In three morbidly obese patients (mean weight 169 kg), severe hip pain developed immediately after gastroplasty. The differential diagnosis included thrombophlebitis, osteoarthritis and lumbar disc protrusion. The pattern of pain and associated numbness was characteristic of compression of the lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh, a condition known as meralgia paresthetica. The likely cause was compression of the thigh by the metal post of the Gomez retractor. Only the most obese patients suffered this syndrome and all symptoms resolved spontaneously within 3 months.