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Somebody with no emotional attachment please check my math. Stats: 5'4" 29 yo female, 161lbs librarian/writer, standing desk and light walking most of the day I am trying to cut down to 21-23% BF, have recently increased my exercise volume, and am having trouble sticking to my calorie goals because of hunger. Currently, I eat 80-90% paleo, trying to hit 1800 calories a day. I don't mess with trying to figure out exercise calories and subtract or eat them back; it's too subjective for me. I do SS 3x a week, followed by 15-20min of kettlebell intervals. On alternate days I use the Zombies, Run! 5k app and do an at-home, Crossfit-style WOD. I take either Saturday or Sunday off. I have been lifting since November, but increased the other in the last month. I really like this amount of exercise; I enjoy doing this. But I am STARVING. Last night I ate my prepped dinner (after avoiding cookies at the management meeting all day), and still felt empty. I pulled all the tricks - drank water, got out of the kitchen, called a friend and talked for 40 minutes - and was still ravenous until I went and got more food. I am trying for 1800, but hitting more like 2000-2100, with carbs in the 120-range instead of under 100. I have always tried to plan from the point of view that we underestimate our intake and overestimate our output, and when I used a TDEE calc, I put my activity as sedentary to light. But today, thinking I might give myself a little credit, I put in "works out 6 days a week." The number it spit out was 2484 for maintenance. Subtracting 300 a day for weight loss, that would put me squarely at the 2100 that is a little less than I would like to eat, but maintainable. But my brain tells me that this cannot possibly be right, because, all evidence in my face, I still do not think of myself as someone who "does that much." I am also a 5'4" female, and we are screwed in the calorie burn department. I want to squat 200. I want to run 6 miles. I want to do pull ups one-frikking-handed in front of my old sixth-grade gym teacher. But I also want to do it without jiggling and without starving. Can someone please weigh in on whether my math should be different? Do I keep struggling for 1800 and failing, or do I give 2000 a month and see?

Hello! I have been at a standstill on weight loss for almost a year. I lost about 30 lbs eating 2500-2700 calories per day on average. What I will do is eat about 2500 calories a day, and maybe 4000-5000 calories on Sunday's as a re-feed day, but would still ultimately be in a 2500-4000 calorie deficit per week total. Per my TDEE, I am eating too little. I have a desk job and lift four days a week with cardio being done three days week. I carry a good deal of muscle and fat (unfortunately). According to my TDEE I burn about 3,900 calories per day. If I am eating 2500-3000 6 days out of the week, is my metabolism running much less efficient? Should I bump it up to 3000 calories per day for the whole week? My workouts are pretty intense as I lift fairly heavy with a good mix of volume. I am getting married in May of 2018 and I would like to lose weight for the wedding and of course the rest of my life. I am at about 288 now, and not sure my BF%, but I assume it is around 30-35%. I would like to get to about 220 and see where I am at. Any input on calories needed, calories per day, calculations, etc are appreciated! Thanks!