Background: Bariatric surgery (BS) is the most effective procedure in the management of obesity, achieving a significant decrease in energy intake.
Aim: To measure calorie and macronutrient intake in patients subjected to gastric bypass (GBP) or sleeve gastrectomy (SG).
Material and methods: We studied 53 patients subjected to SG and 27 subjected to GBP, who were in the first, second or sixth postoperative month. A food frequency consumption survey was applied by specialized nutritionists and their nutritional status was assessed.
Results: Mean calorie intake in months 1, 2 and 6 were 505, 600 and 829.8 kcal, respectively. A significantly higher intake was observed at month 1 in patients with those subjected to SG, compared with GBP patients. Protein consumption was <60 g/d, except at 6 months in patients with GBP. At months 1, 2 and 6, mean consumption of lipids were 17, 28 and 30 g/day, respectively. The figures for carbohydrates were 42, 31 and 77 g/day, respectively. At month 1, patients with GBP had a higher BMI, equalizing at 6 months with those of SG. At 6 months 37% of patients had a normal body mass index and 17% remained obese. A negative correlation was observed between weight loss and energy intake during the first month (rho: -0.40; p = 0.033).
Conclusions: Patients subjected to BS had a low calorie and macronutrient intake in the first six postoperative months. Their calorie intake is negatively associated with weight loss, mainly during the first postoperative month.