I'm new at this too, but my understanding is if you eat less calories then you burn, you're going to lose weight, regardless of how many you are taking in. I'm with the person above, start higher. And for Gods sake, dont' tell EVER tell people on here you are eating under 1200 cals a day!
They will chastize you! :-) From what everyone is telling me, your intake for a day is a great place to start!