The Association Between Grit and Weight Loss After Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

Grit is a person's ability to establish long-term goals and work to achieve those goals irrespective of any barriers. We examined the relationship between the personality trait grit, obesity, and metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS)-induced weight loss.

In an ongoing prospective cohort, 104 adult patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) had preoperative grit questionnaires administered. The association between grit domains and 1-year weight loss was evaluated by ANCOVA.

Among the 104 patients who completed a pre-operative grit survey, 74 completed the survey again 1 year after surgery (72.1%). One year percent total body weight loss (TBW) was 28.4% for the entire cohort and 27.9% for the 74 patients who had complete follow-up at 1 year. Grit scores were not significantly different between baseline and postoperative measurements (pre-op 3.69 ± 0.68 versus post-op 3.67 ± 0.67). Neither the pre-operative total grit score nor its major domains consistency of interests and perseverance of effort were associated with 1-year weight loss (r = 0.034, P = 0.733).

There was no correlation between grit and MBS-induced weight loss at 1 year after surgery. As a physiologic solution, MBS may result in weight loss independent of a person's ability to set long-term goals and achieve those goals.