jakecunningham's Journal, 12 March 2012

1200-1500 is the goal for the day to lose weight... 

That does seem high. I thought the same thing of their RDI suggestion for me, so I altered it. FS suggested 1700 and 2000 depending on the activity level I entered. I chose to stick to 1600 or less. It has been working so far. You can always give it a try and if the results are not desireable, then lower it. But the last thing you want to do is not eat enough. That will not get you anywhere. If you have the money/ability to do so, I recommend finding somewhere that can measure your resting caloric burn. Then you will know for sure how much you are able to eat.  

Try googling "Mayo clinic calorie calculator" to figure out how many calories you should eat in order to maintain your weight - then subtract 500 calories to get your RDI in order to lose 1 pound/week or 1000 in order to lose 2 lbs/week - but for a guy your size, I wouldn't go below 1500 calories, unless you're doing absolutely no exercise.. The FS RDI calculator seems flawed, so try the Mayo one and see what it tells you - I don't know your age or height or activity level, or I'd be able to give you a better idea of your #... 

The RDI's are guidelines and you have to adjust it to your own needs. They are always quite high, so if it makes you uncomfortable, lower it some till you find what helps you lose but keeps you satisfied nutritionally.