Hi there! my name is Donna and I am 51 years old. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of 43, although had symptoms since the age of 40. I "retired" from work on March 1, 2012, and applied for social security disability. I was denied twice and now have an attorney and am waiting for a hearing. I have high cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar and really need to lose weight. I was told recently by my foot surgeon that walking for exercise was not an option for me. I have been riding the recumbent bike at the gym when my tailbone pain allows and am able to use the elliptical machine for a short time. I am on Simponi currently but have been through almost all of the biologics. I cannot take methotrexate or sulfasalizine. I am hoping to get tips from you all on how you are losing weight and exercising. I am also looking forward to the support you offer and hope I can offer support to you as well.

I would say try to reduce your carbs as much as you can. I found that Prednisone pounds are more stubborn than the regular ones. Also try to watch your sodium as well.

How are ya doing. I have been diagnosed with RA since Nov of last year. I seemed to have had it for a while but always seemed shrug it off as me lifting weights wrong, till it hit my whole body out of no where and lasted for the next two month. Hopefully I can get back to what I use to be and I hope the same for everybody.

Hi! I'm Shelly and I was diagnosed with RA this week. I will be starting meds soon, but I have to wean my 9mo dtr first who I'm still breastfeeding. I think I am more upset about that than I am about my diagnosis. Looking for some support as I start down this long road. I need to feel better to keep up with 3 kids 4 and under!

Hello folks - I haven't posted in over a year. I've had RA for four years and while it is pretty well controlled w/ Cimzia, I have had the hardest time with exercise/fatigue. It seems sometimes for no bloody reason at all, I'm just exhausted for a few months and my hips are killing me and it hurts to exercise and then, it just disappears. I have sero-negative RA, which means all the blood tests are negative, but my rheumatologist made the diagnosis by my symptoms and an MRI of my wrist. After four years in treatment, first Enbrel and MTX and now just Cimzia, my MRI is basically normal and all the changes in my wrists are gone. What I keep forgetting is that moving makes such a difference. When I stiffen up and do less exercise, it makes things worse. I recently went to Colorado to go skiing and my doc gave me decadron, a steroid, to prevent altitude sickness and keep me from hurting so I could enjoy the skiing. It's been three weeks since the decadron and my hip pain is gone and my hip is so much better it's ridiculous. I've had a few massages and I've been exercising like crazy and it just keeps getting better. My trainer and I can't believe the difference. The steroids don't last forever and generally, I don't want to take them because of all the side effects, but I swear it just got rid of what ever kept me from moving my hip. I have more flexibility than I have had in two years, even after injections for bursitis. The hardest damn thing about this disease is not being able to understand it or predict it.. Anyway, after huffin' and puffin' at 9100-13000 feet I had an epiphany. I decided that if I have to get old, I am NOT going to get old AND FAT. I'm super motivated to get back on target and having been doing really well with exercise and limiting my calorie intake. Hardest thing to give up is wine and an occasional Manhattan because I just want to relax sometimes. But....I think sometimes the alcohol contrikbutes to my fatigue the next day. So folks, I am hoping to stay totally on task and get myself down to 160. My original plan last year was to get to 160 by the time I turned 60. Well....I will be 61 in a week so I have to reset my goal. I am determined to get to 160 by the end of the summer, if not sooner. I am rowing and using an eliptical. I do pilates and work out with a trainer once a week. I get massage as often as I can afford it because it makes such a difference in my soft tissue complaints. SO there you have it. Sorry if I am long winded. Good luck to everyone. It is a ***** of a disease.

Hello Everyone,

My name is Elaine and I've had Rheumatoid Arthritis for 29 years, I was diagnosed a month away from my 17th birthday. I've had my ups and downs, but I have been able to maintain a semi-normal life. I've been on Enbrel for 10 years and I see a Homeopathic doctor, who has helped me through diet and supplements. I am married to a very supportive husband who supports me 100%. I have always been able to maintain my weight, but the older I get it gets more difficult. I hope to encourage and get encouraged in this group. We all have bad days and know how difficult some days are to exercise, I hope we can encourage each other not to feel guilty on those days, we do the best that we can

Hello my name is Ciara and I was diagnosed with RA in February 2013. It took 1 year and several hospitalizations before being diagnosed. I am now on the right track, but unfortunately the medications have contributed to my weight gain. I am looking to gain support from this group while on this journey. I have tried to workout and often it results in a flare up. I am choosing now to eat better and try to do some form of activity for at least 30 minutes per day. Hopefully this will help. I wish you all well on your journey! Please feel free to add me as a friend if you would like support. By the way I lost 30 pounds in about 3 months my last time on MFP and before medications...Hopefully I can get the same results this time too :-). Good luck guys!

Keep at it! Those meds can be such little boogers! That is a great weight loss for your first month!

Hi All, I am 33 yrs old and I was never diagnosed with RA. My blood tests were never pointing to the exact diagnosis but I think RA is the closest. This is the second time it flares right after I was ill due to ectopic pregnancy in April this year. The first one was when I was 20 yrs old and lasted for a year or so. Now I'm on 5mg once daily prednisolone and i dread the thought of the possibility of retaining water... I'm trying to lose as much as I can before the side effect from the med starts to appear. Good to know that such group exists in MFP.. Hope you all can guide and support me through this journey. Thanks.

Trying to lose 35 lbs with new RA diagnosis and over 50.... Here I go! Seems hard to burn enough calories when having pain in nearly every joint. I'm hoping for the best but will take any exercise ideas anyone has.

Hi! I'm starting a new goal of clean eating and regular exercise. I have had RA for about 7 years now. I have a 2.5 yo toddler and work full time. I'm using Fit Girls Guide as my inspiration to start with losing 10 lbs, but more importantly than the number on the scale is that I want to FEEL BETTER! Hope to connect with a good support network here. Feel free to add me!