[BendtheBar]

Personal experience from 20+ years of calorie counting is that my body likes to stay at 225. When I'm thinner then that, I gain weight rapidly. Prior to 1996 (age 29), My weight stayed between 170 and 200. During those years, every day was a battle to keep the weight off. A couple of times I found myself right around 225, and it seemed like I gained 40 pounds in a month - it was probably more like 2 or 3.

Since 1996 I have hovered around that point, getting bigger several times. But when I get bigger, the weight literally falls off and I can rocket back down to 225-ish. For example, I started a moderate cutting diet on January 1st. Even without an ultra-restrictive amount of calories, I know my body will lose 20 pounds a month for a couple months.

But, when I lose weight and get to 225...it's like a wall. In 2007 I lost quite a bit of weight. That's when I got back into lifting after several years off. I was losing weight like mad, and then I hit 228 and didn't lose a thing in nearly 3 months. I tried everything...calorie cycling...running, you name it.

I do not know enough about set point theory to express an intelligent opinion. But I do know that for me, 225 is where my body likes to be, and seems to level off.