What are you basing this assumption on? The point of the study was that reduced calory intake seems to reduce metabolism, which is already vastly varied betwee

What are you basing this assumption on? The point of the study was that reduced calory intake seems to reduce metabolism, which is already vastly varied between two individuals. If you're basing your assumption on internet TDEE calculators those are often wildly misleading, and generally overestimate values. But on the other hand it's extremely hard to know how many kcal you eat, so if he's basing his intake on labels, those are usually too low (within regulation guidelines) because manufacturers want to sound "healthier" than they are. But to my main point: If you keep as even intake as you can for a few weeks, and you don't lose weight, that is your maintenance, no ifs or buts.