Failure of preoperative resting energy expenditure in predicting weight loss after gastroplasty

Objective: To evaluate the predictive efficacy of preoperative resting ener gy expenditure (REE) on weight loss after vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG ). When subjected to a gastric restriction procedure of similar extent, the patients with higher energy expenditure should experience a greater negati ve energy balance than those with lower-energy expenditure, and thus, lose more weight, thereby making REE a reliable predictor of weight loss after V BG. Research Methods and Procedures: This was a prospective investigation after VBG, taking into account the relationship between preoperative REE values and the results at 1-year follow-up in terms of weight loss and success of the procedure. The correlations were evaluated by multiple and logistic reg ression analysis. Results: The weight loss and the outcome at 1 year after VBG seemed to be c ompletely independent of preoperative energy expenditure. Discussion: These findings suggest that, despite gastric restriction, patie nts may voluntarily adjust their energy intake, and that the weight outcome after VBG is influenced more by behavioral and cognitive variables than by biological or surgical factors.