Did you stick to MFP recommendations and succeed?

I was successful by not messing with it !

I started with the MFP recs (1200/day to lose 2#s/wk), lost over 3 lbs a week for a couple of weeks, then stalled. Saw my doc who said 1500/day + 50-100 calories for each hour of exercise. I did that for 3 weeks with no success. I lowered it to 1300/cal per day, and now the weight's falling off around 2#s/wk consistently. Everyone is different. Everyone's got a formula, percentage, or number they're going to try to sell you. Figure out what works for you. Listen to your body, make sure you're getting enough protein, fiber, and fat. At least once a week, I make sure to get 2000+ calories so I won't stall. Whether it's pyschosomatic or not, it works for me. I run 3 days a week, eat back some of my exercise calories (not all), and try to make 90% of what I eat healthy.