How many calories should i be eating?

I entered the exact same information into Livestrong and FatSecret to find that the suggested daily calorie intake between the two has a difference of about 1000.

I am 5'2, 125lbs, with a goal weight of 112 lbs. I would like to be down to 118 by October for my first wedding dress fitting and have the rest of the weight off by next April.

My current diet technique is to keep under whatever my daily caloric intake should be and minimize my intake of white flour, refined white sugar, red meat, and alcohol.

I'm disappointed to see that no one ever answered this post. I have also noticed a significant difference between LiveStrong's and FatSecret's recommendations: 1600 on LS and 2300 on FS. I've been using LS for quite a while and setting it to lose 1.5 lbs a week really works. I'm very skeptical that setting FS for "slow weight loss" recommends 700 more calories.

To me it's just multiplying your goal weight in pounds with 10 and 12, and there you have it - you should eat between that range of calories every day.

Just don't fall bellow the 1200 calories a day, as it's proven it makes you enter starvation mode and slows down your metabolism

It works for me when I want to put in that sweet treat

The number is only an estimate, an approximation. No matter what number you start with, differences between individuals mean that most people who try to maintain a specific deficit for regular weight loss will have to be aware of whether they are meeting their goals and adjust their intake up or down as needed.

I understand that it's an art, not an exact science, but 700 calories is a significant difference. It seems to me that FatSecret's formula is way off. I'd like to "fix" it so I could trust FS more.

Besides, FatSecret's exercise diary says I'm burning 1794 calories a day, but it wants me to eat 2300 for weight loss??