Stop the Weight Loss. I want to get off.

leebesstoad

Slightly different take. I've gotten down to about what I think is a really good weight for me. In 4-1/2 months, I've dropped 35 pounds, 11% body fat, 7 inches on my waist and hips, 3-1/2 inches on my thighs, and added and inch or two to my chest and arms. I had been at about 1300 gross calories a day for that entire time, split about 50/30/20 between carbs/fat/protein. I never took a cheat day, I never really varied more than 50-75 calories between any days in that entire time. You might say I was compulsive. You would be right. I was also working with a personal trainer 3 days a week, plus being in the gym another 3 or 4 times on my own. (sometimes a couple of sessions on the same day). All this started just 3 months after total knee replacement (which before and after surgery is what caused the weight gain. That and being 57 years old).

So now here I am. I'm at a good weight. I look better, feel better, move better than I have, probably at any point in my entire life. I like the weight I'm at. It feels comfortable. I'm overweight by BMI, but I'm muscular so BMI can take a hike. I still want to change the body a bit to get rid of a bit more fat and add more muscle, but the total weight is about right.

Last week, I went for BMR (basal metabolic rate) testing my gym offers. And was blown away by the numbers. Because of the eating regiment (5-6 meals a day) and addition of lean muscle, my metabolism is off the charts. My BMR is about 2250 calories a day. The estimate for calories of daily activity is another 650. And my estimated average daily calories from exercise is about 300. So my maintenance calorie intake is about 3300 calories. So I've been ramping up my calorie intake a couple of hundred calories a day every few days. I'm up to about 2200-2300 calories a day now about 50/25/25 (carbs/fat/protein). And the weight is still just falling off. I'm having a hard time finding enough food to eat that is clean. I was so used to a 1300 calorie a day diet that adding another 900-1000 good clean calories is hard. I was never hungry at 1300 calories. At 2200 calories I can barely put another bite of food into my mouth. How I can add more I don't even know. So now what? Sure I could add a pint of Haagen Dazs every day, but that isn't what I need.

I'm probably going to need to stop about 2600-2700 because I do need to still lose some of the fat while adding more muscle. But I want to know: is this unusual for anyone else who has gotten to their target weight? Having to turn on a dime like this? Where your metabolism starts running like a runaway locomotive and it can't stop? Can I slow it down or should I even try? Should I feed it junk calories?

I'm certainly in a position I could never have imagined 5 months ago. In some ways, stopping the weight loss seems harder than starting it. At least it does now.

So has anyone else experienced this? And any suggestions what to add that is pretty high in calories but is clean diet-wise would be appreciated.

MFP is what really got this whole things started. It holds me accountable to the one person that matters: me. So thanks to MFP and the staff.