1200 or TDEE? What should I be eating?/ Help me understand?

I'd say probably lightly active because it is so varied...I'd like to build muscle, like you said without getting bulky (not going to happen anyway!) but to be strong and I know that isn't going to happen with 1200 a day but I know that unless I see results I will be conscious of wanting to go back to cutting calories.
Also, I really can't afford the gym but I try and do as much in my room as possible... although atm I only have tiny pilates style 2lb weights.

I totally understand budgeting and exercise! They don't make it easy.

You can find heavy things around your home

A gallon of milk (or anything) is 8.5lbs! When you finish with one, wash it and save it then fill it back up with water and BOOM! You have weights

EDIT: And unfortunately, results come with time. It takes about 6 weeks for you to notice a significant change in your body. You have to have lots of perserverance and patience. Your body will have to adjust to the new calorie amount, which may mean adding a couple lbs at first. At 1200 calories, your body has most likely lowered your metablolism to keep itself nourished which means your BMR is lower than it should ideally be. When you bring those calories back up it will have to "reset" itself and once it has done that the fat loss will begin again.

Good choice! That is what I did as well!

Thanks for the info here. I am going to try eating at my TDEE and see if that helps things. I lift all the time and am currently stuck at a plateau. Maybe upping my calories will help me break it. Thanks again!!

I have been eating roughly 1200 calories a day, sometimes more depending on if I eat back exercise calories or not.
I have a varied exercise level, but am 11 days into the 30 day shred and am trying to take regular walks specifically for exercise and have just signed up to do my first 5k (amateur charity event so won't be expected to run properly the whole way but would like to try) and will be training for that.
I have been on and off with weight loss but have lost the majority of my weight since I started mfp around the start of March.
I've lost around 18lbs altogether, (it was 21 but I put on some weight with bad choices/ exercise and lost inches) which I'm quite happy with, and my weight loss is ok... but I'm concerned about the fact that I don't know if it is realistic to be eating this little.
I also want to try and do it in a healthy way, which I'm concerned that I'm not really doing... even though I'm seeing results I'd like my body to be strong and fit and from what I've read I'm not going to get there this way.
I'm 5'7, 20 years old
SW:176
CW:158
GW: 140
UGW: ? Depends how I look!

Could people please help me out?

I've been scared to make the leap from 1200 to TDEE-20% for a while now, it's scary thinking of eating all of those extra calories! So I've been eating 1300 and eating back about 20% of my exercise calories...probably completely wrong lol, so I think I'm going to take the plunge. I hope you don't mind if I add you as a friend as you are the same height as me with the same goal, although I'm at 194lbs right now so I've got a bit further to go.

To find out some excellent info on the TDEE method, I would recommend joining this group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-

and reading this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

Lots of helpful info there - good luck and I look forward to finding out how you get on!

It's important to understand and remember that your BMR is not static. It will never be solely at whatever figure you calculate using a calculator every day. E.G; using a random figure of 1800. Your BMR would not be 1800 every single day. Too many factors come into play both external (environment) and internal. Things such as your hormones, thyroid, insulin sensitivity, energy expenditure via exercise, supplements and food.

What's good about using these 'calculators' is that you have a some-what good estimate of your BMR and you can adjust your food intake according to your energy expenditure via exercise/supplements.

In my opinion, and this goes for everyone. You should try to maximize your metabolic capacity. The ability to eat as much food as you can without gaining weight is something you should work towards with the goal of losing weight in mind. If you are eating at 1200 calories, you lose weight, that's great, but what happens when you stall? you need to decrease your calories again, increase your training and you'll end up eating 1000 calories. It will repeat until you reach 800, 600, 400 calories etc (just using generic numbers)

If however, you got rid of the fear, and be patient about your caloric intake by slowly increasing it every couple days so that your body can adjust, you can potentially end up with quite a surprisingly high caloric maintenance and THEN from where, you have A LOT of 'room' to start losing weight! Example: maintanence of 2500 calories. Start losing weight by decreasing to 2300 for a few weeks or months, you stall, then you decrease again to 2000, 1800, 1600, 1400 etc and hopefully with a lot of patience you'll get to your goal weight/body fat percentage without killing yourself.

Using bikini and female fitness models who prepare for competition properly as an example. On the off season, they prepare their metabolism so that they start cutting weight/fat as a much higher caloric maintenance.

Check out layne nortons video on 'metabolic damage'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHzie6XRGk

Just my 2 cents.