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Bariatric surgery for extreme obesity requires eating behavior and lifestyle changes that behavioral interventions may facilitate. Surgery patients were randomly assigned to a minimal intervention control group (n = 15) or a behavioral treatment group (n = 17), who participated in monthly behavioral consultations and received biweekly weight management materials for 6 months. Interviews assessed subjects' eating behavior, psychosocial functioning, and physical status for 6 months after surgery. Both groups showed significant weight loss during the first year after surgery, but the groups did not differ significantly. Subjects did not lose additional weight by 2 years following surgery. Treatment subjects reported higher postoperative psychosocial functioning and physical activity and consumed less fat and protein than did control subjects. These findings suggest that behavioral interventions enhance postoperative adjustment in behavioral and lifestyle variables, but do not add to the substantial weight losses produced by surgery alone.
Tucker et al. (1991) studied this question.