Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) results in reduced calorie intake and weight loss. Whether patients consume the same types of food before and after surgery or whether they reduce the volume and calorie density of the foods they consume remains unknown.

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the changes in daily caloric and macronutrient intake after LSG and the relation between changes of taste and food tolerance over 2 years.

Thirty morbidly obese patients with median body mass index (BMI) of 43.9 kg/m² (39.5–57.3) were prospectively enrolled prior to LSG. Weight, BMI, %EWL, weight loss percentage (%WL), and daily intake were evaluated preoperatively at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery along with a questionnaire evaluating food choices, quality of eating, tolerance of certain types of food, frequency of vomiting, and changes in taste.

The median %EWL and %WL at 12 and 24 months was 65 % (33.9–93.6 %), 27.3 % (14.2–45.5 %) and 71.5 % (39.6–101.1 %), 31 % (19.1–50.3 %) respectively. Six months after surgery, the daily caloric intake reduced by 68 % and the reduction was maintained until 24 months. The median score of the eating questionnaire was 18 (10–27) at 6 months, 22 (16–26) at 12 months, and 23 (10–27) at 24 months, suggesting that the quality of nutrition improved over time. At 6, 12, and 24 months, 75 % of the patients reported changes in taste with reduced interest in sweets, high fat food, and alcoholic drinks. However, at 24 months, 20 % of patients reported a heightened interest in sweets compared to 12 months previously.

LSG reduced calorie intake both through volume of food and the calorie density of the food consumed. The mechanisms for the changes in food preferences may involve both unconditioned and conditioned effects. The influence of dietary counseling on learning which foods are consumed still requires further exploration.