Hey Libby!
I can understand your psychological apprehension and discomfort about approaching the extra food. It can be so daunting.
Yeah, it
is terribly easy to be able to add in extra calories but it isn't so easy to actually consume them. There is a comfort level in eating less calories and doing what we have done for quite some time and have had such success with. It can be a scary move to all of a sudden change that.
It is probably like first starting a lifestyle change or "diet"--- everything can be difficult and new and scary at such an adjustment. I think that going from "diet" into maintanence mode probably entails alot of the same psychological upheal that comes with making changes to your way of eating.
It will probably take some work Libby, especially since one can actually lose their appetite and not
want to eat more (at least that is how it has been with me!). But, you can do this if you want it. You are just going to have to work these changes into your lifestyle just as you worked less calories in (or, er, out?) of your daily diet.
Make some concientious efforts and be patient with yourself and I am sure that eventually you will be able to effortlessly eat a couple hundred more calories a day consistently and keep your weight up.
You need to be able to stay at your fighting weight girl!!!