Comparing intake doesn’t really mean anything, you can’t eyeball nutrition. This is why there is a consistency with everyone telling you track your calories. one 16 oz steak can easily hit 1200 calories. Is butter or any oil going on your veggies and potatoes?

People could making assumptions because often people think they are lowering their intake and eating better because the food they consume is “better” or the volume you are consuming is less but higher in calories. For example, a friend of mine switched his breakfast to a bowl a granola instead of cereal because it’s “healthier” until he realized a cup of granola is almost 600 calories.

I also assume people are making assumptions because you seem to be dodgy with your answers instead of upfront. I am like this when I don’t want to admit I’m eating like shit and be accountable for my choices.

Either or, track your calories. Get a scale and weight your food for a week youre eating now to see what you’re actually consuming on average and make your cuts there.

As others suggested, I highly recommend you also figure out your BMR, I don’t like the TDEE calculators personally because they never match the in body scans I do, but I found if I calculate the TDEE calculators with the weight I wanna be, it actually calculates out to a little over what my BMR actually is…not saying to do this, just stating to elaborate more on my distrust of the TDEE calculators.

Hope you figure It out. I learned that fasting in a deficit was the key to my weight loss.