IncredibleShrinkingMan

Don't be afraid to tell your doctor when he/she has overstepped a boundary or has struck a personal chord of some kind. They often have little to no clue about anything in life in which they haven't been intensively trained in books and classes and can use a reality check. If your surgeon is a skinny person that hasn't battled weight, this goes on yet another front. Just like a thin friend who has no clue why you would want to do this and who says just being more careful is the way to go, don't let the diploma on the wall and the thousands of bogus societies of which they are members scare you out of speaking your mind and representing yourself well. If you think it is between your dignity and actually getting approved, then the answer is simple...keep searching.

@@Alex Brecher is there any particular place on the head from which hair is generally lost first, or more severely, than others? Any advice about haircuts during this general phase? I just entered the 3 to 6 month category, and have a cut scheduled for early December. Scrap it?

In addition to time of day, try to keep weigh-in conditions consistent. If your lifestyle moves around a lot for work, relationships, school, etc..., then a particular time won't mean much as a reference point. Rather, maybe choose a particular set of clothes for weighing in (including, of course, none), before you eat your first calorie of the day, and after a standard night of sleep, or even after a fairly standard workout. This is so that variable glycogen storage doesn't affect the day to day readings.