Total Body Composition (DEXA) - 1 Yr Post Op

So I got an updated DEXA Scan today. The last one was six months ago, and I have been in maintenance for 3 of those 6 months. First to recap the weight loss over the last year (or so):

HW: 333 / BMI 50.6 (2/9/2016)
SW: 286 / BMI 43.5 (3/21/2016)
CW: 147.7 / BMI 22.4 (official weight from the DEXA scan this morning)

Overall results from the DEXA Scan:

Total Mass (weight): 147.7lbs
Total Fat: 7.17lbs
Total Lean: 133.56lbs
Body Fat: 4.9%
Body Fat Percentile: 0%
A/G Fat Distribution Ratio: 1.00 (Optimal is

I'd be very skeptical of that body fat number; 4.9% body fat seems WAAAAAY low. Per the American Council on Exercise, men have 2 - 5% essential body fat, and super athletes have 6 - 12%.

I had the same reaction. 4.9% body fat would be really extreme

I actually had a DEXA scan 3 months ago at a different location and was about 2.5lbs heavier. It can back with a 6.4% body fat and I was very skeptical. I thought maybe their machine was off. That's why I went back to the same place I had my first one 6 months ago. The one that had me over 26% body fat.

The results I got this morning are nearly identical to the one I had 3 months ago. In fact the 2.5lbs I lost were almost exactly the amount less total body fat I had this time.

DEXA is supposed to be extremely accurate. And having it verified on two different DEXA machines 3 months apart makes me fairly confident that the reading is accurate. But I understand your skepticism as I had the same initial reaction.

Dexa scan is considered very accurate...I've had 3 and found them useful.

I see Dr. Weiner was your surgeon. I have watched his you tube videos... So did you like him?

I know he has that book a pound of cure, but what does he actually recommend to his WLS surgery patients who have a much smaller anatomy for food? Just curious if you don't mind answering....

Weird - I just noticed my original post got truncated, I wonder why?

Anyway, Dr. Weiner is amazing. He is very much like he is in his videos, but what maybe doesn't come through is how laid back and realistic he is.

He recommends his Pound of Cure diet for his bariatric patients. He also follows it himself. Obviously, early out, he know that people can't eat the quantity of vegetables he recommends, so the first few months it's a bit of a modified version.

He uses protein shakes immediately post-op, but likes people to stop using them as soon as they are able to eat their protein as he is anti-processed fods, but understands the necessity of them post-op. As you progress, he has you add in vegetables very early on, as well as fruit as tolerated. He does not have the extremely prescriptive plan with quantities, etc, that many other surgeons do. His reasoning for this (I've specifically asked him this question) is that it is SO different for everyone, that if he laid out an exact plan of foods and quantities it would not work for everyone anyway. Instead he tells you what types of food to introduce and in what orders, but very much leaves it up to you to listen to your body and determine what works for you and what doesn't - both foods and quantities.

For example, one of the earliest foods that gets introduced is eggs - I am a year post-op and eggs are still one of the few foods I can not tolerate (that and ground meat).

If you go to his site, you can watch his video about introducing foods, he spells it all out.

Now that Iam a year post-op I can easily follow his Pound of Cure diet. Eating a pound of vegetables is not as difficult as you might think. I pack a bag of veggies to take to work everyday and it's about 12 oz. I often have a salad with dinner and a portion of vegetables and easily hit the one pound mark.

He also believe men only need 60g of protein a day and women 50g, so I am generally eating a pretty small portion of meat and filling up more on vegetables as he prefers.

I literally lost 50lbs in the 6 weeks pre-op just following his diet. I lost 185lbs in about 10 months (including pre-op diet) and have been in maintenance for the last 3. I love his eating plan, and love him as my surgeon. Given he also acts as the nutritionist there is no disconnect in his program. He also meets with his patients personally at every appointment pre and post-op which is awesome.

That was a bit rambing but hopefully answers some of your questions - feel free to shoot me a note if you want to know anything else about Dr. Weiner or his Pound of Cure diet - I am somewhat evangelical about it :-)

I should note a lot of people on the forums object to his plan on one level or another, but I love it, and it's worked well for me. It's hard to believe I could have been more successful following any other plan.

I have enjoyed watching his videos...He does seem very genuine. I was also lucky in having a program that wanted you to listen to your body and gave simple instructions... only count protein and fluids and Doc's mantra- and yes saw him every visit... was protein first, then veggies and then if you have enough room fruit then carbs...

I seem to have a problem with protein absorption, always come up on the low end and can't possibly eat more...I eat over 100g a day.... so while I try to get some veggies in daily...it can be hard.

A lot of people think and I kind of agree-- that a vegetarian or especially a vegan diet would be difficult after this surgery... some people are under the impression that that is what he espouses.... but he doesn't. Just less protein and more veggies...

Just a note on dexascan- I think they are great, they really helped me as I got closer to goal. When you've been morbidly obese pretty much your whole adult life it is hard to know when you've really reached normal and BMI is generic...

Yes, I have seen a lot of comments online that he promotes a vegetarian lifestyle, but that's not true at all. He does ask that you include non-animal protein sources - he suggests at least one meal a day. I have really found a ton of ways to prepare lentils and beans that I thoroughly enjoy. To be honest, if it wasn't for my families love of meat, I would probably eat even more non-animal proteins just because I love them!

My DEXA scans have been great to help me set my goals as well. When I got to 195 (my original goal) I felt I still had more to lose, but it is hard to truly see yourself accurately - my DEXA scan confirmed this when I found I had 26.5% Body Fat. Once i was down to the mid-140s I figured it was time to stop - and DEXA again confirmed this (although I see some people here are pretty skeptical of my results).

Great to hear from someone who is actually a patient of Dr. Weiner, and follows the Pound of Cure diet. I am a fan of his. I really love his videos. They are so helpful. Keep up the good work.

When i had detailed body DEXA scan they gave me total results but they also gave me a detailed results for parts of my body

The head, torso, each arm separately, legs, etc etc... Then final % was calculated as "average". I.e my head show 3% fat , my arms and chest were only 15% but my legs and lower part of my body was higher. Overall my total body fat % was 21%...

I am also sceptical about 4.9% . That is not only very very low - but with such a low number - there often is medical emergency with such a low number... Hormones shut down, etc. Death to follow.

If that's your real body fat% - there is something really wrong with you and you need immediate medical attention.

Check images for how people look at different body fat%. Body builders at 7-8 % only get that for the competition day.

https://www.google.com/search?q=body+fat+5%25&oq=body+fat+5% 25&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.22815j0j4&client=tablet-android-ver izon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=adY_puAwa-PcoM: