Research

Energy balance

Postoperative Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR) decreases in proportion to weight loss after bariatric surgery, with no difference in BMR reduction between LGBP and LVBG, refuting the theory of postoperative hypermetabolism.

After bariatric surgery, your metabolic rate decreases as expected with your weight loss. There is no 'hypermetabolic' state that drives weight loss; instead, the reduction in energy expenditure is proportional to the loss of body mass.

StrongRefutesHIGH confidence
The decreases in BMR postoperatively reflected the lower body mass in a pattern that did not differ among the groups... The resting energy expenditure developed as expected postoperatively in both groups, ie, a reduction reflecting the amount of weight lost.
Torsten Olbers et al. · Annals of Surgery · 2006

Why this rating

Randomized clinical trial with indirect calorimetry measurements.

Source

Body Composition, Dietary Intake, and Energy Expenditure After Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Laparoscopic Vertical Banded Gastroplasty

Torsten Olbers et al. · Annals of Surgery · 2006

DOI 10.1097/01.sla.0000218085.25902.f8

rct · n=83Cited 339×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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