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.