I've been counting calories for the last 3 months and have lost about 15 lbs. I eat about 1400 (give or take, more give, especially on weekends!) and work out most days (zumba, running and different toning). However, summer is getting close and I would really like to lose the last 15 by then. I am not setting a specific date, but the more I can lose the better!

My question is, if I go down to around 1200 calories but am burning 300-500 a day through exercise, is that too low? I'm not worried about the weight thing because I am sure I will lose at that amount, but I would rather not have any of my major organs shut down and I like my hair, so I would prefer to keep that too.

Also, I eat fairly healthy, am a vegetarian and try to mostly eat whole foods and stay away from processed foods, if that makes a difference.

Any advice from would be wonderful!

You won't have hair and teeth start falling out, but you may find you don't lose any slower--I found, for myself, 1300 and 1500 lose at the exact same rate.

I do think that at 1200 you really don't have any room for non-nutritive calories: if someone is eating 1500 calories and once or twice a week they want to have a glass of wine or an ice cream cone, it's probably ok--they are still probably getting everything they need. But at 1200 you don't have any calories to waste.

We are always experimenting. A few weeks on 1200 will tell you if it works for you. You MIGHT try 2 weeks at a strict 1400, first, to see if that creates the same effect at a slightly higher quality of life (or 1200 during the week and 1600 on the weekends, since that seems to be your pattern).

One thing that is really important: if a strict 1200 is too much for you and starts to wear you out, go back to the loose 1400 you are on now, don't just give up entirely. Hunger makes us do stupid things, and 3 weeks of being cranky and miserable and light-headed can make you want to throw in the towel on the whole flipping weight loss process and go back to your old normal. That sounds crazy now, but I have seen it happen. Make sure it doesn't!

Gosh... Shmead.... I needed to read your words today...

"One thing that is really important: if a strict 1200 is too much for you and starts to wear you out, go back to the loose 1400 you are on now, don't just give up entirely. Hunger makes us do stupid things, and 3 weeks of being cranky and miserable and light-headed can make you want to throw in the towel on the whole flipping weight loss process and go back to your old normal. That sounds crazy now, but I have seen it happen. Make sure it doesn't!"

Is SO right. Thank you.