Just cant grasp the 1500+ calorie rule

MFP put me at 1200 also and I am 127/ 5'6 and want to lose 10 lbs. I seems awefully low when I do work out 3-4 times a week.

That's more than likely because you have selected too high a goal.

From your profile saying you are a fat skinny person, it sounds like you need to work on lowering body fat and building muscle rather than losing weight. This will not happen at such a large deficit, generally you need to be at maintenance or a small calorie surplus to build muscle. switch to 0.5 or even maintenance, eat back exercise and start heavy weight training.
Look up lorinalynn she is an amazing example of how you can change your body without losing many pounds :-)

I have taken the slow path this time around. Everything in moderation, so they say. I am on 1500, but stray every Friday with a splurge day. I eat 100% of my exercise calories, and I'm at 20 pound loss for a year. I want this to last, so I planned that I would not eat below 1500. I want to see what maintenance looks like! I've obviously never been able to do it before, I would get lazy about tracking, and gain it all back.

As I go through this journey, I take note of what my successful friend on mfp are doing, look at their exercise habits, and take a close look at what is on their food log. It's amazing how things like that have helped me along the way. Not to mention all the fabulous supportive friends here.

I've done JC and WW. WW just didn't allow me enough food, and I'm a big calorie counter, so points and I just didn't get along. JC, I could emulate by buying frozen dinners, much cheaper, and just as good. Plus, my JC 'consultant' was just someone who weighed me and bagged my food!

I am so much healthier than I was a year ago, and I look forward to learning and improving and growing in the future.

I think we all have to find what works best for us. I never thought I would exercise 6 days a week and love it. Never thought I would cut sweets from my diet, but I've been doing pretty well at that.

Starvation mode is a fallacy. Just sayin'.

We have very similar stats! I'm 5'7" and my starting weight was 165. I've lost 9 lbs so far over a 2 month period. Here's what I'm doing:

- 1500 cals a day
- Under 100g of carbs a day
- Lots of eggs, meat, fruit, veggies, and lower amounts of dairy
- Cut out bread products, cereal, rice, potatoes, processed foods
- I drink water, tea, Crystal Lite and milk... no sugary beverages
- One or two carb-crazy cheat meals a week
- 3-4 gym sessions a week - 30 min elliptical and 15-25 minutes of weights/calisthenics

It's working great so far and I'm losing weight at a pace that keeps me happy. AND I don't feel hungry.

That’s great and works for those who can physically handle a heavy strength training regimen. Not so great for those with arthritis and other restrictive body issues.