I really think you should try eating more calories each day. I am 5'6", 38 yrs old, and I lost steadily on 1700-1800 a day. I exercise about 60 mins/day, 5x/week. But I started at 137 lbs, so my daily caloric need was almost certainly quite lower than yours to begin with. You should have no problem losing at well more than 1200 (accepting of course that we are all individuals and will have variation within reason).
There are several sources out there that recommend not eating below BMR. Makes sense to me. Not because of "starvation mode," which I agree is overhyped and applies more to people eating extremely low cals for an extended period. More that when we restrict too much, we make ourselves miserable and cranky and more likely to binge. Our bodies are begging us for what we need just to get through the day! Then when we binge we feel like failures, etc.
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