Eating below 20% of your TDEE

I eat 20% below my TDEE and lose around 1-2 lbs a week. If you're losing steadily at 1-2 lbs a week stick where you're at until it starts to level off or plateau. I've had to adjust my calorie intake a few times in the past when I lost weight before. Usually every 5-10 lbs or so of weight loss requires a little lower calorie intake to keep the weight loss at the same pace.

Since TDEE stands for your total daily activity, and you mention none of that, there is no way possible for anyone to give an informed opinion on what you should eat.

If you think that 1400 is for the TDEE method, not likely. If that is MFP style and you'll eat back exercise calories, not likely there either. With kids you are likely Lightly Active, not sedentary, in MFP's levels.

But it should be based on your stats, preferable starting with decent bodyfat % estimate, and then specific to your daily activity and exercise type and time.

Try this for best estimates, recommendation, and progress tracker. Just stay on the Simple Setup tab, and the Progress tab.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

Are you feeling hungry a lot, feeling deprived at all? Do you have enough energy to get through your day and do the exercise you've set for yourself? If so, then I don't see a problem with 1400 calories. If you are wondering if you can go higher (because, in my world, why wouldn't you want to be allowed to eat more?) then you'll need an accurate estimate of your TDEE. Or use MFP to determine what your net caloric goal should be then eat back most of your exercise calories.

OTOH, I'm flabbergasted that you could fit into a size 6 at 150 lbs. I'm 5'5.5" currently at 144 lbs and a size 12 fits me perfectly (when I started MFP I was 155 lbs and needed a size 14). A size 10 would be a big squeeze right now.....No matter how many times I have this conversation with people it never ceases to amaze me how much dress size varies among women with the same height and weight.

I think the deficit is what's most important. And in order to figure out your deficit you need to figure out your average burn. I bought a Bodymedia fit armband and it tells me what I burn throughout the day so in addition to tracking calories I know exactly what my deficit is in order to lose weight at a good pace. Just to give you an idea, I am 31, 5'6", 149lbs and a full time nanny to 4 children, two sets of twins 3.5yrs and 19months, I usually work 45hrs a week. So I am *sorta* like a SAHM between the hours of 8:30-6pm. I exercise at least 30 mins a day 6 days a week and burn around 300 calories each workout. So on average I burn 2400 calories a day and eat around 1900. Because I'm fairly active with the kids, we go on a lot of walks in the strollers and play outdoors often I set my activity to moderate and am able to eat a healthy amount while still losing. If you think you are as active as I am you could probably fit a couple more hundred calories in there and still lose. Try to hit your macros so your protein and fat is high enough to keep you from getting to hungry and you should still lose weight.