I have dropped about almost 25 pounds in the past year. I am still over a hundred pounds, but I have been getting a lot of slack from folks in the work place, comunity, acquaintences, close friends and family. I am not trying to lose weight. I eat pretty healthy and I have been trying to stay as active as possible. I would consider my diet and exercise better than its ever been in my life. I know people mean well, but am tired of hearing "you are skin and bones, need to put some meat on your bones or I wish I had that problem". I'm also having wardrobe issues! My doc has never mentioned my weight is a problem, and I always forget to ask her about it, since there is more important things on my mind like meds and pain management. I was doing some research last night and found this in a John Hopkins artice. This is the first time I've come across something like this. Now I have an explanation, and like so many other mysterious symtoms, it is this disease! I thought it may be of interest to others.

Malnutrition
Patients with RA are considered to be at nutritional risk for many reasons. One cause of poor nutritional status in this patient population is thought to be the result of the weight loss and cachexia linked to cytokine production.(ref 3) In patients experiencing chronic inflammation, the production of cytokines, such as interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor, increases resting metabolic rate and protein breakdown. The patient then is faced with the challenge of increasing both calorie and protein intake to meet the nutritional requirements of the increased metabolic rate. This is frequently difficult secondary to the pain and swelling associated with RA which frequently make food preparation and purchasing difficult for those who live alone or have limited resources.