Just Wondering

Ultimately you need to find what works for you. First I will say that some people will post here and say that losing 4-pounds in a week is unhealthy, but I personally never trust the scale during the first week of weight loss because your body is trying to find a new normal so both your water levels and digestive processes are in flux and may throw the scale off up/down, By the end of week two you should be in stable groove and you will know what type of progress you will see by the current eating habits.

That being said, when I read your post and you say you are eating 1200 calories per day my first question is what do those calories consist of? I would suggest, although you may be doing this, that you focus on low-calorie dense foods (salads, fruits, veggies, etc) these are not free foods, but they may give you a more full feeling. Second you may want to consider increasing your calorie intake, you might feel good on 1400 calories per day and in my opinion it is better to have a controlled diet at 1400 calories per day then an uncontrolled diet at 1200.

Additionally, if a higher number does work for you then you can always work to scale it back later, stage it down 50 calories every week or two weeks.

Ultimately you have to find what works for you, whether that means changing up your menu or changing up your calorie intake you can find something that will work specifically for you. Good luck!