Inclusion and exclusion criteria
The inclusion criteria were: adult and elderly patients with a BMI ≥ 27kg/m² who failed to lose weight in clinical well conducted treatments of overweight/obesity. The exclusion criteria were adolescents, patients with obesity of hormonal or genetic causes, alcohol or illicit drug abusers, those with a known malignancy and pregnant women.
A preliminary interview established medical history, including previous attempts to lose weight, co-morbidities, and the impact of their obesity, both socially and psychologically.