Alan, I hope you will do okay off of the Pred too. Can they try other things for you like IVIG?
Sodium and no sugar are great for losing weight. The other thing that really helps is high fiber/low fat. Can you eat beans? Fabulous food and there are so many kinds of them. Like garbanzo beans in hummus.
Little things like using hand weights or those rubber bands a few times a day and only for a little while each time really does help.
I hope the weather over there has settled down. You guys had some bad snow there for a while. It's been godawful cold over here.

Annie