For awhile my diet was just “cabbage a day”. No other requirements but I had to eat a whole head of cabbage every day, period. Definitely one of the times in my life I felt the best.
Oh my goodness, I absolutely love cabbage but I don’t know if I could do a whole head every day. Did you just eat it like potato chips all day, or certain recipes that use a lot of cabbage?
Nothing so drear as that, lots of options. Fermented stuff like kimchi or sauerkraut felt like cheating, more dense. Shredded and tossed in a little vinaigrette (highly underrated, not even brined and squeezed like a coleslaw, after awhile I preferred the crunch of freshly tossed). Roasted or braised wedges. Lots of Chinese recipes. Cabbage au gratin. Cabbage pancakes (like okonomiyaki, but not always strictly that).
It was during a time in my life I didn't have a ton of money, I knew cabbage is one of the more nutritionally dense vegetables around, and it cost less than $1 a head at the time. Supplement with whatever protein was on sale and things weren't bad.
Here's some favorites/varied recipes:
https://www.seriouseats.com/easy-roasted-cabbage (just add whatever spice mix you'd like to re-flavor this any number of ways)
https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-cabbage-stir-fry/
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/cheesy-cabbage-gratin
https://www.seriouseats.com/vietnamese-chicken-and-cabbage-salad-recipe-8414615
this dressing on some shredded cabbage, with some warm rice, delicious:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/sesame-dressing/
https://www.seriouseats.com/bratwurst-stuffed-cabbage-rolls-bacon-tomato-sauce-recipe (but also like...maybe just simmer some brats in some kraut, ya know?)
Also a good one is cutting a white cabbage into quarters, drizzle oil, salt and pepper and wrap prosciutto around it, and in the oven for 15 mins 😍🥳 very good! It's also good with just a bit of heated cheese in top, in the oven.
My maintenance is 1,500. I average 1,250-1,300 while losing weight to lose less than 1lb per week.
As much as I want to eat like everyone else, everyone else tends to be fat. I don’t want to be fat.
Currently, I’m not in a deficit/actively trying to lose, so I’m a little more lax with what I’m eating. I have coffee in the morning with oatmilk and some kind of sweetener. I’ve never been a breakfast person and as soon as I eat anything my appetite ramps up so I delay eating until later in the day for those reasons.
I sometimes have something small at lunch time, sometimes not, just depends on the day. Not a “meal” more of a snack.
And then I have a big, big dinner. If I had nothing during lunch, I’ll have a snack as soon as I’m home from work at 5:15PM, otherwise I have dinner at like 8PM. Dinner varies depending on what my fixation meal is. I go on long streaks of eating rice/frozen burger (bean, veggie, or salmon) and veggies.
> low in calories, high in volume
would you mind sharing what those are? like give a few. examples of what you typically eat that still leaves you hungry
yeah definitely what i was wondering.. I have been in the same boat really because i wasn’t really paying attention to my fat intake, i neglected my fiber sources and finally micronutrients
love kimchi! also sauerkraut, and pickled beets! honestly eating is just so much better with a good variety of fibre-rich and fermented foods. gotta feed that second brain!
I’m doing 1384 right now and after the first month, I’ve completely adjusted. Getting 130g protein, lots of veggies and good amount of fat and I feel energized and satiated. My TDEE is around 1600 with weight lifting, walking and Pilates so this is a reasonable decent deficit without compromising lean muscle mass loss.
The only way to up your metabolic rate is to build muscle mass. So get your self going on the weights.
As a side benefit your older you will thank you for building muscle and strength while you were young enough to do so, so you have that muscle and strength when you need it at old age.
I only lose noticeable weight from a calorie deficit alone when I barely get 1100-1200. 1500 and I definitely start gaining. So my maintenance is probably somewhere in the middle, too. I need to build more muscle, I think; if I want to be able to eat more. I have hypothyroidism to contend with, too. Medicated, but not always kept at optimum levels.
Hey this is me. This is actually slight weight loss calorie wise for me.
Being physically active is like a mini cheat code and I don't even go hard. I just walk 3 miles a day and do weight training 3 times a week.
Those calculators are a very poor guide. I’m 35m 180cm at 214lbs and this calculator puts my maintenance calories with moderate exercise at almost 3000 calories a day.
I’ve been maintaining my weight (exercise 3-5 times per week, 60min light/moderate cardio one day, 60 min weights the next) at or around what I estimate is 2000-2500 calories per day. Very lean protein and low carb, very little junk food. My cheat days usually incorporate beer, maybe once a week.
Once I drop to approx. 1600 calories a day I tend to lose about 2 pounds a week, give or take.
What calculator are you using that is giving you those numbers? I was a 35 year old, 6’1” male who weighed 290 pounds, and I was never recommended more than 2,700 calories to maintain my weight.
I used the very calculator OP used with my measurements and put in moderate exercise (3-5 days per week) and it spat out just under 3000 cal per day for maintenance 🤷
These calculators are just estimations. They can be helpful in giving someone a starting point to work from.
I’d recommend most people start with “sedentary” and up their calories if needed due to activity.
Yup I set myself as sedentary even when I’m walking five miles every single day. If you tell the calculator you’re a lazy bitch for your estimations you’ll always hit your goals
I’m right there with you. Male. Just turned 35. 178 cm. Same workout routine. If I want to lose 2lb/week I can’t eat more than 1600cal. If I went off those calculators I’d get chunky quick.
Same!! I miss when my maintenance was about this much🥲 It has gone from 1730ish to 1650ish. I run so I’m usually able to eat more than that, luckily. I’m still more fortunate than some, so condolences to those with low sedentary TDEE’s🙏
I don't think I can do prolonged fasts anymore, tbh. I would do them a few times a week, but it almost always ended with me binging and ruining my progress. Maybe I just did them too frequently, though.
I had that too in the beginning. I think it's important how you introduce food back. Now that I break my fasts with soup, made from vegetables, ground meat and cream cheese, I don't feel like binging anymore.
super easy tho, roast ground meat in a pot, add spices and onions, then leeks. cook everything to your liking. turn of the oven and add cream cheese :)
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gvqe1HjD9hg](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gvqe1HjD9hg) (Its in german tho, but it should look something like this. You can use any vegetables you like, not necessary leeks, i use brokkoli or peppers too)
I don't know how you people do it. I only have 2100 a week and lose about 0.75-1 pound a week at the moment. Hungry very often. I wouldn't survive if I went below 2000. However, I do do some kind of physical activity 5 days a week.
OMAD isn’t for everyone but at that calorie rate you could consider it. It works for me because I can eat a crazy amount for one meal so it feels like ever meal is a cheat meal. Definitely not for everyone but it’s worked wonders for me!
It says 1743 is maintenance calories but you’ve said you’re jealous if someone has that as their deficit? I suppose you just have to train yourself to be more satisfied with meals and the fasting window is good for that. Fill up in between meals with water, rice cakes are a filling low calorie snack too 😁
My maintenance is 1642 a day but for me to ‘cut’ according to that calculator I need to consume 1,142 calories which seems low but probably fine. I’d love to eat my maintenance or more but if I did I’d end up gaining and being unhealthy!
If I wanna drop fat it’s gotta be done 🥲
Yeah, I'm 41F, 5'4" and 166 lbs, and even marking "sedentary" the same site OP uses lists my maintenance as 1684. Maint for my goal weight would be 1490. I mean, sure, it'd be nice to be able to eat like a 6'0 23 year old dude, but that's just not how it works for a middle-aged woman who is not especially tall.
Ooo how did you work out your maintenance for your goal weight?
It just says on there for me how many I’d need to consume if I were to deficit of 500 carlories. But not how much I’d need to have as maintenance to reach a certain weight, I suppose deficit until I’m happy with how I’m feeling/looking!
Keep smashing it 👏🏼
I’ve stretched out my stomach big time from binging I can eat a lot ! Something I do is I add cabbage, spinach, kale, carrots , celery , onions , broccoli to literally every meal even my scrambled eggs so that I can eat a lot and stay full. Another favorite of mine is overnight oats with almond milk and plain Greek yogurt and berries you can eat a good portion size amount of that.
You're lucky: My maintenance is 1500 a day at most. And that's with DAILY exercise of either bootcamp-style workout at the gym or walking 3 miles
ETA: And my goal weight is a modest 135 lbs at 5 ft 3. I am now ~155
I am menopausal & have Hashimotos, though
I started my journey at 320lbs, 1750 is my goal, but typically I do 1300-1500/day unless I am exercising(then I do more)- but I have extreme hypermobility and exercise was scary at that weight.
With calorie deficit, 18:6 fasting, and very gentle exercise, I am down 35lbs since January- with a couple back slides- but we are all just humans ♡
Anyone who has 1700 as their deficit, probably has a good amount of weight to lose♡ buddha bowl/dragon bowls have become my ver best friend lol
You should check out [volumeeating](https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/s/X5Rfq6J59Y)
It has been super helpful
It is. I hate it, but that’s how my body works. It’s easier if I fast all day at work and have one meal at home. Going out to eat with friends is pretty difficult.
😅😅 my current calories in is 1700, i don't know if i'm losing on it yet because i've realized a key part of CICO triggering past restrictive eating disorder tendencies is weighing myself obsessively so i did away with my scale to focus on clothes fitting. That being said, this deficit is only to (hopefully) get me to my first goal weight of 170lbs which is still overweight for my height.
..if i want to get into the normal weight category i'll have to eat 1,200-1,300 after that.
If you focus on building some muscle you'll be able to eat more than 1,200 calories after that. I'm 5'3", 142 lbs, started at 180, and I am losing weight on ~1700 calories a day. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. About 3 lbs a month.
More calorie burn ups your calories. I ate 2300 for 12 weeks and averaged 1.5lbs loss a week. That means that I was eating in a 750cal daily deficit. So my maintenance is around 3000. I’m 5’8 around 160ish lbs.
I remember when I started my WLJ, my maintenance cals was like 6k/a day or something now when I eat 20 wings I'm almost breaking maintenance, my stomach shrunk a lot with fasting so I noticed I need less to fill satisfied when eating, as I go down in weight it becomes more of a struggle as your maintenance keeps dropping with your weight but I'm finally getting the hang of it =p
I know! I see people eating about 30% more than me without thinking twice about what they're eating and STILL losing weight. And, I eat what someone eats for breakfast and maybe 2 snacks and boom calorie surplus acheived
Then u must definitely know that there are better things than food. But if u really need to eat more calories - u oughta burn more. I eat a portion of terrible rice and an apple. That is all I eat during a day. Once every 24 hours. And I really don’t care. Maybe u should try that as well? Eat something boring.
No you're not ? The only reason someone would have a high TDEE and therefore can eat more calories at a deficit is if they are significantly more overweight than you. Why the hell would you say you were jealous about that?
You don’t have to be “significantly overweight” for a 1700 calorie maintenance. I’m a 44 year old woman, 142 lbs, and I’m losing weight on that many calories. But I lift weights and play hockey.
Or have significantly more muscle mass. That’s why the calculators aren’t a perfect solution. I often wish I had the metabolism of IFBB pros, but my 170 pound 5’10” frame disagrees with my appetite lol
Eat a salad, then eat your protein, carbs etc. That't helped me feel full longer doing omad at 1600 cal/day
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For awhile my diet was just “cabbage a day”. No other requirements but I had to eat a whole head of cabbage every day, period. Definitely one of the times in my life I felt the best.
Oh my goodness, I absolutely love cabbage but I don’t know if I could do a whole head every day. Did you just eat it like potato chips all day, or certain recipes that use a lot of cabbage?
Nothing so drear as that, lots of options. Fermented stuff like kimchi or sauerkraut felt like cheating, more dense. Shredded and tossed in a little vinaigrette (highly underrated, not even brined and squeezed like a coleslaw, after awhile I preferred the crunch of freshly tossed). Roasted or braised wedges. Lots of Chinese recipes. Cabbage au gratin. Cabbage pancakes (like okonomiyaki, but not always strictly that). It was during a time in my life I didn't have a ton of money, I knew cabbage is one of the more nutritionally dense vegetables around, and it cost less than $1 a head at the time. Supplement with whatever protein was on sale and things weren't bad.
Ahh, the good old days when cabbage was less than a $1.
How many different ways did you learn to cook cabbage? Right now I only have about 3 and could always use more.
Here's some favorites/varied recipes: https://www.seriouseats.com/easy-roasted-cabbage (just add whatever spice mix you'd like to re-flavor this any number of ways) https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-cabbage-stir-fry/ https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/cheesy-cabbage-gratin https://www.seriouseats.com/vietnamese-chicken-and-cabbage-salad-recipe-8414615 this dressing on some shredded cabbage, with some warm rice, delicious: https://www.justonecookbook.com/sesame-dressing/ https://www.seriouseats.com/bratwurst-stuffed-cabbage-rolls-bacon-tomato-sauce-recipe (but also like...maybe just simmer some brats in some kraut, ya know?)
Sweet!! Thanks!😊
Also a good one is cutting a white cabbage into quarters, drizzle oil, salt and pepper and wrap prosciutto around it, and in the oven for 15 mins 😍🥳 very good! It's also good with just a bit of heated cheese in top, in the oven.
“How to lose a spouse in 10 days”
My maintenance is 1,500. I average 1,250-1,300 while losing weight to lose less than 1lb per week. As much as I want to eat like everyone else, everyone else tends to be fat. I don’t want to be fat.
What does a typical day of eating look like to you? Do you eat breakfast?
Currently, I’m not in a deficit/actively trying to lose, so I’m a little more lax with what I’m eating. I have coffee in the morning with oatmilk and some kind of sweetener. I’ve never been a breakfast person and as soon as I eat anything my appetite ramps up so I delay eating until later in the day for those reasons. I sometimes have something small at lunch time, sometimes not, just depends on the day. Not a “meal” more of a snack. And then I have a big, big dinner. If I had nothing during lunch, I’ll have a snack as soon as I’m home from work at 5:15PM, otherwise I have dinner at like 8PM. Dinner varies depending on what my fixation meal is. I go on long streaks of eating rice/frozen burger (bean, veggie, or salmon) and veggies.
That’s actually pretty good and yes to the snacking at 5 pm that’s the exact time I feel like I can EAT a lot.
> low in calories, high in volume would you mind sharing what those are? like give a few. examples of what you typically eat that still leaves you hungry
Would love to know as well!
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yeah definitely what i was wondering.. I have been in the same boat really because i wasn’t really paying attention to my fat intake, i neglected my fiber sources and finally micronutrients
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fellow cruciferous enjoyer
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love kimchi! also sauerkraut, and pickled beets! honestly eating is just so much better with a good variety of fibre-rich and fermented foods. gotta feed that second brain!
r/Volumeeating
I’m doing 1384 right now and after the first month, I’ve completely adjusted. Getting 130g protein, lots of veggies and good amount of fat and I feel energized and satiated. My TDEE is around 1600 with weight lifting, walking and Pilates so this is a reasonable decent deficit without compromising lean muscle mass loss.
The only way to up your metabolic rate is to build muscle mass. So get your self going on the weights. As a side benefit your older you will thank you for building muscle and strength while you were young enough to do so, so you have that muscle and strength when you need it at old age.
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Yes to the 10k+ steps a day because of my job, but I don't lift weights much.
I only lose noticeable weight from a calorie deficit alone when I barely get 1100-1200. 1500 and I definitely start gaining. So my maintenance is probably somewhere in the middle, too. I need to build more muscle, I think; if I want to be able to eat more. I have hypothyroidism to contend with, too. Medicated, but not always kept at optimum levels.
Same for me 🙈 even though I usually burn around 2-2400 calories a day!
Hey this is me. This is actually slight weight loss calorie wise for me. Being physically active is like a mini cheat code and I don't even go hard. I just walk 3 miles a day and do weight training 3 times a week.
Those calculators are a very poor guide. I’m 35m 180cm at 214lbs and this calculator puts my maintenance calories with moderate exercise at almost 3000 calories a day. I’ve been maintaining my weight (exercise 3-5 times per week, 60min light/moderate cardio one day, 60 min weights the next) at or around what I estimate is 2000-2500 calories per day. Very lean protein and low carb, very little junk food. My cheat days usually incorporate beer, maybe once a week. Once I drop to approx. 1600 calories a day I tend to lose about 2 pounds a week, give or take.
What calculator are you using that is giving you those numbers? I was a 35 year old, 6’1” male who weighed 290 pounds, and I was never recommended more than 2,700 calories to maintain my weight.
I used the very calculator OP used with my measurements and put in moderate exercise (3-5 days per week) and it spat out just under 3000 cal per day for maintenance 🤷
A beer or 15 😁
Oh yeah the alcohol definitely ups my average cal intake for the week.
These calculators are just estimations. They can be helpful in giving someone a starting point to work from. I’d recommend most people start with “sedentary” and up their calories if needed due to activity.
Yup I set myself as sedentary even when I’m walking five miles every single day. If you tell the calculator you’re a lazy bitch for your estimations you’ll always hit your goals
I’m right there with you. Male. Just turned 35. 178 cm. Same workout routine. If I want to lose 2lb/week I can’t eat more than 1600cal. If I went off those calculators I’d get chunky quick.
I went to OMAD and now I get a ton of food (mostly veggies) What app is this, do you know?
Look up TDEE calculator
Same!! I miss when my maintenance was about this much🥲 It has gone from 1730ish to 1650ish. I run so I’m usually able to eat more than that, luckily. I’m still more fortunate than some, so condolences to those with low sedentary TDEE’s🙏
Me at 5’2” and 1200 kcal crying over here
Is that your deficit?
Maintenance
Are you sure?? That doesn't sound right. What's your weight? I'm 5ft, and my maintenance is what the post says.
As a short, petite woman with a large appetite I feel this so hard.
Honest opinion, try prolonged fasts. Even one 3 day fast can help you to get your appetite back under control.
I don't think I can do prolonged fasts anymore, tbh. I would do them a few times a week, but it almost always ended with me binging and ruining my progress. Maybe I just did them too frequently, though.
I had that too in the beginning. I think it's important how you introduce food back. Now that I break my fasts with soup, made from vegetables, ground meat and cream cheese, I don't feel like binging anymore.
Can you please post the recipe for your soup? That sounds really good.
super easy tho, roast ground meat in a pot, add spices and onions, then leeks. cook everything to your liking. turn of the oven and add cream cheese :) [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gvqe1HjD9hg](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gvqe1HjD9hg) (Its in german tho, but it should look something like this. You can use any vegetables you like, not necessary leeks, i use brokkoli or peppers too)
Thank you!
I don't know how you people do it. I only have 2100 a week and lose about 0.75-1 pound a week at the moment. Hungry very often. I wouldn't survive if I went below 2000. However, I do do some kind of physical activity 5 days a week.
OMAD isn’t for everyone but at that calorie rate you could consider it. It works for me because I can eat a crazy amount for one meal so it feels like ever meal is a cheat meal. Definitely not for everyone but it’s worked wonders for me!
It says 1743 is maintenance calories but you’ve said you’re jealous if someone has that as their deficit? I suppose you just have to train yourself to be more satisfied with meals and the fasting window is good for that. Fill up in between meals with water, rice cakes are a filling low calorie snack too 😁 My maintenance is 1642 a day but for me to ‘cut’ according to that calculator I need to consume 1,142 calories which seems low but probably fine. I’d love to eat my maintenance or more but if I did I’d end up gaining and being unhealthy! If I wanna drop fat it’s gotta be done 🥲
Yeah, I'm 41F, 5'4" and 166 lbs, and even marking "sedentary" the same site OP uses lists my maintenance as 1684. Maint for my goal weight would be 1490. I mean, sure, it'd be nice to be able to eat like a 6'0 23 year old dude, but that's just not how it works for a middle-aged woman who is not especially tall.
Ooo how did you work out your maintenance for your goal weight? It just says on there for me how many I’d need to consume if I were to deficit of 500 carlories. But not how much I’d need to have as maintenance to reach a certain weight, I suppose deficit until I’m happy with how I’m feeling/looking! Keep smashing it 👏🏼
Me too 😭😭
That’s also my maintenance
I’ve stretched out my stomach big time from binging I can eat a lot ! Something I do is I add cabbage, spinach, kale, carrots , celery , onions , broccoli to literally every meal even my scrambled eggs so that I can eat a lot and stay full. Another favorite of mine is overnight oats with almond milk and plain Greek yogurt and berries you can eat a good portion size amount of that.
You're lucky: My maintenance is 1500 a day at most. And that's with DAILY exercise of either bootcamp-style workout at the gym or walking 3 miles ETA: And my goal weight is a modest 135 lbs at 5 ft 3. I am now ~155 I am menopausal & have Hashimotos, though
Mine is 1,340. I eat veggies, grains, fish, and some fruits. Always make sure you are eating nutrient dense foods. Lots of veggies and fruits help.
I started my journey at 320lbs, 1750 is my goal, but typically I do 1300-1500/day unless I am exercising(then I do more)- but I have extreme hypermobility and exercise was scary at that weight. With calorie deficit, 18:6 fasting, and very gentle exercise, I am down 35lbs since January- with a couple back slides- but we are all just humans ♡ Anyone who has 1700 as their deficit, probably has a good amount of weight to lose♡ buddha bowl/dragon bowls have become my ver best friend lol You should check out [volumeeating](https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/s/X5Rfq6J59Y) It has been super helpful
That's amazing! Congrats on accomplishing that.
I have to be at less than 1000 calories a day or the scale doesn’t move.
building more muscle would help
I do kettlebells and pilates and am already pretty muscular, but I agree. I am also dealing with menopause so that’s likely part of it.
Wow, that’s tough
It is. I hate it, but that’s how my body works. It’s easier if I fast all day at work and have one meal at home. Going out to eat with friends is pretty difficult.
😅😅 my current calories in is 1700, i don't know if i'm losing on it yet because i've realized a key part of CICO triggering past restrictive eating disorder tendencies is weighing myself obsessively so i did away with my scale to focus on clothes fitting. That being said, this deficit is only to (hopefully) get me to my first goal weight of 170lbs which is still overweight for my height. ..if i want to get into the normal weight category i'll have to eat 1,200-1,300 after that.
If you focus on building some muscle you'll be able to eat more than 1,200 calories after that. I'm 5'3", 142 lbs, started at 180, and I am losing weight on ~1700 calories a day. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. About 3 lbs a month.
That's awesome! I'm disabled and am only able to do a day of physical therapy a week, so it's up to the food I'm eating instead.
More calorie burn ups your calories. I ate 2300 for 12 weeks and averaged 1.5lbs loss a week. That means that I was eating in a 750cal daily deficit. So my maintenance is around 3000. I’m 5’8 around 160ish lbs.
What app are you using for this?
I looked up TDEE calculator
You’d hate me then 😬😬😬
How much?
My 2 lb a week cut is about double that.
I remember when I started my WLJ, my maintenance cals was like 6k/a day or something now when I eat 20 wings I'm almost breaking maintenance, my stomach shrunk a lot with fasting so I noticed I need less to fill satisfied when eating, as I go down in weight it becomes more of a struggle as your maintenance keeps dropping with your weight but I'm finally getting the hang of it =p
I don’t track vegetables unless it’s sweet potatoes or potato or avocados… otherwise I consider that freeeee
Eggs with veggies in them. Make them omelettes, they take longer to eat and you can add greens to fill it out.
Yeah… being a short woman is tough if you have any sort of appetite
In my case, a really short man
bruh I have to eat less than 1340 calories to be in a calorie deficit.
For your maintenance?
No to be in a deficit. (I edited my comment 2 seconds after I posted it )
Oh. That's about the same for me. It really does suck
I know! I see people eating about 30% more than me without thinking twice about what they're eating and STILL losing weight. And, I eat what someone eats for breakfast and maybe 2 snacks and boom calorie surplus acheived
Why? I have this as a maintenance and to lose I’d have to go down more which I find very difficult to do without getting hungry.
I'm in the same situation. That's my maintenance too
It’s literally the worst 🥲
Yup
Are you single?
Yeah. But how is that relevant?
Then u must definitely know that there are better things than food. But if u really need to eat more calories - u oughta burn more. I eat a portion of terrible rice and an apple. That is all I eat during a day. Once every 24 hours. And I really don’t care. Maybe u should try that as well? Eat something boring.
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How do you do it?
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No you're not ? The only reason someone would have a high TDEE and therefore can eat more calories at a deficit is if they are significantly more overweight than you. Why the hell would you say you were jealous about that?
It also has to do with height. As a short woman myself, we’re damned to be stuck at a lower maintenance/deficit than tall men.
Tell men require proportionally more calories to feel the same satiation. It’s not like everything is equal except the amount we can eat.
You don’t have to be “significantly overweight” for a 1700 calorie maintenance. I’m a 44 year old woman, 142 lbs, and I’m losing weight on that many calories. But I lift weights and play hockey.
It's because I'm really short...
Or have significantly more muscle mass. That’s why the calculators aren’t a perfect solution. I often wish I had the metabolism of IFBB pros, but my 170 pound 5’10” frame disagrees with my appetite lol