That is very interesting. I've got a long way to go yet until I get close to maintenance, but I will note that Dr. A does suggest a very gradual carb increase (I think it's about 5 net g per week) that starts long before maintenance goes into effect. He also stresses taking a long time to go through the stages. I suspect this is in part to prevent what you are describing; i.e., both triggered cravings as well as a sudden misconstrued weight gain. Our bodies fluctuate in weight quite a bit anyway, so I have thought it would be very difficult to find my "magic" carb numbers.

I know there's a lot of heated discussion as to the "ideal" amount of carbohydrates and what is "essential" to a healthy active lifestyle, and I tend to think from what I've read that there really is no magic one-size-fits all number for carbs, fats, or otherwise, although different lc plans try to do just that. After all not everyone in the world needs to cut down their carbohydrates, but those of us who have had a lifelong struggle with them need to and must.

I think a lot of figuring an ideal diet is based on sufficient vitanutrients as well as calories and carb/protein/fat balance that suits the lifestyle and constitution of the individual (which of course varies tremendously).

And after all someone who is 6'2" tall and sedentary might hypothetically eat more than someone who is 5'3" and active without becoming overweight, but it doesn't mean that the 5'3" person doesn't have the same appetite, just because they are shorter.

My 4'11" grandmother wore size 9 shoes, so she had a really big frame for someone so short. Her brothers were all over 6" tall. She was 135 lbs and had a medium figure most of her life.

It's all quite relative.