Eating behavior after gastric bypass surgery for obesity.

We studied eating behavior in two non-overlapping cohorts of consecutive patients electing gastric bypass surgery for obesity: 100 patients one year after operation and 60 patients three years afterward. Information was obtained through structured interviews and from office charts. Eating behavior was compared with previously collected data on 232 morbidly obese adults and 174 adults of normal weight. Despite an average weight loss of 100 lb (45 kg), there was little evidence of disturbed eating patterns among gastric bypass patients. Significantly fewer gastric bypass patients than morbidly obese comparison subjects reported frequent hunger, overeating, guilt about eating, or food preoccupation. Gastric bypass patients reported less preoccupation with food than did the normal-weight comparison subjects.