Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - weight loss question

I was riding pretty much every day from march - first week of August, I lost only 5-10 lbs I wrote it off as muscle > fat. Now I have not ridden since Aug 5th, I went on vacation the week after that and had surgery 2 days after returning.

It has been 18 days and haven't been exercising at all, vacation was in Sturgis SD for the harley motorcycle rally (LOTS OF BEER AND BOOBIES!!!) and so far after the surgery I havent gotten off the couch. I decided to weigh myself today thinking I was going to be back to 300lbs (I was 280) only to see now im at 261 could 19 lbs have been the water I was drinking keeping myself hydrated?

I will be back on my diet with exercise next week but for now I cannot lift my arm high enough to put deodorant on without terrible pain (shoulder surgery). I am seeing the doctor on friday and he will put me in PT next week. whats nice about my PT place is its in a full gym in downtown Chicago they have everything including them recumbent bike trainers you recommended Tom :)!!!

My question again is before I babble some more is you think the scales broken? or the 19 lbs was all water and with the drinking I dehydrated myself?

Similar thing happened to me recently after plateauing at 97kg for 2 months. I came down with strep throat and was on antibiotics for a week. I didn't have the energy to bike for 5 days but dropped down to 93kg. My food was slightly reduced for these days as I didn't have much appetite but my hydration was normal. I just figured my body was burning some energy trying to get well.

It COULD be water, but that's not likely to be the whole aspect. Let's see if you pick any of it back up, when you rehydrate yourself. That'll tell the tale there, however. Good to hear about the recumbent trainer bikes, although I will warn you, they might ignite a lust for a recumbent bike!!

Some of it will be muscle loss, but no way is it all of that.