Any people with RA trying to lose weight?

hsandall
hsandall Posts: 106 Member
edited November 10 in Introduce Yourself
I am 30 yr old female struggling with losing weight and exercising with my RA I've had for 6 yrs. I have two children and work full time so finding time to exercise is hard, let alone sore aching joints!

Replies

  • bill_i_am
    bill_i_am Posts: 180 Member
    I feel your "pain", I have PA but it's very similar to RA. Good luck, and I hope you feel well enough to exercise soon :)
  • Dauntlessness
    Dauntlessness Posts: 1,489 Member
    I have Psoriatic Arthritis which is a cousin of RA. Most of the time it only affects toes, feet, ankles, knees, legs, and the spine but it has been known to go to/disfigure the rest of the body too like the fingers and hands, its very similar to RA. I already have 1 slightly disfigured toe that is swollen like 95% of the time and a knee that acts up. I also have SIJD and sciatica. I am stay at home thankfully. I honestly don't know where to begin on how hard it would be to work and try to exercise with these types of conditions. I push through the pain just to exercise.
    Kudos to you for being so tough! You must have some drive to do what you do. I guess the best suggestion would be something you can do with the kids. Maybe join the YWCA and go swimming a few times a week. It will help your joints sooo much (I used to go to aqua therapy), give you a workout and have fun with the kids! I would also suggest the elliptical if you go to the gym, its so much easier on your body.

    I hope you find some time to do this for yourself. The rheumatologist told me the best thing you can ever do is get the weight off and move move move. Oh and massages...I need to look into that one and see if my insurance will pay for it: :) Seriously...LOL
  • heatherrein09
    heatherrein09 Posts: 7 Member
    I am 29 years old and have had RA since I was 11 years old. I have struggled so much with this desease and finally after 18 years am getting it somewhat more managable. The stiffness, joint pain fatique are very hard to deal with when trying to stuck to an exersize routine. I also have nodules on the bottoms of my feet. I had 3 in the past surgecally removed and have 2 more currently on one foot.

    Here is my advise after my many years of dealing with this desease.

    1. Avoid high impact exersize at all costs, especially running. It's way too hard on the joints to keep up for any length of time.
    2. Stretch, Stretch, Stretch. Palaties is the BEST thing in the world for those with joint issues. It's somewhat hard at first but if you stick to a beginners routine and limit it to 15-20 minutes a day a few times a week it pays off. It builds core muscles (which is amazing for losing inches btw) and the stronger your core is the stronger your joints are and the less impact the stiffness and pain has on them
    3. Break your routine up if you are stuggling with morning stiffness and/or fatigue. My fatigue is really bad even with my RA under some control. I do 15 minutes of 'Leslie Sansone's walking exersize or Walk away the Pounds" series in the morning. It's low impact but gets your heart rate really going and is not strenuous at all. I then do 20 minutes of either Palaties, stregth training or other cardio at night. Sometimes a low speed on a tredmil, something dancing on the WII with my kids, something something else.
    4. I eat at least 100 - 150 less calores than what it says I would need to lose weight since I have limitations on the types of exersize I can do and the amount of calories I burn.

    It's a struggle but it's working for me so far.
    ALWAYS REMEMBER: The more weight you loss the less impact it will have on your already painfully swollen joints!
    I hope this helps. Let me know
  • hsandall
    hsandall Posts: 106 Member
    Since my last post I have started back on Enbrel shots which has helped greatly! I am lifting smaller weights, low impact aerobics, and EA Sports Active on the Wiifit and take walks with my 2 month old in his carrier when able. Eat mostly veggies, protein, and fruits too.

    Thanks for the support, gained back lean muscle and slowly losing the inches!
  • frantasm
    frantasm Posts: 4
    I have RA too. Diagnosed in Sept. The Prednisone & inability to move due to pain has made me gain 30 lbs since then. 2 weeks ago I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in addition. Some days it hurts to walk, but I need to try & keep on keepin' on as they say. Glad to know I'm not alone on this site w/ this stuff.
  • DogsK
    DogsK Posts: 94
    I was diagnosed with RA in Jan this year. Thankfully it was diagnosed early on in the piece. So I do what I can at the gym. I do some resistance training on the weight machines and use the treadmill. Mostly walking at a brisk pace with a good incline and try to get a few sprints in as well. I am guided by what my body is telling me and if it is starting to get slightly sore or I notice any swelling on the joints, then I back right off. I've been lucky so far cause the gym work seems to compliment the medication and I haven't suffered too much at all
This discussion has been closed.

Categories