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I would just follow my doctors instructions. I'm at the start of a week on nothing but 5 Optifast shakes a day. Do I think my liver will still shrink if I added some actual food to that? Yes, but I'm doing what I've been told and sticking with it.

Basic yoga will get rid of muscle tightness. Stand up straight and bend forward and put your hands on the ground on either side of your feet. You can also do downward facing dog which is where you get into pushup position and then move your butt back and up so you are now in a jackknife. That will stretch your back, arms and legs.

Looking good! I bet you feel a lot better too. Great job!

Bring your blood sugar log to your appointments as well as your food log. Your doctor can compare what you are eating to your blood sugar numbers and try to see if there is something specific that needs to be changed. Good luck!

I'd want to know what the doctor's experience has been with the sleeve. Has he performed a lot of sleeve surgeries? How many complications has he seen? Does he feel that you would be a good candidate after he hears your history? Good luck and keep an open mind.

That's pretty high. They should have given you instructions about what numbers they are looking for and when to contact them. It probably wouldn't hurt to give the doctor a call and go over your blood sugar log so they can make a decision about how it should be handled. There are lots of medications besides Metformin they can use for treatment. It's also possible that they're willing to go with the high numbers because they know the procedure is going to very soon and they'll come down once it happens. It can't hurt to call to let them know what's going on. You are getting this done at the right time. I've been treating diabetes for 7 years and it's a losing battle. If I had gotten WLS sooner I would have saved myself a lot of discomfort and aggravation.

Define high. What is your fasting blood sugar on average? I'm off my Metformin too as well as most of the others. My fasting blood sugar is up from it's usual 125 to 145. Not panic time but definitely noticeable.

Complications.

60 is about all I'm looking to lose so I sure hope not

Actually they can just fire you. The Family and Medical Leave Act is only for those who work in an office with more than 50 employees. The American Disabilities Act is for someone with an existing disability, though it's kind of broad. No way you win a suit though by undergoing a voluntary procedure. I know in my job I don't dare tell them what this is for because there is no way I would have it when I came back. I'm only taking a week off and am still a little worried.

It sounds like you already have figured out your best options. Hopefully they will be able to find another surgeon on your plan. If not January is only a little more than 2 months out. As I've learned now these past 7 months, waiting sucks but at least you have options which is a very good thing.

Thanks. That's how I've felt the past couple of years. In mountain biking anyone over 200 pounds is considered to be a clyde, short for clydesdale as in the horse. Not a lot of bikes that are clyde friendly given the abuse that mountain bikes take.

Just think of it as a before picture. You're going to work hard to make sure you look great for the after pic

My surgeon says we can do anything as soon as we feel up to it. He doesn't like to give timelines for returning to physical activity but obviously you have to use your head. No fighting through the pain no matter how tough you are. Only do what you can do. I won't be hitting any mountain bike trails soon but I have the road bike all ready to go.

I was forced to see a doctor that I had never seen before for surgical clearance. He knew exactly why I was there and couldn't have been nicer. My surgeon's office had put together a package of test results so he wasn't completely blind. It all worked out great.

There will be other holidays. That's one of the reason why we're all doing this. We want to be around to enjoy all those holidays for many years to come. My surgery is Oct 30th. I hate missing going out with the kids for Halloween but just think of the cool costume I'll now be able to fit in next year.

Whoa. That's awesome! Very impressive. Keep it up!

If you are doing strength training you need to look at more than just the scale. Start tracking your measurements. Muscle weighs more than fat so you could stay the same weight but still be shrinking. It sounds like you have a very good exercise plan. Don't let the scale make you second guess yourself.

That must be an endoscopy

It took me a while to get my Cardiologist to sign off on this. And by while I mean over 2 years. I had been working on him and my other doctors but none of them felt I was big enough at 250. Once he agreed then the endocrinologist and allergist decided to support it. I never did get a PCP to agree though. I had to switch to one the surgeon had a relationship with.

I was told that ursodiol reduces the chance of gallstones from 30% to just 2%. However, you have to stay on it for 6 months.

Heart disease, asthma and diabetes here. It's my primary motivation for this surgery. The diabetes makes everything else worse.

That's annoying but it's better than waking up and wondering why there is a lap band port in your stomach.

Exercise helps speed up your metabolism. On it's own it doesn't make you lose weight but combined with diet it can help. It also strengthens your entire body including your heart and lungs. There are so many health benefits to exercise beyond just losing weight that it really should be part of your daily routine.

Woohoo! Good luck and a speedy recovery