I am a lurker here, mostly. I read everyday, but do not post much ever.

I was banded in Sept 2005 by Dr. Ortiz. I have lost 45 lbs to date. Dr. Martinez told me on my last fill to not be disappointed if the scale doesn't show weight loss, but you find that you are losing size. I just let his statement fly right over my head, thinking "yeah, yeah whatever." Well I am finding it to be true! I haven't lost many pounds since then, but I find my size going down. I was a size 20, now yesterday I bought a size 12, although a bit tight, they fit darn it!

So my question is, how does this work? Can someone please explain this? or is it just PM (pure magic)?

I posted this in another thread, it may help you understand why the scale is not reliable:

I would bet most of what I own that she is losing fat, even if she's not losing weight. The scale represents all of the mass your body has, your skin, and everything inside of it, as well as a few things outside of it. It does not give an accurate account of the fat stored in your body.

This is why, even when you're following a good diet and exercising, etc. - the scale can mame it look like you're gaining weight... when in fact you're retaining water, building muscle, haven't pooed in a while, etc. Hmm... everyr wonder why so many dieters get frustrated and give up just a few weeks in?

If she isn't already, encourage your wife to keep track of her measurements. I'd bet her sizes go down even if the scale doesn't. If you have access to one, forget the scale COMPLETELY and use a body fat analyzer. The fat is really what we care about losing, not the fluid in our cells... but a scale will never show you a true loss of fat.

Also, if you're working out, you are gaining muscle mass which is denser (heavier) than fat, so you could lose a lot of fat, and actually weigh more than you did before. Thini of the big muscle builder guys... single-digit body fat, but they can easily weigh 300#. Muscle also requires more calories, so the more muscular you are, the more you can eat w/o gaining fat.

Simply put - "weight" is a really bad measurement in general. "Fat percentage" is much more reliable when it comes to knowing how much fat you're ridding your body of.

thank you for that info, makes sense. I guess I should have done a search before I posted, I was being lazy. Thanks again. I have to mentally force myself to stay off the scale. I am still very obsessed with the scale!

My fill doc (who also has a band) told me that after carrying all that extra weight your bones and muscles become denser. This makes sense because I am wearing a size 14, which I haven't worn since I weighed 170...and I weigh about 200 now. I also told someone the other day how much I weigh and they didin't believe me....so maybe there is some truth to this...oh...and I don't exercise so I know I haven't gained any muscle...ha ha.