For many people who take an interest in anatomy, you have become familiar with the issues of the body, including the gall bladder, the small sac that sits beneath the liver storing bile – a digestive fluid that breaks down fat. For the rest of us, who aren’t quite as confident that we could spot our gall bladders on an anatomy chart, it’s no surprise that we’re also clueless as to how weight loss and yoyo dieting can negatively impact us.

And though the information is far from exciting, or sexy, here’s what you should know.

Gallstones are formed in our gall bladder when the bile that sits in that pouch becomes unbalanced. Generally our diets include a bit of fat which serves to regulate and balance out that problem, but when we begin yoyo dieting or rapid weight gain and loss, it negatively impacts that part of our body.

If you are keen to trying diets where you lose weight rapidly, you should know that your body will go into some form of shock. This is when it begins to develop these stones which some experts believe increase both the bile salts and the cholesterol in the gallbladder.

According to a US News and World Report published in 2006, “Of the 20 million Americans with gallstones, only 20 percent realize they have them. But the little chunks of cholesterol, which range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball, can cause stomach pain, belching, gas, chronic indigestion, and nausea. In severe cases, which usually result in surgery, gallstones can cause infection of the surrounding tissue and lead to excruciating stomach pain, fever, vomiting, and jaundice.”

If you are engaged in a weight loss program, the best precaution you can take is to lose no more than ½ pound to 2 pounds per week. This will stabilize not just your body, but ensure that your body has time to gradually change the levels of fluid in your system.