New to MFP & have a daily calorie question...

Don't know if this is addressed in a sticky anywhere on this forum. My apologies if it is.

I'm a 27 year old male, I weigh 237 lbs and would like to lose 30-40 lbs.

Although my day job consists of sitting at a desk, after work I ride my bike 2-4 miles at least 3-4 times a week. I would consider this "moderately active."

However, my real question has to do with MFP's daily calorie assessment. After filling in all my info MFP told me that I should shoot for 1500 cal. a day?

That seems really low. I did some research and it looks like the consensus is that men should not dip below 1800 cal. a day and for a man in my particular situation (age, weight, activity level, and weight loss goals) I should be eating around 2200 cal. a day.

So, is MFP's assessment off? Or am I eating too many calories? I don't want my body to go into "starvation mode" and 1500 cal. a day just seems like so little.