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team details:

Team Name: Boomers with autoimmune disorders
Members: 86
Location: 97303



Goals: Follow the best eating plan for your health

Profile: Are you 50 plus with any kind of diagnosed autoimmune disorder (RA, Lupus, celiac disease, Sjogrens, etc.) and wanting to eat in a way that best promotes good health? Let's support each other in our efforts and share what works for us and what we've learned about how we should be eating. To join you must be a several-times-a-week logger and active commenter in additon to being at least 50 and having an autoimmune disorder, please.

Last posted: Friday, June 08, 2018, 1:44 AM

Other Info:

Members profiles:
I was born and raised in NY but have lived in Israel for the last 26 years. I work in high tech, which means long hours, lots of cookies in the office kitchen, and hunger attacks at 5 PM when I know i'm not leaving until 7. I'm married and have 2 stepsons. We all like to eat, way too much. update in 2009: now i rarely eat the cookies in the office kitchen.


I am a 51 year old professional woman. I am married with three boys. One 11 year old still at home. I plan to start a PhD in September 2008. I am also a grandmother.





Hi I am a 46 year old mother of a 5 year old and currently a education director for a NGO. I lost weight 3 years ago and became really fit but then broke a rib and gave up...literally gave up. I did a boot camp last year and completed it but was horrified at myselff. Now, a year later, heavier and out of shape more than ever, I went to the doctor in Feb 21012 and he prescribed 7 meds, lifelong for COPD, asma, etc. So, I chucked the meds in March 2013 and started a 30 day juice fast to kick my health back in! Goal accomplished! OH yes, and even as a Librarian and lifelong teacher, I am horrib-le typist, sorry. I get really motivated and then as soon as I start seeing results or start feeling better I tend to sabotage myself.(Point in fact, right after my blood tests and clear lungs, I stopped my juice fast..and ate EVERYTHING again!) I do well with mini goals and support AND accountability. When I was working with a trainer threee years ago and at my best physically in ten years, I used to receive daily and often hourly texts from him and it was enough to keep me going. Although guilt is my biggest motivator and I hope to get to a place where JOY replaces the guilt, Still working on the guilt and the feeling of entitlement!


I'm male, 42, married with 2 children. I am one of the founders of PEERtrainer.


I will be 52 in August. I have been on PT since last Sept., 2007, and I was doing pretty good till my Thyroid started acting up. I now have some new plans and ways to change my lifestyle even further, so I am going to take advantage of some new resources. I have two kids, 2 cats and two dogs, as well as a husband that keeps me hopping. I am a Nurse, trying to change direction due to health issues, and with the economy not having much luck. When I got sick 3 years ago, I strated emotional eating for the first time in my life. I have now addressed the issues, and I plan on going forward with a new outlook. I log fairly regularly, but got lost this summer with the kids being home......so back to business and supporting myself and my team mates.


I'm 37, happily married for 14 years and mom to 2 beautiful little guys(10 and 6). We live in the country and enjoy time outside. I am a musician and artist by passion, SAHM, formerly a systems admin/technical writer/corporate trainer. Recently became certified as a Holistic Health Coach. I LOVE my clients and the work I do. Will be adding a Raw Chef certification in the Fall. Psoriatic arthritis began giving me problems with the birth of my 2nd son and impacts my daily activities if I eat gluten, dairy or anything high in protein. I am doing everything possible to avoid heavy drug therapy. So far, so good! I've been a vegetarian of varying degrees for a 18 years (dairy and wheat are inflammation triggers for me). Wheat Free/Gluten Free Vegan for about 6 years now. I am committed to Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live approach and eat a nutrient dense plant based/vegan diet.


I am a 55 year old female. Zen Buddhism is my spritual path. I am kind, thoughtful and experience much spontaneous joy. I am married and recently moved to Bend Oregon.


I am a 58 year old grandmother with lupus (SLE). I am a systems engineer working in Northern Virginia. I commute over two hours to work every day.


Caregiver to 95 year old, sweet mom. Sjogren's and breast cancer survivor.


I turned 50 this month, yikes. I am married and have two teenagers. In May 2011 I was diagnosed with RA. I was in so much pain and so exhausted that getting through my day was almost impossible. I currently am on some strong medication, and thankfully I am doing quite well.


I'm tired on not fitting into my clothes and succumbing to poor food choices, struggling with a ever tempting candy bowl and, as always, free food. I think of myself as an active person and since I've been lifting weights again, I'd like to show off my muscles and have my body look as though I work out as much as I feel I do.





I am a 43 year old wife and mother of one 6 year old. I am an Operataions Research Analyst. I have lived a very active high energy, spirited life, and I am known for my eternal optimism. I was diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome shortly after the birth of our daughter and have been attempting to balance professional, home life and my want to maintain my high level of activity with the affects of Sjogren's which for me include fatigue, depression, joint stiffness, dry eye & mouth, and leg swelling.


I'm an artist although I haven't been painting lately. I'm 60 years old. I used to be a gym rat and would like to be one again. I've been very addicted to sweets and want to stop. I'm also a Fibro patient with hypothyroidism. I notice a big change in the pain when I eat badly. I'm on pain meds until I can get my strength back by moving through the pain. I'm already stronger but have a ways to go. I'm thinking this cleanse will help me right out! :)


I'm 39 and a mother of 2 girls (11 & 6). I'm a teacher by profession, but currently not working. I've been concentrating on my health for the past 2 years while I've been trying to recover from a serious auto-immune disorder (polymyositis). During my illness I lost 30 pounds (in a way that no one should lose weight!). Unfortunately, due to the medication that I have to take, I've regained almost all of the weight I had lost while ill. I don't really mind so much, since I've learned to value my health much more than my appearance. I have an incredible husband who supports and loves me regardless of what I'm going through. I definitely rather be 30 pounds heavier, but look healthier then when I was 125 pounds and sickly! My main concern is that I have severe restrictions on exercise as my muscles are still recovering from my illness. I try to do as much as possible to stay active and build my strength and endurance back up to where I once was. Weights are still off limits for the time being. Usually, new exercises of any kind cause muscle knots that take me weeks and sometimes months to completely get rid of. However, it doesn't stop me. I work under the premise that if I don't push myself to do new things, I'll never improve!


In 2000 I retired from teaching, and can't imagine how I kept up with my previous schedule. I have 2 sons, 2 DILs, 4 grandkids, 4 x's, 4 former live-in's, a wide variety of friends and former students that keep in touch. I enjoy listening to my brother play in local bands, own my own home, and am wondering what 'life after 60' is supposed to be about.





I have Crohn's disease and Celiac Disease. Both of these are intestinal based diseases. There has been speculation about the core of diseases such as this. I am struggling as I have actually gained more weight than most people who have these diseases. Because of all the things I cannot eat, I indulge in those things I still can eat. Hence, my overwhelming problem of weight gain.


Recently dx'ed with Sarcoidosis. Peak weight over 300. Quite a big girl at 5'2"! Got down to 130, finished my LPN got married to a wonderful cook and back up to 175. Working full-time as Admin Asst. but going back to school in Sept to finally finish my RN








I am a single senior citizen with some health issues that would improve dramatically if I lost weight and exercised. My problem is that I am not at all motivated to exercise. I may adopt healthy eating habits for a little while but then lapse into eating whatever and whenever I want. I don't always eat breakfast, can go all day without eating at work, but become ravenous once I go home. I often run out of what's healthy to eat and rather than make a trip to the store, I eat whatever is available (usually carbohydrates)


I'm a 56 yo who spends at least two hours/day driving, I'm wanting to rebuild my road cycling ability (haven't done any long rides in 18 years.). I lost the hearing in my right ear a year ago, so I haven't yet had the courage to ride on many roads. I'm trying to step my way through each of the challenges, health and stress-wise, that have kept me from my best energy and fitness. I love my 11 yo son and feel terribly guilty for finding his behaviors so challenging ( ADHD, anxiety, oppositional). As a social worker, I'm trained to respond positively to his behaviors - and I usually do- this is the first time I've admitted how exhausting it is! I'm ready to move forward!


I'm 47, married with two grown children, son (24) and daughter (22). My son has two children--I love being a granny. I know how important it is to enjoy every day God blesses me with, and believing I'm worth it! I'm a binge eater that can sabotage myself. Update: April 15, 2009 I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Vasculitis. Right now we know it is affecting my feet. I’m experiencing rash, ulcers, swelling and major pain. I’m scheduled to see a Rheumatologist and we’ll see were I’m headed. Exercise has been halted and at times I’m major emotionally eating. I’m fluctuating between 218 and 222 pounds. My goal is not to go above this, see the rheumatologist and continue to lose weight in the safest way possible.





I am soon to be 40. I work full time as a nurse educator. I am married, have 3 children and will graduate from Grad School in Oct. I have 2 Boxers and a Cat. Oh I also have Multiple Sclerosis and am Hypothyroid which I know affects weight :(


i want to be lighter so that acrobatics (my job and passion) will be easier for me. when i started with PT at the beginning of 09, another of my goals was to be the kind of person who cares for herself by eating well. i have ACHIEVED this and feel good about the way i feed myself. i have become slim and lean in a way that's very exciting. but, i still want to shake 10 more pounds of fat. i lost ten pounds in january with PT, which was the most successful bout of weight loss in my life. i'm determined to get rid of this last ten pounds and looking forward to doing in with PT again. i eat gluten-free, and i have a chronic illness. usually neither of these things feels like a big deal, because i'm so used to them, but i realize they cause me to lead my life in a different way from lots of people out there.





I have a charmed life with lots of great food and drink available. I am 60 years old. I want to live more thoughtfully. Years of being unhappy with my appearance have taken a toll on me. At my age it is time to accept who I am. I have eaten to escape feelings of unhappiness and insecurity. At times my eating out of control has been a serious problem. I weight 150 lbs and am 5'6". I don't like going to bed full and waking up in the night feeling uncomfortable from what I have eaten and drank. When I pay attention to my actions, I am happier and can let go of the worries. Worrying is presently out of control.





58, single woman. Professional.


I am 73 and a Life member of Weight Watchers...I am a British doctor, mother and grandmother, living in New Zealand and was widowed 5 years ago. I am a Coeliac and gluten-free which sometimes makes it difficult to eat wisely. Have reached goal many times but can never maintain it for more than a year or so...recently, and now in my seventies, and no longer in competitive sport and training (...due to injury and cardiac arrythmia) I have not been able to reach goal weight, let alone maintain it! I'm hoping this site and this group will give me more motivation, so that I can live happily into "old age"...... one day!


Born in 1944, & in 2007 discovered celiac & sjogren's & osteoporis & osteoarthritis after a hiking fall -- with fractures. Widowed. Fixed income. Learning financial fitness! Am living with the aftermath of 3 cancer surgeries in 1995-96; my daughter died from breast cancer in 1996.


I'm 47 years old, have a great husband, 2 grown boys and 1 grand-daughter. I follow a gluten-free diet because I have celiac disease, and more recently was diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis that has turned my life upside down.


I'm 65 "plus" yrs. old (but younger than 70 :-) and 5ft. 8in. tall. I have a very busy schedule between working, volunteering and being involved with my church. I'm single with no children... but have a throng of nieces, nephews and God children. I love animals and at present have 2 cats.. (I like dogs too, but schedule too busy to give proper attention right now.)


I never had a weight problem until I started having children. I could lose the baby weight eventually, but it took lots of effort. I have 4 children and after #4, I almost lost all the baby weight before I began going up on the scale. Now I am bigger than I was with each of my pregnancies and I feel each extra pound!





50 year old female, 3 daughters 25,21,17. I am an RN and work with homeless and street involved youth.


I have IBS and Celiac but until this last year didn't have a big weight problem. Now, thanks to many factors, I'm about 50 lbs over what I want to be.


Pushing 50(yikes). married with 2 teenage sons..work shift. over eat in the evenings, especially when I'm tired and bored..I enjoy golfing, workout in our gym at home, though not as often as I should.





I am 49 years old and have struggled with weight and subsequent self-esteem issues all my life. Ten years ago, I lost 100 pounds in 16 months by swimming 5-6 days a week and eating like a healthy athlete. Even though I didn't start out a healthy athlete, I ended up one. But like many others, the weight has crept back on -- less time for the pool, a partner who liked to buy me treats, a sedentary job. I recently lost my beloved partner to cancer (10 happy years of sharing yummy - but not always healthy - food!). Now it's time to get back to the "me" that feels right, which is me 100 pounds lighter.


I was diagnosed in April of 2010 with an autoimmune condition called Polymyositis. I'm on two different medications to help keep the symptoms of this condition at bay. A friend suggested I read Eat to Live, and now I have hope that through dietary changes I can improve my health, lose weight and get off of the drugs.


Retired with plenty of time and a bunch of excuses. I try to walk at least 2 miles daily.


In my late 20's and all through my 30's, I pursued weight loss mainly for the sake of others and I succeeded (and failed myself). I exercised six days per week (one hour each day). I took far too many vitamins. And I ate heavily processed low-fat food. Then, feeling invincible, I thought there could be no-consequences. After some consequences, and developing the ability to understand these consequences, I have now decided to use the intelligence I have to make intelligent choices about My Overall Health. In my 40's, I have abandoned _looking_ good on the outside for-others and am now pursuing _feeling_ good on The Inside and The Outside. . .For Myself.


I am a 5'1" female Washingtonian born in NYC in 1957.Somewhere along the way I developed Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. My husband developed RA about 7 or 8 years ago and had Lapband surgery last year. Our difficulty maintaining a healthy weight is not related to our auto-immune disorders but we certainly want to make sure that our lifestyle choices going forward in 2011 help us manage our total health as best we can.


Mom to four adult kids, grandmom to four little ones. Youngest child (18) still at home with mental disability. Work part time with families who have mentally ill youth. Rest of my time I care for my own child. Husband laid off. No money for organic foods, workout gyms, etc. Emotional eater - sugar. Looking to change eating style.


I am 53 years old and have Crohns Disease and Type 2 Diabetes along with some arthritis. I had to have an illeostomy in 1998 .





61 years old. Retired on medical disability - MS. Mom to 3, grand mom to 8. Like to listen to books on tape & do needlepoint or quilt.








I am 62 years old and have been on some sort of diet most of my adult life. I had some success with ww years ago but for the last several years have been in a rut...lose a few pounds and then gain back.





Married, 50 years old, four grandchildren. Public librarian in a large city library and own a home-based craft business. Have rheumatoid arthritis, which can be challenging sometimes.


Im Lisa, 31 and from aberdeen, Really want to lose a bit of weight but more importantly get fitter. Currently take no exercise and eat rubbish. I live with my boyfriend of 7 years, work in event management and through that i tend to eat out rather a lot wihich doesnt help the diet. Im on peer trainer to hopefuuly have some support and not feel bad about the binges, lack of exercise. Here's to getting fit, eat better and meeting new people who will hopefully spur me on








51 year old former stay at home mom, now an empty nester. Trying to figure out who I am now. Great hubby, great friends!


I am a slightly crazy artist :P


"professional" dieter; grandmother of 5, married. Retired university prof but far too heavy. Enjoy singing, gardening, grandchildren and video games








I an 47 with a wonderful husband, 3 kids and a little dog. I've gained weight from emotional eating/binging and need to work on this as my health is now being affected and can't fit into my clothes.


I'm a 55yo Aussie mother, grandmother, wife, vegetarian, accountant....oh and mum to a beautiful pug named Poppy. :) I am a professional weight yoyoer and have spent my life losing, gaining, losing, gaining etc etc the same 20lbs. All up I must have lost and gained over 1,000lbs (ok maybe slightly exaggerated but you get the picture). I'm tired and for the first time in my life seem to have lost all motovation. I need help to to be able to cut the string to the yoyo once and for all.


I am following a habit building process developed by Charles Duhigg in his book titled "The Power of Habit". You can read about this process and my progress log on the Progress, Not Perfection community tab.











Geographer, teacher, writer--67 years old, struggled with weight all my life, but at this age am unable to lose anything.


I am a Christian. I love God, my family, & my country! I am happily married 17 years. I have 2 children & 2 grandchildren (who I am absolutely in LOVE with).

















40 year old mother of 3 with a wonderful husband. Love to cook, love to eat, active. Black belt in karate, medical technician, avid reader and musician. Started gaining weight with pregnancy, no weight problems as a child. Diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (auto immune, arthritis type of inflammatory disease). Several food intolerances confirmed with blood tests, several foods make my inflammation flare up. Trying to lose weight for 20 years :(


54 year old with 2 kids. I have chronic Lyme but am still somewhat active. I am an avid skier - every weekend in the winter. I usually hike in the summer, joint pain has limited that this summer. I eat massive amounts of veggies. Going to Europe in 3 weeks. Normally I would have just waited until I got back to begin but decided all I would do during those 3 weeks is eat the same way and not lose weight.


Want to settle on a healthy weight I can sustain, tired of weight fluctuations


I am 51 yrs old. Married & have three kids (19, 21 & 34). And my beautiful grandbaby. I started my first diet in 5th grade and other than a few years, I have been overweight to one degree or another and have tried too many diets to count ruining my thyroid in the process but was always very physical & active till a move 10 yrs ago. I am concentrating on healthy foods and cutting out processed as much as is realistic for my life. Trying for 80% or more raw foods I want to do the things I used to do... be active ... ride & train my pasture ornaments, hike & find a workout buddy again some day I Live on mini farm. I do not generally believe in western medicine practices that only treat but do not cure.


30 years old German girl / married / no kids so far / suffer from autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto disease) since about 15 years / only know it since 4 years / starting weight: 85 kg (187 lb), lowest weight (end of August 2010): 70kg, current weight: 73kg, goal weight: 65 kg (143 lb)


Married, 2 children: my son is 11 and my daughter is 8. I'm the co-founder of PT and I rarely have a free moment with being a wife, mother, running a business and everything that comes with it. I am focused on energy and health at this point after losing over 60 pounds; it's everything!


Highly motivated. Can take on too much resulting in lack of organization. I am a CPA; but currently at home with three kids 14, 9 and 9. Hubby 18 years. One adorable cat.





My goal is to make sure I am the one managing my health, reclaiming control stolen away by the food and pharmaceutical industries! For the last couple of decades my food/drink intake has been overly influenced by convenience and social events. Proper nutrition and avoidance of toxic junk is especially important now that I have had cancer. Rather than trusting my health to prescriptions & supplements that I have come to take for granted, I prefer to consume healthful things that fuel and protect my body. Accordingly, there is room for only nutrient-dense things in my diet. Limited dairy & animal products and no alcohol. In April of 2017, I was diagnosed with bone-on-bone osteoarthritis in both knees, surgery my only option for which I am a candidate only upon losing 30 pounds. The excruciating pain is new inspiration to lose weight. On PEERtrainer, I have yo-yo'd with success and failure since 2007! Now, with the knee issue, I absolutely must get weight off these knees! Born 1949, married mother & grandmother. My screen name is in honor of my sensible grandmother's nickname.






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