I wonder if you’re not eating enough. Would you mind sharing your macros?

Since you're talking steps, take a look at the plethora of websites that define sedentary, lightly active, etc via step count. Generally speaking they all state close to the same. Here's one example (scroll down on the site a bit):

https://www.verywellfit.com/how-many-pedometer-steps-per-day-are-enough-3432827.

8000 steps a day is more than sedentary even if they're just steps around the house from here to there and the mailbox. As a reference, if I don't get out and go for a walk or just get out of the house...I get ~3000 steps per day. That would be sedentary.

So, you said when you had your macros set to 1600/day you were losing 1/2 a pound a week.

Why change it? Seems to me like it was working, so I'm just trying to understand why you feel compelled to tweak it and cut it down more. Was that 1600 easy to adhere to? Is your logging super accurate?

I always leave a +/- 200 cal window for mine because I know I am not 100% accurate at logging since I don't weigh my food I just use cup measurements.

In theory you can only metabolize about 1% body fat in any given week - which for you is about 2 lbs. So, if you drastically cut calories it does sound like you can achieve a greater loss, and I'm totally jealous that you are not hungry...I feel like I am hungry ALL THE TIME since I cut the calories down for August...maybe by the end of the month I'll get used to it.

To be perfectly blunt: no guy weighing 250 pounds should be eating only 1125 calories a day (perhaps unless medically supervised) especially when getting in 8000 steps a day and lifting weights regardless of how light the weights might be.

You need to eat. Seriously. Authority Nutrition is not the greatest source in the world but it at least sites some evidence based research. Adaptive thermogenesis is real. This article starts with "Eating too Few Calories".

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-mistakes-that-slow-metabolism#section2.

I know folks get in a hurry to lose their excess weight but what does it matter if one gains it back? Take your time and learn along the way (that whole lifestyle "thang") so you can keep it off...which is the real struggle.

My condolences to you regarding the passing of your Mom. Whether it was 2 weeks or 2 years ago, I know the sadness and loneliness it can bring. Kudos to you for getting back on track.

@Moratu I don't have anything to contribute to the comments about activity etc I just wanted to say I was sorry about your mother's death, must be hard for you at this time.

I generally don't do more than 6 weeks at super low calories...then I do 2 weeks at maintenance before flipping back to either super low or more moderate depending on my immediate goal. For August, it's super low to quickly lose what I quickly gained over summer, before it starts getting too attached to me. I may do another sharp cut mid-september or beginning of october through halloween just to look stunning in my Tank Girl outfit...there are definitely hormone impacts to going super low for more than 6 weeks and I don't want to get sucked into that land war in asia.

The year I was Harley Quinn I spent like 6 months flipping between super low calories and maintenance, 6 weeks low, 2 weeks maintenance...the low calorie weeks were hard but the maintenance weeks were like heaven, and it got me mostly where I wanted to be (the belly, I always have the mom belly no matter how much I lose)...that was before I tried calorie cycling, I do find it is easier to do the lower calories with the cycling just because it's never more than 2 days that I'm not eating as much and eating more after lifting definitely seems to blunt the crazy hunger that I typically get the day after lifting.

Much of last year was a low carb version of Leangains, which worked really well (lost 5% body fat), but then I switched in the fall to keto for migraine control, and now I have kind of meshed them into a keto carb/calorie cycling thing. This year the focus was mostly on gaining some muscle and really the first time I have deliberately tried to sculpt my body shape with my food/exercise plan and had a goal to make my body look a certain way instead of just losing weight...which I feel really good about even if it has taken the entire year to grow like an inch on my arms, but my legs and glutes look super stunning.

so...the point of all this rambling is...there are a lot of options out there, some will work better for your life than others, and some your body will respond to better than others, track what you do and what results you get...not just the metrics like weight or inches, but also how you feel, how well you sleep, how much energy you have...those can also be good indicators of how successful your plan is...and if something isn't working, if you aren't getting the results you want, try a different plan...everyone is a little different, and the best way to figure out what works best for your body and your lifestyle is to try it, track it, and review it...