I’ve been in maintenance about 18 months after losing 70 pounds, and I’m starting to get curious about adding a little muscle on purpose. I lift three days a week, walk most off days, and I’m considering a 150–200 calorie surplus to gain maybe 3 pounds over six months. The problem: my appetite is still pretty quiet, so eating enough feels like a part-time job some days. I’m not talking about a big dirty bulk, just a slow lean-gain phase. Has anyone here tried that while staying on their maintenance prescription? Did you keep your usual schedule, or take a break and regret it? More than the food, I’m wondering how you handled the mental side of the scale going up on purpose.