too stupid or just dont care, clearly I am not the only person on Cohen to have such problems.
Last edited: