Deciding on calories to set

bjam1234

Hey guys,

I know you get a lot of these... but I would really appreciate some opinions on where to set my calories. Have read all the things explaining how to decide this but cannot decide if I fit into the short-enough-to-set-it-lower category and also on the cusp of having enough weight to have a larger deficit...

Height - 161cm
Weight - 72.2kg (160lb)
Goal - 54kg (between 48-65 for healthy BMI) = need to drop 40lbs
BMI = 28
My BMR is 1457

If I put in 1 1/2 pounds per week loss, MFP tells me 1200cals (but also that I will lose 1.2??lb per week) - and I have been aiming for 1200 for the time I have been on here (diary is public, although there is a holiday week with more like 1500 a day) - alternately I was thinking of changing it to 1lb per week loss... which puts me at more like 1350cals.

I would like to go for the faster weight loss option with the higher deficit but I am also not keen to go too low and slow down my metabolism...

Thanks for any opinions/suggestions