Not good. I'm sorry that you ladies are dealin with Transverse Myelitis. I've had back pain and some paralysis from it, so I can imagine it doesn't feel good.

I too have autoimmune issues. I agree that when they are acting up, and inflammation is high, that weight loss is a lot harder and gaining is easier. I find that the fatigue makes it harder to stay on plan too; I eat more in a vain search for energy. Things flared up for me this spring, and I gained 10 lbs in a month. I ate too much but not an extra 1000kcal per day. I think the problem was too many carbs which increased my inflammation (and calorie count)... The body does odd things.

All you can do is keep at it and hang in there. If you keep doing things right that will help you feel better, possibly reduce inflammation, which may lead to esaier weight loss soon.

(hugs) to you both.

I have Myasthenia Gravis, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease that causes weakness of the limbs, face, swallowing, and breathing muscles. Repeated use of a muscle causes increasing weakness.

My weight also bumps around a lot, particularly when I'm in a bad flare. And it's anything but logical when you look at my caloric intake-- mostly water weight gain, and periods of rapid loss due to inability to swallow. Since Feb I've been dealing with significant respiratory weakness and had to increase my carbs, as getting too deep into ketosis seemed to make it difficult for my body to compensate for the ketosis. That has caused the weightloss to slow considerably. The inability to exercise and the high-dose steroids have also slowed things down.

Track your calories, as the component of CICO still exists. However, your "CO" is probably quite a bit lower than what MFP calculates given the (presumed) paralysis of transverse myelitis. You'll have to do some trial-and-error to see what your actual maintainence level is, and where your weightloss level is.

I use a Fitbit to track my steps, and enable 'negative calories' on either MFP or Fitbit so that calorie goals are lower on days that I'm bed-bound or minimally active.

You might consider an elimination diet like the Autoimmune Protocol to see if you react to various foods. I was surprised at what foods my body reacted to after a period of removing highly inflammatory foods.

You might also consider simply maintaining while you recover. Focus on a highly nutrient dense diet for awhile. As your body heals, your metabolism will probably increase a bit, and the weightloss might be easier. Focus on maintaining/ gradually regaining muscle mass (if ok'd by your doctors, of course) for now, weightloss will follow.

I've got fibromyalgia, and my back issues include scoliosis, arthritis, disc compression and a couple of bone spurs with occasional sciatica. I've noticed that when pain levels go up so does my weight. I think I subconsciously eat for comfort and combined with not moving as much when I hurt, it equals weight gain.

For me, cutting out processed sugar and wheat made a big difference in pain levels. I have a bad habit of drinking more coffee than water and when I get dehydrated everything gets more sore. It also seems that when I have more fat in my diet, I do feel a bit better and stay full longer. I think that's the hardest part of this WOE, I'm primarily a vegetarian, so besides, eggs, avocado, cheese and olive oil, it's hard to find good sources of fat. I don't have nearly the stomach issues since I quit eating meat either, but I know that it isn't a WOE that works for everyone.